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Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

WEDNESDAYS • Jan. 31, 2018

Richmond & Hampton Roads

Presidential proclamation

America's greatness is a testament to generations of courageous individuals who, in the face of uncomfortable truths, accepted that the work of perfecting our Nation is unending and strived to expand the reach of freedom to all.- BHO, 2016

LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE

How Trump may end up expanding Medicaid

Some Republicans in Virginia are renewing calls to take up Medicaid expansion.

Republican lawmakers in a half-dozen states are launching fresh efforts to expand Medicaid, the nation’s health insurance program for the poor, as party holdouts who had blocked the expansion say they’re now open to it because of Trump administration guidelines allowing states to impose new requirements that program recipients work to get benefits.

In Utah, a Republican legislator working with the GOP governor says he hopes to pass a Medicaid expansion plan with work requirements within the year. In Idaho, a conservative lawmaker who steadfastly opposed Medicaid expansion in the past says the new requirements make him more open to the idea. And in Wyoming, a Republican senator who previously opposed expansion — a key part of President Barack Obama’s health-care law — says he’s ready to

take another look at fellow Republicans’ expansion efforts in his state.

Moderate Republicans in North Carolina, Virginia and Kansas are similarly renewing calls to take up Medicaid expansion, though it’s unclear if there will be quite enough conservative support or whether Democrats would consider voting in favor of work requirements.

If successful, though, the efforts could make hundreds of thousands of Americans newly eligible for health coverage, while also opening the door to Medicaid changes that could kick some current beneficiaries out of the program and reduce its benefits to recipients — broadening the program’s reach into red states but with a decidedly conservative bent.

“All of a sudden, we’re seeing some flexibility that allows us to do it our way, and that gives

it a much better chance,” said Wyoming state Sen. Ogden Driskill, a Republican who helped defeat Medicaid expansion in a close vote in 2015.

“Without the heavy hand of the government forcing it down our throats, many of us will take a much deeper look at it.”

The Trump administration earlier this month said states could apply to add work requirements to their state Medicaid programs, a first in the program’s history. Ten states have already filed requests for such waivers, and the Trump administration has approved a Kentucky plan to add work requirements and premiums to its program.

The new Trump administration rules may also shake up the balance of power in state-level struggles over Medicaid expansion. Thirty-two states and the District have expanded Medicaid since the Affordable Care Act was enacted, giving health care to approximately 13 million additional people. (Maine voters approved a Medicaid expansion in a November ballot referendum, but it has not yet taken effect.)

The other 17 states are overwhelmingly GOPdominated. In many, Democrats and some moderate Republicans repeatedly have attempted expansions, hoping to take advantage of federal funding available to provide health insurance for low-income patients. But they’ve seen their efforts thwarted by conservative lawmakers and governors, who argue that expansion would give health care to “able-bodied” Americans and explode state budgets.

Now, moderate Republicans hope to win over their conservative colleagues by packaging the expansion with work requirements or other limits on who is eligible for the program, under what circumstances and for how long.

Their chances of success vary widely depending on the state. In Utah, a Republican lawmaker who has opposed a more generous Medicaid expansion is working with a supportive governor and leaders in the state’s House and Senate on a version that would include work requirements.

Under the new rules, “we think that there may be a window of opportunity to revisit the

(continued on page 3)

The LEGACY

2 • Jan. 31, 2018

News

GOP delegate proposes to cut license requirements for barbers, cosmetologists CHLOE SIMPSON CNS - Barbers and cosmetologists would no longer need to be licensed under a bill proposed by Fauquier County Republican Del. Michael J. Webert.

Weber is the chief patron of the bill, HB 892, because he said that the list of services that falls under a cosmetology license is too broad, and the amount of time and money necessary to obtain a license is restricting the market place.

According to the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation’s website, a cosmetology student must complete 1,500 hours of curriculum and practical training, as well as a state board exam.

This exam consists of two parts: written and practical. Finally, a license renewal fee must also be paid every two years. The exam and the renewal each cost close to $100, however, they will each increase by around $25 on Sept. 1, 2018.

“We felt that [cosmetology] was one we could look at individually, again putting in the legislating we discovered that that particular entity regulates a number of different things,” Webert said. “And so, we are beginning to look at all of those things to see what we can do to streamline it, to get people in the marketplace, to get people working and to help folks that want to make a living.”

One of Webert’s concerns is that there are certain services, such as hair braiding, that fall under the state Board of Barbers and Cosmetology that he said should not require such intense training.

“You shouldn’t need a full-blown cosmetology license to be able to do [those jobs], and therefore you are creating barriers for folks who have an entrepreneurial idea, to enact that,” Webert said. “And what

you’re doing is you’re restricting the market place. And when you restrict the market place you’re also creating a lower supply, as in with a higher demand you can charge more and therefor you have less market competition.”

Because the Board of Barbers and Cosmetology covers a wide variety of services, including tattooing, waxing, nail care and esthetics, Webert has not yet asked anyone to be sign on as co-patron.

“We need to look at who is regulated under this in its entirety, to see if A, we can amend the bill to suit a lot of these folks, or B, whether we need to forego this piece of legislation this year and take a much bigger, broader brush to the regulatory canvas and see if we can’t bring everybody in one room and have a discussion about it," he said.

Lori Nicholson, a certified cosmetologist and owner of Salon Lou in Fauquier, agrees that certain aspects of the current licensing procedures need to change, but not to the magnitude set forth in HB 892. “[A] Cosmetology license allows you to perform chemical services, to cut hair, do straightening chemicals, permanent chemicals, colors, dyes, waxing, it covers just about all of those things,” Nicholson said.

The most important things that a cosmetologist must learn for their license, according to Nicholson, are sanitation and proper use of chemicals. Without proper sanitation between clients, infection or disease can be spread on instruments such as towels and combs.

Infection and injury can also be caused by improper use of salon chemicals. Many of the chemicals used in hair processes, such as hair dying or perms, contain peroxide and can cause chemical burns on the scalp if used incorrectly, which can then lead to infection.

Nicholson worries that taking away the licensing required for cosmetologists would be detrimental because people without the proper training would be able to perform chemical processes that can cause extreme damage to the clients.

“I do think there has to be regulation,” Nicholson said. “I feel that there has to be some accountability. My concern is, if there’s no accountability in deregulation, then it’s going to be a domino effect and there’s going to be no accountability, no licensing and then there’s going to be no trade schools offered to students. And college is not for all people” Holland Hawkins, is a master

esthetician and co-owner of Soothing Light Spa and Wellness Center, LLC, also in Fauquier.

She has been licensed for 12 years, and her 1,200 hours of training to reach master esthetician status allow her to perform chemical peels and use medical grade chemicals such as lactic acid and glycolic acid.

In addition to the chemicals used for skin services, Hawkins also deals with hospital grade disinfectants, and blood from extractions.

“We’re dealing with bodily fluids,” Hawkins said. “To not be regulated blows my mind.”

HB 892 has been assigned to Subcommittee One of the Committee on General Laws.

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Jan. 31, 2018 • 3

Millennial advocates, legislators advancing agendas for change

Engagement. These figures point toward a sea change in voter activity in Virginia, as participation from this demographic has doubled from where it was eight years ago and was up 8 percent from 2013.

“From our experience in this

election season, millennials are realizing that if we want to have a bright future, we need to be more involved and stop letting others speak for us,” said spokesman Tim Cywinski of Virginia 21, a youthfocused policy organization based in Richmond.

The group’s main effort is to nudge legislation and policy in the general assembly that will aid the state’s growing millennial population. As a result of the larger youth turnout, these goals have begun to take shape through the new, younger legislators.

“The number one issue we’ve found for millennials in Virginia is college affordability,” Cywinski said. “College debt has increased over 250 percent in the last 10 years, and these are things that aren't particularly felt by previous generations and some current elected officials. It’s more about trying to translate our experiences into the larger political dialogue.”

Not even a week into the start of

the 2018 session, newly-elected Del. Chris Hurst (D-District 12) used this momentum toward fighting for the millennials who aided in putting him in office. His joint resolution to the house, submitted officially only two days ago, pushes the Virginia State Board of Education to study the ways payment and collection of student tuition debt is handled at state public colleges.

“After talking to many advocates for college students and with students on campuses in Virginia, we know students are more likely than ever to accumulate debt from tuition payments, and we hope to introduce this study to collect data on how we can best combat this, rather than filing legislation without this data,” Hurst said.

As youth issues rise in prominence, groups like Virginia 21 will continue to push policy to the new generation of lawmakers in effort to aid the largest voting age demographic in Virginia today.

of a Medicaid expansion plan.

Moderate Republicans are hoping work requirements would be enough to get the proposal over the finish line, but it’s unclear if Brownback’s replacement, Republican Jeff Colyer, would support a deal. “This gives us a great opportunity and something to run with,” said Republican state Sen. Barbara Bollier, who has tried pushing conservatives in her state to accept Medicaid expansion.

The Affordable Care Act sought to extend Medicaid to every American living on less than 133 percent of the federal poverty line, implementing a national standard to replace a system in which each state sets its own eligibility threshold. But the Supreme Court struck down that portion of the law, allowing states to decline the extension.

As a result, millions of residents in holdout states fall in the “Medicaid gap.” Their incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid, but they make too little to meet the minimum threshold for federal insurance subsidies to help them buy private health insurance policies on Obamacare’s exchanges.

“It was a huge roadblock that we did not have the ability to get a waiver for work requirements,” said Idaho state Sen. Marv Hagedorn (R), who said he will talk with colleagues about potential vehicles for expansion. “I’m very optimistic now that the administration has done a

180 on that. We’ll see if we can make something happen for people we have in the gap population.”

In states where lawmakers have repeatedly battled over Medicaid, the proposals face an uphill climb.

In Virginia, where Democrats picked up more than a dozen seats in elections last fall and Republicans hold only a two-seat advantage in the state House and in the Senate, a moderate Republican is seeking a bipartisan deal to pair expansion with work requirements. But a spokesman for new Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, said the governor does not support work requirements and that “very initial” conversations about expansion are ongoing with GOP lawmakers about Medicaid expansion in 2018.

The odds may be even longer in North Carolina, where moderates are pushing to pair expansion with work requirements but even proponents are skeptical the legislature’s conservative bloc can be won over.

Roy Cooper, the state’s Democratic governor, is “pleased that there is some movement” on Medicaid expansion, said spokeswoman Sadie Weiner, though she added that Cooper has concerns about work requirements.

Many Democrats share those concerns. While they’ve long sought expansion, the deals being pushed would require them to accept rules they say will cost thousands of

poor Americans their insurance.

Republican-led states ranging from Arizona to Indiana are asking for a range of changes aimed at reducing the generosity of the program, including new fees for emergencyroom use, premium payments for the poor, and the loss of coverage for those who miss payments.

“Expanding does create the opportunity to cover more people, but if it’s done with things like work requirements, premiums and other similar policies we know reduce coverage, the gains won’t be as large,” said MaryBeth Musumeci, a Medicaid expert at Kaiser.

In other states, expanding Medicaid remains a non-starter for conservatives. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, both Republicans, said through spokesmen that Medicaid expansion would not be on the table in their states.

“There will be state legislators who were previously skeptical of Medicaid expansion, but who now think they can get behind it,” said Akash Chougule, director of Americans for Prosperity, a right-leaning political advocacy group affiliated with the Koch brothers. “But for us, the fact remains that expanding eligibility will massively increase spending costs. That might be blunted a little bit by a work requirement, but we will continue to resist those calls to expand.” - WaPo

KEVIN WALTER JOHNSON CNS - With the start of the new year and the new session of the in the Virginia General Assembly, there also comes a new energy in state politics, fueled by the rising millennial generation in Virginia.

The 19 newly-elected delegates in the Virginia House of Delegates - 14 of whom are under age 45 - arrive on the swell of support that came out of a large voter turnout in 2017, of which activism by millennial voters played a larger role than in any election before.

Close to 366,000 voters in the millennial age group voted in the November election, making up the 34 percent youth voter turnout reported by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and

(from page 1) idea of Medicaid expansion,” Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) said in a statement. Utah has 46,000 residents who could gain insurance under Medicaid expansion, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, although the plans being discussed would probably cover a lower number.

Utah state Rep. Robert M. Spendlove (R) is spearheading a plan to expand Medicaid that would impose work requirements on some residents. Spendlove has wanted to craft this kind of package for years, but says he was told by Obama administration officials that the federal government would stop an expansion proposal that included work requirements.

To make the changes, states would need a waiver from the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services. For the first time, that option is available.

“I’m not Captain Ahab; I didn’t see the point in pursuing an expansion bill that wasn’t going to get approved,” said Utah’s Spendlove, adding that he is working with leadership in the state House and Senate on his proposal.

“The importance of the Trump administration’s willingness to give states flexibility to manage their programs can’t be overstated.”

Kansas in 2017 came within three votes of overriding outgoing GOP Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto

Del. Chris Hurst

The LEGACY

4 • Jan. 31, 2018

Bell again proposes bill to let home-schoolers play sports, activities at public schools SYDNEY LAKE CNS - Home-schooled children would be able to attend interscholastic social events and sports and participate in dualenrollment policies under two bills proposed by Greene Country Republican Del. Robert B. Bell.

Bell has proposed similar homeschool bills twice before, and have passed the House both times, according to Yvonne Bunn, director of government affairs for the Home Educators Association of Virginia, or HEAV. The bill, HB 496, is also known as the Tebow Bill after former NFL

Del. Robert B. Bell quarterback Tim Tebow who played football at a local high school while being home-schooled. A similar bill proposed last year was vetoed by former Democratic Gov. Terry

McAuliffe in January 2017.

“Allowing home-schooled students to participate in interscholastic competitions would disrupt the level playing field Virginia's public schools have developed over the past century,” McAuliffe wrote in his explanation for the veto. “While the bill provides that home-schooled students must demonstrate evidence of progress in order to participate in interscholastic activities, the unique nature of their educational situation precludes conformity to the same standards.”

Bell declined to comment, but according to his letter posted on http://virginiatebowbill.com/, he

would again be authorizing the Tebow Bill, HB 496, which would allow high schools to open their doors to local home-schoolers in order to provide them with the opportunity to participate in competitive sports. On the website, citizens can submit their name on a petition to let home-schoolers try out for public school sports.

Bunn said that McAuliffe had vetoed the bill twice in the past, but had thought it would pass the House again. However, a new bill, HB 497, was proposed by Bell to accompany the Tebow Bill which would allow home-schooled children to become a part-time student at a local high school and register for dual enrollment classes.

Bunn said her organization is neutral on both of these bills.

“We certainly believe that homeschool parents have the right to make educational decisions about their children and their children’s future,” said Bunn. “However, the purpose of our organization is to encourage parents to teach their children at home and this legislation would bring children back to public schools for sports access, for other classes, things like that. It is not our purpose to return students to public schools for services or education.”

The two bills, HB 496 and 497, were referred to the House Committee on Education on Jan. 8, where HB 496 has remained. After HB 497 was sent to subcommittee, the subcommittee failed to recommend reporting by a 4-4 vote.

Four Republicans voted in favor and one Republican and three Democrats voting against it.

Despite the outcome of this vote and veto of the related bill by McAuliffe, Democratic Del. Roslyn C. Tyler of Emporia, who serves on the House Committee on Education, was not certain that the vote on the bill would be partisan.

“This year is going to be hard to determine,” Tyler said. “There are new legislators and I don’t know their point of view. Some may support home-school, and some may not. We have a lot of younger folks who do homeschool their kids, so it may take a different route this year.”

Jan. 31, 2018 • 5

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Virginia Prescription Monitoring Program now interoperable with North Carolina Interconnectivity between Virginia’s secure Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) database and North Carolina’s Controlled Substance Reporting System, RxSentry, is now in effect. As a result, pharmacists and prescribers in both states will be able to see the prescription history of patients who may utilize health providers or pharmacists in both jurisdictions, improving the quality of care and decreasing the risk of prescription drug diversion. The interoperability is provided through Prescription Monitoring Program Interconnect™ (PMPi), a service of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).

“As a physician, I know all too well the difference timely access to the full health care records of vulnerable patients makes, especially when people live in one state and are treated in another,” said Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.

“As we continue to battle the opioid addiction crisis in Virginia and across the country, the Prescription Monitoring Program is an important tool for health care providers to monitor prescriptions.

“With the addition of North Carolina, Virginia’s PMP is now connected with all of its border states and Washington D.C., as well as 21 other state PMPs, to provide health care practitioners with essential

Va. faces REAL ID Act changes REAL ID Act standards are going into effect this year, which means states must develop driver’s licenses and state ID meeting federal standards in the coming months.

In a few years, travelers will need to have a REAL ID-compliant card or an alternate form of ID to travel domestically.

Some states are already compliant, while others have gotten an extension to update driver's licenses and state-issued IDs to meet federal standards. Virginia is one of the states getting an extension to begin offering a compliant ID by Oct. 10, 2018.

So what does that mean for travelers? The current state driver's licenses and IDs remain okay for domestic travel, entering military bases and visiting secured federal facilities until Oct. 1, 2020. After this date, they must obtain a REAL ID-compliant Virginia license or use a U.S. passport or another TSA-approved form of identification instead.

According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, the state's driver's licenses and ID will be READ ID-compliant beginning in October 2018. Virginians can obtain

this identification card meeting the federal standard, or stick with DMV's current style of credential until REAL ID requirements kick in during 2020. Either driver’s license will still be ok to use for driving, voting, cashing a check, applying for government benefits and other everyday business activities.

To apply for the new license or ID, Virginia residents will need additional documentation as required under the REAL ID standards.

Required documents include: - Identity; (e.g. Unexpired U.S. passport or U.S. birth certificate) - Legal Presence; (e.g. Unexpired U.S. passport or U.S. birth certificate) - Social Security Number; and (e.g.

Social Security card or state payroll check stub) - Residency (two proofs will be required). (e.g. utility bills or mortgage statements) According to DHS, the neighboring District of Columbia, Maryland and other states/territories are already The DHS has granted several states/ territories, including Virginia, an extension until Oct. 2018 to meet federal standards and make their state-issued IDs compliant.

prescription information using just one request.”

“Though each state has its own version of Virginia’s Prescription Monitoring Program, given the opioid crisis it is critically important for practitioners and pharmacists to be able to access the prescription history of patients under their care from other states 24/7, especially those that share our borders, in order to make informed treatment decisions in a timely fashion,” said Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. David Carey.

Other states interoperable with Virginia include: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.

These states are all part of a national network of 43 PMPs supported by NABP’s PMPi. In Virginia, health regulatory boards that license practitioners authorized to prescribe opioids to their patients and law enforcement officers also use the PMP to support investigations related to doctor shopping, diversion, and inappropriate prescribing and dispensing.

Va. DMV to implement new registration renewal reminder postcard After two successful pilot programs, DMV will permanently implement mailing postcard-style vehicle registration renewal notices to some customers rather than the full-size registration renewal packets.

The move to a postcard notification will save DMV an estimated $325,000 annually. In addition to reducing costs, the postcard encourages customers to renew their vehicle registrations online which saves them money and a trip to DMV. DMV piloted the postcard in April 2017 and October 2017. During the pilot, the agency saved about $25,000 each month and saw a 40 percent increase in online renewals.

By renewing online, customers will receive a $1 discount and avoid the $5 in-person renewal fee. If eligible, customers can renew their registrations for multiple years and save more.

“DMV is always looking for ways to reduce costs, particularly during challenging budget times,” said DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb.

“This new way of reminding customers to renew their vehicle registrations encourages them to renew online, not only saving them money but also a trip to DMV. This allows our employees to focus on more complicated transactions that must be conducted in a DMV customer service center.”

The postcards will be mailed to customers who have a myDMV online account but have not signed up for electronic renewal notifications through email or text message.

6 • Jan. 31, 2018

Op/Ed & Letters

The LEGACY

Virginia hospitals’ financial strength improves MICHAEL W. THOMPSON Two major health care issues confront the General Assembly now meeting in Richmond. One is the expansion of Medicaid and the other is whether hospitals should have more competition for the services they provide.

And both of these issues find the Virginia Hospital Association and many of its hospital members weighing in with support for expanding Medicaid and maintaining monopoly control of healthcare delivery services.

The hospital lobby and the members it represents want legislators to believe they need expanding government programs such as Medicaid and continuation of monopoly controls because they are in a difficult financial position.

However, a new study by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy shows that the overall finances of Virginia hospitals have substantially improved between the numbers published in 2016 (for FY 2015) and those in December 2017 (for FY 2016). The study can be found on the Jefferson Institute’s website.

As the hospitals “cry wolf” about their financial condition, the facts clearly show that they are doing quite well and, as a whole, are not in financial trouble.

Posted on the Virginia Heath The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 4 No. 5 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

Information website are 158 hospitals in the state and their financial numbers. The Jefferson Institute uses these numbers in its annual study to challenge the contention that our hospitals can’t afford competition and need more government dollars. What the published numbers show are that hospital profits increased by 13.86 percent between FY 2015 and 2016 (the most recent numbers available) and their net worth increased 8.1 percent.

Since 2012, hospital profits increased from $1.58 billion to $2.15 billion, hospital net worth rose from $14.75 billion to $19.3 billion, and the number of hospitals operating at a deficit fell from 42 to 28 - a decrease of fully 1/3 in four years! Looked at another way, 28 hospitals running “in the red” out of 158 hospitals statewide reporting to the VHI website is only one out of six hospitals showing an operating deficit. This is not an industry facing financial trouble. Indeed, the numbers clearly show it is an industry growing stronger each year.

Some hospitals are struggling and this Jefferson Institute report clearly shows that. But the industry as a whole is doing quite well. In all regions of the state, the hospitals remain profitable, and their net worth continues to increase. Even the hospitals in Southwest Virginia, where some real financial struggles exist in our economy, show profits 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.

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improving by 36 percent.

Our elected officials need to understand these numbers and not simply listen to the hospital lobbyists who complain about how "bad off" the hospitals are today and that continued monopoly control of healthcare services is needed to protect them financially.

The rising costs of monopoly healthcare could be substantially reversed with dramatic reforms, or even the elimination of the monopoly protection process called Certificate of Public Need (COPN). This is the state process where competing healthcare services are denied by a regulatory board in Richmond too often influenced by the "big boys" in the hospitals and in their wellfinanced lobby. More competition will reduce the price of healthcare just as it has in one industry after another. Where health care delivery competition does exist, the prices in non-hospital medical facilities are significantly less.

And today the hospitals are begging our General Assembly to expand Medicaid by saying they need it because their finances are threatened, but their own number show just the opposite.

Medicaid is one of the three federal entitlement programs that is in great need of reform or our nation could end up like Greece - bankrupt and cutting truly needed program just

to keep from drowning in red ink.

Expanding Medicaid to those up to 138 percent of the poverty line will not guarantee better health services to these folks and will be a huge drain on our state budget.

Today, over 20 percent of the state’s budget goes to Medicaid and this program is growing by 9 percent a year. Adding folks making up to 138 percent of poverty, who are basically healthy, makes little sense. Today vast number of doctors refuse to take Medicaid patients because the federal government does not reimburse them for their actual costs. So we are being asked to add 400,000 or more to the Medicaid rolls here in Virginia as fewer and fewer doctors are taking Medicaid patients.

Clearly, this makes little sense.

As the Virginia Hospital Association begs for more government involvement in the delivery of health care, and as it complains that the hospital industry is struggling financially so it can’t afford competition in health care delivery, this new study by the Thomas Jefferson Institute shows that our hospitals are, overall, doing well financially. More competition and less government involvement is what is needed to lower health care costs.

Thompson is the president of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. These are his personal views.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Jan. 31, 2018 • 7

P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.

and ending DACA, building the wall, ending the visa lottery, prosecuting sanctuary city officials, and mandate immigration checks of arrests and cooperation with federal immigration law.

Corey Stewart

Giving up

With her refusal to entertain ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detainers of illegal immigrants, Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid has in essence given up and admitted to the public that she is no longer committed to working with immigration officials to keep dangerous criminals off the street.

It is official -- Fairfax County is now a sanctuary jurisdiction. Last year Deputy Chief Ryan said Fairfax would not participate in general immigration enforcement. He may as well have said Fairfax police will no longer work to protect its citizens.

The very first time an illegal alien Fairfax releases to the streets commits a crime, these Fairfax office holders will be guilty of accessory to whatever crime that illegal alien commits -- rape, murder, drug trafficking.

Fairfax’s disregard for the rule of law is astonishing, and under my watch as U.S. senator it will not stand. The fact that Sheriff Kincaid had to go into hiding for a few days after this announcement tells you everything you need to know. They’re willingly quitting their job to try to win the votes of illegals.

It’s time we put America first again by ending chain migration, defunding

Evidence?

Americans are on the brink of being presented with documented evidence, aka “the memo”, by the House Intelligence Committee of a literal conspiracy to remove a sitting president from office with fabricated “evidence” of Russian collusion, perpetrated by the Obama administration, the Clintons, and many of the highest level officials in the Intelligence Community, including James Comey, Robert Mueller, John Brennan, Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, James Clapper, to name a few.

History will record the heroism of Admiral Mike Rogers, head of the NSA, appointed by the Obama Administration, uncovering a litany of lies and fabricated documents presented to a FISA court to get the green light to spy on citizen, candidate, nominee, and now President Trump.

FBI Agent Peter Strzok in text messages with his illicit mistress, FBI agent Lisa Page, called this “Russian Collusion Dossier” their “insurance policy” in case Hillary lost the election.

Incredibly, the FBI announced recently that five months of subpoenaed FBI text messages have disappeared, like Hillary’s emails.

The rampant, egregious criminality

of the Obama Administration, aided and abetted by a complicit, paid-off media, has proven to be so over-arching that those involved were willing to risk everything to bump off Trump to protect them from being discovered. They never thought she’d lose.

Documents have shown it was Hillary who’s ‘Clinton Foundation’ received 143 million in Russian ‘donations’ in exchange for 20 percent of American Uranium. Robert Mueller was personally dispatched to Russia to deliver a sample. Yes, the same Mueller that is posing as a Special Counsel investigating Trump for what they were involved in.

Will it matter to those on the left, who have embraced the Communist Manifesto for America, what the Truth is or will those so ensconced in the lies disregard the facts because to them, the end justifies the means?

Catherine Crabill

Welcome change

The Jan. 25 announcement of a Joint Subcommittee on Election Review is an excellent step in making the commonwealth’s election laws work for all Virginians. The 2017 elections put a microscope on the recount process and the General Assembly’s habit of drawing district maps that split voting precincts.

These flaws further sap Virginians’ belief that their votes matter. And we have deeper problems.

The gerrymandered maps for the House and Senate in 2011 cost Virginia taxpayers $10 million – $25,000 for each of 224 split precincts. Back then Gov. Bob McDonnell vetoed the initial plan

and chastised the General Assembly for its extravagance, noting that maps could be drawn without blatant partisanship. Though McDonnell eventually signed the maps into law, his statement remains true.

As long as incumbents pick their voters rather than the other way around, Virginians will pay for the tricks their representatives pull to maintain power.

“These issues are not about who wins or loses elections, but about the confidence of the public in our elections,” Sen. Norment said in a statement. I agree. But the Joint Subcommittee must go where the General Assembly has dared not.

We know that keeping our communities together - instead of fracturing them through gerrymandering - can prevent most the problems the subcommittee is charged with addressing. We also recognize that politicians drawing their own maps for political gain is a major factor that exponentially increases the odds of many of these problems occurring.

A clean redistricting process that respects communities, prohibits gerrymandering, adds transparency, and takes the map-drawing out of the hands of politicians would serve Virginia better than our current, hyper-political process. The special subcommittee should consider gerrymandering as one of the main underlying causes of the symptoms that have come to light in this past election.

Brian Cannon

8 • Jan. 31, 2018

Faith & Religion

The LEGACY

Virginia Senate passes bill to allow guns in churches

A woman prays outside of the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, last November, a week after a man opened fire inside the church. Hundreds of people gathered in the tiny town for a Sunday service at a tent erected in a baseball field. PHOTO: Eric Gay FROM WIRE REPORTS The Virginia Senate has passed legislation aimed at allowing guns in church in response to a deadly church shooting in Texas.

The Republican-controlled chamber voted along party lines last week to approve the measure, which would repeal a state law prohibiting weapons in a place of worship during a religious service. The state House still has to consider the bill, which Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam opposes and has indicated he would

veto.

Supporters say Virginia’s prohibition on carrying a “gun, pistol, bowie knife, dagger” or other dangerous weapons into churches during worship service is an archaic remnant of the state’s “blue laws” enacted in the 1800s to prohibit certain activities on Sundays.

A state attorney general’s opinion from 2011 says current law already allows Virginians to carry guns in churches, subject to a church’s permission. But GOP Sen. Ben Chafin, the bill’s sponsor, said the

Legislature needed to clarify and cement the right to carry a gun in church into law if a church allows it.

“It’s a private property rights issue,” said Chafin.

Much of the debate on the bill focused on last year’s church shooting in Texas, when a gunman opened fire during a Sunday service at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs and killed more than two dozen worshippers.

“In the communities that I represent, there are a whole lot of first Baptist churches,” Chafin said.

Democratic Sen. Jeremy McPike said the Republican bill was too broad and there were better ways of letting houses of worship decide their own weapons policies.

“Those who are voting for this measure are voting for guns over God,” McPike said.

His legislation requiring that individuals carrying guns in churches have “express authorization” from the church to do so was blocked earlier this year by a GOP-controlled committee.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Jan. 31, 2018 • 9

BORN TO BE GREAT By the time she’s ready to attend college, the majority of all jobs will require education and training beyond high school. Jobs in healthcare, community services, and STEM will grow the fastest among occupational clusters. To be ready for these jobs of the future, students in grades K-12 need learning experiences that meet them where they are, engage them deeply, let them progress at a pace that meets their individual needs, and helps them master the skills for today and tomorrow.

The Every Student Succeeds Act empowers parents like you to make sure that the opportunity for a great education is the standard for every student. To get involved, visit www.nnpa.org/essa.

Made possible by a grant from the

© 2017 National Newspaper Publishers Association. All rights reserved

10 • Jan. 31, 2018

The LEGACY

VCA selects J. Plunky Branch as a “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration” CONTRIBUTED REPORT From an original pool of over 350 nominees, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the state arts agency, has selected Richmond’s J. Plunky Branch to receive one of its prestigious “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Awards” in the category of Outstanding Artists!

The “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Awards” were conceived and designed by the commission as a 50th anniversary tribute to 50 examples of programs, individuals, and organizations critical to the arts in Virginia. The designated “Arts Inspirations” may have played a critical role in the last 50 years, serve as today’s leaders and exemplars, or may be tomorrow’s visionaries, leading the way to a culturally vibrant future.

The commission was established by law in 1968 to promote awareness of and access to the arts across the state and to support a broad range of artists, arts organizations, and arts educators.

Following a statewide call for nominations, nominees for the awards in all categories were accepted for two months this spring. A panel comprised of former commissioners and arts leaders reviewed the nominations this past summer and recommended a slate to the full board which adopted the final roster this fall.

To ensure impartiality, no former commissioners and no state-elected officials were selected for the roster.

“We are indeed fortunate in Virginia to have an abundant and diverse roster of outstanding artists and organizations and their supporters spanning disciplines and decades”, said Margaret Vanderhye, the commission’s executive director.

“The 50 selected winners are representative of the best, but this list is far from definitive. Every day in communities across Virginia, thousands of people benefit from the creative energies and pursuit of

excellence that characterize Virginia artists and arts organizations”, she concluded.

VCA Commissioner and 50th anniversary co-chair Jo Hodgin (Annandale) said the awardees carry the banner for countless arts workers and supporters who use the arts to build a strong Virginia.

“We believe the arts are essential for a creative 21st century workforce, economically dynamic communities, and a culture based on wellness and accessibility,” she said.

J. Plunky Branch, for his part said he was “of course, supremely honored” to be named one of the 50 outstanding arts persons in Virginia of the last 50 years.

“Music and arts play a vital role in the cultural, economic and educational well-being of the commonwealth and I hope to continue to contribute our community of visionaries,” he said.

Award recipients were honored with other state arts leaders and supporters at a special reception last fall for a Celebration of the Arts at the executive Mansion with former Gov. Terry McAuliffe and former First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe.

Today, the commission holds a 50th anniversary program for arts organizations across the state at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Here, the 50 for 50 Arts Inspiration award recipients are officially recognized and for their achievements.

“The entire Commission applauds the 50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Award recipients whose work is representative of the transformative power of the arts in our commonwealth,” said commission Chair Shelley Kruger Weisberg (Williamsburg). “The impressive array of arts leaders, arts organizations, pinnacle events and artists are a testament to the extraordinary diversity and vitality of the arts in every corner of the state”.

Each of the five nomination categories represents a different element of the arts in time and focus.

J. Plunky Branch For J. Plunky Branch, the category and criteria was “Outstanding Artists” where “winners have demonstrated consistent artistic excellence, a stellar body of work, provided service to their respective communities and beyond, and enhanced the artistic and cultural life of Virginia with their creativity”, according to the commission..

Branch, a saxophonist, is a performer, songwriter and music and film producer. With his group, Plunky & Oneness, he has appeared in concert and at festivals with some of the biggest names in Black music.

Plunky & Oneness have toured in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, performing in prestigious venues in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, and Havana, Cuba. For more than 20 years Branch has toured all over the state of Virginia with the support of the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Branch is president of his own independent record label, N.A.M.E. Brand Records, through which he has released 26 albums. His latest 12-song album, “Plunky & Oneness – Juju Jazz Funk” is the companion piece to his recently published autobiography, PLUNKY: Juju Jazz Funk & Oneness.

Branch has served as an administrator, lecturer and teacher.

He is a two-time recipient of NEA Jazz Fellowships and he was appointed to the Governor’s Task Force for the Promotion of the Arts in Virginia. He has been director of the Jazz Ensemble at Virginia Union University as well as an instructor of Afro-American Music History at Virginia Commonwealth University, both in Richmond.

In 2015, he was selected as one of the Strong Men & Women in Virginia History by the Library of Virginia. In 1999 he was recognized by Richmond Magazine as Musician of the Year.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Jan. 31, 2018 • 11

Girl Scouts of Va. kick off gen. of female entrepreneurs

Ask Alma

crazy to kick rocks with a witness present or should I begin my own plan of attack, knowing this could go horribly wrong?

Alicia Dear Alicia,

Girl scouts cookie program is the largest girl-led business.

Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia (GSCV) recently announced the start of Girl Scout Cookie Season, which runs through March, 27.

For the next few weeks, Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia will participate in the largest girlled business: the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Close to 11,000 girls in 30 counties and six cities within Central Virginia, will be walking around their neighborhoods and setting up cookie booths in front of local stores learning entrepreneurial skills while selling delicious cookies.

Girl Scout S’mores Cookies and the Return of Favorite Flavors The Girl Scout S’mores cookie, introduced last year, combines two iconic Girl Scout traditions–the S’more and Girl Scout Cookies– into one tasty treat. Girl Scout S’mores are a crunchy graham sandwich cookie with a chocolate and marshmallow filling. In late 2017, the Girl Scouts announced that the cookie would officially be back in 2018.

Thin Mints, Lemonades, ThanksA-Lot, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread and Peanut Butter Sandwich, traditional favorites, also return. For the second year in a row, girls will be selling a limited quantity of gluten-free Trios.

GSCV Girl Scout Cookies are $4 per box, except for gluten-free Trios which are $5 per box.

This cookie season, the Girl Scouts enter its second century of Girl Scouts selling cookies, according to

the organization. More than half – 57 percent – of Girl Scout alumnae in business fields credit the Girl Scout Cookie Program with developing the skills they use today—including money management, goal setting, and public speaking. Selling Girl Scout Cookies has helped millions of female entrepreneurs spark their careers over the past 100 years.

During Girl Scout Cookie Season, participating Girl Scouts from the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia Council will summon their inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ as they sell delicious cookies, building essential entrepreneurial skills imperative to leadership and future success along the way.

“The proceeds from every cookie purchase deliver enriching experiences for girls year-round, like camping and outdoor adventures, Take Action projects that benefit their community, and more,” said Molly T Fuller, CEO of GSCV. “That’s because 100 percent of net proceeds stay local within the Council to provide great programming for girls at the troop, community and Council level.” Fuller said, “When you buy delicious Girl Scout Cookies, you’re helping to power new, unique and amazing experiences for girls right here in Central Virginia—experiences that broaden their worlds, help them learn essential life skills, and prepare them to practice a lifetime of leadership.”

Office gossip blows Dear Alma, I was recently informed by my unofficial supervisor that a coworker wants to confront me. The co-worker said I didn’t speak and may have been influenced against her by someone else. My initial reaction was disbelief.

This co-worker is in her 40s and losing sleep over this! When I first took the job, a mutual friend said I should reach out to her because we come from the same area and know some of the same people. So I was a little thrown when, at our initial meeting, she came with attitude.

Since then, I’ve worked with her on several projects, only to be burned with little to no explanation.

My co-workers and I have noticed that she uses her gender and race to blame others for her shortcomings.

She even accused me of being friends with “them.” I try to interact with this woman as little as possible since she is like a Teflon pan when it comes to responsibility.

How do you remain the bigger person when she’s making preemptive strikes against you to people in authority? Should I tell

Kick rocks, toss rocks, bury rocks in the sand? Hmmmm…let me ponder.

First, never make a move because of something you “heard” from somebody else. This applies to situations inside or outside the workplace. Usually, what you hear from others has been added to like a cake baked from scratch. Deal with people based on what they say to you directly, face to face, and what they do in your presence.

Now, on to your co-worker. It’s clear that you don’t like the woman and you’ve made up your mind that you don’t want much to do with her – for good reason – and that’s ok. Still, you should maintain a respectful work relationship with her. You aren’t obligated to do anything more than that.

If she decides to “confront” you, be prepared. If she asks why you didn’t speak to her, say it was probably because you didn’t see her and that it was nothing more than that. Don’t include yourself in her madness. And above all, stop participating in office whispers.

When others start to roll that gossip wheelbarrow, you should walk away. Remember, when you aren’t around, they may very well talk about you, too.

I’m thinking nope, there’s no need to tell crazy to kick rocks or begin a plan of attack. Be you, and be the most sophisticated you that you can be. If all hell breaks loose, let her know she’s not your kind of “road dog”.

You can say it without being mean, light-hearted and with a smile on your face.

12 • Jan. 31, 2018

The LEGACY

Walmart outlines Va. changes after closing Sam’s Club STAFF & WIRE More than 27,700 Walmart and Sam’s Club associates in Virginia will soon receive pay increases and bonuses totaling $40,934,383.

Walmart spokesperson Ashley Hampton noted the company will alo significantly expand parental leave and adoption benefits for its associates statewide.

These comes on the heels of the company’s announcement that it is closing 63 Sam’s Club stores, the big membership warehouse chain it runs. Two Virginia stores are among those closing or closed include, one in Richmond at Laburnum Avenue and the other in Norfolk, at Little Creek Road.

The company noted last week that more than 27,700 Walmart and Sam’s Club associates in Virginia will soon receive wage increases and bonuses totaling $40,934,383 Addiutionally, more than 18,400 Walmart and Sam’s Club associates in Virginia will receive a wage increase of more than $29,800,000, and more than 27,700 Walmart and

Sam’s Club associates in Virginia qualify for a one-time cash bonus totaling $11,106,950.

Walmart’s new average hourly wage for full-time associates in Virginia will be $13.90 In Virginia and across the country, associates will receive expanded parental and adoption benefits including full-time hourly associates in the U.S. receive 10 weeks of paid maternity leave and six weeks of paid parental leave. Salaried associates will receive six weeks of paid parental leave and full-time hourly and salaried associates will receive up to $5,000 per child in financial assistance to support adoptions The Sam’s Club closures are expected to potentially result in laying off of thousands of employees.

This was an unexpected move, as many workers were not given much notice. The retailer cited slow growth and potential Sam’s Club location cannibalization as reasons behind this move. In another report, the closings came on the same day that Wal-Mart announced its plans to raise its entry-level wages for U.S.

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hourly employees to $11 an hour, partly as a result of the new lower corporate tax rate. As a result, the company’s stock did not react much to the news of store closures.

Sam’s Club, which is a membership-only warehouse club operated by Wal-Mart, contributes about 12 percent of the company’s revenues and 6 percent of the company’s value, per our estimates.

It generally operates on lower operating margins than WalMart’s other segments, though its membership fees are high-margin in nature.

Sam’s Club’s sales grew 4 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2017. Although Sam’s Club generates steady revenues from membership fees, it continues to witness intense competition from internet retailers such as Amazon. Accordingly, the retailer plans to convert up to 12 of the impacted clubs to e-commerce fulfillment centers in a move aimed

at speeding up delivery of online orders. The recent Sam’s Club closures could help the company free up resources that can be focused on supporting Sam’s Club’s website as well as its in-store technology.

Wal-Mart also plans to improve the club’s fresh food offerings, overall product selection and its private label, Member’s Mark. However, the company would have to refund membership fees of $45 per annum to the customers affected by the store closings.

Costco is expected to benefit from Wal-Mart’s decision to close 63 Sam’s Club locations, as 47 percent of the closed Sam’s Club stores fall within 5 miles of a Costco store, while 87 percent are within 20 miles. Given the geographical overlap with the closed Sam’s Club locations, Costco could potentially stand to add $1.8 billion in sales from the closing of Sam’s Club stores, according to Stifel Nicolaus

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Jan. 31, 2018 • 13

Gov. Northam calls for raising teacher pay to attract top talent to Virginia schools DeFORREST BALLOU CNS – Gov. Ralph Northam told the Virginia School Boards Association last week that the state needs to raise teacher pay to attract and keep top talent in the commonwealth’s public schools.

Speaking to the association’s annual Capital Conference, Northam said the state’s teachers make $7,500 less than the national average.

“There are some things that I think need attention, and some of them sooner than later,” he said. “The first is, we need to be able to recruit and retain the best talent out there to teach our children.”

The governor said he also wants

Jared Cotton to close the skills gap by reaching children earlier in their development.

Northam said one way to do that is to build on the STEM acronym of science, technology, engineering

and mathematics by adding art and health care.

Northam drew on his experience as a child neurologist when discussing the need to evaluate school start times. He said he understands that adolescents go to sleep later and wake up later than adults.

“We’re asking our teenagers – we’re not asking them, we’re telling them – to start school at 7, 7:30 in the morning. So, if you talk about issues like conduct problems or attention problems or learning disabilities, a lot of those can be related to not getting enough sleep at night,” he said.

The VSBA’s conference represented an early opportunity for the governor to meet with Virginians involved in education.

“I think what’s important with

this particular group is you have superintendents as well as school board members,” said Jared Cotton, the superintendent of schools in Henry County, on the North Carolina line.

An educator from another rural area said his region faces different economic challenges than populated areas that make up much of the state’s school spending.

“When you are living in a rural county, there is not a great deal of economic development with business and industry to help offset,” said Christopher Smith, a member of the Southampton County School Board for more than 32 years. “I think one of the main issues confronting most localities is, how can the state help especially rural areas to develop economically?”

Henrico County’s plan to build a new Fairfield Area Library on North Laburnum Avenue advanced last week in a unanimous approval by the Board of Supervisors.

Construction on the two-story, 44,803-square-foot library is expected to begin in June. An opening is anticipated in October 2019. The 10-acre site is southeast of North Laburnum and Watts Lane, by the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center.

The $29 million project is funded largely through Henrico’s 2016 bond referendum, overwhelmingly approved by 75 percent of county voters.

The existing Fairfield Area Library, 1001 N. Laburnum Ave., opened in 1976 and occupies 16,000 square feet.

“In Henrico County, we are going to another level with our libraries,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Frank J. Thornton, of the Fairfield District. “I think the new Fairfield Area Library will be a great thing.

Libraries are not the same libraries as when I was a student. They are totally different creatures now, and

Frank Thornton

VDSS to participate in U.S. Henrico Board of Supervisors partnership to test child approves plan for new welfare workforce strategies Fairfield Area Library

Following a national, competitive process, the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) has been selected as one of eight child welfare agencies to partner with the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to test strategies designed to strengthen the child welfare workforce.

Recruiting and retaining a strong, skilled, and innovative child welfare workforce is critical to meeting the needs of children and families.

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, public child welfare agencies nationwide experience an average annual turnover rate of 20%. In 2016, the annual turnover rate for entry level child welfare workers was 29%. High turnover is just one example of costly workforce issues that can negatively impact vulnerable children.

“It is imperative that the child welfare workforce is stable, properly trained and equipped to deliver effective, best practice-based interventions,” said VDSS Director of Family Services Carl Ayers.

“We are committed to supporting the child welfare workforce to ensure high quality services are delivered to children and families across the state. We look forward to contributing to this project, which will allow for greater collaboration, learning, and strategy-building.”

VDSS has collaborated with 18 local departments of social services to participate in the QIC-WD partnership. These local agencies represent each region of the state and include the following localities: Arlington, Bland, Botetourt, Chesterfield-Colonial Heights, Fairfax, Fluvanna, Henrico, HenryMartinsville, Hopewell, Loudoun, Norfolk, Pulaski, Roanoke City, Rockbridge, Stafford, Williamsburg, Wise, and York-Poquoson.

Over the next four years, VDSS will work with QIC-WD to address and study potential solutions to workforce issues, with a specific focus on the implementation of technological interventions to support and improve the child welfare workforce as well as child and family outcomes.

they have to be. This is the 21st century.”

The new library will feature a modern design with an open lobby, classroom and meeting space, group study areas, a digital media lab and a drive-up window, where patrons can pick up or drop off materials. The site also will feature an entry plaza, a bicycle and pedestrian connection to Harvie Road, an area for outdoor activities, parking for 220 vehicles and room for a 16,000-square-foot building addition in the future.

14 • Jan. 31, 2018

The LEGACY

Prevention and the fight against cervical cancer With battles raging in the war against cancer, health care experts are seeing progress in at least one fight, that against cervical cancer.

This disease is much easier to cure when it’s found and treated early, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the health care arsenal includes very effective weapons to detect and even prevent it.

“In the United States, cervical cancer survival rates are among the highest in the world,” said Army Capt. Patricia Dominguez, a family medicine obstetrics physician at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, citing a study published in December by the National Institutes of Health. For women in other parts of the world, Dominguez said, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

The cervix is the cylinder-shaped, lower part of the uterus. It connects the uterine cavity to the vaginal canal. “The cervix is the gateway for menstrual flow,” Dominguez said, “and it’s also the outlet for babies once it’s completely dilated during

childbirth.”

The Pap test, also known as the Pap smear, detects cervical cancer.

The health care provider swabs the cervix for a cell sample, which is sent to a lab to be studied for signs of abnormal growth. Most women should have their first Pap smear at age 21, Dominguez said, regardless of how old they are when they become sexually active. But women with impaired immune systems should start receiving screenings before age 21 if they are sexually active.

If the Pap test results are negative – meaning, no signs of abnormal cells – women should plan to be retested every three years until age 30. Then, women getting a Pap test should add a test that checks for strains of human papillomavirus, or HPV, Dominguez said. While HPV is common, only a small fraction of women infected with this virus will develop cervical cancer, she said. But that’s no reason to become complacent.

“Almost all cervical cancer is HPV related,” said Dr. Bruce McClenathan, medical director

of the Defense Health Agency immunization regional office at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Women ages 30 to 65 with negative results for both the Pap and HPV tests should plan to be tested every five years, Dominguez said. Women older than 65 may no longer need either test if previous results have been negative for several years, or they’ve had their cervixes removed because of noncancerous conditions, such as fibroids.

If a woman’s Pap test comes back positive, that doesn’t mean she’ll develop cervical cancer. The abnormal cells that were detected may clear on their own without any treatment. Dominguez said the usual protocol is to repeat the Pap test a year later or do a colposcopy, a procedure to examine the cervix, vagina, and vulva.

If the abnormal cells are persistent, they can be removed to prevent the possibility of spreading, usually using a thin wire loop with a lowvoltage electrical current. This approach is called LEEP, or loop electrosurgical excision procedure.

Left alone, abnormal cells may eventually progress to cancer. The good news is the cells are slowgrowing, so it can take a decade or longer for this to happen, according to the CDC. This doesn’t mean that cervical cancer isn’t dangerous. “The American Cancer Society estimates 12,820 new cases of invasive cervical cancer were diagnosed in 2017, eventually leading to about 4,210 deaths,” said Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Behil, department head of San Onofre Branch Medical Clinic, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, California.

The San Onofre clinic now has the highest cervical cancer screening rate among the 13 clinics of the Navy hospital, Behil said, at almost 86 percent. But it took a concerted effort to achieve that goal. From June through August 2016, San Onofre ranked at the bottom, with a screening rate of 58.7 percent of its patient population pool.

“We focused on being proactive about scheduling appointments,”

(continued on page 17)

Jan. 31, 2018 • 15

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Petition started after NASA pulls astronaut from flight NASA Astronaut Jeanette Epps was on track to become the first African-American crew member on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2018. NASA recently announced Epps will no longer be making the Expedition 56/57 mission that was scheduled for this summer.

NASA is not saying why Epps was pulled from the mission. Although other black astronauts have visited the ISS, she would have been the first African-American long-term crew member.

On his Facebook page, Epps’ brother, Henry accused NASA of racism. The post has since been removed, but a petition to reinstate Epps is still accepting signatures on MoveOn.org.

“My sister Dr. Jeannette Epps has been fighting against oppressive racism and misogyny in NASA and now they are holding her back and allowing a Caucasian astronaut to take her place!” Henry Epps wrote in a recent Facebook post.

In an email to the Washington Post, Epps said she was unable to comment on her brother’s post or the reason for the crew change. She clarified that neither she nor anyone

in her family started the petition.

Epps told the Post that she did not have a medical condition or family problem that would have prevented her from going on the flight. She told the newspaper that her overseas training in Russia and Kazakhstan had been successful.

“A number of factors are considered when making flight assignments; these decisions are personnel matters for which NASA doesn’t provide information,” Brandi Dean, a spokesperson for NASA, told The Verge, a technology news and media source.

Epps was one of 14 candidates — out of 3,500 applicants — selected

by NASA in 2009 for this mission.

It would have been her first time in space.

With a PhD in aerospace engineering, the New York native was a NASA Fellow during graduate school and later worked for Ford Motor Company, where she received both a provisional patent and a U.S. patent for her research, according to NASA. She spent seven years at the CIA as a technical officer before joining the agency.

NASA said Epps is still eligible

Accounting students offering tax help Virginia State University’s (VSU) accounting students are working in cooperation with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to provide income tax preparation and filing assistance for 2017 tax returns through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). The VITA services are open to individual or joint filers in the Tri-Cities area with income below $58,000.

The VITA site, located in Singleton Hall, Room 333, is being staffed two days a week—Tuesday and Saturday, through April 10. The VITA site will be open Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. VITA services will not be available during the university’s spring break, March 5 – March 10.

This is the 31st year VSU

accounting majors have provided this service. This service is being coordinated by Lester Reynolds, assistant professor of accounting at VSU and a former IRS employee, and Dr. Hari Sharma, chairman of the Accounting and Finance Department in the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business. The students’ participation is among the requirements of the federal income tax course.

Those desiring help in preparing and filing their tax returns should bring with them all essential records – W2 forms, SSA – 1099, if appropriate, etc. Free electronic filing will be done for individuals who are required to use IRS forms 1040A or 1040EZ only. IRS E-File for individuals is the easy alternative to filing paper returns.

Jeanette Epps trained to fly on a space station mission. for potential missions in the future.

For now, she will be working out of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Born in Syracuse, New York, Epps graduated from Corcoran High School in Syracuse and earned a B.S. degree from Le Moyne College and an M.S. and a Ph.D degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland.

After graduation, Epps worked in research at Ford Motor Company.

She then served as a Technical Intelligence Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. She worked at the CIA for seven years, including deployments to Iraq. On January 4, 2017, NASA announced that Epps would be assigned as a flight engineer to the International Space Station in mid-2018 for Expeditions 56 and 57, becoming the first black

woman on the space station crew.

Now, Epps will have to wait for another opportunity as her future remains uncertain.

Epps’ replacement will be AuñónChancellor, who along with Epps, was one of 14 astronaut candidates out of 3,500 applicants selected for NASA’s 20th astronaut class in 2009.

She has a medical degree and worked as a surgeon and managed medical operations for a range of NASA missions. Auñón-Chancellor will be the first Hispanic woman to live on the space station.

In NASA’s 60-year history, 14 black astronauts have flown in space. Several have visited the space station. In 2008, astronaut Leland Melvin was part of the space shuttle crew that delivered the Columbus science laboratory to the space station.

16 • Jan. 31, 2018

Calendar 2.3, 9 a.m.

The Henrico County Department of Community Revitalization will present a free workshop on improving home safety, particularly when aging in place, and saving money when working The class will be held in the Community Room at the Eastern Henrico Government Center, 3820 Nine Mile Rd. Exhibits, hands-on demonstrations and refreshments will be included.

The session is part of a workshop series that began in October and will continue through March to help residents maintain and improve their homes.For information, call 804-501-7640 or go to henrico.us/revit.

2.8, 10.a.m.

The Heritage Ensemble Theatre will present its season finale show “Free Man of Color”, written by Charles Smith with direction by Toney Q. Cobb. The production is scheduled to contonues until Feb. 17 at Pine Camp Cultural Arts Center, 4901 Old Brook Rd. A matinee, suited for students and seniors, will be held on Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. The Feb. 17 show will be accessible for deaf and hearing impaired patrons.

General admission is at a cost.

Visit brownpapertickets.com for details.

2.8, 6 p.m.

Participants in a free workshop offered by Virginia Credit Union will learn how to access their free credit report and gain insight into why they should review their credit report regularly.

During the “How to Read Your Credit Report” workshop, participants will go over a sample credit report to help them better understand how to read their own.

The seminar will be held at Virginia Credit Union, 7500 Boulder View Dr. in the Boulders Office Park near Richmond. To register, call 804323-6800 or visit the website www. vacu.org/seminars

The LEGACY

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Opioid crisis to be the focus of two campus panel discussions Virginia Commonwealth University will host two panel discussions on the opioid crisis, one focused on careers students can pursue to combat the epidemic and the other focused on the impact opioid addiction is having on communities.

The first, “Careers Combating the Opioid Epidemic,” will be held 4 - 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, in the Forum Room of University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave. The event, co-hosted by the Center for Health Disparities in the School of Medicine and VCU Career Services, will feature panelists from the fields of health care, addiction and law enforcement who will discuss their work to fight the opioid epidemic and educate students on how their majors and future careers can make a difference.

The panelists will include: - Omar Abubaker, D.M.D., Ph.D., a professor and chair of the Department of Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery in the VCU School of Dentistry.

- Hamid Akbarali, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the VCU School of Medicine.

- Tom Bannard, program coordinator for VCU Rams in Recovery in the Wellness Resource Center.

- Tatiana Carter, a 2016 VCU graduate and education program coordinator with the Richmond City Sheriff's Office.

Private screening of independent film that documents being black in today’s America ‘Black, White & Blue’ is a brutally honest documentary about race in America, touching on police violence and civil unrest, the Trump presidential campaign, the Black Lives Matter movement, even the Flint water crisis--and the metro D.C. area is all over it.

A private screening of the 76-minute independent film, which has not yet been rated, will be shown at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, located at 8633 Colesville Road in Silver Spring. The screening is free and open to the public but attendees must register at http:// bit.ly/2mYe7Hu. Another private screening will be held in Detroit on Feb. 2.

From the film's profanity-laced opening at an anti-police rally in Baltimore to the views of Geogetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson, a strong Washington connection makes sense, says Curtis Scoon, the film's executive producer, and not just because he himself lives in D.C. The film’s core issues, he said, have long tentacles.

“Not since the height of the civil rights era have racial issues played such a prominent role politically, as in the presidential campaign of 2016,” Scoon said. ‘“Black White & Blue’ analyzes the historic role of race in America, from police to politics and from Reconstruction to Trump.”

Submit your calendar events by email to: editor@legacynewspaper.com.

Include who, what, where, when & contact information that can be printed.

Submission deadline is Friday.

2.10, 10 a.m.

Hampton Roads has its fair share of African-American innovators and leaders who have gained national recognition and impacted American history. In celebration of regional contributions to Black History, Nauticus will present “And Still I Rise”, a special day of programming featuring African-American leaders in the history, military and science fields. The all-encompassing event will take place until 5 p.m. at 1 Waterside Dr., Norfolk.

Admission is at a nominal cost for adults and children ages 4 to 12.

Children ages three and under are free. Visit Nauticus.org for more details.

2.17, 9 a.m.

Newport News Public Schools and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Zeta Lambda Education Foundation are collaborating to conduct a oneday program that encourages and prepares students to attend college.

MegaGenesis is being hosted at Woodside High School, 13450 Woodside Lane until 3:30 p.m.

The free program is open to middle and high school students, parents, teachers, and youth group leader across Hampton Roads. The event features Rhodes Scholar and Season 4 winner of The Apprentice Dr. Randal D. Pinkett as the motivational keynote speaker.

CHTravels.com One-stop for travel planning and booking. We’ll do the work so you don’t have to.

Jan. 31, 2018 • 17

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Report reveals racial discrimination by auto dealerships The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) recently-published report, titled “Discrimination When Buying a Car: How The Color of Your Skin Can Affect Your CarShopping Experience” highlights racial discrimination in car sales and financing by dealerships.

NFHA recently conducted an investigation of franchised dealerships for some of the most popular car brands in the United States. Eight dealerships in eastern Virginia were investigated using standard paired testing methodology.

Within each paired test, one white tester and one Non-white tester visited a car dealership to obtain purchase and financing information for the same car. In each case, the non-white tester was more creditworthy than the white tester. The investigation found that testers of all races had difficulty obtaining concrete and transparent information regarding car pricing, interest rates, and loan options for

which they qualified. The absence of this information makes it impossible for consumers to evaluate the details of a transaction and to comparison shop.

Though all testers dealt with the elusive practices of dealerships, testers of color endured more economically disadvantageous and biased treatment.

Non-white testers often received more costly pricing options than their white counterparts for the exact same vehicle—down to the vehicle identification number.

Auto dealers used various pricing tactics to discriminate. For example, dealers helped white testers by offering rebates or helping to bring down interest rates more often than they did for non-white testers.

Non-white testers were more often presented with higher-cost financing options, even though they were better qualified than their white counterparts. They were also more likely to experience disrespectful treatment.

Key findings of the report: 62.5 percent of the time, non-white

testers who were more qualified than their white counterparts received more costly pricing options.

On average, non-white testers who experienced discrimination would have paid an average of $2,662.56 more over the life of the loan than less-qualified white testers.

75 percent of the time, white testers were offered more financing options than non-white testers.

People of color are more likely to live in areas that do not have a mainstream bank, making access to fair auto dealer financing more important for these borrowers. These same consumers are also more likely to live in areas that do not have reliable transportation, which makes the availability of fair and quality auto financing that much more vital.

Disparities in access to credit and transportation reflect historical discrimination in the credit marketplace and the perpetuation of segregation that has created an enduring wealth gap in America.

(from page 14) Behil said. Those efforts included telephoning women to set dates for Pap and HPV tests, and following up with those who made appointments but didn’t keep them. The clinic has shared its best-practices approach with others and has also applied it to other health-screening measures.

In November, the Navy hospital received a Military Health System High Reliability in Healthcare Award in the health care quality and patient safety category.

As for preventing cervical cancer, experts say the HPV vaccine is safe and also highly effective in preventing the virus, which causes most cervical cancer. Despite these benefits, “only about 42 percent of females and 28 percent of males in the recommended age groups have received all the recommended doses,” said Dominguez.

Health care experts believe increasing those numbers is critically important. Widespread HPV vaccination “would have huge potential” to reduce cervical as well as other types of cancer, McClenathan said.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Ashley Williams, the 633rd Surgical Squadron women’s health NCO, assists a patient during a routine Pap test at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. PHOTO: Airman 1st Class Kaylee Dubois

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY OF RICHMOND BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS Will hold a Public Hearing in the 5th Floor Conference Room, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA on February 7, 2018, to consider the following under Chapter 30 of the Zoning Code: BEGINNING AT 1:00 P.M. 03-18: An application of Watchtower Homes & Construction for a building permit to construct a new single-family detached dwelling at 921 NORTH 33RD STREET. 04-18: An application of Raymond Armstrong Guyer, III & Sherrie Evelyn Page for a building permit to construct a one-story addition (208 SF ±) and a one-story courtyard addition (648 SF ±) to a single-family detached dwelling at 210 VIRGINIA AVENUE. Copies of all cases are available for inspection between 8 AM and 5 PM in Room 110, 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

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