12 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 7 Number 8


Around Hampton Roads E-ZPass Transponders Available


in the City of Chesapeake Chesapeake City Treasurer Barbara O. Carraway’s office is the first in the Commonwealth now offer “E-ZPass On-The-Go” transponders for sale to motorists who use toll facilities.


The On-The-Go units are pre-loaded with $35 in prepaid tolls, with $15 available for immediate use and the remaining $20 available once the unit is registered online. Treasurer’s Offices are located at City Hall, as well as in Western Branch, Deep Creek and South Norfolk.


E-ZPass is valid for travel in Hampton Roads on the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge, Chesapeake Expressway, Coleman Bridge, and Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It can also be used at toll facilities in 14 other states from North Carolina to Maine. On some facilities, E-ZPass transponders provide savings of time and/or money. For specific questions related to the use of E-ZPass on individual roads or bridges, drivers should contact the facility operator.


On-The-Go Transponders are available for most passenger cars; however, they will not work on a certain vehicles such as those equipped with special windshields that contain metal.


Hampton Family Tree Heritage Sites


Guide Shares History and Sites Hampton, Virginia- Hampton’s African-American history dates to August 1619 when the first Africans landed at Point Comfort. It was also in Hampton at Fort Monroe on May 23, 1861, that Union Major General Benjamin Butler declared slaves contraband of war. Furthermore, it was beneath the limbs of Emancipation Oak, now on the Hampton University campus, that African Americans heard a reading of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. This history—and where to go in Hampton to retrace it—is captured in Family Tree: A guide to African American heritage sites in Hampton, Virginia.


Available through the Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau, Family Tree includes history, educational and religious sites, visitor attractions, and recognition of African Americans who helped shape Hampton’s past and future. Fort Monroe, Hampton University, Little England Chapel, the Rosenwald Schools, and communities including Garden City, Old North Hampton, Newtown, and Aberdeen Gardens, are among the many highlighted Hampton landmarks. The 30-page guide will serve to inform visitors and support the Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau’s efforts to market the city to meeting planners, tour operators, travel writers, and individual travelers.


For a copy of Family Tree: A Guide to African American Heritage Sites in Hampton, Virginia, visit the Hampton Visitor Center at 120 Old Hampton Lane. Request a copy by calling 800-800-2202, 757- 727-1102, or register to receive one online at www.visithampton.com/publication-request.


More than 35 contributors gave of their time and knowledge to Family Tree, with staff and faculty of the Hampton History Museum, Hampton Parks & Recreation, Fort Monroe Authority, and Hampton University among them. This is the guide’s third release, with the first being released in 1996.


Partially bordered by the Hampton Roads harbor and Chesapeake Bay, Hampton, with the 344,000 sq. ft. Hampton Roads Convention Center, is located in the center of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Hampton is the site of America's first continuous English-speaking settlement and is home to such visitor attractions as the Virginia Air & Space Center and Riverside IMAX ® Theater, Hampton History Museum, harbor tours and cruises, Hampton University Museum, Fort Monroe, award- winning Hampton Coliseum, The American Theatre, among others.


Newport News Police Department


Receives International Recognition Police Communications Becomes Internationally Accredited


In November 2012, the Newport News Police Department’s Communications Division underwent its initial on-site evaluation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).


During their four day assessment, a two member team inspected the agency’s accreditation files, toured the agency’s facilities and interviewed members of the department. On March 23, 2013, following the on-site evaluation and its review by CALEA commissioners, the Communications Division officially received CALEA accreditation at the CALEA conference in Charleston South Carolina.


The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. was established as an independent accrediting authority in 1979 by the four major national law enforcement associations whose members represent approximately 80% of the law enforcement profession in this nation. They include: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); National Sheriff’s Association (NSA); and Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). It derives its accreditation authority from those agencies that voluntarily participate in the accreditation program. Its goal is to improve the delivery of law enforcement services to the public by offering a body of standards, developed by law enforcement practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date law enforcement topics.


The Association of Public-Safety Communications Agencies (APCO) partnered with CALEA to develop the Public Safety Communications Accreditation Program. The standards are based on the current thinking and experience of public safety communications experts. The purpose of the program is to promote and foster superior public safety communication services. In the state of Virginia, there are only eight CALEA Accredited Public Safety Communications Divisions.


Upon receiving this accreditation, the Newport News Police Department became the 8th agency nationally and internationally to hold all three accreditations offered by CALEA (the Department, the Training Academy, and the Communications Division) and, as such, was awarded the extremely prestigious CALEA Tri-Arc Award.


Maintaining these accreditations and receiving the Tri-Arc award is a testament to the hard work of the men and women of the Newport News Police Department.


www.nngov.com Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Day Walk


The APDA (American Parkinson Disease Association) Chapter of Hampton Roads will host a Walk, Talk and Rock 2013 from 10am-1pm on April 13th at Neptune Park, 31st Street and boardwalk. For information, go to www. hrparkinsons.com or call 757-495-3062. A host of resources will be avail- able at no charge. This marks the 8th year of a Parkinson Disease Walk event locally. ■


In order to qualify:


• Residents must be 65 years of age or totally and permanently disabled. • Residents must live in the property. • The combined income of owners and all relatives living in the home cannot exceed $67,000 per year.


• Net worth, excluding the home, cannot exceed $350,000.


Gross income limits, net worth and the Veterans policy remain unchanged for the upcoming tax year. However, on February 12, 2013, the City of Norfolk approved Ordinance 45,007, which includes the following changes:


• The Norfolk Department of Human Services will accept applications postmarked between March 1st and June 1st. • All applicants must file annually. • Available funding has been capped at $5 million. • Relief will be provided as an exemption or deferral up to the average assessment of $203,386. Homeowners with income less than $28,611 may defer taxes on amounts over $203,386. • All tax deferrals will be subject to proration should the total amount of relief requested exceed the total relief available.


Community information sessions will be held during April and May to assist residents with questions about the program and the application process. For more information about the sessions or to obtain an application, stop by any Department of Human Services location, send an email to seniortaxrelief@ norfolk.gov, call 757-823-1130 or 757-664-6035, or visit www.norfolk.gov/humanservices for a schedule, informational brochure and to download an application form.


www.norfolk.gov


Portsmouth Department of Social Services to Sponsor Child Abuse


April 2013


Apply for Senior Real Estate Tax Relief


through June 1 in Norfolk The Norfolk Department of Human Services is accepting applications for the city’s Real Estate Tax Relief/Deferral Program from Friday, March1 through June 1, 2013.


The program provides eligible senior and/or disabled homeowners in Norfolk a reduction in their real estate tax and/or an option to defer a certain percentage of tax owed based on the home’s average assessed value.


Awareness Walk The month of April is proclaimed as National Child Abuse Prevention Month and on Friday, April 5th, the Portsmouth Department of Social Services will sponsor a Child Abuse Awareness Walk. The walk will begin at 10 a.m. at the Department of Social Services, 1701 High Street.


Each year in Virginia, over 45,000 children are reported to local social services departments for suspected child abuse. Abuse and neglect of children occurs within families and in other settings where children are provided care or services.


Increasing the public awareness of the need to ensure the safety and welfare of children led to the first federal child abuse legislation, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), in 1974. Today, this child abuse prevention initiative continues to encourage opportunities to create strong communities, support families, and keep children safe.


Prevention is the best hope for reducing child abuse and neglect which will improve the lives of children and families. Strengthening families and preventing child abuse requires a shared commitment of individuals and organizations in every community.


www.portsmouthva.gov Governor McDonnell Announces $96.2


Million Investment in the City of Suffolk Unilever to expand and upgrade its Lipton Tea manufacturing operation


RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell has announced that Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, will invest $96.2 million to expand and upgrade its Lipton Tea manufacturing plant in the City of Suffolk. This investment enables facility upgrades and the purchase of new production machinery for the largest tea processing facility in the United States.


Virginia successfully competed against Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina for the project. Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McDonnell said, “An investment of this caliber secures the future viability of Unilever’s Lipton plant in Suffolk, which has been in operation since 1955 and produces nearly all of the Lipton tea bags sold throughout North America. As the largest tea production facility in the U.S., this operation is crucial to the prosperity of the company and employs nearly 300 in Hampton Roads. This expansion and machinery upgrade ensures the continued success of the Lipton plant for years to come, and is a major win for Virginia and Suffolk.”


“Lipton has thrived in Suffolk for nearly 60 years, enjoying a business climate, workforce and infrastructure second to none,” said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “The Suffolk plant’s proximity to the Port of Virginia influenced the location decision for this investment, as the company imports loose tea through the port from various countries. We are proud that nearly all of Lipton teas are produced from the Commonwealth, and this equipment upgrade will allow the company to increase production and stay competitive.”


The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Suffolk and the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance to secure the project for Virginia. Governor McDonnell approved a $1 million performance-based grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership program, an incentive available to existing Virginia companies.


“Lipton has been a part of Suffolk for 58 years, and I am absolutely thrilled and overflowing with pride that Unilever and Lipton will reinvest in Suffolk and remain a vital member of our community,” said Suffolk Mayor Linda T. Johnson. “Unilever is a global leader in the food, home and personal care products industry with facilities and resources all over the world. Their decision to stay and reinvest in this facility is a testament to our commitment to keep Virginia and Suffolk an inviting location for business investment and expansion.”


“Unilever is enormously proud of the heritage of Lipton, its employees in Suffolk and the wide range of quality teas we produce at this historic factory,” said Kees Kruythoff, President of Unilever North America. “We are grateful for the support of Governor McDonnell, Mayor Johnson, Secretary Cheng and the 300 employees who work tirelessly to produce the world’s largest tea brand for the North


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