Portfolio.com – the national business news site for small and mid-sized business (SMB) executives – today revealed its latest U.S. Uncovered study, ranking the "Most and Least Stressful Place in America." Looking at the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas, Our own VA Beach was ranked at the #2 least stressful place to live in the U.S.
Virginia Beach-Norfolk enjoys the strongest pace of income growth in any of the 50 biggest metros, as well as the smallest robbery rate
The Washington, D.C., area, including Northern Virginia, is the 15th most stressful place to live among the nation’s 50 largest metro areas, according to Portfolio.com
The Richmond region was in between, ranked No. 35.
The Portfolio.com ranking was based on a stress index using 10 measurable factors: deaths from circulatory diseases, unemployment rate, change in per-capita income, families living in poverty, robberies, ozone level, murders, average commuting time, mortgage affordability and sunshiny days.
The 10 least stressful areas were: Salt Lake City; Virginia Beach-Norfolk; Minneapolis-St, Paul; Raleigh, N.C.; Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City; Denver; San Antonio; Kansas City, Mo;
and Phoenix.
The top 10 most stressful metro areas on the list were: Detroit; Los Angeles; Cleveland; Riverside, Calif.; St. Louis; New York; New Orleans; Chicago; Birmingham, Ala; and Miami.
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Forbes has released its 2010 list of the best colleges in America –.
And the best college in America ? not Harvard or Princeton, but tiny liberal arts school Williams.
Forbes based their rankings on research by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity. According to a report on their methodology, the Center used 11 factors to determine the rankings, and the largest being graduate success rate. They also looked at average graduate salary, student satisfaction and graduation rate, number of alumni who become corporate officers, student retention rates, average student debt, student evaluations of classes, and college quality vs. cost
see their full list of 610 colleges here.
Three Virginia schools are among the top 50 colleges on the list: Washington & Lee University, No. 37; the University of Virginia, No. 44; and the College of William & Mary, No. 46.
Another three Virginia colleges were in the top 100: VMI, No. 60; the University of Richmond, No. 84; and Sweet Briar College, No. 87.
The other Virginia schools ranked as follows: Randolph-Macon College, 103; Virginia Tech, 156; James Madison University, 169; Hampden-Sydney College, 205; University of Mary Washington, 208; Hollins University, 267; Emory and Henry College, 278; George Mason University, 297; Roanoke College, 433; Longwood University, 462; Old Dominion University, 498; Virginia Commonwealth University, 531; Christopher Newport University, 533; Mary Baldwin College, 553; and Liberty University, 609.
What do you think? Join the discussion below.
Share on FacebookUnited States Joint Forces Command better known as “JFCOM” has been one of the hottest growth areas in Hampton Roads. Out of the blue the Pentagon has announced it will shut it down
The 11-year-old military command is based at Norfolk Naval Station, but its most visible public presence is in northern Suffolk, where its 640,000-square-foot complex has been the incubator for a thriving cluster of military contractors, retail businesses and homes.
State officials were “blindsided” by news of the planned closure, Terrie Suit, assistant to Gov. Bob McDonnell for commonwealth preparedness, said Tuesday.
Working with congressional partners, McDonnell will work to keep the command and protect those whose livelihoods are connected to its operation, Suit said.
The plan to close JFCOM appears to have been as much of a surprise inside the command as it was among Virginia politicians.
In a brief statement, the JFCOM public affairs office said employees “will receive the best professional career advice and placement assistance available.” That process began with a visit Tuesday by Clifford Stanley, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, to talk with JFCOM’s leadership.
Perhaps the biggest question mark is the fate of the 3,200 contract workers who account for more than half of the command’s work force.
A spokesman for Lockheed Martin Corp., which operates a 65,000-square-foot technology lab near JFCOM’s Suffolk campus, said it is “too soon to gauge the potential impact” of the planned closure.
Likewise, it’s unclear what lies ahead for Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center, which has been a major recipient of JFCOM funding.
The center, located about a half-mile from JFCOM’s Suffolk complex in its own $12 million facility, has two contracts with JFCOM that could bring in $52 million over six years. It isn’t known yet if those contracts will be completed.
The question, however, is whether Hampton Roads will remain an epicenter of that technology.
James Koch, an economist at ODU, said it is unclear whether the local enterprises linked to JFCOM can survive and prosper without the military command providing funding and resources.
Of particular concern, he said, is that if the industry gravitates away from Hampton Roads, it will take a highly educated work force along with it.
Including the ripple effects of its operations on other businesses and services, Koch said, JFCOM contributes 10,000 jobs and about $1 billion annually to the regional economy. That’s just over 1 percent of Hampton Roads’ gross regional product.
If JFCOM closes, one of the first noticeable effects will be on the region’s housing market, Koch said, particularly in northern Suffolk.
Learn more about USJFCOM and its mission here
Share on FacebookWhat is owner’s title insurance? by Brian D. Lytle, ESQ., Lytle Law, PC
Title insurance is insurance, just like any other insurance, except that here it insures against defects in ownership. A policy of title insurance is like a pre‐paid legal agreement: the title insurer will provide legal defense against challenges to the buyer’s insured title (dependent, of course, upon the type of policy coverage) and will reimburse the buyer financially for losses due to covered defects in the buyer’s ownership rights. An owner’s policy insures buyers that the title to the real estate is free from all defects, liens and encumbrances except those that are listed as exceptions in the policy or are excluded from the policy’s coverage. It also covers losses and damages suffered if the title is unmarketable. The policy also provides coverage for loss if there is no right of access to the land. These are the basic coverages and an enhanced residential owner’s policy can be purchased that cover additional items of loss.
If I get owner’s title insurance am I protected?
About as protected as you can possibly get, particularly with an enhanced title insurance policy. I highly recommend it. If you ever have a loan officer or lender tell you that an owner’s policy is not needed (so you can save some money) you ought to ask them why then they require you to pay for a (lender’s) policy to protect them. If you ever have a real estate agent tell you an owner’s policy is not needed you ought to get that in writing so you can later sue them (does not need to be in writing, it’s just that the evidence of the bad advice is better).
Doesn’t the lender’s title insurance policy protect me?
No. It is called a lender’s policy because the lender is the insured, not the buyer, which means the buyer has no rights whatsoever under that policy. Many people think that if a lender’s policy pays the note will be paid and so the loss will not be that great and so they are somewhat protected. This is misguided and wrong for several reasons. First, an owner is not compensated for the equity in the property. Second, even if the lender’s policy “pays off” what in effect happens is that the title insurance company will buy the note from the lender. So even then the buyer is not helped because the title insurance company steps into the shoes of the lender – who has an unpaid note from the buyer – and they can insist a buyer pay regardless whether the collateral for the loan has been lost or not. Besides, a lender’s policy only insures the deed of trust securing the note, not the fee simple title a buyer would be concerned about, and so there are many different coverage provisions.
Think of title insurance like car insurance. And assume on our metaphorical car that you have borrowed money in order to buy it. If your car is stolen and if you do not have insurance to cover that loss then you still owe the loan to the bank regardless whether you have the car or not. Just like with the car, a real estate buyer executed a note to his bank: trust me that nowhere does that note say "but if you lose the house the loan is forgiven." So, if the proverbial defrauded-prodigal-wife-in-the-chain-of-title shows up on the new buyer’s doorstep and rightly says, "get out of my house" then the buyer still must pay the loan to the lender.
Suppose in our example the buyer then called the title insurance company and said I have lost my house, please pay the loan. The title insurance company would rightly say that the buyer is not its insured, the lender has made no claim on the policy, and it is not its problem. It would only be when the purchaser failed to make payments, thus driving the property into foreclosure, that the lender’s security interest would be impaired (it would be unable to foreclose without clear title). But it would be the one making the claim, not the buyer, and it alone would receive payment. Note that since there is no collateral upon which to foreclose, there are no sale proceeds available to satisfy the loan.
At that point the title insurance company would indeed pay the loan off pursuant to the policy. In doing so they are "subrogated" to the lender’s rights. Think of "subrogation" as the title insurance company legally stepping into the bank’s shoes. And standing in the bank’s shoes the title insurance company can turn to the buyer and say: you agreed to pay this loan, now pay. If the buyer does not pay then the title insurance company can sue the purchaser on the note. In other words, the title insurance company has purchased the note from the buyer and is entitled to those payments.
Therefore, the only mechanism by which a buyer is protected by title insurance is through a policy issued in the buyer’s name, for the buyer’s benefit.
I’m so confused, what do I do?
Call me at 757.595.5655 or email me at bdlytle@lytlelaw.com where I may or may not provide with an FAQB ‐‐ Frequently Asked Question Bill
Main Office
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Lytle Title & Escrow, LLC
11801 Canon Blvd.
Suite 101
Newport News, VA 23601
Williamsburg Office
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Williamsburg, VA 23188
Virginia Beach again ranks high in an annual report that rates the water quality at 200 of America’s most popular beaches.
Four Virginia Beach testing sites received a rating of four stars out of five from the Natural Resources Defense Council, which released its 2009 report Wednesday.
Only beaches in Alabama, California, Minnesota and New Hampshire were ranked higher.
Each of the 200 beaches was judged on 2009 water quality, water quality over the past three years, water quality testing frequency, promptness of issuing advisories and methods of notifying the public.
Regular water-quality testing is federally mandated. States are required to monitor beachwater for the presence of bacteria found in human and animal waste.
Of the samples taken in 2009, according to the report, 0 percent taken off the coast of Virginia Beach violated standards.
But the report did not have such great news for beaches on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The lowest was the one-star rating given to a South Nags Head beach near the 7500 block of Virginia Dare Trail.
Other one-star ratings were given to beaches in Florida, Maine, Mississippi, New York, Rhode Island and South Carolina.
At the risk of raining on your beach party, and in the hopes of eventually improving it, the Natural Resources Defense Council issued its latest report on water quality at U.S. beaches. The good news: a 10 percent decrease in closing or advisory days last year compared to 2007. The bad: pollution remains serious, leading to 20,341 days on which ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches were closed or were the subject of health advisories. How’s your beach? See the list below!
How 200 Beaches Stack Up
Before going any further, check out how many stars your nearest beach received from the NRDC at its map of 200 popular U.S. beaches, with ratings for cleanliness and how well they are monitored, or at its list of 200 beaches and their ratings.
Environmental Protection Agency’s Beach Watch is also full of useful information, including a database of testing and beach closures and advisories. The agency’s Beachgoer’s Guide also offers tips about how you can help to improve water quality at the beach.
Although the EPA’s standards determine when a beach should be closed due to pollution, measurements are not often read until the next day, meaning that beachgoers are swimming unawares. What’s more, measurements cannot always determine the source of the pollution.
The Best and Worst Beaches in the US
Delaware, New Hampshire and Virginia tend to boast pristine, nearly pollution-free shores. .
Ocean City, Maryland, is one of the country’s perennially clean beaches, due to its clean water and strict water quality monitoring. In nearby Delaware, Dewey and Bethany beaches were also relatively clean.
On the West Coast, California’s Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are two five-star beaches; Doheny Beach and Avalon Beach, which both failed more than 25 percent of their water quality tests in 2008, are not.
The Great Lakes region is not an ideal beach destination. From 2005 to 2008, the Great Lakes consistently tested the dirtiest, and in 2008, 13 percent of beach water samples violated public health standards.
Share on FacebookThe Associated Press
© June 4, 2010
By Michael Felberbaum
An insurance company doesn’t have to pay for damage at a Virginia Beach home ruined by Chinese-made, sulfur-emitting drywall, a federal judge ruled Thursday. The decision could affect how lawsuits by thousands of U.S. home-owners are settled.
Judge Robert G. Doumar in U.S. District Court in Norfolk said in the ruling that no coverage was owed under a homeowner’s policy issued by TravCo Insurance Co. to Larry Ward of Virginia Beach, VA.
The judge said the policy does not cover removing or replacing the drywall, or any damage stemming from the material. That’s because the policy excluded damage caused by latent defect, faulty materials, corrosion and pollution.
The ruling does not preclude further claims that could be covered under the policy.
According to court documents, Ward made claims under his homeowner’s policy after the drywall began to release sulfuric gases into the home and damaged his air conditioning, garage door and flat-screen televisions.
Attorneys representing both parties did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Ward also filed a lawsuit against several development and supply companies.
"This is one case out of many, many Chinese-drywall cases," said Randy Maniloff, a Philadelphia-based lawyer who has closely followed Chinese-drywall insurance litigation.
"This is the first one that’s going to get everybody’s attention. This will become sort of the benchmark – rightly or wrongly."
Thousands of homeowners – mostly in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia – have reported problems with the drywall, which was imported in large quantities during the housing boom and after a string of Gulf Coast hurricanes.
The drywall has been linked to corrosion of wiring and some household items, along with possible health effects.
Read more about Chinese Drywall issues in Hampton Roads and Williamsburg VA here
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This article was posted by local resident and REALTOR, John Womeldorf. John is known around town as Mr. Williamsburg, for both his extensive knowledge of Hampton Roads and the historic triangle, and his expertise in the local real estate market. His websites, www.WilliamsburgsRealEstate.com and www.MrWilliamsburg.com, were created as a comprehensive resource about living in Williamsburg and Hampton Roads, with the hopes of selling a house now and again. You can reach him at 757.254.8136 or John@MrWilliamsburg.com. |
Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling announced that approximately $6.5 million is available for a second round of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program to make homes and businesses more energy efficient. Energy efficiency improvements include upgrading heating and air conditioning equipment, adding insulation, replacing leaky windows, and other improvements that reduce energy consumption and utility costs. Homeowners are eligible for rebates for 20 percent of the costs of qualifying energy conserving products and services, up to $2,000. Commercial consumers are eligible for 20 percent of their costs, up to $4,000. Qualified home and business owners also can reserve an additional $250 for a certified energy audit.
Three appliances have been added to the program for the second round; refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers. The online application, rules, forms and additional information are available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.
Applicants can apply to reserve funding for a rebate. Once approved, they then have up to six months to complete the work and redeem the reservation for a rebate check. Applications for rebate reservations will be processed in the order they are received. Once reservations deplete available funds, applications will be placed on a wait list in the order received. Wait-listed applicants may be approved for rebate reservations if additional funds become available. (The first round of funding for efficiency rebates totaling about $10 million was sold out in less than three weeks when the program opened in late October.)
The Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program is administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. More information is available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.
A separate Solar and Wind Incentive Program also has opened a $3.5 million second round of funding to help defray the costs of solar electric, solar thermal and small wind energy systems for residents, businesses, and non-profits. Information is available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.
Share on FacebookThe 55+ Active Adult community of Colonial Heritage in James City County VA is proposing an affordable townhome subdivision backing up to Jolly Pond Road. When the housing market was flush, Colonial Heritage had more than 200 acres rezoned from agricultural land to low density residential, with a plan for 50 mega-homes on 3-acre lots. Last year the developer, Lennar, amended the plan by requesting a cluster exception for at least 50 workforce townhouses on 60 acres. Eighty-five acres would be set aside in a conservation easement and 70 more would roll into the existing Colonial Heritage. The total cap is still 2,000 homes. The site is currently outside of the primary service area of water and sewer. To accommodate the dense project, Colonial Heritage tried to have the PSA expanded during the Comp Plan update, but failed. Lennar is trying again. Last month Kaufman & Canoles attorney Gregory Davis submitted a special use permit application to extend municipal water and sewer to the site. The workforce housing plan is touted as more attractive to the county and conveniently placed near the new Blayton Elementary and Hornsby Middle schools. The cluster plan would allow for open vistas and green space.
Share on FacebookA William & Mary law professor used legal “mumbo jumbo” to undermine the authority of the Kingsmill Community Services Association, accused the group’s lawyer in a letter delivered by police . The professor fires back, saying the tactic is a “bush-league attempt at intimidation.”
The battle of legal letters has erupted as residents of James City County’s tony Kingsmill development question control of their community association by the foreign-owned InBev corporation.
The law professor, Don Tortorice, challenged the legality of the community association in the midst of homeowners’ concern over outside control of the group. In response, according to the Virginia Gazette , KCSA sent armed police officers to serve a letter from lawyer Elizabeth White, asking Tortorice to retract his “slanderous” statements.
The newspaper offers a link to the letter from White and Tortorice’s response.
He writes:
“If the purpose of your attempt at intimidation was to cower me with the threat of litigation, please understand that I am now, or at any time, eager to lay the integrity of my principles against yours and to test the correctness of my reading and interpretation of the law against yours in any judicial court or the court of public opinion.
Read more about Kingsmill in Williamsburg VA here
| This post was authored by local resident and REALTOR, John Womeldorf. John is known around town as Mr. Williamsburg, for both his extensive knowledge of Hampton Roads and the historic triangle, and his expertise in the local real estate market. His websites, www.WilliamsburgsRealEstate.com and www.MrWilliamsburg.com, were created as a comprehensive resource about living in Williamsburg and Hampton Roads, with the hopes of selling a house now and again. You can reach him at 757.254.8136 or John@MrWilliamsburg.com. |
