Daniel Petty

By DANIEL PETTY
Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Sen. Jim Webb said Monday he would introduce legislation aimed at easing school officials’ concerns over when it is appropriate to disclose student records.

Webb’s announcement comes almost a year after a disturbed gunman killed 32 students and himself at Virginia Tech. It addresses one of the key issues raised by a panel formed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to investigate the April 16, 2007, shootings.

The legislation, which Webb said he will file Tuesday, proposes amending the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act by adding a “safe harbor” provision that would allow school officials to release information if it’s deemed necessary to protect the student or general public.

It further clarifies that the 1974 privacy law doesn’t prohibit sharing records with off-campus medical providers who also are providing treatment to a student. The bill says only “a good faith belief” is required to disclose records if it will protect the student or others.

“Too many college administrators are unsure how to balance the right to privacy against public safety, and federal law and regulations are unclear,” Webb said Monday on the floor of the U.S. Senate. “It is important for school officials to use their best professional judgment in deciding when to disclose or not disclose information _ without fear of violating federal educational privacy laws.”

School administrators have said that fear of violating federal privacy laws like FERPA have made it difficult to respond effectively to troubled students.

The gunman at Virginia Tech, senior Seung-Hui Cho, was known to a group of Virginia Tech administrators that deals with student problems and to officials at Westfield High School in Chantilly. The two groups never exchanged information.

Virginia Tech faculty and students found Cho’s creative writings disturbing, and two women complained to campus police about his annoying behavior. Cho was committed to a mental health center overnight in December 2005 after a report that he was suicidal.

FERPA and other privacy laws also hampered the state panel’s investigation until Cho’s family gave Virginia Tech permission to turn over his school records. Kaine signed an executive order clearing the way for the panel to receive other protected records.

“If you want to look at one single item or contribution to the tragedy at Virginia Tech, it was probably our privacy laws,” said W. Gerald Massengil, a former Virginia State Police superintendent who headed the review panel. “No one person or no one entity had all the information to connect all of the dots.”

The panel said in its August report that federal privacy laws were poorly understood and recommended that Congress create an exception in FERPA for on-campus counseling clinics to share information in the case of potentially dangerous patients such as Cho.

Read the full story in the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star

By DANIEL PETTY
Associated Press Writer

Editor’s Note: This story was published on AP’s national sports wire.

RICHMOND, Va. — Two-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman successfully defended his 10-kilometer road racing national championship Saturday, defeating a field that included several top contenders for the U.S. Olympic long-distance squad this summer.

Abdirahman won the race in 28 minutes, 32 seconds, beating Dan Browne by 4 seconds. Fasil Bizuneh was third in 29:03. It was Abdirahman’s first race since dropping out of last November’s U.S. Olympic marathon trials in New York with a hip flexor injury.

“It was tough, I went out too slow,” Abdirahman said of Saturday’s race. “But for me, I’m happy for the win. That’s what I came here to do. I haven’t gotten into my heavy training yet.”

In the women’s race, which did not determine a national champion, Leah Kiprono won in 34:19. Cheryl Anderson was second in 34:22 and Maria Elena Calle placed third.

Abdirahman won last year’s championship in Atlanta at the Peachtree Road Race and captured first in the track 10K during last year’s U.S. outdoor track and field championships.

Browne has yet to secure the Olympic qualifying standard for the 10K, which must be run on a track, but said he plans to get it in the next two months. In 2004, he made the U.S. Olympic team in the marathon and 10K, and is considered a top contender in the 10K this year.

“I didn’t feel that great even from the start,” Browne said. “I was a little bit nervous. Warm, humid weather is not really my cup of tea. You just do what you can. The big deal is in three months.”

Many of the leaders were using the race to gauge their fitness levels leading up to the July 4 Olympic trials.

Alan Culpepper, winner of the 2004 U.S. Olympic marathon trials and among the pre-race favorites, stayed in contention for the first mile, but fell back considerably in the second mile and finished 10th in 29:44. Stomach cramps and the humidity factored into his poor performance, he said.

“This was not part of the plan, to feel this bad,” said Culpepper, who’s training for the Olympic trials 5K. “I couldn’t breath because I was so cramped up. I salvaged what I could.”

Read the story at USAToday.com

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — State regulators have approved Dominion Virginia Power’s plans to build a coal-fired power plant in southwest Virginia, but the company still must secure permits from a state environmental board before breaking ground.

The State Corporation Commission gave its approval Monday for construction of the $1.8 billion power plant proposed for Wise County.

But the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board has to issue a general air pollution control permit and another one addressing mercury emissions before construction can begin, said Bill Hayden, a spokesman for Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality. The board will likely address the issue at its May 22 meeting, but it’s unclear whether members will take final action, board chairman Richard Langford said.

It’s the last hurdle Dominion faces to gain final approval for construction.

In a 3-2 vote on March 18, board members decided to take over the permit case because they were concerned that the DEQ’s proposed limits for pollutants were not stringent enough. They are exploring whether Dominion can reduce air pollution by using different technology or burning another type of coal amid concerns over sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and other emissions.

“The way the plan has been proposed, DEQ believes it’ll meet state regulations,” Hayden said.

However, environmental groups continue to insist that the proposed technology for the plant will not reduce carbon emissions.

Dominion has said that delays in approval could lead to higher costs.

The SCC approved a rate increase to finance the construction of the new plant, but put cost control measures in place. Dominion must prove all additional costs are “reasonable and prudent” before charging customers.

The General Assembly passed legislation in 2004 saying that the construction of a coal-fueled power plant that uses Virginia coal in the Wise County region was in the public interest, a mandate that SCC officials said they were following.

“Is there a need for this to meet future electric demand? Yes, there is,” said SCC spokesman Ken Schrad. “Is it going to enhance economic development? Clearly.”

Schrad said that concerns voiced by environmental groups were part of the DEQ’s domain, and that the commission’s responsibility was utility law.

“Virginia urgently needs additional electric generating capacity to meet the rising demand for energy and to help maintain price stability over the long term,” Dominion said in a written statement. “Today’s announcement is an important step in moving this project forward.”

The proposed 585-megawatt plant has generated heated debate. Environmentalists say it would pollute the air and endanger the health of Wise County residents. But supporters say the plant could serve as an economic boon for area, creating jobs and hauling in more than $6 million in annual revenue for the county.

“We all acknowledge that the commonwealth is going to have greater energy needs, and this is going to meet those needs and allow the commonwealth to grow and prosper,” said Wise County Administrator Glen “Skip” Skinner.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, an opponent of the plant, accused Gov. Timothy M. Kaine of not doing enough to address the environmental concerns. Environmental groups say they’ve collected 30,000 petition signatures protesting the plant, and more than 60 faith leaders from across Virginia also have come out against it.

More than 800 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase, and an additional 250 coal mining jobs are expected once the plant goes online in 2012, if approval is granted. The plant also could create 75 jobs once operational.

Dominion Virginia Power is a unit of Dominion Resources Inc.

Read the story at The Boston Globe

By DANIEL PETTY
Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man fired from his job as a high school art teacher after a video of his work as a so-called “butt-printing artist” surfaced on the Internet has reached a $65,000 settlement with his former employer.

The agreement comes more than a year after Stephen Murmer was fired by the Chesterfield County School Board from his job at Monacan High School for his private artwork, much of which includes smearing his posterior and genitals with paint and pressing them against canvas. The unanimous decision came in January 2007 after a YouTube video surfaced that showed him demonstrating his unusual painting technique.

In the video, Murmer is shown wearing a black swim thong, a Groucho Marx fake-nose mask and a towel on his head.

Murmer, who now lives in Alabama, said in a statement that he hoped his case would make schools think twice before firing a teacher for expressing himself outside the classroom.

Telephone and e-mail messages left for Murmer by The Associated Press seeking additional comment were not immediately returned.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Richmond last October, alleging that Murmer’s First Amendment rights had been violated.

“The fact that some administrators were offended by Stephen Murmer’s speech did not give them the right to fire him,” Rebecca K. Glenberg, Virginia’s ACLU legal director, said in a written statement.

School board members defended the decision Friday, saying the move was justified based on its core values and the disruptions Murmer’s private life created in the classroom.

“The decision to settle … is in the best interest of Chesterfield County Public Schools, given the costs of continuing with the litigation,” board chairwoman Dianne E. Pettitt said in a written school statement.

School officials argued when firing Murmer that students had a right to receive their education in a positive learning environment free from distractions and disruptions. Previous court rulings hold that teachers are expected to lead by example, be role models and honor core values, a school spokeswoman said.

The board reasoned that Murmer had stepped beyond those rules with his abstract artwork.

But his attorneys said Murmer scrupulously kept his artwork private from his students and adopted the pseudonym “Stan Murmer” to shield them from finding his work on the Internet.

“The government has limited power to interfere with our private affairs, especially when those affairs are perfectly legal and protected by the Constitution,” Kent Willis, executive director of the Virginia ACLU, said in a statement. He said Murmer had been fired for conduct unrelated to his ability to be an effective teacher.

Murmer sells his paintings for as much as $4,800 on his Web site.

___
On the Net:

• Butt Print Art: http://buttprintart.com

By DANIEL PETTY
Associated Press Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared on The Associated Press’s national wire, with reporting contributed by AP’s Raleigh, N.C., bureau.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Firefighters are continuing to battle wildfires throughout Virginia with the assistance of 125 National Guard soldiers, but most of the blazes have been contained, a state official said Monday.

“Weather conditions are much better than what we faced yesterday,” said Bob Spieldenner, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. “Most fires are pretty well in hand.”

The state’s three largest blazes are still burning in Bedford, Roanoke and Dinwiddie counties, and a fire in Louisa County has been brought under control, said John Campbell, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Forestry.

He said weather conditions would heavily factor into when the blazes would be contained, and declined to speculate on when firefighters would bring them under control.

Since Sunday, firefighters have fought more than 200 blazes _ more than double the number they’ve ever had to battle.

Forty National Guard soldiers are set to deploy to Bedford County Tuesday, and 60 more are expected to arrive in Roanoke the same day.

A state of emergency declared earlier by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine remains in effect. Spieldenner said he was not hopeful Virginia would receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Winds and wildfires forced Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to cancel appearances in Roanoke. Roanoke County officials announced changes for several polling locations ahead of Tuesday’s presidential primary elections, also set to take place in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Two injuries were reported in Prince William and Stafford counties, Spieldenner said. Statewide, two firefighters were injured and six homes also were destroyed.

About 50,000 customers still lacked electricity as of 7 p.m. Monday, down from 100,000 earlier in the day, according to power officials.

Dominion Virginia Power expects to restore electricity to nearly all customers by Tuesday, utility spokesman David Botkins said.

In western Virginia, most Appalachian Power customers could be without electricity until Thursday, spokesman Todd Burns said.

“This is some of the worst damage we’ve seen to facilities since the 1994 ice storm,” he said. Crews from across the southeast have been working to restore power to customers. There were more than 80,000 Apco customers without power Sunday night, he said.

National Guard air-support crews were summoned to drop buckets of water from a helicopter on a wildfire in Essex County, which has now been contained. Soldiers were being stationed throughout the state to help more than 740 firefighters already deployed.

The Virginia Department of Forestry was training soldiers in basic firefighting, which would allow them to be deployed statewide.

Heavy winds — at times gusting to 75 mph — fueled fires on Sunday that burned nearly 6,000 acres so far. Snapping power lines were blamed in at least 18 fires, and severe drought conditions and low humidity throughout southwestern Virginia also strengthened the fires, forestry officials said. Firefighters’ resources were heavily strained Sunday night, with at least 13 counties requesting additional help, Campbell said.

The number of charred acres was more than half of all those that burned in Virginia last year.

Allstate Insurance Company reported that it was processing hundreds of claims, mostly in Virginia, and company officials said in a statement that they expected that number to rise.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — At the University of Richmond, more than 200 curious students crammed into the student commons this weekend to hear actor Kal Penn and Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s son Nat speak passionately about Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential bid.

At the University of Maryland, members of the Young Democrats marched from dorm room to dorm room encouraging students to vote Tuesday.

In Washington, D.C., students at American University have been riding buses from New Hampshire to Florida to offer help to campaigns.

At college campuses across the Mid-Atlantic region, the rare opportunity to have an impact on the presidential race — particularly on the Democratic side — has amplified the level of excitement already present among many students ahead of Tuesday’s primaries.

“People are energized,” said Jonathan Sachs, president for the Young Democrats at the University of Maryland, where Republican candidate Mike Huckabee had an event Saturday, and where Obama will speak Monday. “There’s a buzz when our rival Duke is playing Maryland. But this is much bigger than that.”

In Virginia, 22,518 people under the age of 25 registered to vote during the first two weeks of January before the primary registration deadline. That was slightly more than 60 percent of total new registrants.

The Maryland State Board of Elections processed 28,048 new registered voters in January before the deadline, 16,419 of them between 17 and 24, and nearly 60 percent of the total. Washington, D.C., registered 778 new voters for the same age group, representing about 35 percent of January registrants.

“Young voters have shown unusual interest in the ’08 election so far, and the same phenomenon appears to be true for the Potomac primary,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. “In my four decades of association with college campuses, I have rarely seen this level of engagement in politics at the university level.”

Young mid-Atlantic voters, like their counterparts across the U.S., have largely rallied around Obama, Sabato said.

“He’s offered a vision of politics different from something we’ve seen in our lifetimes,” said Adam Keith, 22, the leader of the 200-member “Students for Obama” group at U.Va. “It has been amazing to see people rally around this campaign.”

Keith traveled to Iowa to help Obama’s campaign. Other students have posted campaign signs around campus and tirelessly worked phone banks encouraging people to vote for their candidate.

“There is no question that we’re the ones getting on the ground,” said junior Will Haun, 21, president of American University’s College Republicans. “We have more at stake in this than any other age group. We have an opportunity to shape the world we’ll be making decisions for.”

Campaigns have reached out to young voters through Facebook, YouTube and MySpace on the Internet. Student groups supporting candidates have organized rallies through Facebook and old-fashioned flyers. They’re communicating through massive e-mail lists and posting campaign signs on dorm room doors and windows.

At U.Va., where Sen. Hillary Clinton is expected to appear Monday, student political groups have done presentations to explain the nominating process to fellow students, said junior Sarah Buckley, 21, president of the university’s Young Democrats.

“Having this historical moment — a black man and a woman — has really excited a lot of people,” she said. “We all thought this wouldn’t matter by now. But we’re in it for the long haul.”