High School Dropout Numbers Threaten Obama College Initiative

By Jeffrey J. Kraus
MASC 688
      
      RICHMOND, Va. – As President Barack Obama calls for an additional five million college graduates over the next decade, the nation’s growing population of high school dropouts may prove to be his biggest obstacle.
      
      According to a recently published report, more than one million students across the country drop out of school each year – a trend that has varied little over the past decade.
      
      In Virginia, 7,692 students dropped out in 2008, according to the state’s department of education.
      
      Arguments persist among policy makers and analysts who study the dropout phenomena over what exactly a high school dropout is and how their numbers should be counted.
      
      There is agreement, however, that the reasons driving young people to leave school before finishing are unique to each individual and demand intensive one-on-one attention, and that the career prospects for a dropout are limited and bleak.
       
      “There’s no one picture you can paint of who or what a dropout is, except that it’s an incredible loss for that individual and for our society,” said Fred Morton IV, who was named Virginia’s 2009 Superintendent of the Year for his work to reduce the county’s dropout rate.

Play the video above to see what leads a student to drop out of school.

Waiting for the Call-Up

Three Strikes That Continue to Keep Virginia from Reaching the Majors
By Michael J Jones
MASC 688

RICHMOND, Va. – Minor league players spend most of their careers with one goal in mind, to make it to the major leagues. In some cases, these players need to get over certain weaknesses and take advantage of certain opportunities in order to reach that goal.

The state of Virginia has been fighting those same struggles as many minor league players face as it has yet been able to acquire a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. There are currently seven minor league baseball teams in the state of Virginia but there are no MLB teams even though they’ve had their two chances in the last 10 years.

Out of the 394 metro areas in America the Virginia Beach metro area is the second largest area without a pro-level sports franchise according to 2008 metro area population data obtained from the census bureau. Richmond, Va. isn’t far behind as it is the fifth largest metro area without one.

Click here to see largest metro areas in country without a pro-level sports franchise.

Virginia is the largest state without pro-level sports franchise and the only state with a population over 5 million without one.

Click here for the sights and sounds at Harbor Park, the home of the Norfolk Tides

Blowing Smoke: How Does Virginia’s New Smoking Ban Measure Up?

by Kara Glascoe
MASC 688

RICHMOND, Va. — As a state built in part on tobacco farming and industry, Virginia has resisted legislation restricting smoking, until now. On December 1, a new law will take effect, limiting indoor smoking at restaurants to walled rooms with separate ventilation.  

 Virginia senator Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, a pediatric neurologist, said he sponsored the legislation as part of his duty to protect citizens.

“About a thousand Virginians, each year, die from secondhand smoke,” said Northam. “So, that’s about three funerals a day in Virginia, because of secondhand smoke, and about $125 million dollars of healthcare expenditures in Virginia are because of secondhand smoke.”

“I had always been of the premise that the less government in our lives the better, but also as a government we have the obligation of protecting our people.” he said.

“And so with those facts,” Northam explained, “I think it’s reasonable to say we should stop smoking in restaurants for the protection, again, of our employees and our patrons.”

Unfortunately, despite the effort, the exceptions made in the law could have the effect of protecting the business owner rather than preventing harm – as it creates no duty to protect patrons and employees from the secondhand smoke that persists when individuals smoke indoors, even in a walled room with separate ventilation.

 

Virginia's partial smoking ban will take effect December 1, 2009. Click here for video of Sen. Ralph Northam as he discusses the need for the ban and why Virginia must work to reduce secondhand smoke. Gary Hagy offers information sources for business owners likely to be impacted by the ban.

 

Click here for recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on tobacco use and health.

 

The Young Professional Scene In Richmond

By Chamise Jones
MASC 688

RICHMOND, Va. – Twenty six-year-old Sabrina Mercado lost her New York marketing job in January to the effects of the challenging economy. When faced with the decision of what to do next, she packed her bags and moved to Richmond, Virginia.

“I think it’s amazing how Richmond is a city, but it has such a small-town feel,” said Mercado. “This is the perfect place to raise a family. But then for the younger side of me, there are so many professionals here as well.”

Mercado is originally from Puerto Rico, and after coming to Richmond for a brief visit last year, she says she was anxious to return.

Many young professionals, like Mercado, are relocating to areas that offer better employment opportunities, more affordable living costs and age-specific networking groups. In recent years Richmond has become a more popular option for the millennial generation.

Next Generation Consulting is Wisconsin based research firm that works with cities and companies to better engage the next generation, 20 to 40 year olds. NGC also monitors which areas best cater to the needs of local professionals.

While the company did release a ‘Hot Jobs Cool Communities’ list in 2001, this is the first year the company has released their first annual “Next Cities” list, ranking Richmond as one of the top 20 cities for young professionals to work and live in the United States.

Local young professional organizations host networking events at various Richmond venues. Click on the photo for an audio slide show about HYPE, one of Richmond leading young professional organizations.

Programs Push for Increased Participation In Bicycling

By Leron Barkley
MASC 688

RICHMOND, Va.–Bicycling is one of America’s oldest activities, but still remains first in popularity.

In 2000, 42.5 million Americans participated in bicycling according to the National Sporting Goods Association. This was more than the next leading activity, which was basketball at 29.4 million participants.

Bicycling has obvious benefits including helping the environment and improving health. Bicycles currently displace more than 238 million gallons of gasoline per year with the replacement of car trips with bike trips. More reliance on cars by Americans has contributed to a less active society. According to Health Affairs, a health policy journal, in 2003, obesity-related medical care spending accounted for 11.6 percent of all private health care spending. The League of American Bicyclists, a bicycle advocacy group based in Washington, suggests that obesity rates will decline with the increased promotion of bicycling.

Dick Elder Audio

Dick Elder is a member of the board of directors for BikeWalk Virginia. BikeWalk Virginia is a bicycle advocacy group in Richmond, Va. He talks about the importance of the Bike Virginia Event that took place in Charlottesville, Va. in June.

Click here to watch a video about the Bike Virginia event, which was presented by the bike advocacy group BikeWalk Virginia in June.

The fight for gay marriage in Virginia

Alyssa W. Walden

MASC 688

RICHMOND, Va. — For Richmond mother Jo Ellen Gaines, her son’s wedding day had always been a dream in her mind. She could picture the planning, the ceremony, and the happiness surrounding the event. The day of both her and her son’s dreams came true in August of 2008 when Gaines’s son, Brian, married his partner David.

As a resident of California, Brian was allowed to marry when the Supreme Court of California overturned the ban on same-sex marriage. Sad news came for the Gaines’ family when in November of the same year, a public vote, known as Proposition 8, passed, eliminating marriage rights for same-sex couples. Fortunately, despite this new ban on same-sex marriage, unions of couples between June and November of 2008 remained legal.

Click the image above to watch an audio slideshow of the Capital Pride 2009 parade. The parade, held in Washington, D.C., was focused on the topic of gay mariage.

One Year Into Richmond’s Ten-Year Plan To End Homelessness

By Asriel Eford
MASC 688

RICHMOND, Va. – Zanobia Jones lived in Gilpin Court, a housing project located near downtown Richmond, for more than ten years.

Though living in a housing project was not the ideal life for Jones, the low rent allowed her to save a little each month toward an apartment in a better neighborhood.

Her plan seemed to be working perfectly until the unthinkable happened: Jones came home one evening to find police officers inside her home.

“My cousin was selling drugs out of my unit when I wasn’t home,” Jones said, fighting back tears. “When I saw the police in the house I knew he messed everything up for me”.

The Richmond Regional Housing Authority, the government entity that manages the housing project, found Jones to be in violation of her leasing agreement and she was quickly evicted. With no where to go, Jones has spent the last two years sleeping in parks or shelters; abusing illegal drugs and alcohol to cope.

Click here to hear Zanobia Jones talk about life on the streets and her plans for the future.

Jones is only one of more than 1,000 homeless individuals living on the streets or in emergency shelters in the Richmond city limits.

Expanding Your Family During the Recession Through Adoption

By Matthew Harris
MASC 688

CHESTERFIELD Va., – Kim and Pat Turner quite possibly have the biggest hearts in Chesterfield, Virginia, but they would never admit it. It is just another typical Saturday afternoon in July at “daddy’s park.”
That’s what the Turner family’s four children call Rockwood Park, just off Hull Street Road.

“The children just love to come here and see daddy after work,” Kim Turner said.

Pat works at the park, Kim works for the Department of Defense. The Turners moved here four years ago with one daughter, Kayle, who was just 8 years old at the time. Since then their family has doubled.

Expanding a family during a recession is something many families have to put a lot of thought into. With more than 6 million Americans collecting unemployment, according to the Department of Labor, many families are not in a place currently where they could afford to have children or adopt.

“We thought about adopting in Ohio, but it was way too expensive, we couldn’t afford it, so we decided to go ahead and try foster care.”

Kim Turner and her adopted daughter Caylee playing at the park. Click on the photo to see an audio slideshow about how the Turner Family got involved with foster care.

Keeping The Faith With Gay-Friendly Churches

By Ruchi Naresh
MASC 688

RICHMOND, Va. – While in school, most books read by Natasha Shields (not her real name) were on theology and God. From her early twenties, Shields was dealing with the fact that she was a lesbian. She grew up in religiously conservative church in eastern Texas where the choice was to be Christian or gay. But her faith in God and theology never wavered.

Around three years back, Shields, a religion major in college, was very active with a church in Richmond. Her minister was aware of her being a lesbian and seemed supportive at first.

Over a period of time, on more than one occasion, he jokingly offered sperm to Shields. Although Shields was shocked, she shrugged it off with a nervous laugh. Later came the e-mails from the minister advising her on handling things and giving references to her “lifestyle choices.” She says, “He obviously was referring to my sexuality.”

Shields didn’t believe sexuality was a choice for her.

“It’s just a part of who you are,” she asserts.

Crossroads: Small Virginia Farmers Are Growing, But Will They Be Able To Survive New Food Safety Laws?

By Brent Baldwin
MASC 688

RICHMOND, Va.–For 23-year-old Natalie Mesnard, it took a best-selling book by national food guru Michael Pollan to inspire her to work on a farm.

“A big part of it was reading the book, “Omnivore’s Dilemma,” she says. “Everybody started reading it and it really drew people in who may not have gotten into the scene of eating local, eating seasonal.”

For the last year, Mesnard has worked the ten-acre Amy’s Garden farm in Charles City, growing seeds and helping sell the specialty produce and cut flowers at various farmers’ markets around Richmond, where she lives. Her farm is part of the exploding Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA movement. At CSAs, customers become shareholders, pre-purchasing a share of the crops up front, in order to have fresh vegetables either delivered to them or picked up at designated drop spots.

Click here for an audio podcast of CSA farmer Natalie Mesnard discussing how she got into farming and what it involves

But even as the local food movement and CSA concept steams ahead, there is a new bill with bipartisan support, H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, sponsored by John Dingell (D-Mich), that is causing consternation among national farmers’ rights groups and small farmers. On June 17, after an amendment from Henry Waxman (D-CA), the fast-tracked bill was referred to the full House “for later consideration”–and could conceivably be voted on this year, although there is still a chance for amendments.

Below is a video about two local CSAs filmed at the Bryan Park Farmer’s Market in Richmond.