Following an uptick last year, unionization rates fell between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, by just more than half a percentage point in California and by a full percentage point in the five-county Los Angeles metropolitan area, researchers at UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) found.

“Given the duration and depth of the recession, it was inevitable that union jobs would be hit,” said Lauren Appelbaum, the report’s lead author and director of research at the IRLE. “Jobs are continuing to disappear, and unionized jobs continue to disappear along with them.”

“The State of the Unions in 2010: A Profile of Union Membership in Los Angeles, California and the Nation” publishes on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

Even with the losses, the Los Angeles metro area accounts for nearly half of the union members in California, which is the most heavily unionized state in the nation.

“In recent years, unions in Los Angeles have been at the head of the pack, and they’ve been having successes that unions are not having elsewhere,” said IRLE director Christopher C. Tilly, a professor of urban planning at the UCLA School of Public Affairs. “That makes Los Angeles an important laboratory for unions and for labor-watchers.”

The findings in the report are based on labor figures in the U.S. Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S Census Bureau. The UCLA report tracks year-to-year changes in unionization for the nation, California and the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which includes the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, Ventura and San Bernardino.

The report found that unionization rates also dipped nationally, but by a smaller margin than in the Los Angeles metro area and the state. The overall unionization rate in the U.S. was 12.1 percent, down from 12.4 percent the previous year.

The proportion of the workforce that is unionized now stands at 16.5 percent in Los Angeles and 17.6 percent in California. With gains made by unions in 2008 and 2009 now wiped out, Los Angeles and California unionization rates have returned to their 2007󈝴 levels. Unionization rates had been climbing steadily since 2007󈝴, after having been relatively flat for a decade.

Especially heavily hit this year was the nation’s private sector, which for the first time ever employed fewer union members than the public sector. The public sector has long boasted a larger concentration of union members, but because the private sector is so much larger, the absolute number of union members in the private sector had always exceeded that in the public sector.

The number of union workers employed in the private sector fell from approximately 7.91 million in 2008󈝵 to 7.19 million in 2009󈝶, while the number of public-sector union workers dropped from 7.86 million to 7.76 million.

“These figures are less a reflection on how well the public sector is doing than a testament to how many jobs have been lost in the private sector,” Appelbaum said.

From 2008󈝵 to 2009󈝶, unionization rates were down across a range of industry groupings, with the most significant losses in:

• Transportation and utilities, which fell in Los Angeles from 41.5 percent to 34.3 percent and in California from 41.7 percent to 36.4 percent.
• Manufacturing, which fell in Los Angeles from 9.7 percent to 7.0 percent.
• Health care and social assistance, which fell in Los Angeles from 19.4 percent to 15.7 percent.
• Public administration, which fell in California from 58.1 percent to 52.1 percent and across the nation from 33.3 percent to 31.9 percent.

Wholesale and retail trade posted the only significant increase in unionization rates over the prior year. Statewide, the industry’s unionization rate went from 8.7 percent to 10.6 percent, a development that left researchers scratching their heads.

“This is probably due to the fact that there are fewer workers in this industry, and often, the first jobs to go are non-union, which would increase the proportion of union workers overall,” Appelbaum said.

In keeping with a recession that has hit male workers harder than female workers, evidence continued to mount of a “mancession.” Both locally and statewide, male unionization rates lost ground to female unionization rates. Male rates in Los Angeles dropped from 17.4 percent in 2008󈝵 to 16.0 percent in 2009󈝶 and in California from 17.9 percent to 17.1 percent.

The proportion of Latino workers who are unionized also dropped, falling in Los Angeles from 16.2 percent last year to 12.9 percent this year. In fact, Latino workers traded places with workers of Asian ancestry in 2009󈝶, becoming the least unionized ethnic group in Los Angeles, the state and the nation.

“In the long term, Latino unionization has increased greatly,” Tilly said. “It’s one of the great success stories of the Los Angeles labor movement. But short-term changes are driven very much by what’s happening in the industries that attract workers of specific ethnicities. Latinos are concentrated in construction, which is getting hammered in Los Angeles, and I suspect that industry’s woes are taking a toll on overall unionization rates among Latinos. If and when we see a recovery in California, I would expect the long-term trend to resume.”

Unionization rates remained higher for workers with more education. Workers with a college degree have the highest unionization rate in the nation, at 14.1 percent. In California and Los Angeles, workers with some college education, as well as those with a college degree, have higher unionization rates than those with less education.

“The stereotypical union member is a blue-collar worker, but increasingly, that’s not as true,” Appelbaum said. “Public sector workers tend to be more highly educated, and there’s a higher unionization rate in the public sector.”

Union membership carries significant benefits, the report found. Unionized workers earned more per hour, on average, than their non-union counterparts in Los Angeles ($5 more), California ($4.50) and the nation ($4.30).

As in the past, Sacramento boasted the state’s highest unionization rate, followed by the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Fresno and San Diego.

Moving forward, union jobs will remain vulnerable as state and local governments across the nation continue to grapple with dramatic budget shortfalls, the report predicts.

“States are currently short $121 billion, and the gap in state budgets is expected to rise to $140 billion by the end of the 2010󈝷 fiscal year,” Appelbaum said. “Unless the federal government provides the states with money to balance budgets, services will continue to be cut, and workers are going to continue to be laid off from jobs that are highly unionized.”

IMAGE: Astronaut Douglas Wheelock aboard the International Space Station (ISS) caught this image of the eye of the storm as the ISS flew over Hurricane Earl just to the east on...

NASA satellites and the International Space Station are keeping eyes on Hurricane Earl as it heads for New England. Watches and Warnings are posted in the U.S. northeast.

Having felt the effects of both increasing wind shear and cooler waters, Hurricane Earl weakened to a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale with winds still powerful at 90 knots (104 mph) as it neared the North Carolina coast. It was at this time that the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured the data about TRMM’s rainfall rates.

The rainfall pattern associated with Earl and was made using data from the TRMM satellite when it flew over the storm on September 3 at 08:22 UTC (4:22 a.m. EDT). Rainbands from Earl were visible over the outer banks, eastern North Carolina, and southeastern Virginia, but the storm no longer has a well-defined eye. TRMM observed moderate rainfall mostly to the north of Earl’s center.

Meanwhile, from a second vantage point in space, at the International Space Station, Astronaut Douglas Wheelock caught an image of the eye of the storm on September 3. As the ISS flew over Hurricane Earl Wheelock noted that it looked like magnificent chaos from up there on the Space Station and called it incredibly breathtaking.

At 11 a.m. EDT on Sept. 3, Hurricane Earl’s maximum sustained winds were near 85 mph. It was located about 350 miles south-southwest of Nantucket, Mass. near 36.8 North and 73.1 West. Earl’s minimum central pressure was 961 millibars, and he was moving north-northeast at 21 mph.

Because Earl is now forecast to track farther away from the coast, many of the watches and warnings have been discontinued, but new watches and warnings are in place. The current watches and warnings in effect include: a hurricane warning is in effect for Woods Hole eastward around Cape Cod to Sagamore Beach Massachusetts, including Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket Island. In addition a Hurricane Watch is now in effect for Nova Scotia, Canada from Ecum Secum westward to Digby.

Earl is expected to weaken further as it continues northward over cooler waters along the Eastern Seaboard. Updates on Earl are available through the National Hurricane Center at www.nhc.noaa.gov and through the NASA Hurricane twitter page.

Speaking about the declaration, Governor McDonnell noted, “The current forecast has Hurricane Earl passing east of Virginia later this week. However, a change in the storm’s path could bring hazardous weather conditions to eastern Virginia. This declaration is a precautionary move which will allow state agencies to be ready just in case resources are needed.”

In declaring a state of emergency, the governor authorizes state agencies to identify and position resources and manpower for quick response anywhere they are needed in Virginia. In anticipation of this weather system:

* The Virginia Emergency Operations Center is coordinating the state’s preparation for the storm at Increased Readiness condition with increased staffing.

* The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is holding conference calls with the National Weather Service, local governments and state agencies.

* The Virginia Department of Transportation is making sure storm drains are clear in the Hampton Roads region.

* The Virginia National Guard is preparing for possible post-storm response in the Hampton Roads region and the Adjutant General is now authorized to call up those resources he thinks are necessary to ensure it can fulfill its mission in the event the storm impacts Virginia.

* The Virginia Department of Social Services and Virginia Department of Health are on standby and prepared to open state-managed shelters if those are necessary.

Virginians, especially those in Hampton Roads or traveling to the coast, should pay close attention to local weather forecasts. Also, they should have an emergency plan in case the storm changes its forecasted path. A slight westward movement in the track of the storm will increase the risk of dangerous weather in eastern Virginia. We ask Virginians to remain vigilant. In order to be prepared, all citizens should ensure that they stock up on supplies.

via Loudoun News.

Currently the service runs between Purcellville and Lovettsville and also provides access to the MARC train in Brunswick, MD, with optional transfers to other fixed-route services. Since its inception in February 2009, ridership grew to nearly 350 one-way trips per month.

The service was expected to provide an increasing number of area commuters with easier access to employment and regional transit in response to new business growth in western Loudoun County. However, the economic downturn has slowed the anticipated increase in density which would have grown ridership for the service.

It is anticipated that future growth in the service area will generate the passenger counts required to support the allocation of limited transportation resources. VRT hopes to attempt the service again once the economic climate improves.

via - Loudoun News.

“Microsoft is a household name and securing this global project is a significant economic win for Virginia,” said Governor McDonnell. “The company’s search process was long and competitive, and a great team of players came together to show Microsoft that Mecklenburg County was the right fit for its new version of a state-of-the-art data center. This project represents the largest investment project in the history of Southern Virginia. It will further bolster the Commonwealth’s standing as a leader in the Information Technology sector, while creating new jobs for our citizens and spurring economic development throughout the region.”

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support and work of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the economic development team, and local officials in Mecklenburg County, and are excited to announce that we will be building our latest state-of-the-art data center near Boydton, Virginia,” said Kevin Timmons, General Manager of Microsoft Datacenter Services. “This new data center will enable the best possible delivery of services to our current and future customers. My team and I look forward to engaging in the deployment of our latest modular solution in Virginia.”

Governor McDonnell approved a $2.1 million grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Mecklenburg County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $4.8 million in funds. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Mecklenburg County and the Town of Boydton to secure the project for Virginia. The Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) provided invaluable assistance to make this project possible. MBC’s open-access fiber optic network was a key component in Microsoft’s decision to locate in Virginia, and will provide diverse fiber routes for connectivity to major carrier interconnection points in the Eastern United States. Dominion Virginia Power also was instrumental in securing this project.  Access to an extremely reliable electric supply and competitively priced electricity from environmentally responsible generation sources were critical site location factors for Microsoft.

“Mecklenburg County is proud to announce the location of Microsoft in the Boydton Industrial Park,” said Glenn Barbour, Chairman, Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors. “The selection of Mecklenburg County indicates that we are progressive and have the necessary tools available to offer in this high-tech age. We believe this selection by Microsoft will give our county the recognition it deserves in attracting future companies that deal in technology. We thank all the many partners who assisted us, especially Governor McDonnell’s office. Thanks to the Tobacco Commission, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative and Dominion Virginia Power. I would also like to thank our dedicated and hard working staff for their diligent efforts in bringing Mecklenburg County forward to the 21st century.”

“I am delighted that the County, the Tobacco Commission, and Governor McDonnell’s office worked well together for the good of the region,” said Senator Frank Ruff, a member of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. “It is great that a company of the stature of Microsoft has seen what Mecklenburg County has to offer.”

“I am excited and thankful that Microsoft chose Mecklenburg County to locate it newest data center, resulting in new jobs and millions of dollars in investment,” said Delegate Tommy Wright, a member of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. “The future for economic development in Mecklenburg County and Southside Virginia is much brighter due to this successful collaborative effort.”

Delegate Terry Kilgore, Chairman of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, also remarked, “The Tobacco Commission is excited about this investment in Southern Virginia.  Microsoft’s decision to locate in Mecklenberg County is a huge investment in the area and will bring much needed economic activity and development to the region.  We applaud the McDonnell Administration for their hard work in persuading Microsoft that Virginia, and more importantly Southern Virginia, really is the best place to do business.”

“We’re very proud that our advanced fiber optic network will support the high capacity, diverse routing and low latency requirements of Microsoft’s new data center at the Boydton, Virginia GigaPark,” said Tad Deriso, President & CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative. “Our GigaParks are a perfect example of how private sector companies like Microsoft can benefit from an advanced telecom infrastructure in a region with a low cost operating environment.”

“Along with serving our existing customers well, we believe it is important to help attract new businesses that bring good jobs and economic growth to Virginia,” said Dominion Virginia Power CEO Paul D. Koonce. “We are pleased to have a part in today’s good news. We see Microsoft’s decision as a vote of confidence in our commonwealth and our people.”

Around 5:47 p.m. August 23rd members of the Leesburg Police Department and the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management responded to the 42300 block of Ball’s Bluff Road for a report of a small structure fire. At the scene human remains were discovered.

The Loudoun County Fatal Fire Arson Task Force (LFFATF) responded to the scene. Members of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division with the assistance of the Loudoun Fire Marshal’s Office are currently investigating the case at the request of the Town of Leesburg Police Department.

An autopsy will be conducted Tuesday at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia.

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Investigators are working to determine the cause and manner of death and positively identify the victim.

via  Loudoun News

via Loudoun News.

The driver of the Passat, Burbuqe Mirena, 21, of 47537 Saulty Drive in Sterling, was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital. She was pronounced dead around 6:25 a.m. that same morning. The other driver was transported with non life-threatening injuries and later released.

Detectives would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the crash. The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been placed.

via Fairfax Daily-Monitor.

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell today announced the appointment of J. Randall Minchew, to Deputy Counselor and Advisor to the Governor.

J. Randall (“Randy”) Minchew is presently the Managing Shareholder of the Loudoun County Office of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, Emrich, and Walsh, PC, where he was named Managing Shareholder of the firm’s Loudoun County Office in Leesburg in 1998. After graduating from the Washington & Lee University School of Law, where he served as an editor on the law review, Minchew served as personal law clerk to Justice A. Christian Compton on the Supreme Court of Virginia. After completing his clerkship, Minchew began the private practice of law with Hazel & Thomas, PC.

Minchew has also served his community in many capacities as President of the Loudoun Bar Association, Member of the Board of Directors of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Loudoun County Economic Development Commission, and as Chairman of the Loudoun County Rural Economic Development Task Force that produced in 1998 a nationally-recognized plan for rural economic development utilizing innovative public policy proposals to protect open space while fostering land uses that yield stronger economic returns for farmers and rural land owners. He has also helped his community by serving as Chairman of the Loudoun County Boy Scouts, Scoutmaster of Leesburg Troop 998, and as one of twelve Scoutmasters from the National Capital Area Council to the 2010 National Scout Jamboree held last month at Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County.

Minchew graduated from Langley High School in McLean in 1976 and then earned a Bachelor’s degree cum laude in Public Policy Studies and Economics from Duke University in 1980, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Washington & Lee University in 1984. He is also a licensed Lay Eucharistic Minister with the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and earned a Diploma in Theological Studies from Virginia Theological Seminary earlier this year. Minchew lives in Leesburg with his wife Teresa and son Jack.

via Loudoun News

This composite sketch provided by the Michigan State Police on Friday Aug. 6, 2010 shows a suspect in a string of murders in the Flint area.

Genesee County authorities in Michigan will be holding a press conference Thursday morning with more details.

In a statement released by Leesburg Police regarding the connection to the local stabbing cases, police officials stated:

Over the past week investigators from the Michigan Task Force, Leesburg Police Department, Toledo Police Dept, the FBI, and numerous other law enforcement agencies, have worked tirelessly investigating leads and tips from the public.

Late yesterday afternoon one of those tips developed into a strong investigative lead that identified an individual who has ties to both the Flint, Michigan and Leesburg, Virginia areas. Investigators from the Michigan Task Force, Leesburg and the FBI worked this lead through the night. A person of interest was taken into custody. He is currently being held on unrelated charges.

While this is a key step in the investigation, there are still many issues that need to be addressed before we identify this individual as the person responsible for this horrific crime spree.

All agencies and investigators continue to work closely to bring this investigation to a successful conclusion. As more information is solidified, additional information will be released. The involved agencies and jurisdictions want to thank the media and the public for their continued assistance and support in this investigation

via - Clarke Daily News.

This composite sketch provided by the Michigan State Police on Friday Aug. 6, 2010 shows a suspect in a string of murders in the Flint area.

Three stabbings in nearby Leesburg have an entire community on edge as police look to Michigan for clues. Police think a serial killer who stabbed five people to death and wounded 10 others in Michigan may be responsible for three attacks in Leesburg.

The first incident in Leesburg occurred on Tuesday night, August 3, at approximately 9:30 PM near the intersection of East Market Street and Plaza Street. The victim, a 15 year old black male, was stabbed in the back while jogging. He was medivaced to Fairfax for treatment and remains hospitalized.

The second incident occurred on Thursday morning, August 5, at 6:15 AM in the 800 block of Edwards Ferry Road. The victim, a 67 year old male, was stabbed in the back while sitting on the steps of his apartment complex. The man was medivaced to Fairfax where he underwent surgery for his injuries.

The third attack occurred on Catoctin Circle in NE. Leesburg on Friday August 6. At approximately 9:45PM a 19 year old male was approached by an unknown subject while walking through a shopping center parking lot. He was struck with a blunt object that was later determined to have been a hammer. The attacker then fled in a vehicle. The victim was transported to Loudoun Inova Hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

None of the victims were robbed. All of the victims were alone at the time they were attacked.

Victims in all three attacks describe the assailant as a white male in his early 40’s. The suspect vehicle is described as a four door Chevrolet Blazer, dark green in color with a light colored trim package on the lower portion of the vehicle. No front license plate is displayed and the vehicle does not have an inspection sticker or any type of city/county/town tax decal. The suspect vehicle has two large Grapefruit size dents in the front portion of the hood near the latch area.

Police in Michigan and Leesburg held press conferences yesterday announcing their belief that the cases are connected. The victims in the Leesburg attacks were two African-American men and a Latino teen with a dark complexion. In Michigan, all but two of the 15 victims were black. The attacks in Flint Michigan began in May and targeted males 17 to 60. Attacks in Leesburg range from 15 to 67. The last attack in Michigan was Aug. 2, the first attack in Leesburg was a day later.

Leesburg Police and the Leesburg Crime Line are offering a $5,000 reward to anyone providing information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who committed these crimes

via Police Believe Recent Leesburg Stabbings Connected to Serial Killer in Michigan – Loudoun News.

Photo Courtesy of Chuck Thomas, Old Dominion University

Governor Bob McDonnell today released the following statement after U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced a proposal to close the United States Joint Forces Command in Norfolk and Suffolk.

“I am deeply disappointed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ proposal to close the United States Joint Forces Command.  We are at war abroad in multiple countries and closing the command where components from multiple branches of the military come together to provide intelligence and protection is the wrong decision.  We live in a high-tech, interconnected world where collaboration and communication is key—the Joint Forces Command is vital to keep our homeland safe.  The multiple joint operations and the modeling and simulations programs conducted by the Joint Forces Command is a long-term key to America’s national security and saves tremendous resources by using technology in lieu of expensive field exercise.  Most experts acknowledge that the concepts of inter-operability and jointness are absolutely key to victory in modern warfare.”

“The Joint Forces Command has been in operation since 1947 and continues to serve as a major employer of Virginians.   As one of 10 full combatant commands, the Joint Forces Command employs nearly 5000 civilians and service members.  This decision will cost good quality, high paying jobs for thousands of Virginians and could not come at a worse time.  This decision appears to have been made in private with no recommendation or support in the recent Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and completed outside of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) process.  It appears as though this administration is cutting investments in national defense in order to pay for massive new social programs.  I will continue to work with members of Virginia’s Congressional delegation to do all that we can to keep the Joint Forces Command open in Norfolk and Suffolk.”

The victim was not wearing a helmet.

via Tragic Motorcycle Accident Claims Teen Life at Claude Moore Park – Loudoun News.

Read full story via Illegal Fishing Sting Nets 17 Violations – Clarke Daily News.

At this time Fort A.P. Hill is reassessing its capacity for safely handling additional visitors onto the post. The number of visitors and vehicles on the installation is currently being monitored and as capacity to handle additional visitors becomes available, the gates will be reopened.

Tune into QBSA 102.9 for up to date information and current traffic conditions.

For additional information, please contact the Joint Task Force – National Scout Jamboree Public Affairs Office at 720-215-8783.

Alexis Javier Paz, 38 and Felix V. Rodriguez, 45, both of Miami, Fl., were each charged with transporting controlled substances into the Commonwealth and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. Paz was additionally charged with possession of cocaine.

via Fairfax Daily-Monitor.

“The extensive experience of industry shows that when the focus remains on safe operations and risk management, tragic incidents like the one we are witnessing in the Gulf of Mexico today should not occur.”

The new system will be flexible, adaptable and able to begin mobilization within 24 hours and can be used on a wide range of well designs and equipment, oil and natural gas flow rates and weather conditions. The new system will be engineered to be used in deepwater depths up to 10,000 feet and have initial capacity to contain 100,000 barrels per day with potential for expansion.

The companies have committed $1 billion to fund the initial costs of the system. Additional operational and maintenance costs for the subsea and modular processing equipment, contracts with existing operating vessels in the Gulf of Mexico and any potential new vessels that may be constructed will increase this cost commitment.

This system offers key advantages to the current response equipment in that it will be pre-engineered, constructed, tested and ready for rapid deployment in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. It is being developed by a team of marine, subsea and construction engineers from the four companies.

The system will include specially designed subsea containment equipment connected by manifolds, jumpers and risers to capture vessels that will store and offload the oil. Dedicated crews will ensure regular maintenance, inspection and readiness of the facilities and subsea equipment.

The four companies will form a non-profit organization, the Marine Well Containment Company, to operate and maintain this system. Other companies will be invited and encouraged to participate in this organization.

Work on this new containment system is being accelerated to enhance deepwater safety and environmental protection in the Gulf of Mexico, which accounts for 30 percent of U.S. oil and gas production and supports more than 170,000 American jobs.

The sponsor companies will proceed immediately with the engineering, procurement and construction of equipment and vessels for the system. ExxonMobil will lead this effort on behalf of the four sponsor companies.

The companies are also actively involved in significant industry efforts to improve prevention, well intervention and spill response. This includes rig inspections and implementation of new requirements on blowout preventer certification and well design. The industry has proactively formed several multi-disciplinary task forces to further develop improved prevention, containment and recovery plans.

The companies have reviewed the system with key officials in the federal Administration and Congress and will conduct briefings with other key stakeholders.

Statements from the sponsor companies:

Chevron

“Chevron knows that it can only operate with the public’s confidence that the energy we need will be produced safely and reliably,” said John Watson, chairman and chief executive officer of Chevron. “We are committed to advancing safe operations through enhanced prevention, better well containment and intervention and improved spill response. This new system significantly enhances the industry’s ability to effectively respond to any unforeseen incidents.”

ConocoPhillips

“The oil and gas industry has long been recognized as a technological leader, and the American public expects us to improve our ability to respond immediately to offshore incidents,” said Jim Mulva, ConocoPhillips chairman and chief executive officer. “The creation and development of this sophisticated system will greatly enhance industry’s ability to ensure a quick and effective response.”

ExxonMobil

“If we all do our jobs properly, this system will never be used,” said Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil. “The extensive experience of industry shows that when the focus remains on safe operations and risk management, tragic incidents like the one we are witnessing in the Gulf of Mexico today should not occur.”

Shell

“As an industry, we must rebuild trust with the American people in order to demonstrate that we can produce energy in a safe and environmentally responsible manner,” said Marvin Odum, president, Shell Oil Company. “Beyond Shell’s absolute commitment to oil spill prevention and robust well designs, additional safeguards must be strengthened across the industry to develop the capacity to quickly respond and resolve a deepwater well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, regardless of how unlikely it is that this situation will reoccur.”

Dale Magisterial District Supervisor Jim Holland expressed his support for the job fair. “I appreciate Congressman Forbes’ work to bring this job fair to L.C. Bird High School, and encourage those Chesterfield County residents seeking new career prospects to avail themselves of this opportunity. This is a critical time to get Chesterfield and Dale back to work,” he said.

Registration is required and may be done online at forbesjobfairchesterfield.eventbrite.com or by calling Congressman Forbes’ Colonial Heights office, 804-526-4969.

Read full story via Midlothian Va & Chesterfield County News.

Read full story via Clarke Daily News.

Read Full Story via S3 Therapy or “Vampire BOTOX”- Cosmetic Surgery News.

Previous UPDATE

Mason Police District – Detectives have determined that Vanessa Pham visited a business in the Fairfax Plaza shopping center in the 2900 block of Gallows Road around 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 27. She did not appear to be in distress at that time.

On Friday, July 2, members of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Search and Rescue Team conducted an extensive search of the crash site and surrounding area. They were looking for any potential evidence related to this homicide.

Police continue to ask for the public’s assistance in providing any information that may lead to the identification and arrest of the suspect.

Previous UPDATE

Death Investigated as Homicide

Mason Police District – On Monday, June 28, police identified the victim as Vanessa V. Pham, 19, of 6700 James Lee Street, #138 in the Falls Church area. With the autopsy complete, police are now investigating this case as a homicide.

Police Investigate Suspicious Death

Mason Police District – On Sunday, June 27, around 3:34 p.m., police responded to the area of Arlington Boulevard and Williams Drive for report of a vehicle crash. Responding officers discovered a 2008 2-door Toyota in a ditch off the south side of Arlington Boulevard. Inside the vehicle was a deceased 19 year-old female. The victim appeared to have trauma to the upper body which was not consistent with the mechanism of the crash. Detectives are now investigating this as a suspicious death.

The investigation continues.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Crash reconstruction detectives determined that a 2000 Ford Explorer was traveling south on Chapel Road at a high rate of speed. The vehicle crested a hill and the driver lost control. The SUV ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree with the passenger side. Myron Day, 31 of Longwood Court in Woodbridge was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There were five additional occupants including the driver. The 14, 15, 17, and 21-year-old passengers were transported to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The 20-year-old driver was uninjured and remained on the scene.

The investigation continues and charges are pending.

Speed appears to have been a factor; alcohol does not.

via Fatal Crash on Chapel Road | Fairfax Daily-Monitor.