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February 6, 2012
2/5/12
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Yesterday's answer:  Michael Jackson
"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."
Cruisers are now home
The ship did not permit uploading to YouTube, therefore the people using tablets might not be able to view the  videos, but everyone else can.  This link will be available for 6 days.
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Name these two actors. In one movie about the Great Depression, a father played a defrocked preacher; in another, his son played folksinging legend Woody Guthrie.
Businesses May Be Paid For ‘Lost Profits’
By Alex Morton
Capital News

Several state legislators are sponsoring proposals to require governments to compensate property owners when public works crews block roads or sidewalks and prevent customers from reaching businesses.

In the House, Delegates Johnny Joannou, D-Portsmouth, and Anne Crockett-Stark, R-Wytheville, are leading efforts to revamp the rules involving eminent domain, government’s ability to take private property for public use.

“Let’s say I owned a piece of land, and owned a condominium on that land. If the county wants to take my land and build a highway in front of my condominium, then I’m going to lose a lot of business,” Crockett-Stark said.

So she is carrying legislation requiring governments to pay businesses for “lost profits” resulting from “lost access” when streets or sidewalks are blocked for work on roads or public utilities.

This is an issue for both urban and rural areas, said Crockett-Stark, who represents House District 6, which includes Carroll and Wythe counties and part of Smyth County in Southwest Virginia.

She said hundreds of Virginians are in this predicament, and many rely on profits from their commercial land as their only source of income.

“My question is, how many years of lost profits are we talking? One year? Ten years? They’re going to lose a lot more than fair market value during that time,” Crockett-Stark said.

But can courts measure exactly how much money was lost during these times? Crockett-Stark says that is the focal point of her legislation: to define the terms “lost access and lost profits,” so that the courts have a consistent way to determine the amount owed to property owners.

Three measures before the General Assembly seek to address this issue:

All three bills require governments to give commercial property owners “just compensation” for “lost profits and lost access” resulting from eminent domain. The bills would take effect Jan. 1, 2013, if voters approve a constitutional amendment in November.

Bret Schoolcraft, whose family owns the Halligan Bar & Grill in Richmond, said his business probably would support such proposals. In the city, he said, the only place to park is on the street – so blocking off roads or sidewalks would hurt business a lot.

“If the work was only temporary, that would be one thing. But if the roads were blocked for an extended period of time, it would probably affect us. It would be nice to be compensated if something like that were to happen,” Schoolcraft said
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Crockett-Stark expects many state agencies to oppose this bill. For example, she thinks the Virginia Department of Transportation would argue that cities must maintain and install utilities for the “public good.”

Tamara Rollison, a spokesperson for VDOT, said that if the department acquires anyone’s land, residential or commercial, the agency already pays the property owner fair market value.

“Before any land is taken, there is usually a meeting for public input,” Rollison said. “We try to work closely with businesses beforehand to make sure they are comfortable with what is happening.”

Rollison said VDOT often schedules road work during late night hours, in order to mitigate the impact of construction. She said she cannot see a reason for VDOT to oppose eminent domain bills unless they require governments to pay property owners an inordinate amount of compensation.

“Something that would require VDOT to spend significantly more money would obviously impact our budget, so we would have to look really closely at what this bill would require on our part,” Rollison said.

Crockett-Stark said she understands the need for eminent domain for some public projects. But she said she believes that work for the “public good” often takes precedence over people’s property rights.

“I’m not trying to do harm to any localities, but property rights are also very important to the individuals. So the government needs to find a balance.”
‘Castle Doctrine’ Is Closer to Becoming Law
By Mechelle Hankerson
Capital News Service

Citizens looking for more personal protection can rest easy after two bills that would allow the use of deadly force in one’s home moved forward this week in the General Assembly.

Staunton Delegate Robert “Dickie” Bell’s House Bill 48, better known as the “Castle Doctrine,” won an endorsement Friday from the House Courts of Justice Committee. The vote was 12-6. The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.

The Castle Doctrine, which is law in 31 states, states that people can use physical or deadly force against intruders in their home if they believe the intruder could hurt them or if an intruder commits an overt act against them.

Bell, a Republican, said the original draft of HB 48 was identical to Senate Bill 4, sponsored by Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Montross. The Senate passed Stuart’s bill, 23-17, on Thursday.

The House bill was amended in subcommittee last week to add the word “serious” to the threat of bodily injury that people must believe they face before deadly force is justified.

With the amendments, the chairman of the Courts of Justice Committee, Delegate Dave Albo, R-Springfield, was still hesitant to move forward with the bill.

Bell introduced the bill as a codification of what is already common law in Virginia. But Albo said that without the word “reasonable,” it is not an accurate representation of common law.

“Common law says the response has to be proportional,” Albo said at the committee meeting. Adoption of HB 48 would be “taking ‘reasonable response’ out of the law.”

No citizens or groups came to speak in favor of or in opposition to the bill. But Delegate Robert Bell, R-Charlottesville, a member of the committee, voiced support for HB 48.

“Common law doesn’t provide enough protection in their own home,” he said. “The goal of this bill is to say there are certain things to do within your home to protect yourself.”
Greensville County
Board of Supervisors

Today's Agenda
The Best Practices Knowledgebase provides electric utilities across the nation access to information on culture building, processes, and projects that have resulted in successful customer relations programs. Utilizing proven programs allows cooperatives to save dollars and increase their chances of receiving the desired result in their efforts to establish strong, positive relationships with their members. 

Only a handful of electric cooperatives have been honored in this section which represents the best of the best.  The local cooperative was selected for assessment, and ultimately recognition, after independent survey results showed that Mecklenburg Electric performed exceptionally well across the board relative to national customer service rankings; and, in fact, Mecklenburg Electric’s scores exceeded the national benchmark in every single category by a statistically significant margin.  The categories covered by the survey and evaluated included Reliable Service, Handles Complaints, Treats Fairly, Restores Power, Always Trust, Delivers On Promises, Good Value, Looks Out For You, Communicates Rising Costs, Inspires Me, Goal Low Cost, Gives Money Back, Doing More on Cost, Keeps Me Informed, Manages Energy Use, and Committed to Renewables. 

An excerpt from Touchstone Energy’s assessment of the local cooperative’s customer service culture says:  "Mecklenburg Electric has made energy efficiency a cornerstone of their member service effort . . . Mecklenburg Electric attends community events to get the word out about energy efficiency . . . Communicating with members is a high priority for this organization, and they make every effort to be as proactive, forthcoming and transparent as possible in all matters that impact the members."

According to Brand Performance, Touchstone’s quarterly newsletter to utility CEOs and brand leaders, "Mecklenburg Electric ranked well above average by members in every one of 16 cooperative service attributes as measured in the 2010 Cooperative Difference research.  In addition, Mecklenburg Electric, which serves 31,000 members in southern Virginia, was ranked the best in the nation in an area where cooperatives typically falter:  helping consumers manage their energy costs." 


Mecklenburg Electric Earns National Recognition for "Culture of Service"
Article on Cooperative’s Service Titled "Good at Everything"

Touchstone Energy, a national service and brand performance organization, recently recognized Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative in their national publication Brand Performance, and featured the local cooperative’s customer service efforts in their Best Practices Knowledgebase. Touchstone Energy provides resources to a national alliance of 700 plus consumer-owned electric cooperatives in 46 states that deliver energy and energy solutions to more than 27 million customers every day.
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative’s President and CEO John Lee states, "We serve only one master here at Mecklenburg Electric, the member at the end of the line. Our recognition by Touchstone Energy is an honor and a result of the culture of service that pervades our organization.  Our employees listen to our members, we proactively communicate both good news and bad, we make every effort to do what we tell them we are going to do and when, and then we follow up to make sure we have met their expectations. Our members’ satisfaction with our service is job one behind working safely." 

Organized in 1938, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative provides electric service to homes, farms and businesses in the counties of Brunswick, Charlotte, Greensville, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania, Southampton, and Sussex.  It is headquartered in Chase City and has district offices in Chase City, Emporia, and Gretna.
To all,

I would like to take this time to thank the community for all your support and prayers during my hospitalization. 

As most of you know I had a traumatic accident and just got home from being in the hospital for a little over 2 ½ months. 

I appreciate all the support my wife and I have received from the community and our family and friends. I would also like to thank everyone who has lifted me up in prayer.  I can assure you that there is power in prayer. 

I have to go back for another surgery in the next couple of weeks.  I am far from being out of the woods and still in need of prayers. I ask you to continue to include me in your prayers as I can assure you that prayer works. 

My wife and I would like to thank everyone who has held fundraisers, sent cards, phone calls, visits, and to the people who have donated to the Paul Lozy fund.  

Paul and Kim Lozy
February 6
   EPILEPSY SUPPORT GROUP MEETING at YMCA - CONFERENCE ROOM   6:30P.M.
Neighborhood Watch / Lee Street Area

There will be a Neighborhood Watch Development Meeting for the Lee Street Area on February 9th, 2012 @ 6pm at the Emporia Police Department Classroom Upstairs. 

At our last meeting 30 concerned citizens from that area showed up. We’re hoping for more this time. Lee Street, Park Ave, Franklin Street, Center Street, Southampton Street and Broad Street,  and the cross streets for those area’s were all involved.

These concerned citizens want to partner with the Police Department and develop a Neighborhood Watch to combat crime in their area.

In our Meeting on February 9th, 2012 we will be electing block captains and an overall leadership for these areas.

We’ll also finalize our strategy to carry out the mission. Thanks for your help! Any questions please call.

You are Invited to the Meeting !