HR Partnership | August 31, 2009

Neighbors are banding together to create the “World’s Largest Solar Energy Event.”

More than 5,000 homes, schools and businesses are participating in the 14th Annual ASES National Solar Tour on October 3rd to help Hampton Roads residents combat rising energy prices and to improve property values.

Keep Norfolk Beautiful, Solar Services, Inc., the Hampton Roads Green Building Council and Tidewater Builders Association have teamed up with the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), bringing together more than 5,000 homes, schools and businesses – in Hampton Roads and across the U.S. –- to introduce neighbors to the solar technologies and green building methods they are using to:

1. Drastically reduce monthly energy bills,
2. Reduce harmful carbon emissions,
3. Enjoy rich tax credits and cash incentives as they improve their property values and
4. Reduce their home’s overall impact on the environment.

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Category: Business Community, Research & Technology | No Comments »
Tags: Energy, Green, Technology

HR Partnership | August 31, 2009

Laila Parker plays at a computer while classmates Ethan Chappell, left, and Aamiante Cross watch during pre-K summer school at Kilby Shores Elementary in Suffolk, Virginia.
(Photo credit: Hyunsoo Leo Kim, The Virginian-Pilot)

Amy Jeter of The Virginian-Pilot recently reported on state test results showing that South Hampton Roads kindergartners are beginning school better prepared to learn how to read.

The percentage of local children needing extra literacy instruction at the beginning of kindergarten has fallen over the past four years. In 2008, the proportion of “school ready” South Hampton Roads kindergartners rose above the Virginia average.

Fewer than one in 10 Suffolk kindergarten students needed additional help, placing the city near the state’s top tier.

Educators attribute the gains to added slots in the state’s prekindergarten program and a push for early childhood education in recent years. More parents are pursuing preschool programs and stressing academics prior to kindergarten, they say.

“Now that parents are understanding how important preschool is, they are getting more prepared,” said Carol Johnson, a Suffolk kindergarten teacher. “Kindergarten is not Sandbox 101 anymore.”

The kindergarten Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS-K) is administered to the majority of the state’s 89,000 public school kindergartners in the fall and spring.

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Category: Education & Workforce | No Comments »
Tags: Education

HR Partnership | August 31, 2009

by Carson Hudson

The young man was witty and popular in school, involved in sports and concerned with national affairs. He had a strained relationship with his father, liked Italian art, disliked his younger brother, and objected to oaths and swearing. He seemed to have a promising future, and might have changed history and accomplished great things… except for the fact that he contracted typhoid fever at the age of eighteen and died. His father didn’t attend the funeral.

His name was Henry Frederick, and he was the Prince of Wales, eldest son of King James I of England.

pictured: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales 1610

Today, good King James is remembered as the monarch who was on the throne in 1607 when the first permanent English settlement was established in Virginia, at Jamestown. (Get the connection?) Not only did they name that first settlement after him but also the great James River that runs west from the Chesapeake Bay.

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HR Partnership | August 31, 2009

BUSINESS ALERT from the City of Norfolk’s Department of Development:

What: Open Waters is a free, one-day educational event is aimed to help attendees better understand the fast-growing phenomenon of open source software. (http://OpenWaters.eventbrite.com)

When: Friday, September 18, 2009, 9:00am – 4:00pm

Who: Business people, government leaders, military, students

Why: To obtain knowledge and best practices needed to effectively use open source software in their organization.

Where: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA – Webb Center in the Hampton / Newport News room (For a map, visit: http://tinyurl.com/p9foum)

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Category: Business Community | No Comments »
Tags: Economy, Norfolk

HR Partnership | August 30, 2009

When you’re in the market for a house, a market with cheap prices is not the only factor you should consider. Rather, look for communities with a strong job market and stable housing values. Some common threads: cities with military bases, state capitals and college towns all fare well because they are more “recession proof,” according to Zillow.com, an online real estate company. A strong tourism industry helps, too.

The struggling housing market has sellers and buyers searching for the best regions to get a great deal, and Hampton Roads is it.

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Category: Economy, Military Bastion | No Comments »
Tags: Economy, Hampton Roads, Military Bastion

HR Partnership | August 28, 2009

WVEC-TV’s Vanessa Coria recently reported that top meeting and convention destinations across the country are suffering, problems that started with the down economy.

But convention bookings in Virginia Beach are up. At the height of the summer season, the resort area is a very busy place. But it’s not just leisure and vacation travel that make this region tick.

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Category: Economy, Military Bastion, Visit HR | No Comments »
Tags: Tourism

HR Partnership | August 27, 2009

On July 24th, ADM J.C. Harvey, Jr. took command of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. On the same day, he launched a blog at http://fleetforces.dodlive.mil for open dialogue with both the military community and the citizens of Hampton Roads and beyond.

ADM Harvey’s first post:
Today, I took command of U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Over the past few years, I have come to appreciate Blogging as a form of communication not just to disseminate information or hold forth on a particular subject, but to get valuable feedback from a broad audience with a wide variety of perspectives.

I have been particularly impressed with the 10th Mountain Division’s Blog started under Major General Oates. It is very much a Command Blog, not just a Commander’s Blog, where the whole 10th Mountain family can learn about and discuss issues which are important to them. My goal is to emulate that environment here at USFF.

I plan to use the USFF Blog to help increase meaningful two-way communication throughout our organization. What I will need from you are straight-forward comments (positive and negative) about specific topics that will help us all learn, grow and accomplish our assigned missions.

I welcome all perspectives, and my first thread will be to ask for ideas from you that you would like me to address in future posts. I will not be able to respond to every post we receive in the Blog, but I will read them and do my best to respond appropriately to the issues that arise.

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Category: Military Bastion | 1 Comment »
Tags: Fleet Forces, Harvey, Military Bastion

HR Partnership | August 27, 2009

According to reporter Lauren Wicks in the August 18th issue of theSuffolk News-Herald, major increases in student enrollment are being seen at Tidewater Community College.

“The growth has simply been phenomenal,” says College President Deborah DiCroce. “We are seeing just a virtual tsunami of individuals who are looking to us to help them navigate these raging waters of the economy to calmer seas.”

During her State of the College address at the school’s annual Convocation on Monday, August 17th, DiCroce announced that the school has experienced a double-digit enrollment increase for the upcoming fall semester, a 25% increase in enrollment, compared to this time last year.

There has been increased enrollments from students planning to transfer to four-year institutions, students preparing to enter the workforce and from veterans taking advantage of the new post 9-11 GI Bill. “One reason is clearly the economy,” DiCroce said.

“More than 1,000 individuals enrolling are directly tied to the new GI bill,” DiCroce said. “That, I think, is a driver. That bill allows both the veteran to use the benefit or for the veteran to transfer the benefit to a dependent, whether that is a spouse or a child. We’re seeing that a lot.”

While she is excited about the growth, DiCroce said the increase will present new challenges for the school, especially in the wake of budget cuts. “We’re seeing increasing expectations on the part of the community, on the part of the region and on the part of business and industry for us to deliver. We’re committed to meeting that demand as best we can,” DiCroce said.

Photo credit: Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

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Category: Economy, Education & Workforce, Military Bastion | No Comments »
Tags: Economy, Hampton Roads, Military Bastion, TCC

HR Partnership | August 26, 2009

The 2009 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Hampton Roads is Saturday, October 17th. Online registration is now open for the 2009 Race. You may register yourself, start a team or join a team and start your own personal fundraising program using the Race’s online registration system.

Komen Race for the Cure®
Saturday, October 17th
31st and Atlantic
Virginia Beach Oceanfront

All funds from the Komen Race for the Cure go to research, education, screening and treatment programs. NOW is the time to start planning your team for the 2009 Komen Tidewater Race for the Cure whose goal this year is 10,000 participants.

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Category: About Hampton Roads | No Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Health

HR Partnership | August 25, 2009

by Danae Jones Aicher

When I moved here a little more than two years ago, it didn’t take so long to pick up on a certain cultural pride here in Virginia, particularly here in Hampton Roads. It’s the pride of being “the first”, the beginning of that great experiment which turned into this democracy known as the United States of America.

So as I watch and listen and read all the news about protests at health care town hall meetings across the nation, I get a little concerned.

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Category: Government & Citizens, Military Bastion | 3 Comments »
Tags: Hampton Roads, Health