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EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

WEDNESDAYS • Sept. 30, 2015

INSIDE

Human trafficking discussed in Newport News - 2 Business group supports GRTC’s rapid transit- 5 Black pastors in Va. seek ‘Christian awakening’ - 9 No troop pay in likely government shutdown- 15

Richmond & Hampton Roads

LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE

Senate race puts McAuliffe’s influence to the test

VIRGINIA BEACH — When Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and state Democrats recruited Gary McCollum to take on longtime senator Frank Wagner in Virginia Beach, they liked their odds.

An African American business executive who overcame adversity and served his country, McCollum seemed poised to capi­tal­ize on Wagner’s vulnerabilities in a diverse district that leans conservative yet elected President Barack Obama in 2012.

Then came some stumbles: McCollum earlier in the month misstated his military record, a potentially catastrophic error in a district neighboring the world’s largest naval base. Then his longtime cable-company employer suddenly severed ties last week.

What started as a promising effort for McAuliffe to unseat an entrenched incumbent now faces a series of unexpected hurdles, and it has left observers wondering whether the governor’s campaign cash and influence can make the difference for a wounded candidate in a district that Democrats have made a priority for taking back the Senate — a goal he has called key to delivering Virginia for his friend Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016.

Publicly, the governor’s support is unwavering. Asked recently whether he was still behind McCollum, he said: “One hundred percent. You bet.”

McAuliffe has made two appearances in Hampton Roads for the candidate but canceled a third scheduled after the governor said he had to attend a funeral.

But six weeks ahead of the election, many voters are just beginning to pay attention, and McCollum’s military service error may be the

Left: Gary McCollum, Right: A packed house at McCollum HQ over the weekend, where attendees said they were “fired up and ready to go.” thing that sticks.

“The perception would be by the time Joe Six Pack goes to vote, it’ll be, ‘Oh yeah, he’s the one who lied about his military service,’ and that’s a shame,” said Moody E. “Sonny” Stallings Jr., a former Democratic state senator from Virginia Beach.

“He’ll never overcome that perception with a lot of voters.”

Instead, McCollum is running on his personal narrative and trying to create a contrast — “I’m not a politician,” he says often — with Wagner, who has been in the General Assembly for 24 years.

McCollum says he was raised in a Richmond housing project by a mother who died when he was 10 and an illiterate father. An ROTC scholarship to James Madison University was his ticket out, and until Sept. 24, he was general manager at Cox Communications.

The story resonated with voters who filled the historically black First Lynnhaven Baptist Church recently

for a candidates forum that opened and closed with prayer. About 120 people filled wooden pews that held well-worn Bibles. Some cooled themselves with cardboard fans.

They quizzed him on Medicaid expansion, mass transit, alternatives to jail for first-time offenders and restoration of voting rights for felons.

Police violence against minorities came up, too. “I’ve been pulled over, and it’s a scary thing,” he said.

Yvonne Leonard, a Wagner constituent who is active in the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee and was handing out “#TurnVaBchBlue” pens, called the hubbub around the misstatement of McCollum’s record “ridiculous.” She said she couldn’t express the full breadth of her anger at McCollum’s opponents in the sacred setting.

Wagner skipped the event, citing a scheduling conflict, and McCollum made the most of his absence. If elected, he said, he will have “the political courage to show up, to do

what’s right instead of what’s in the interest of special interests.”

Bruce Williams, a founder of the African American Political Action Council, one of the event organizers, said Wagner has an obligation to black voters who make up nearly a quarter of the district. “It’s beyond a disappointment,” he said. “Frankly, it’s an insult.”

The next day, seven miles east and near the waterfront, Wagner wooed friends of his own at Princess Anne Country Club. At the GOP women’s club luncheon, forks clinked on china in a softly lit dining room with butter-yellow walls. Golf carts were parked outside.

During his speech, Wagner said his district runs the gamut “from very, very high income right on down to, you know, up to and including rentassisted places and that type of thing.”

“So it’s a very diverse district. I wish sometimes I represented this

(continued on page 2)

2 • Sept. 30, 2015

The LEGACY

News

Re-entry event tackles human trafficking Human trafficking in Virginia was among the topics in last week’s 2015 Peninsula Re-Entry Summit in Newport News.

Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan welcomed attendees, who heard from Secretary of the Commonwealth Lavar Stoney and Chief Deputy Attorney General Cynthia Hudson. Stoney assists Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) in the restoration of civil rights to exoffenders and Hudson manages the daily legal operations of the Virginia Attorney General’s Office.

The afternoon sessions dealt with Human Trafficking and EvidenceBased Decision Making.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 2.5 million people in more than 160 countries are trafficked at any given time. The most common forms of human trafficking are labor

(from page 1) half, but I’m very, very happy to represent the folks I have,” he said.

When asked him about the remark, Wagner said he meant elections would be easier if he had more Republicans in his district.

He also touched on his support for a controversial effort to free Dominion Virginia Power from regular financial audits, allowing it to avoid giving customers refunds or reducing rates before federal rules curtailing global warming emissions kick in.

The company is one of Wagner’s top donors but gives to politicians on both sides of the aisle.

McCollum’s military record did not come up during the speech, but before and after, attendees of the luncheon stopped Wagner to share their views. One called McCollum “a jerk” and said “he must be mentally ill” to have misunderstood his status.

Before the error came to light, McCollum’s campaign materials said

Chief Deputy Attorney General Cynthia Hudson speaks at the Peninsula Re-Entry Summit.

Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney speaks at the 2015 Peninsula Re-Entry Summit, hosted by the Newport News Sheriff’s Office. PHOTO: Sinclair Grey III, NN Sheriff’s Office

trafficking and sex trafficking.

Labor trafficking includes forced labor or involuntary servitude, bonded labor or debt bondage, and domestic servitude. This type of trafficking can occur at homes, hotels, and small

labor operations to larger operations such as factories or farms.

Sex trafficking includes child sex trafficking and can occur with prostitution, escort services, brothels and massage parlors, among others.

Evidence-based Decision Making is about implementing research-based interventions, supervision strategies, and practices that have been demonstrated to reduce recidivism for our populations.

he was “currently a major in the Army Reserve.” But a spokesman for Army human resources said records show that McCollum actually transferred to the inactive Army Reserve — or the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) — in 1992 and was finally discharged from the military altogether in September 2001.

“I regret the fact that my service has been somewhat mischaracterized, but the facts are the facts, and I did not receive any notification in 2001, nor since, that I was discharged from the Individual Ready Reserve,” he said in an interview.

Wagner called the error a disservice to the military; the state GOP urged him to resign.

Del. Scott W. Taylor (R-Virginia Beach), an Iraq war veteran and former Navy SEAL, called it “100 percent BS” that McCollum did not know his current service status.

“IRR is nothing. It’s literally

nothing. No one in the military says they’re in the Reserves and they’re really in the IRR,” Taylor said.

McCollum called the tempest politics as usual but has persistently tried to explain how he got his status wrong. Most of McCollum’s military record is not in question. From 1981 to 1989, he served in the Army, including stints with the Rangers and intelligence units. He was in the Army Reserve in Connecticut from 1989 to 1992. Then, he transferred to the inactive Army Reserve, where he incorrectly assumed he remained.

In response to a request from his campaign this summer, military archives sent him his personnel record, but according to McCollum, the 105-page file contained no mention of his final discharge from the Army 14 years ago. On Friday, his campaign said, he received an e-mail from the archives acknowledging that the file could have been incomplete.

Adding to McCollum’s troubles, Cox last week said he no longer worked there. Before that, he had said he was on paid leave to campaign, prompting calls from Wagner’s campaign that his salary be disclosed as an in-kind donation.

Quentin Kidd, a political scientist and pollster at Christopher Newport University, said that in an off-year election that could come down to a point or two, the service flap could be the deciding factor. “I just think this was one of those races where everything had to go right for Democrats to win it,” he said.

Still, Virginia state Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) said the error has been exaggerated.

“The Wagner campaign is trying to make a mountain out of a molehill,” he said. “If they want to try to take away something from his service to this country, we are more than happy to engage on that issue.”

For Wagner, the scrappy former owner of a ship repair company, that means one thing: “Game on.” © WaPo

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Sept. 30, 2015 • 3

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4 • Sept. 30, 2015

The LEGACY

Redistricting plaintiffs blast ‘anti-transparency move’ Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging “unconstitutionally gerrymandered” House of Delegates and Virginia Senate districts, last week filed a motion to limit the accessibility of the proposed redistricting maps.

Earlier, the Virginia State Board of Elections asked the courts for their permission to post the new maps to their website. The plaintiffs responded saying that the posting of such materials on state websites is “unnecessary and inappropriate at this stage of these proceedings.”

Backed by the non-partisan redistricting reform group OneVirginia2021, the plaintiffs have asked a state court to reject Republican’s redistricting, especially in the 3rd District, since “the twisted, misshapen districts [are] not in compliance with the Virginia Constitution’s requirement that election districts must be compact”.

Reaction to the latest motion is varied.

“No one has a greater stake in

drawing political district lines than Virginia voters,” said Anna Scholl, executive director of Progress Virginia, one of the plaintiffs. “It’s simply nonsense to limit public access to the proposed maps. For too long, legislators have been able to pick their voters and limit participation. The court should not allow that sad tradition to continue.”

Kirk Showalter, the general registrar for the city of Richmond said she found the court’s objection to be “quite curious”.

“The memorandum in opposition actually points out that this information is already available to the public through the clerk’s office,” she said. “What is the harm, then, if it was made more accessible to the people who are going to be affected by the court’s decision by posting on the Virginia Department of Elections’ or the Virginia Division of Legislative Service’s website?”

Brian Cannon, executive director of OneVirginia2021, objected to the

court’s requirements on a cost basis.

“The software license to view the files that the court makes public is $5,000.00 - and that’s the non-profit rate!” said Cannon. “This memo in opposition to transparency should be an embarrassment to those who have supported the Democratic National Redistricting Trust who is financially supporting the plaintiffs in this case.”

Cannon said that if the plaintiff's

motion is successful it would create a major hurdle for any concerned citizen and even localities who wish to view how new maps would affect them. Currently, to see the proposed maps one must have software that Cannon says costs between $5,000$10,000. The State Board of Elections is asking the court’s permission to put the proposals up on a state website so all citizens can be part of this crucial process.

Grants to help police purchase body cameras Five Virginia localities have been awarded nearly $500,000 in federal grants to purchase law enforcement body cameras.

The U.S. Department of Justice awarded the grants, which require a local funding match and development of a comprehensive implementation and training program, to police agencies in Newport News Sheriff’s Office – $209,944; city of Lynchburg – $205,486; city of Waynesboro – $36,445, city of Fairfax – $28,878, and Dinwiddie County – $16,200.

“Body cameras are a big step forward in efforts to better protect public safety officers and the citizens they serve,” said U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.). “Used responsibly, body-worn cameras can help to build more transparency and trust between police officers and the communities they protect.”

The grants, awarded through the Justice Department’s Bureau of

Justice Assistance, are designed to support body cameras as a law enforcement strategy aimed at improving public safety, reducing crime, and improving trust between police and the public. Nationally, the Justice Department announced grants last week totaling more than $23.2 million to 73 law enforcement agencies in 32 states to expand the use of body cameras.

“The Newport News Sheriff’s Office is pleased that it will receive a nearly $210,000 grant for body cameras,” noted the sheriff’s office in a statement.

“The use of body cameras is an approach that can continue to build positive relationships between police and the communities they bravely serve,” said U.S. Senator Tim Kaine.

“By investing in these tools, we can also improve transparency and ensure families and law enforcement in the commonwealth remain safe.”

Big plays lead UVA past W&M It was the “Tale of Two Teams” for the Virginia Cavaliers. One team building on their impressive showing against Notre Dame, with consecutive big play touchdowns, while the other struggled at times to move the ball against a lesser FCS opponent. In the end the Cavaliers came out with their first win of the season, 35-29.

The Cavaliers (1-2) led 21-20 at halftime and used big plays on consecutive possessions to extend their lead in the third quarter. It started when Va. Beach and Bayside High School product, Taquan ”Smoke” Mizzell took John’s screen pass 80-yards for a touchdown. Virginia’s longest touchdown pass since Michael Rocco’s 78-yard touchdown pass at Miami in 2011. It was also the longest career catch for Mizzell and career pass for Johns. Less than 3 minutes later, Richmond native and Varina High School stand-out, Maurice Canady would take the stage, returning a punt 74-yards for a touchdown.

A feat that has not happened since 2004 for the Cavaliers. That play would not only extend the Cav’s 35-20 lead, but it provided a much needed shift in momentum. - George Strother

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Sept. 30, 2015 • 5

Chamber votes to support GRTC Pulse Bus Rapid Transit Project The Board of Directors of the Greater Richmond Chamber has voted to support the Bus Rapid Transit project (BRT). The decision came on the recommendation of the Richmond Business Council and Henrico Business Council of the Greater Richmond Chamber, having each voted at their most recent meetings to support BRT. According to the National BRT Institute at the Center for Urban Transportation Research, BRT is an “innovative and cost-effective transit solution” with successful national and international models.

It drastically cuts travel times and increases mobility, convenience and reliability. Often referred to as “light rail on wheels,” BRT contains features similar to light rail or metro systems but at a fraction of the cost. The Richmond Region's GRTC Transit System is leading the design and implementation of this important inter-jurisdictional BRT project along the Broad Street corridor from Willow Lawn to Rocketts Landing, to be completed in 2017.

“Reliable, shorter commute times mean more passengers, better access to more jobs and a better workforce for more local businesses,” said Kim Scheeler, president and CEO of the

Greater Richmond Chamber. The chamber is a not-for-profit business membership association that serves Richmond Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan, as well as Ashland.

“Millennials value having multiple transit options, and this large generation is quickly becoming the nation’s workforce. BRT is critical to ensuring that Greater Richmond remains attractive to young professionals who will play a vital part in the region's future economic growth.”

In addition to providing effective and efficient transit service that drastically reduces current travel times, BRT can also stimulate economic activity and investment along its corridor. Here in Greater Richmond over a twenty-year period, BRT is expected to generate an increase of $1.1 billion in property values alone. In addition, BRT will be a catalyst for additional development of transit-oriented residential and retail space in the corridor.

With each endpoint anchored in Henrico County, and the center of the line in the City of Richmond, BRT is a collaborative project that will connect our metro area with much-needed mass rapid transit along a crucial urban corridor. BRT

will bring immediate benefits to the Willow Lawn and Rocketts Landing areas, and connect current and future developments like Libbie Mill and the Stone Brewing Co. facility.

“The chamber believes that BRT will be a foundation for an improved, expanded transit system across the entire service area and is the crucial first step in a regional mass transit plan,” said Scheeler.

“The Greater Richmond Chamber fully supports BRT as a much needed forward-thinking and long-term investment in creating a first-class

rapid transit system for our region," said Chair Sam Young today at the Greater Richmond Chamber Board meeting. "The Greater Richmond Chamber encourages the GRTC BRT Project Partners to continue to engage in active outreach and positive reception to the diversity of stakeholders and perspectives whose feedback has helped inform and improve this breakthrough project.”

The current GRTC bus line serving the Broad Street corridor is among the most utilized by passengers in the GRTC Transit System.

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6 • Sept. 30, 2015

Op/Ed & Letters

The LEGACY

‘Death in the air’ LINWOOD DEBROW Ignorance sustains denial and denial sustained is not ignorant bliss.

It reasons that given the degree of toxicity in the air in the Southeast Community of Newport news, the entire city of Newport news is at risk, thus, ignorance is likely to be most deadly.

Separate but equal in death. Free at last. What a flummoxing paradox.

The air pollution cover-up is a story of pain, suffering, anger, betrayal, and rage, of birth defects, cancer, asthma and many other health problems, it’s a story of money and power of how corporations influence government actions and how this collusion affects the public.

Race-based environmental justice denied anywhere is like stealing the future of our unborn children environmentally everywhere. The putting of an illusionary fence in the sky to stop air pollution is as asinine as putting a fence in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay to separate Buckroe Beach (white) from Bay Shore Beach (black) during the years of the racial integrity law and the Massenburg Act in Virginia. If there ever was a time for the lion's paw to come out from behind the bronze door, if not now, then when?

The current scientific evidence says that the average level of dioxin toxicity in a human body in the U.S. is already high enough to endanger the health of people who breathe air regardless of whether they live in the southeast community, Hilton or Denbigh.

The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 1 No. 35 Mailing Address 409 E. Main Street 4 Office Address 105 1/2 E. Clay St. Richmond, VA 23219 Call 804-644-1550 Online www.legacynewspaper.com

Dioxins or other toxins once in the air travel everywhere and once in the air, they are mostly washed out or settle into the soil, plants, and water.

They move up the food chain, and some of it as stated earlier ends up in people’s bodies.

Lois Marie Gibbs states in her book “Dying From Dioxins” on page 68 that “under normal circumstances genes function quickly, triggering a series of actions that determine normal cell function and then shut off. However, with dioxin in the receptor site, the message is different, and the normal process that determines specific cell function is altered. With the presence of dioxin, gene function can either be blocked or kept continually on, as occurs with cancer.”

Assuming that most people of today know the historical and horrible effects of lead, they can easily grasp the understanding of the mind altering and genetically irreversible effects of other more dangerous air borne toxins known as HAPs. I, as an active member of the Southeast Care Coalition applaud the effort of all of us who strive for environmental justice and join with other coalition members in calling for the support of the establishment of an air monitoring station in the Southeast Community of Newport News, Virginia. Although I be comely and black, am I not a man.

The author is executive director of Greater Southeast Development Corporation, a community-based organization in the East End of Newport News.

The LEGACY welcomes all signed letters and all respectful opinions.

Letter writers and columnists opinions are their own and endorsements of their views by The LEGACY should be inferred. The LEGACY assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Annual Subscription Rates Virginia - $50 U.S. states - $75 Outside U.S.- $100 The Virginia Legacy © 2015

Syncing-up skills with employer demands Many of today's college students are stunningly ill-prepared for the professional world. What’s worse, they don't even realize it.

A new survey from the Association of American Colleges and Universities finds that about 70 percent of college students think they possess the critical thinking skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

But less than a third of employers think recent college grads are ready for the real world.

There’s good reason for this divide.

Employers increasingly value skills that often aren’t taught on the average college campus. And most students are completely unaware of employer demands because they don’t plan for life outside the academic bubble.

Colleges need to repair this disconnect. Faculty and administrators must ensure students develop the aptitudes that can actually secure them long-term, satisfying employment.

Consider skills like teamwork and collaboration. While 60 percent of college students think they excel here, just 40 percent of employers agree. When it comes to the quality and speed of their decision-making, student confidence is double that of employers’.

At the same time, many employers have stopped assessing academic achievements alone. Indeed, only 2 percent of employers consider GPA the most important factor when

evaluating job applications, according to research firm Millennial Branding.

These discrepancies are exacerbated because many students don’t take advantage of the opportunities provided by school administrators to acquire professional skills.

Fortunately, there are ways to improve student career readiness.

Colleges can adjust their curricula to better simulate real-world working conditions. Most jobs don’t require the sort of sustained, independent work it takes to finish a paper; collaboration is common.

Leadership matters, too. Only micromanagers provide employees with minute-by-minute orders.

Often, workers are expected to identify employer needs, adapt accordingly, and guide colleagues when appropriate.

Career service programs also have an important role in prepping students for life after college.

Administrators should focus on increasing the number of internships available, expanding the variety of participating employers, and allowing students to accrue credit from part-time professional opportunities.

American institutions of higher education must narrow the gap between what the average student learns and what the average employer demands. If not, future generations of graduates will find themselves locked out of the job market.

John Hyde and Amy Bravo

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Sept. 30, 2015 • 7

P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.

Too powerful Robert Reich contends that “Big Tech Has Become Way Too Powerful” (New York Times, September 20) — and so, to curb its power, big government must become way more powerful.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, like the railroad and oil trusts of the Gilded Age, are to Reich the natural result of market consolidation. Retelling the civicstextbook story oftrust busters using government action to restrain laissez-faire on behalf of the little guy, Reich calls for a modern revival of their efforts. He ignores the evidence of Gabriel Kolkothat “it was not the existence of monopoly that caused the federal government to intervene in the economy, but the lack of it.”

Reich also brings up network effects, the increased power of communications tools as more people use them, to explain why monopolies seem particularly tenacious in the information age. Exclusive networks will grow as big as they can. AT&T’s telephone monopoly seemed so inevitable that its government support was defended as being more in the public interest than a breakup.

But in the Internet age, everyone already being on a network, in and of itself, isn’t enough to keep them there long; ask AOL or MySpace.

Networks like email and blogs, not requiring users to have the same service to connect, have flourished under nobody’s control.

Reich’s notion of markets invites

Inigo Montoya‘s “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Not only does Reich identify “the free market” with the winners of a very rigged market, but he goes so far as to assert that “There can’t be a market without government.” Has Reich heard of the Soviet bloc’s black-market economies, or international trade in the absence of world government?

Similarly, the virtually-zero costs of digital copies is taken to imply that “the new economy could not exist” if not for intellectual property artificially raising prices enough to create a market. This ignores the existence of digital exchanges, from shareware to cryptocurrency, that rely solely on trust between the parties involved.

Reich decries the corralling of digital commerce into the walledgarden shopping malls of iTunes and Amazon. A full-fledged mutualistic economy of the digital age would instead be like the bazaars of eBay and Etsy, but for everything.

Joel Schlosberg

Act like it matters “The problem is not the times. The problem is the people in the times.”

Rev. Al Sharpton spoke these words while visiting Norfolk State University recently. NSU and all the other HBCU’s are facing perilous times. NSU is commemorating its 80th anniversary. Rev. Sharpton indicated that the people that brought this institution into existence were not billionaires, millionaires,

captains of academia, industry and other professions in great numbers, like we have now. When most HBCU’s were founded, African people had almost no rights that whites were bound to respect. Except during the Reconstruction era, we had no representation in most state legislatures to advocate for the cause.

The problem is that those sitting around the table currently are scared, uncaring or don't have the intestinal fortitude to stand up, raise or give money and ensure that sound leadership is appointed to lead these institutions.

HBCUs matter but we don’t always act like it. He told us to, “Go back and look at how vicious the opposition was.” As bad as times are now, the times are nowhere near as tough for those sitting at the tables. The price for speaking up and out will not cause us to be lynched. Why then is there so much silence from those of us sitting around and at the tables?

If it is to be, it is on us. The onus is on us; HBCUs matter. Let’s act like it!

King Salim Khalfani

Third party needed Donald Trump’s message has made it clear that what is needed is a viable U.S. third political party to compete with and against the current GOP’s primitive economic illiteracy and plutocrat philosophy. A GOP Libertarian or Ayn Rand type party is not the answer for the country.

The GOP exchequers are placing too much emphasis on debt, deficits

and fiscal armageddon rather than focusing on domestic issues and economic growth. Their only agenda cannot be reducing the debt, starting more military conflicts and obstructing the president of the U.S. Whenever the Republican Party leaders appear before the press and Sunday morning shows, they make the iffy and vaguest selfaggrandizement statements. The raging hypocrisy of the Christian right pushes the big lie and or myth that the founders via the U.S. Constitution created a Christian nation. There is no place in the Constitution where the founders placed the words Jesus or God! It appears that the GOP supports grandstanding from Ted Cruz, Rubio and hypocrite Randall Paul vs jobs and security for Americans. Thanks to the Republican Party’s racist obstruction against President Obama during the last six years plus, they now find themselves off the presidential political mainstream.

The party has become irrelevant because of their continued lies to the country and right-wing conspiracy theories. Fair-minded Americans have known for years that independent-minded rightleaning Republican intellectuals are no longer in control of the party, but a new party that panders to all types of anti-bigotry. Where has the 9/11 flag waving and bumper stickers Republicans gone? It’s frightening to think that the hate mongering GOP has caused the speaker of the House to resign.

Walt Hill

The LEGACY

8 • Sept. 30, 2015

Keeping the Faith Less is more The Apostle Paul wrote: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

There’s no way he could have anticipated how those words would be used centuries later.

Printed on bumper stickers for aspiring marathoners; a benediction for victors at the end of a football game; inscribed on the shirt of a middle-aged man attempting to reclaim his lost youth in the weight room: I don’t think this is what Paul had in mind.

While his words appear to be a mantra for overachievers everywhere, that’s not Paul’s intent.

The Apostle was talking about contentment, not accomplishment, borrowing an idea from the Greek Stoics. Far and way, Stoicism was the most popular philosophy in the Greek and Roman worlds, and Paul, having been born and educated in that world would have been very familiar this school.

The hallmark of the Stoic credo was self-sufficiency. The only way one could be happy, per Stoic thought, was to rely upon nothing and no one.

This was Stoicism’s highest ideal, and you have to admit that they were on to something. If you didn’t need someone else’s money, protection, or affection; if you could be free of all fear, expectations, and emotional hostage-holding, you would be truly liberated.

Thus, Paul and the Stoics both agree that a determined, “Can Do” attitude of self-sufficiency can lead to an extraordinary level of personal contentment. But they disagree on how to get there. The Stoic path was one of perfect detachment and internal strength, self-control, and

fortitude.

A contemporary of Paul said, “If you go on long enough, and if you try hard enough, you will come to a stage where you can watch your nearest and dearest suffer and die, and say, ‘I don’t care.’” If, said the Stoics, you can dry up all emotion and desire, release all attachment and concern for the physical world, by the sheer force of your will, then you will be happy.

For my money, that is a philosophy that sounds more like apathy or indifference than happiness or contentment. And besides that, there is a big difference between saying, “I don’t need anything or anybody to make me happy,” and “I have found the ultimate source of happiness.”

So while I agree with the Stoic premise - if you were completely severed from your surroundings, nothing could hurt you - it’s a rather deranged way to live. Paul recognized as much and offered a different path; not an “I Can Do” attitude, as much as a “He Can Do” submission. That is the context for his manta, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

No, this isn’t about overcoming, but accepting. It’s not a call to Stoic-like effort, rather, it is positioning oneself to receive the strength that Christ offers. Contentment is not the result of trying harder - no matter what the Stoics or iron-pumping athletes might say - it is the result of relying upon a Power greater than yourself.

And this is why Paul’s words are often so grotesquely misappropriated.

They are used as a form of defiance against the odds, used to magically conjure up our personal strength when we have none left, making us try harder, go farther, endure longer, and never surrender until we are victorious. This is the exact opposite of what Paul was saying. It is only in surrender, the surrender of our own power, that the power of Christ can be ours.

Words from legendary gospel singer Larnelle Harris fit the bill perfectly.

RONNIE McBRAYER & MORE

He sang, “It’s not in trying; but in trusting. It’s not in running; but in resting. It’s not in wondering, but in waiting, that we find the strength of the Lord.” And that’s also where we find peace, happiness, contentment, and every other synonym in the English language for being truly satisfied.

Determined, tireless self-sufficiency will take you far in life, but not quite far enough. To be genuinely content, and genuinely powerful, it won’t take more - but less - less of yourself and more of Jesus.

McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, pastor, and author/ronniemcbrayer.me.

Pope invokes MLK, a Baptist, as a Christian life to emulate JEFF BRUMLEY BNG -- Baptist scholar Steven Harmon was struck by something in Pope Francis’ address to Congress last week that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention: its ecumenical message.

The pontiff cited Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and Martin Luther King Jr. as primary examples of Christians who upheld social justice, liberty, plurality and nonexclusion. He also invoked the legacy of Abraham Lincoln.

They were woven into a larger appeal by Francis that the United States embrace undocumented immigrants, work against income equality and protect the environment.

But for Harmon, author of “Towards Baptist Catholicity: Essays on Tradition and the Baptist Vision”, it was Francis’ inclusion of King, a Baptist, that sent a strong message.

“Pope Francis chose to weave the examples of three exemplary American Christian into his address...” said Harmon. “I think this is ecumenically significant.”

Day was a Catholic social activist who championed labor and anti-war causes in the 20th century. Merton was a Catholic monk known in part for his interfaith work, especially between Christianity and Eastern religions. And King was a Baptist pastor and leader of the American civil rights movement.

Harmon said their mention by Francis is a powerful moment in the movement to create harmony among Christian traditions.

“All three, including King, are

commemorated in the calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church and some other churches,” said Harmon, visiting associate professor of historical theology at Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity.

The pope did not invoke their names as canonically recognized saints, but still as models for other Christians to emulate, Harmon said.

“The pope is commending a Baptist as an example of the lived Christian life,” Harmon said.

“Baptists can learn from this and recognize non-Baptist Christians as saintly models for our living of the Christian life, too — as indeed many Baptists have already been doing.”

Curtis Freeman said the four figures presented by Francis were saints in profound ways.

Lincoln was the saint of American civil religion. King was the saint of civil rights. Day and Merton were saints of service to the poor and a spirituality of peace, said Freeman, research professor of theology and Baptist studies and director of the Baptist House of Studies at Duke.

“His stories show us what inclusion of the poor, the immigrant, the stranger, the outsider might look like,” Freeman said. “We need the stories of saints like these, because they illumine our lives and show us concretely what goodness looks like in flesh and blood.”

Francis also avoided partisan stances, though some of his address appealed to both sides of the aisle at different times.

Freeman said “he makes it clear that to follow Jesus isn’t necessarily the same as the political right or left.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Sept. 30, 2015 • 9

Black evangelicals plan a ‘Christian awakening’ STAND - Staying True to America’s National Destiny - is planning a “Christian Awakening Summit” on Oct. 1 to focus on “unifying black ministers with other pastors and churches around a biblical worldview toward politics and public policy.”

STAND founder and president is Bishop E.W. Jackson, former candidate for Virginia lieuetenant governor. Jackson, a Republican known for what many consider controversial views, notes that STAND is building a nationwide organization of ministers - ministers taking a stand - that has members in 20 states. Their goal is a chapter in every state, city, town and county in America. The group’s leadership has many black pastors.

“Black pastors are realizing that liberalism opposes biblical Christian faith,” said Jackson. “As a result,

Virginia,” said Jackson, “and then moving across the country. We hope to inspire and motivate pastors who have been on the sidelines, give them materials and training they can take back to their congregation to inform and activate them, register

NOTICE TO CITY OF RICHMOND RESIDENTS

Bishop E.W. Jackson they are speaking out to their congregations and publicly. STAND is giving them unity, a base of support, and a platform from which to speak.”

In addition to calling for a great awakening, the group plans to address the impact of same-sex marriage on Christians and America.

They will also continue a push they began a month ago to defund Planned Parenthood and have Margaret Sanger’s bust removed from the National Portrait Gallery.

Jackson says Sanger, founder of Plannrf Parenthoodm was “a genocidal racist and a national disgrace.”

“We are starting these Summits in

Voters lean Republican in Nov. election Republicans have the upper hand among voters in the Nov. 3 General Assembly election, but Democrats may yet win back control of the Virginia Senate, according to poll results released by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University.

“Among all voters, Democrats and Republicans are statistically tied in the critical contest for control of the Virginia Senate, but among likely voters Republicans have an advantage,” said Dr. Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center.

“However, these results also suggest that Democrats have time to engage their likely voters, especially in the six highly contested Senate races that will decide whether they can break the Republican hold on the legislature.”

A majority of voters have not tuned in, according to the survey. Only 41 percent said they are paying attention to the election, and 66 percent said they are not following news about the candidates. Even so, 90 percent said they intend to vote.

them to vote, and get them politically engaged and committed to voting their values rather than party or race.”

The summit will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rock Church in Virginia Beach.

“These results demonstrate a classic pattern with Virginia’s off-off-year elections,” said Kidd. “A far greater proportion of voters say they intend to vote than are actually paying attention.”

On legislative issues, voters strongly supported increasing the minimum wage to $10.10, requiring tougher background checks for gun buyers, tightening regulation on payday lenders and creating an independent commission to draw political boundaries. Asked to prioritize concerns they want the General Assembly to address, voters ranked school performance highest, and traffic congestion lowest.

“It’s not surprising that voters continue to be interested in the quality of education,” said Tom Kramer, assistant director of the Wason Center. “But the low concern over traffic congestion suggests that voters are seeing progress from those controversial increases in the gas tax and highway funding passed by Gov. Bob McDonnell and the Assembly in 2013.”

A GENERAL ELECTION WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2015

FOR THE OFFICES OF VIRGINIA STATE SENATE, DISTRICTS 9, 10 AND 16, AND VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES, DISTRICTS 68, 69, 70, 71 AND 74 Sample ballots are available online at http://www.richmondgov.com/Registrar/UpcomingElections.aspx Polling places will be open for voting from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

PHOTO ID IS NOW REQUIRED AT THE POLLS.

Voters who do not have an acceptable form of photo ID will have to vote a provisional ballot and provide the required photo ID no later than noon on the Friday following the election.

Acceptable forms of photo ID include: Valid Virginia driver’s license; DMV issued photo ID; valid U.S. Passport; valid employee photo ID; other government issued photo ID; or, valid Virginia college or university student photo ID. See www.elections.virginia.gov for a full list of acceptable forms of photo ID. Voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID can get a photo ID for voting purposes only from any Office of the General Registrar. Immediate issue of temporary voter photo ID between October 14 and November 6th is only available from the locality in which you are registered.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE OR UPDATE YOUR REGISTRATION IS Tuesday, October 13, 2015 YOU CAN NOW REGISTER TO VOTE OR UPDATE YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION ONLINE AT www.elections.virginia.gov.

Register in person in room 105, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, except holidays. Applications are also in all city post offices, libraries, and DMV. The Office of the General Registrar will mail applications upon request.

Voter registration applications must either be postmarked by the deadline date or in the Office of the General Registrar by 5 PM on the deadline date.

THE DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT THROUGH THE MAIL IS: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 Applications for absentee ballots through the mail must be received by the Office of the General Registrar by 5 PM on the deadline date. The Office of the General Registrar will also be open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, October 24 and Saturday, October 31, 2015 for absentee voting for the November election. The deadline to apply and vote an absentee ballot in person is 5:00 PM, Saturday, October 31, 2015, except in the case of certain emergencies or military personnel.

Applications are available online at www.elections.virginia.gov.

NEW VOTING EQUIPMENT This City of Richmond has new voting equipment.

Visit our website at http://www.richmondgov.com/Registrar/VoterAtThePolls.aspx to learn how to use the new equipment. You can also ask for a demonstration from the election officers at the polls.

POLLING PLACE CHANGES

An ordinance has been introduced to move the polling places for precincts 101 and 606. If the ordinance is adopted on September 28, 2015, then the new location for precinct 101 will be St. James Armenian Church, 834 Pepper Avenue. The new location for precinct 606 will be at the Hotchkiss Community Center. Voters in the affected precincts will be mailed notices of this change.

Call (804) 646-5950 for more information.

10 • Sept. 30, 2015

The LEGACY

UCI concludes with roaring crowds, momentum The 2015 UCI Road World Championships concluded nine days of racing Sunday with huge crowds and exhilarating racing.

“Over the past 10 days, we have witnessed something special,” said Wilson Flohr, CEO of Richmond 2015, Inc, the organizing committee of the championships. “Our beautiful region was showcased to hundreds of millions of viewers around the globe, and fans from Richmond and all over the state, country and world lined our streets in celebration.

“We are grateful to the community for believing in us and very thankful to all our partners, sponsors, volunteers and fans – both experts and those new to the sport – for helping us deliver a spectacular

World Championships.”

Richmond 2015’s preliminary estimate for attendance beginning with opening ceremonies on Friday, Sept. 18, is approximately 645,000 onsite spectators for the 10 days of the event. Onsite spectators represent fans over the entirety of the event whether they attended one day or multiple days of the event, rather than unique individuals.

Official attendance figures and local economic impact numbers will be announced at a later date.

Viewers in 150 countries watched this year’s UCI Road World Championships on TV. More than 40 TV partners, including 17 TV

(continued on page 11)

PHOTOS: George Strothers and Richmond 2015

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Sept. 30, 2015 • 11

(from page 10)

Ask Alma I can’t stand my niece Dear Alma, I can’t stand my niece and it’s my sister’s fault. She made her daughter this way. Since the day her daughter was born, my sister has kissed the ground she walks on. My sister has given my niece everything she has ever wanted – or even thought she wanted. This girl has never had a “not about you” experience. She grew up having fits to get her way and her mother obliged. If you tried to discipline her or intervene, my sister wouldn’t have it.

My niece has traveled the world and her mother has footed the bill.

She finished college, but doesn’t work. She has a home; my sister pays the mortgage. My sister works two jobs and sends her daughter a monthly check. It’s not a huge amount but that’s not the point.

My niece makes every situation and family event about her. I’ve seen her take over family weddings, graduations and funerals, no kidding. I’m telling you, she has to have all the attention at all times.

When she was a child, all I could do was sit by and watch, but now that’s she’s a 23-year-old woman, I just can’t take it anymore.

Oh, and did I mention, she’s terrible to her mother! Recently, I’ve stopped hanging out with my sister because I just cannot stand to be around her one and only daughter acting all ugly and ungrateful. I know at some point my sister will notice that I’m not hanging out as much. How do I tell her that I can’t stand her daughter and its time she changed her ways?

Name withheld Atlanta, Ga. Who are you saying should change her ways, your sister or her daughter? Either way girl, you’ve got to let it go, this ain’t your plant to water. You’re grown and your niece is grown, this is a matter between two grown women.

When speaking about

conversations, there’s no need to have a sit-down with her mother.

That would be a waste of time anyway. In the words of Diana Ross, your sister’s got a “Love Hangover” for her daughter, “she ain’t tryin’ to get over.”

Uncomfortably for you, your conversation, if you decide to have it, should take place between you and your niece. Nope, you know what? I take that back. Your niece obviously loves herself very much and doesn’t see a need to change right now. Life on the other hand will deliver her a dose of reality at some point that will stop her in her tracks.

Trust me – Karma will visit in due season and there won’t be a dang thing your sister can do about it. I shudder to think how ill-prepared her darling daughter will be. Keep her in your prayers.

On this sunny day, if I were sitting in my right mind rocker, I’d try to talk you into working it out with your niece, but I won’t. Control what you can, and that would be your level of cooperation. How about you show up for everything you’re invited to that consists of four or more attendees. That way, you’re never stuck standing, sitting or texting alongside your niece. If invited to any threesomes, don’t go, you’re unavailable.

Not all life lessons remain the same. If at any time you notice a change in your niece, hallelujah, there’ll be room to bloom and grow.

But if not, no worries, God requires you to love her, but you ain’t gotta like her! ***** Want advice? E-mail questions to alwaysaskalma@yahoo.com.Follow her on Facebook at “Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma *****

networks broadcasting live from Richmond, produced more than 800 hours of original programming, reported Richmond 2015.

In preparation for the races, over the last few months, Richmond fixed streets, put up new signs and planted and pruned trees.

Street closures consumed the capital city’s downtown. City and county youth got time off from school and Richmonders experienced, firsthand, an event that had a powerful impact on the city.

With 1,000 racers participating, along with over 450,000 fans in attendance, the races gave Richmond national and global exposure. The sporting event was televised to nearly 300 million people around the world.

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones saw the potential impact the event could have on the city’s economy and urged the city to spend the $7 million needed to bring the UCI

championships to Richmond. He stated that the races would give the city a boost by way of meals and lodging tax revenue and give Richmond the exposure needed to attract other large scale events.

The economic impact and final revenue generated from the event wasn’t available by press time.

However, the event was expected to bring in $3.8 million in local taxes along with a regional economic boost of close to $129 million.

“I’m extremely proud of the way the Richmond region pulled together in welcoming the world to our doorstep and showcasing our community globally,” said Jones.

“A truly remarkable series of championship races was topped only by the excitement and enthusiasm shared by hundreds of thousands of spectators who saw the very best of what Richmond has to offer.”

George Strother, Strotherweinberg.com, contributed to this report.

12 • Sept.. 30, 2015

The LEGACY

EYPC receives three-year accreditation, continues to serve the community “We conquered,” proclaimed Towanda Darden, CEO and founder of Empowering Youth for Positive Change (EYPC).

Darden, 37, initially wanted to become a lawyer, until she discovered her true passion was advocating and helping youth. While sitting through court cases, she discovered that those facing charges suffered from some type of mental illness as a young person.

“It seemed as if no one addressed that need and it would overcome these individuals,” she explained. “In turn, the individual didn’t recognize what they were doing or even why they did what they did.”

Seeing a different need in the community—especially the black community—to help those suffering from mental health issues, Darden began working on becoming a mental health provider.

In 2009 she started Empowering Youth for Positive Change (EYPC) and received her license two years later to operate as an intensive inhome agency.

EYPC provides services to individuals and families experiencing behavioral and emotional difficulties.

It is dedicated to helping families individuals uncover their strengths and resources while providing healthy options to resolving problems, developing personal strength and creating positive futures.

“Our very first client was an eightyear old who took a knife to school.

I said if we could get her back in school, help her understand what she did was wrong and therapeutically change her thinking then I would know this is exactly where God wants me to be,” Darden said.

That was the beginning of EYPC’s success story. The agency managed to get the young lady back in school and have her charges dropped.

Four years later EYPC is still pushing forward and recently received a national recognition that is known to be quite difficult to obtain.

Towanda Darden The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), an international accreditation and standard setting organization recognized in approximately 48 states under mandated or deemed status issued EYPC a three-year accreditation.

The agency recently celebrated this high accomplishment at the Crowne Plaza in Richmond where it recognized the high works of its current and past employee that aided in the development and success of the company.

“I am thankful for my entire staff and all that they contribute. I could not have done any of this without them,” said Darden.

Within a two-year span—2013 to 2015—EYPC has added mental health skill building, therapeutic day treatment in schools among therapeutic mentoring after-school programs among other programs and initiatives.

Data shows that EYPC is at 95 percent of its serviced individuals graduating successfully discharged from services or advancing to college or entering the military. The agency is looking to further expand during

2016 by becoming CARF accredited in Georgia, becoming a provider in

North Carolina and opening in the Hampton and Fredericksburg areas.

SCLC sues OHA in HR WIRE REPORT -- The Virginia state unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Andrew Shannon, its state vice president, have filed a lawsuit against the Office of Human Affairs, a local organization that serves low-income families.

The suit is seeking a court injunction ordering the OHA to release documents Shannon claims the SCLC never received in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The organization receives local, state and federal funds.

Shannon made a request Sept. 16 for information on the organization's annual leave policy, procurement policy, job descriptions, job postings and more, he said.

The request was prompted by City Councilwoman Tina Vick's appointment as interim executive

director of the organization. Lisha Bryant-Shannon, Andrew Shannon’s wife, is deputy director of OHA. The SCLC has also asked for an attorney general investigation of the organization, after the SCLC “received complaints of unequal terms and conditions of employment and retaliation for opposing unfair hiring practices,” a news release said.

Vick declined to comment for this story on the advice of the OHA’s board of directors, she said.

The organization serves families in Newport News and Hampton.

Its services include food banks, affordable housing services, employment training, summer lunches for low-income children and homeless services.

Chester Smith, of the Smith Law Group in Virginia Beach, is the SCLC’s attorney for the case.

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Sept. 30, 2015 • 13

Collaborating to boost graduation rates It’s been three years since Christopher Feaster left Michigan State and he now works in a restaurant at a high-end resort called National Harbor in Maryland.

Christopher last ate around noon and he’s tired, having just finished up a nine-hour shift as a host. He’s trying to get more hours because money is tight.

“I don’t have money to hang out with my friends. I don’t have as much money for transportation, as much money for clothes, as much money for food, as much money for rent, to have money just in case. It’s a very big stressor for me,” he says.

That’s not the only thing upsetting Christopher. Since we last saw each other, he and his mother Nkechi were evicted again. She’s now sharing an apartment with a roommate and Christopher is renting a room in someone’s house for $350 a month. There are three adults and four children sharing one bathroom.

For years, it was thought that just getting students like Christopher into college was enough, but now we know just getting in the door was only the beginning of an uphill climb.

Research shows that minority

students are most vulnerable. Nearly 40 percent of white young people in the U.S. have at least a bachelor’s degree. African Americans graduate at about half that rate, Hispanics at a third.

Some schools have bucked that trend. A study by The Education Trust, a national nonprofit advocacy organization, found that Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, was among those that had significantly improved its graduation rates for minority students.

How did they do it?

A decade ago, VCU realized it had a serious problem: only 40 percent of its students were graduating in six years. So graduation became a priority. Now 60 percent of the students graduate, one of the biggest increases in the country. And the gap between black and white students’ graduating has closed.

It’s a very diverse school. Roughly a third of undergraduates are lowincome, a third are the first in their families to go to college, and about half are minorities.

“Imagine taking a third of our

Erin Bibo of DCPS conducts a “bridge conversation” over Skype with VCU officials to see how D.C. public school graduates perform at that college. PHOTO: Kristen Taylor Sorensen

Christopher Feaster would be getting ready to graduate this year if he had stayed in college. Instead, he’s working as a host for McLoone’s Pier House at National Harbor. PHOTO: Kavitha Cardoza students, first-generation students, coming from a less privileged background,” says Luke Schultheis.

As the vice provost for strategic enrollment management, he’s in charge of student recruitment, retention and graduation at VCU. “When they get a baccalaureate degree and are able to return to their communities, they are going to be able to bring benefits to their families: improved healthcare, reduced crime, significant increase in lifetime earnings, it just goes on and on.”

Daphne Rankin is associate vice provost for strategic enrollment management and helps support students so they stay at VCU. She says part of the reason the graduation rate improved is that they changed the freshman experience. Now, students have a core curriculum and are divided into small groups, so they don’t feel alone.

“Classes that would keep the

same faculty member, the same 22 students together, for the entire year,” Rankin says. “So in this large urban university of 32,000, we had a place where especially first-year students could go and somebody knew their name.”

Some incoming freshmen who are the first in their families to go to college spend six weeks on campus during summer, so that when the fall semester starts, they are already acclimated.

And Schultheis says VCU also uses data to identify at-risk students who need what’s called “intrusive advising,” where university staff reach out to them individually. That includes students who are in danger of being placed on academic warning, those who have withdrawn from a class because they were failing, those who wait too long to declare a major and those who aren’t taking the (continued on page 17)

14 • Sept. 30, 2015

The LEGACY

VA officials used medical records to smear whistleblowers TORI RICHARDS In a rare show of solidarity, Republicans and Democrats showed anger and distress during the recent testimony of witnesses Carolyn Clancy, the Veterans Affair’s chief medical officer, and Deputy Inspector General Linda Halliday. That testimony followed whistleblowers who testified that VA officials tried to bully them into silence after reporting wrongdoing. Their detractors continue to work in the VA. Both Clancy and Halliday said retaliation against whistleblowers is unacceptable.

“I was upset coming in here. And I’m becoming more upset,” said Chairman Ron Johnson, R-WI, of the committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

Johnson became emotional while reading from an April 2015 Inspector General report that was released upon subpoena. It detailed large amounts of marijuana and a scale allegedly found at the home of Chris Kirkpatrick, a VA psychiatrist and whistleblower. Kirkpatrick had reported that VA doctors were overmedicating his patients, including one who had threatened Kirkpatrick’s life. In 2009, following his complaint, the VA fired Kirkpatrick, and the psychiatrist killed himself.

“I want this to sink in. This came from OIG (the Office of Inspector General), who say reprisal is unacceptable,” Johnson said. “That sounds like a reprisal to me – to a dead person. What will the VA do to make good on this? To make up for this reprisal, this reprehensible reprisal?”

Halliday stated that she has only been on the job three months and hadn’t seen the report. She didn’t know who wrote it.

At that point, Johnson shouted: “Who did? Who did this? I want to know every individual involved in

writing this report!”

The OIG is tasked with investigating complaints of fraud and abuse. But testimony showed it was complicit in covering up VA mistakes instead of ferreting out wrongdoing.

Whistleblower Shea Wilkes testified that he was placed under a criminal investigation by the OIG for accessing a secret wait list at the Shreveport VA Hospital in order to provide evidence that such an event was happening. He talked to 50 other whistleblowers across the nation and found that “100 percent of them have had their medical records accessed” to fabricate reasons for dismissal.

His only savior was the Office of Special Counsel, which reports directly to the president. That agency managed to get the criminal action against him dropped and helped the other whistleblowers who testified.

The OSC grants whistleblower status and investigates retaliation against the them.

Carolyn Lerner, the OSC’s special counsel, testified that employees who have retaliated against whistleblowers face little or no discipline from the VA. About 40 percent of her office’s workload is dedicated to VA complaints and the number is growing.

“There may be a reluctance to go after the people who are more powerful,” she said, suggesting that investigations often settle on relatively low-ranking employees rather than their supervisors.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, said she has introduced legislation that would require the termination of any employee who retaliated against a whistleblower. She asked Clancy how many people had been fired pertaining to this issue.

Clancy said she didn’t know but had concerns about the bill.

“I worry about more fear on leaders,” she said. “They feel like if someone raises their hand and something goes wrong, they are worried they are losing their job.”

Linda Halliday, assistant VA inspector general for audits and evaluations; Danny G. I. Pummill, principal deputy under secretary for benefits of the Veterans Benefits Administration; and Diana Rubens, director of the VA's Philadelphia Regional Office are sworn in at a House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing on problems at VA facilities in Philadelphia and Oakland, Calif. PHOTO: Joe Gromelski/Wire McCaskill responded, “That is the problem, they are worried about hiding the problem more than they are the problem.”

The committee intends to continue monitoring the whistleblower issue and will put pressure on President

Obama to appoint a new director to the VA Inspector General’s Office. The position has been vacant for 631 days.

A recent report revealed that 847,822 patients have been waiting for appointments – including onethird who died without getting care.

PFAC offers free weekend admission and exhibit tour You can explore the Peninsula Fine Arts Center’s “American Scenery: Hudson River School Painting exhibit for free on Oct. 3-4 one last time before it closes on Oct. 18. A free docent-led tour is offered on Sunday, Oct. 4.

The “American Scenery: Hudson River School Painting” exhibit opened at PFAC in July. The collection includes paintings from 72 artists of the era, including the founder of the Hudson River School, Thomas Cole, along with Jasper Francis Cropsey, Sanford Robinson Gifford, Asher B. Durand, Frederic Edwin Church, John Frederick Kensett and John William Casilear.

This exhibition is assembled from a single private collection.

The paintings on display were created to celebrate the vast natural resources of the American landscape, on the cusp of the Civil War and Industrial Revolution.

The landscapes depict locations

throughout New England and the American West, but focus mainly on the area within and surrounding the Hudson River Valley in New York.

Hudson River School landscapes are known for their realistic, detailed, and sometimes idealized depictions of nature, often juxtaposing an element of peaceful agriculture with the remaining wilderness.

The exhibit is grouped into several themed sections and pairings, some of which are determined by weather conditions, seasons, and time of day.

On Oct. 4 at 2 p.m., patrons can also join a free guided tour of the “American Scenery” exhibit.

Learn stories about the artists who participated in the Hudson River School and the moment in American history that influenced their work.

RSVP requested to cdonne@pfac-va.org.

The Newport News center hosts “First Free Weekends” at the beginning of each month in a bid to remove financial barriers from art.

Sept. 30, 2015 • 15

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DOD: No troop pay, civilians could be furloughed if government shuts down TRAVIS J. TRITTEN WASHINGTON — Troops will not get paychecks and Defense Department civilians could be furloughed if Congress fails to pass a new federal budget and the government shuts down Thursday, according to a DOD memo sent out to personnel.

The department was still holding out hope for a solution on Capitol Hill, according to the memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work. However, if lawmakers do not act by midnight Wednesday, the fallout could be similar to the last government shutdown in 2013, which caused turmoil and temporarily forced about 350,000 Pentagon workers on leave without pay.

“During a government shutdown, all military personnel would continue in a normal duty status. However, they would not be paid until Congress provides funding,” Work wrote.

Civilians deemed crucial to protecting human safety and property will continue working as normal if a shutdown occurs, and will not receive any pay until there is a budget solution, according to a contingency plan released last week.

The final decision on who makes the cut will be left up to the service secretaries and the heads of DOD components.

All others will be furloughed without pay, the plan says. Nonessential DOD activities would be ceased in an “orderly and deliberate” way, including any temporary duty travel.

“As we saw in 2013, should a shutdown occur, and depending on the length of the shutdown, these determinations may change over time as circumstances evolve,” Work wrote.

The last time the government shut down for more than two weeks — over attempts to defund Obamacare — about 800,000 federal workers were placed on furlough. But the

House Speaker John Boehner resigns amidst shutdown talks.

DOD was able to bring its civilians back to work after about a week.

Troops and personnel were to be contacted by their chains of command with more details on the shutdown plans.

The clock was ticking on Capitol Hill with a glimmer of hope for a budget deal in the Senate this week following a fight over defunding Planned Parenthood, but there was major political upheaval in the House with the announced resignation of Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Senators rejected a temporary Republican budget that would have cut all support for the federally subsidized health care provider, in what was seen as an attempt to appease right-wing conservatives in the party.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,

R-Ky., was set to introduce a new budget resolution Monday that could fund the government at current levels until December but does not include the controversial Planned Parenthood measure.

“There are two different roads that we can take. One is to insist that no more money go to Planned Parenthood and cause a government shutdown,” McConnell said after his first budget proposal failed last week. “The other is to take a slightly longer-term approach, taking advantage of the fact that we have the attention of the country as probably never before.”

Meanwhile, conservative efforts in the House to defund Planned Parenthood using a federal budget bill were thrown into uncertainty.

Boehner stunned Washington

by announcing he will resign from Congress in October, a move that was seen as a victory for conservative Republicans in the chamber’s Freedom Caucus who want to a more hardline strategy on Planned Parenthood and other issues.

“It was my plan to only serve as speaker until the end of last year, but I stayed on to provide continuity to the Republican Conference and the House,” he said in a written statement. “It is my view, however, that prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. To that end, I will resign the Speakership and my seat in Congress on Oct. 30.”

Boehner’s ouster showed the power of his far-right foes in the party but it may also open up the possibility of a budget deal since those lawmakers now know he is on the way out.

Boehner, second in line to succeed the president and into his 13th twoyear term announced announced his decision in a closed-door session of the Republican caucus. It came one day after a high point of Boehner’s congressional career, a historic speech by Pope Francis to Congress at Boehner’s request.

A constant focus of conservatives’ complaints, Boehner was facing the threat of a floor vote on whether he could stay on as speaker, a formal challenge that hasn’t happened in over 100 years. That was being pushed by tea partyers convinced Boehner wasn’t fighting hard enough to strip Planned Parenthood of government funds.

Although it’s not certain who will succeed Boehner, the most obvious candidate is the No. 2 House Republican, Kevin McCarthy, a genial Californian who was first elected to Congress in 2006.

McCarthy did not immediately announce any plans to run for speaker but would be expected to.

Regardless, Boehner’s departure ensures a major leadership race in which tea party conservatives would be expected to field a candidate.

16 • Sept. 30, 2015

Calendar 10.1, 7:30 p.m.

Winning a recordbreaking sixth Tony for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”, Broadway actress Audra McDonald made theatre history.

The two-time Grammy Awardwinner and Emmy-nominated “Live From Lincoln Center” host returns to the concert stage, offering favorite show tunes, popular standards, and original pieces written especially for this extraordinary artist at the height of her expressive powers.

She will appear at the Carpenter Theatre, Richmond CenterStage.

Contact the venue for more information.

10.6, 6 p.m.

The Valentine will host the Community Conversations series, beginning on Oct. 6. The series engages greater Richmond residents series in a dialogue about the region’s past and how that past can positively shape their collective future.

This year, the Valentine will partner with TMI and Richmond magazine, as well as many other community organizations to present public discussions about sustainability issues in the Richmond area. Each conversation will feature a panel of local experts that can best represent the given topic and the timely issues surrounding that topic.

All Community Conversations are free and open to the public. The events will be held at the Valentine in the Multi-Purpose Room located on the lower level.

Parking is available in the Valentine's lot located off of 10th Street. The entrance is located between Clay and Marshall streets.

For more information, contact 804649-0711 ext. 301.

Other Community Conversations dates are Nov.3, Jan. 5 and Feb. 2.

The LEGACY

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Media and social issues Award-winning writer and speaker Daisy Hernández (right) will discuss the importance of media and language in social issues at the University of Richmond on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. This event will be held in Weinstein Hall, Brown-Alley Room and is free and open to the public.

Hernández’ lecture, entitled “Feminism, Beyoncé, and Writing Cuentos: A Talk on Media Representations,” will cover how words play a critical role in how gender, race, queer and immigration issues are portrayed and policed. She will also speak on how words are a potent way in which people imagine the future, as can be seen in the #blacklivesmatter campaign. Hernández will also explore how we can turn social media into social education.

In 2015, Hernández was awarded the Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award for her book “A Cup of Water Under My Bed” from the Lambda Literary Foundation.

This event is part of the WILL*/WGSS 2015-16 speaker series, UR Comes Out! and Latino-Hispanic Heritage Month.

Tuckahoe to highlight body cameras, more Tuckahoe District Supervisor Patricia S. O’Bannon will hold a town meeting Monday, Oct. 5 to discuss the body-worn cameras issued to Henrico police officers and the county’s Community Emergency Notification System.

The meeting will include sessions at 1 and 7 p.m. at the Tuckahoe Area Library, 1901 Starling Drive.

Representatives of the Police Division will discuss a recent initiative to equip officers with body cameras and provide training in the “fair and impartial policing” method. A representative of the Division of Fire will provide an overview of the Community Emergency Notification System, also known as CodeRED, and explain how residents can register. For more information, call 804-501-4208 or go to patobannon.com.

Are you in a suicide crisis?

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Submit your calendar events to calendar@legacynewspaper.com.

Include contact infomation that can be published.

10.7, 7 p.m.

If you’re interested in the Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology at Godwin High School, please consider attending a town hall meeting on Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology, 2101 Pump Road, Henrico.

The school is hosting a town hall meeting to discuss proposed changes to the specialty center. During the meeting, school and division leaders will be available to respond to your questions and concerns.

All interested students and families throughout Henrico County are invited to attend. Topics to be presented include: - Proposed change to the name of the specialty center.

- Proposed changes to the center’s extracurricular requirements.

- Proposed community/educational partnership opportunity.

The school has also created an electronic feedback form for interested students and families who are unable to attend the meeting: http://www.tinyurl.com/ghs-smt

10.8, 3 p.m.

2015 marks the 44th annual service award celebration for VCU and VCU Health faculty and staff with five to 55 years of service. The ceremony/reception wil l be held in the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

Invitations have been emailed. RSVP attendance to rewrdrec@vcu.edu.

10.10, 1 p.m.

Healthy Living Learning Center 4th Annual Open House takes place at 201 W. Washington St, Petersburg.

The free event features center tours, fun and games, children’s activities, health screenings, health information, raffle prizes, food and exercise demos, and access to community health professionals.

For more information, visit ppls.org/ library-services/healthyliving/

Sept. 30, 2015 • 17

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

(from page 13) credits they need to graduate.

“We’re able to reach out to students before there are negative impacts to help steer them into the right path, so that it’s not too late and they leave the institution,” Schultheis says.

Bridging the high school-college divide While there’s a need to figure out how to graduate students who get into college, there’s also a need to figure out how to get more students ready for college.

And that’s where Erin Bibo comes in. As the deputy chief, she’s in charge of college and career education for D.C. Public Schools, which is overhauling how it prepares students for college. She is drawing on strategies that several school districts across the country use to varying degrees, including having students visit colleges beginning in middle school and offering college courses in high school.

But Bibo says there’s another critical piece: following their graduates through college.

“When the left hand is talking to the right and students are sort of getting approached by both their college and their high school, it can be a very powerful thing.”

Erin Bibo, deputy chief of college and career education at D.C. Public Schools “We’re setting up meetings with their leadership and we’re saying, ‘We want to see your data and how our students are doing. Where are they failing?’ And we are going to channel that down to the teacher level at the high schools to say: here’s this disconnect,” Bibo says.

She calls these “bridge conversations” and that’s what’s happening this morning through Skype with VCU. Bibo is in Washington, D.C., with her team. On the other end is the Virginia team, headed by Daphne Rankin, associate vice-provost of strategic enrollment.

They look at historical trends of how many DCPS students attend Virginia Commonwealth and how they fare.

“Our students graduate at very high rates at VCU and we would very much like to have more of our

students going to VCU,” Bibo says.

DCPS students also graduate in fewer than six years, and Bibo says that’s especially critical because most of them tend to come from lowerincome backgrounds.

“We do have a campaign called the ‘Do the Math’ campaign. And the idea is do the math: 15 credits every semester, you’ll be out in four years. That if you stretch it another year, you’re going to spend about $25,000 for every year that you’re not graduating,” Rankin says.

The concern goes beyond cost.

Students who take 15 credits a semester and who graduate in four years tend to get better grades.

Rankin also tells them some that professors at VCU take attendance for freshmen. If a student is marked absent, he gets an automatic email. “’Hey! I noticed you weren’t in UNIV 111 today. Just want you to know that I missed you,’” Rankin says. “Well by the time he’s missed two or three, those notes get a little more stern: ‘You need to come see me right now. We need to talk about this.’”

They talk about signing a data sharing agreement so they can exchange even more information.

Bibo says that, historically, the worlds of K-12 education and college have had little interaction.

“In recent years, I’ve started to see the walls crumbling and that’s a great thing. When the left hand is talking to the right and students are sort of getting approached by both their college and their high school, it can be a very powerful thing,” Bibo says.

They have started to track D.C. Public School students even after graduation.

“I think that as a school district, DCPS children are our children, even after they graduate our schools, they’re still ours. And then when they go to college, they’re still ours.

And then when they’re successful in their college and careers, they’re still ours,” she says.

No easy solutions When his shift ends, Christopher has a 45-minute bus ride back home.

It’s 10:15 p.m. and we sprint to make the bus, because if we miss it, it’s a half-hour wait for the next one.

Christopher Feaster is interviewed by Kavitha Cardoza on the campus of Michigan State University, the school he dropped out of in 2013.

We squeeze into the bus; it’s noisy.

Everyone looks beaten down by the day. Christopher updates me on his readmission application to Michigan State.

“I did get readmission,” he says. “If I choose to, I could go back as early as this fall. I doubt I’ll go back or I doubt I’ll go back this soon.”

An often overlooked metric for deciding on a four-year college or university is graduation rates.

The Education Trust, a nonprofit advocacy organization, makes that data available online.

I must look crushed because Christopher explains that it’s not that simple. Of course it’s not. This time there won’t be $200,000 in scholarship money.

“I’m going to have to take out loans, so I’m going to have a job. And having all of that while I’m in school, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not for me right now.”

It’s past 11 p.m., and the bus pulls up to Christopher’s stop and he steps off. The street is brightly lit with the signs of fast food restaurants and payday lenders. I can just about make out Christopher getting smaller

and smaller as the bus moves on.

Taking the long view In the U.S., we spend more than ever before on higher education, but the results are spotty. We rank just 19th of 28 developed countries in our college graduation rate.

Every person I spoke to for this story said that the responsibility of getting kids to graduate rests on the college, the high school and student, but only Christopher is paying the price.

All the educators I met seemed committed to helping low-income students, but high schools and colleges can afford to take the long view. Every year, after all, there’s a new crop of students and a fresh chance to make the system work better.

But every day, Christopher bears the consequences of having been underprepared for and overwhelmed by college back when he was just 17 years old.

Christopher still hopes to return to school, but for now it looks like a long way to the college degree of which he still dreams.

18 • Sept. 30, 2015

Classifieds NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY OF RICHMOND BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS Will hold a Public Hearing in the 5th Floor Conference Rm., City Hall, 900 East Broad St., Richmond, VA on October 7, 2015, to consider the following under Chapter 114 of the Zoning Code: BEGINNING AT 1:00 P.M. 30-15: An application of Southside Community Development & Housing Corp. for a building permit to construct a new single-family detached dwelling at 1719 EVERETT STREET. 31-15: An application of Ampak Properties, LLC for a building permit to adjust the boundary line between the subject property and the adjacent property (#608) and construct a new single-family attached dwelling at 612 NORTH 30TH STREET. (WITHDRAWN) 32-15: An application of Simon Prince Properties, LLC for a building permit to demolish an existing single-family dwelling, adjust the boundary line between the subject property and the adjacent property (#612) and construct a new single-family attached dwelling at 608 NORTH 30TH STREET. (WITHDRAWN) 33-15: An application of Ann P. Pace for a building permit to construct a new single-family detached dwelling at 322 NORTH 36TH STREET. 34-15: An application of Shriner Associates, LLC for a building permit to renovate on an existing two (2) story building, construct a new three (3) story addition and commercial use (1st floor) and six (6) dwelling units at 2028 WEST CARY STREET. 35-15: An application of David C. Ailor, Successor Trustee for a Certificate of Occupancy to legitimize an existing seven (7) unit multifamily dwelling at 3019 MONUMENT AVENUE. 36-15: An application of Union Theological Seminary for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance to split a lot improved with nonconforming institutional use, including a dormitory (vacant) and dwellings for staff and multiple single-and two-family dwelling units at 1311 WESTWOOD AVENUE. 37-15: An application of Safarzadegan Sharaf for a building permit to construct a new single-family detached dwelling at 1124 NORTH 26TH STREET. 38-15: An application of Harold Vega for a building permit to re-establish the nonconforming use rights back to an adult home and convert to a two-family dwelling at 1838 WEST GRACE STREET. 39-15: An application of Westover Hills United Methodist Church for a building permit to establish a day nursery in an existing church at 1711 WESTOVER HILLS BOULEVARD. Copies of all cases are available for inspection between 8 AM and 5 PM in Room 511, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219.

Support or opposition may be offered at or before the hearing.

Roy W. Benbow, Secretary Phone: (804) 240-2124 Fax: (804) 646-5789 E-mail: Roy.Benbow@richmondgov.com

The LEGACY Serving Richmond & Hampton Roads 409 E. Main St. #4 (mailing) • 105 1/2 E. Clay St. (office) Richmond, VA 23219 804-644-1550 (office) •FOR 800-783-8062 (fax) EMPLOYMENT, ANNOUNCEMENTS, SALE, SERVICES, FOR LET ads@legacynewspaper.com

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E. Main St. #4 (ma Nearly 7 out of 10 $154 ($77have per ad) 409IMPOUNDED E. Main St. #4 (mailing) • 105 E. Clay St. (office) 2 Issues (9/23 & 9/30) -adults 100+/Rich Rate: $11 per column inch past read a newspaper in the AUTOS, LIGHT TRUCKS &Richmond, VA 23219 804-644-1550 (o weekIncludes – that’s 147 million MOTORCYCLES 804-644-1550 (office) - 1-800-782-8062 (fax) Internet placement ads@leg The City of Richmond is seeking to SOUTHSIDE PLAZA DRIVE-IN Americans! ads@legacynewspaper.com fill the following positions: Please review the proof, make needed changes and return by Readers areanyhighly engaged Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 Equipment Operator III – If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may Ad Size: 6.2not inc with newspapers in print, Gates open at 9:00 AM Stormwater Auction begins at 10:00 AM online, smartphones and tablets 35M00000826 Ok X______________________________________ Department of Public Utilities because they value the news,1 Issu Auction will include the vehicles listed below plus many others: Apply by 10/18/15 advertising and local feature Rate Ok with changes X ___________________________ coverage.

Maintenance Technician II, Include Ad Size: 19.3 inches (2 columns X Wastewater 9.65 inches) 79% of newspaper users Servingtook Richmon 35M00000746 REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 the p.m. action on a newspaper ad in review proof, make a 409Please E. Main St.the#4 (mailing 2 Issues, Sept. 23 & 30 - ($212.30 per run) $424.60 Department of Publictotal Utilities If your response is not receive past month.

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Systems Operations Analyst II 41M00000063 REMINDER: Deadline isRichmond Fridays @Police 5 p.m.Department Apply by 10/4/2015

SEIBERT’S is now accepting vehicles on consignment!

Reasonable Seller’s Fees.

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NOTICE The LEGACY Newspaper has the intention to petition the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond AND of the City of Newport News Circuit Court for authority to publish legal notices pursuit to VA Code 8.01-324.

Request for Qualifications GRTC BUS RAPID TRANSIT (BRT) PROJECT The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is seeking Statements of Qualifications for the GRTC Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project from qualified and experienced respondents with design and construction experience of highway facilities.

The GRTC Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project is located in the City of Richmond and County of Henrico, Virginia. The project begins on Broad Street near Willow Lawn Drive in Henrico County and extends east to 14th Street in the City of Richmond. The project also extends south on 14th Street to Main Street and continues east on Main Street to Orleans Drive in Rocketts Landing. The total project length is approximately 7.6 miles. The project includes providing 14 bus stations and related infrastructure to support the BRT. Questions/clarifications regarding the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) should be submitted to Bryan Stevenson, P.E. (Bryan.

Stevenson@VDOT.Virginia.gov).

Copies of the RFQ and additional submittal requirements can be found at http://www.virginiadot.org/business/request-for-qualifications.asp.

The Department assures compliance with Title VI requirements of non-discrimination in all activities pursuant to this advertisement.

Sept. 30, 2015 • 19

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com AUCTIONS BIG ANTIQUES & Collectibles Show/Sale, October 9,10,11, 57th Shenandoah Antiques Expo, Augusta Expoland, Fishersville, VA (I-64, Exit 91). 300+dealers, five buildings plus outside. Fri. 9-5, Sat. 8-5, Sun. 11-4. www. heritagepromotions.net, 434-8478242 Great Two Day On-Site Auction Saturday, October 3rd, 9:30am; Sunday, October 4th, 1pm House Loaded-100’s of Antiques, Key Basket, Collectibles, Primitives, Guns, etc. www.tilmansauction. com For Details VAL#348 ONLINE ACCELERATED SALE 606.71± ACRES – Farmland/Hunting/Homesites Offered in (7)Tracts in (3)Locations King William, King & Queen, Caroline Co.,VA BIDS CLOSE: THURS, 10/22 BID CENTER AVAILABLE Visit Website for Details www.motleys.com • 1-877-MOTLEYS VA16 EHO AUCTIONS: BID ON-SITE & ONLINE CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT & TRUCKS Excavators, Dozers, Loaders, Road Tractors, Dump Trucks, Pickup Trucks & More!!

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804-232-3300 www.motleys.com, NCAL #5914 Smith Mountain Lake Auction 143± ac. offered in 24 estate size tracts ranging from 2 to 18 acres in Virginia’s beautiful Mountain Region. Held Wednesday, October 14, 5:00 PM at Hotel Roanoke.

Inspection Dates: Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 from NOON to 4 PM. Contact Russell Seneff (VA #1185), Woltz & Associates, Inc., (VA#321), Real Estate Brokers & Auctioneers 800551-3588 or visit woltz.com.

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CITY OF NEWPORT NEWS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

1 Issue (Sept 30) - $58.30

The City of Newport News, Virginia will receive SEALED PROPOSALS in the Office of Purchasing, City Hall, Fourth Floor, 2400 Washington Avenue, Newport News, VA 23607, until the date and time specified for the following: RFP #2016-1875-5208 Emergency Veterinary Services (Rebid) Proposal Due Date: October 27, 2015 @ 5:00 p.m.

Specifications and proposal forms may be downloaded from our website at www.nnva.gov/purchasing . If you have difficulty opening the document, please call (757) 926-8721 or email purchase@nnva.gov, Gary Sightler Purchasing Agent

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NEED CDL DRIVERS??? Reach Over 2.3 Million Readers in Virginia. ADVERTISE YOUR TRUCK DRIVER JOBS in Virginia Newspapers for one low cost of $300 with your 25 word classified ad. Call this paper or Adriane Long at 804-521-7585, adrianel@vpa.net Quality Drive-Away is looking for CDL Drivers to deliver Semis and Buses. 23 pick-up locations across the US and Canada, no forced dispatch, 574-642-2023 or QualityDriveAway.com

FREE Lifeline Service Available for Income-Eligible Residents If you participate in public assistance programs or meet monthly income level guidelines, you may qualify for a free phone* + 250 Minutes & Unlimited Texts.

To apply visit www.enroll.accesswireless.com Free phone is provided by Access Wireless. Access Wireless is a service provider for the government-funded Lifeline Assistance program. Lifeline assistance is provided by i-wireless LLC, d/b/a Access Wireless, an eligible telecommunications carrier. Lifeline service is non-transferable. Lifeline benefits are limited to one per household. A household is defined, for the purposes of the Lifeline program, as any individual or group of individuals, who live together at the same address and share income and expenses. Violation of the one-per-household rule constitutes violation of FCC rules and will result in the customer’s de-enrollment from Lifeline. Only eligible customers may enroll in the program. Consumers who willfully make false statements in order to obtain a Lifeline benefit can be punished by fine, imprisonment, or can be barred from the program. Customers must present proper documentation proving eligibility for the Lifeline program.

Your information will be validated against public records and any discrepancies could result in delays or denial of service.

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE Donkeys-Standard Size-Different Ages-Greys, Black & Paints-Jacks $300.00. Jennies $600.00. Located in Weyers Cave, VA 540-234-8353 MISCELLANEOUS AVIATION Grads work with JetBlue, Boeing, NASA and others – start here with hands on training for FAA certification. Financial aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 888-245-9553.

SERVICES DIVORCE – Uncontested, $350 + $88 court cost. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. Telephone inquiries welcome - no obligation.

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STEEL BUILDINGS STEEL BUILDINGS Blow Out! Best savings on possible clearance buildings. Garages, Workshops, & Shelters. Various Sizes available MAKE OFFER and LOW payments.

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Rate: $11 per column inch

156-0925 Please review the proof, make any needed changes and r HAMPTON SOLICITATION or e-mail.

If your response is not received by deadline, your ad m The Director of Finance or his designatedinserted. representative will accept written responses in the Procurement Office 1 Franklin Street, 3rd floor, suite 345 Hampton, VA on behalf of the Entity (ies) listed below until the Ok X____________________________________ date(s) and local time(s) specified.

HAMPTON CITY Ok with changes X ________________________ Thursday, October 29, 2015 2:00 PM ITB 16-32A Coliseum Central Transit Shelters Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m REMINDER: (UPC 84474) VDOT Project No: U000-114-168, P101, M501 (UPC 84474)Federal Project No.: CM-5A03(303); CM5A03(369)FHWA 534 No.: 3I023A Mandatory Pre-bid meeting will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 in the Public Works Conference Room, 22 Lincoln Street, 4th Floor, Hampton, VA 23669.The work under this project consists of improvements for enhanced amenities at existing HRT stops at various locations within the Coliseum Central area. This is a federally funded project. There is a DBE goal of 5%. All forms relating to this solicitation may be obtained from the above listed address or for further information call: (757) 727-2200. The City of Hampton ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The advertisement package includes all appropriate federal aid project information including Minimum Wage rates and EEO provisions.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015 2:30 PM ITB 16-31/A Todds Lane & Big Bethel Road Intersection Improvements (UPC 83454) VDOT Project No: 0152-114-102, P101, R201, M501 (UPC 83454)A Mandatory Pre-bid Meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 in the Public Works Conference Room, 22 Lincoln Street, 4th Floor, Hampton, VA 23669.

The work under this project will consist of the widening of the intersection to provide one additional turn lane and a median on each leg, a 5-foot wide sidewalk corresponding to the widening areas, utility relocation as necessary within right-of-way or easements, and culvert extension over the Northampton Canal by approximately 40 feet. This is a federally funded project. There is a DBE goal of 10%. All forms relating to this solicitation may be obtained from the above listed address or for further information call: (757) 7272200. The City of Hampton ensures non-discrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The advertisement package includes all appropriate federal aid project information including Minimum Wage rates and EEO provisions.

For additional information, see our web page at http://www.hampton.gov/bids-contracts

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A withdrawal of bid due to error shall be in accordance with Section 2.24330 of the Code of Virginia. All forms relating to these solicitations may be obtained from the above listed address or for further information call; (757) 727-2200. The right is reserved to reject any and all responses, to make awards in whole or in part, and to waive any informality in submittals.

Minority and Woman-Owned Businesses are encouraged to participate.

Karl Daughtrey, Director of Finance