September 2nd Newsletter
Let’s be careful out there. Schools reopened earlier this week and many families are back to work after summer vacations and time away from home. Traffic is busy again and people are moving in and around those commuting flows. As we summarize below, there has been an alarming rise in the number of vehicular and pedestrian related deaths, with Virginia unfortunately being one of the leaders in the number of fatalities suffered.
And so many of us were heartbroken by the recent death of Carla Holland who was struck by an impaired motorist while she was cycling in eastern Henrico. I was not close friends with Carla but I did know her as a constituent and fellow cyclist. During a community fundraiser, we had biked together on the same road where she was killed. Her riding partner that tragic day also was struck and suffered serious injuries but is recovering.
My ask here is for all of us to focus on the task at hand while driving, which is driving, and not the dozens of other things that could distract us from putting our eyes on the road, pedestrians, and cyclists. When a school bus driver starts the red flashing lights as the bus approaches a group of kids waiting to go to school you need to stop, completely, not just slow down. And make certain that everyone in your vehicle is wearing their seat belt or otherwise in an appropriate car seat. Somehow, there are people in Virginia who still drive without buckling up for safety. The Virginia DMV launched its “Moving VA Towards Zero Deaths” program earlier this summer as a comprehensive strategy to reduce and eventually eliminate all driving related deaths. This is an ambitious goal but only obtainable by all of us doing our part to keep the roads and our families safe.
If you have any questions or need assistance with a state agency, please contact my office at DelRWillett@house.virginia.gov or phone at 804-698-1073, and a member of my staff will be happy to assist you. I also will continue to keep you informed with relevant, accurate information via Twitter, Facebook, and my website. Please stay well and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Rodney
New Information
Henrico Bond Referendum Meeting on September 6th
Henrico officials will host a community meeting about the county’s 2022 bond referendum September 6th at 6 p.m. at the Henrico Western Government Center, 4301 East Parham Road. The meeting will provide an overview of the referendum and how the bonds would provide nearly $511.4 million in improvements to schools, parks, firehouses, and other county facilities. The public will have opportunities to ask questions at the session. Participants may attend in person or participate virtually via Webex or join via phone by dialing 1-415-655-0002 and entering the access code: 2302 063 3600.
Showing support for Henrico’s bond referendum with Alicia Atkins, Henrico School Board members Kristi Kinsella and Marcie Shea, and Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg at the annual HCPS Back to School Kickoff event at Glen Allen High School last month.
Federal Student Loan Forgiveness
On August 24th, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the U.S. Department of Education announced a federal plan to forgive student loan debt up to $10,000, or $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants, for individuals earning less than $125,000 annually. Despite previous reporting, Virginia will not tax forgiven student loans. Additionally, the pause on loan collections has been extended one last time through December 31, 2022. For future payments, borrowers with undergraduate loans will be able to cap repayment at 5% of monthly income. The New York Times has an informative article answering some great questions regarding the plan and how it will work for student loan borrowers. For more details on the Student Loan Debt Relief Plan and full eligibility information visit: StudentAid.gov/DebtRelief.
New Nursing Scholarships Available Through HCA Healthcare
The HCA Healthcare Capital Division is offering $800,000 in scholarships for students to pursue nursing careers in central and southwest Virginia. The funds will support the path to becoming a licensed practical/vocational nurse or a registered nurse within HCA Healthcare.
The scholarships are eligible for nursing students who are currently enrolled in a Board of Nursing-accredited program. The LPN/LVN scholarships are $7,000 per student and the RN scholarships are $14,000. There is a one-year full-time employment commitment in an HCA Healthcare facility upon completion. Candidates are also eligible for sign-on bonuses at the time of hire.For more information and to apply for a scholarship, please visit: https://form.jotform.com/222085746874062
Road and Vehicle Safety in Virginia
There has been a spike in vehicle-related fatalities this year according to recent reporting, an unfortunate trend we’ve experienced right here in our community. With higher traffic volume and travel rates, please remember to slow down, buckle up, and never drive under the influence. Practicing driver safety is critical to keeping our community safe when sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists, and fellow drivers.
During the first three months of 2022, an estimated 9,560 people died in crashes on U.S. roads, a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2021 and the most recorded in 20 years, according to estimates for the first quarter of 2022 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Virginia’s data shows one of the biggest spikes in fatalities in the country.The NHTSA list shows an estimated 292 people died in automobile crashes on Virginia roads the first quarter of the year, a 71 percent increase over 2021’s 170 roadway fatalities.
Part of the deadly crash spike could be explained by more traffic, as the Federal Highway Administration’s data shows vehicle miles traveled in the first three months of the year topped the same period in 2021 by 40.2 billion miles. Still, the increased fatality rate increased this year to 1.27 per 100 million miles traveled, compared to 1.25 a year ago.
Oak Avenue Complex: Central Virginia’s First Full-Service Community School
The old Highland Springs High School building in eastern Henrico County was spruced up over the summer and is opening to students to serve a new purpose. The site, which has been rebranded as the “Oak Avenue Complex,” will soon serve as the first full-service community school in central Virginia. It will provide local students and families with on-site health and dental care; mental health and tutoring services; and space for adult and GED-program classes.
A community school is both a place and a strategy meant to address barriers outside the school day that impact student success during the school day. Studies of community schools that have been running for more than five years have shown higher standardized reading and math scores, better attendance rates, and greater parental involvement.
The Henrico Education Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Henrico schools, is providing capital funds for the Oak, fundraising for sustainability, and acting as a convener with experts and community partners.
The Oak will house sixth- and seventh-graders in the county’s expanding Achievable Dream Academy program and will be used temporarily by students from the Advanced Career Education Center at Highland Springs.
Within a few weeks, the Henrico school division’s family and community engagement department, which heads the community school initiative, will move into the building. Initial partners include the Henrico County Food Bank and the Virginia Department of Social Services, which will help to provide a food pantry, and caseworkers who will be on-site to work with families. Further out, the Oak will provide on-site health and dentistry services through other community partners.
The school division’s first telehealth center opened last year at Glen Lea Elementary, which is also where the community school initiative first began in 2016 with a Community Learning Center. Henrico County Public Schools now has eight schools with similar after-school enrichment programming. They are funded by a U.S. Department of Education program that supports schools’ Community Learning Centers, particularly those that serve students in high-poverty and low-performing schools. For more information, read the full Richmond Times Dispatch article here.
The CHIPS Act: Opportunities for Virginia Roundtable Discussion
Four local governments — including Chesterfield and Henrico counties — are pitching potential sites for large semiconductor chip factories to take advantage of a new federal law that dangles billions of dollars of incentives to return manufacturing of the critical microelectronic component to the United States.
Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., one of the principal authors of the CHIPS + Science Act that President Joe Biden signed into law on Aug. 9, convened a roundtable discussion in Richmond on Thursday to showcase sites that the state is marketing to attract big investments by manufacturers eager to take advantage of $40 billion in new federal subsidies for domestic production of semiconductor chips.
The 90-minute meeting included county delegations led by Chesterfield County Administrator Joe Casey and Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas as well as representatives for other potential semiconductor chip manufacturing sites in Pittsylvania County, outside of Danville, and Chesapeake in southeastern Virginia.
Across the James River in eastern Henrico, the White Oak Technology Park already has been home to a large semiconductor chip factory run by Qimonda, until the company went bankrupt during the Great Recession. The former factory building is now owned by QTS, providing shared space for data centers, including one that serves more than 65 executive branch agencies of Virginia government.
“The site would accommodate a nice-sized fab,” said Anthony Romanello, executive director of the Henrico Economic Development Authority, using shorthand for a chip fabrication facility. “We’ve had a semiconductor plant there, so the infrastructure at White Oak already is supersized.” Read more on the roundtable and Henrico’s potential site.
I was honored to participate in the roundtable discussion (pictured) at VCU with Senator Warner, Henrico local leaders, stakeholders from other localities, and industry representatives.
Community Events
Northstar Academy Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Last week I enjoyed visiting Northstar Academy & Career Center for a ribbon cutting to celebrate their new campus off Nuckols Road in Glen Allen. The academy is a nonprofit, private school that promotes educational excellence and career opportunities for students with disabilities who have academic, physical, or social challenges. Northstar has built an incredible community for its students who attend from more than a dozen jurisdictions in the region. Have a great school year!
Pictured here are Northstar students and school leaders cutting the ribbon at their new campus in Glen Allen.
IAVA Indian Independence Day Celebrations
I had a wonderful time at Indian Independence Day celebrations with the India Association of Virginia (IAVA). This year India marked 75 years of independence on August 15th, denoted as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, and it was great to be with so many to celebrate this historic and joyous milestone with an afternoon of performances and fun!
I’m pictured here with IAVA President Aekta Chawla and Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor.
ISKCON Janmashtami Festivities
I enjoyed attending a local celebration of Janmashtami, the Hindu festival commemorating the birth of Krishna, hosted by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) of Richmond. Janmashtami began on August 18th and was marked with festivities on the second day lasting late into the evening, which was so much fun. Happy Janmashtami!
Celebrating Janmashtami with Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg and Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor.
Virginia Interfaith Reproductive Liberty Coalition Kickoff
Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn and Delegate Delores McQuinn launched the Virginia Interfaith Reproductive Liberty Coalition in Richmond on August 19th along with clergy and members of multiple faiths. Many thanks to all of these leaders for bringing attention to the fact that abortion bans and restrictions directly conflict with many religious faiths.
It was an honor to join faith leaders and my fellow House of Delegates colleagues to discuss religious freedom and reproductive rights.
