This week in the news

Conference at VCU to
focus on alcohol misuse
among older adults

A conference to examine the risks
of alcohol misuse and the potential for
alcohol and medication interactions
in older adults will be presented in
VCU’s University Student Commons
Tuesday.

“The Hidden Epidemic: Alcohol,
Medication and the Older Adult” will
be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is
being sponsored by VCU’s Virginia
Center on Aging, the Virginia Department
of Alcoholic Beverage Control
and the Alcohol and Aging Awareness
Group.

Michael Weaver, M.D., associate
professor in internal medicine at VCU,
will discuss the prevalence of alcohol
abuse in older adults. Patricia W.
Slattum, Pharm.D., Ph.D., an associate
professor in VCU’s pharmacy department,
will discuss using alcohol and
medications safely.

The founder of VCU’s alcohol-and drug-
education/rehabilitation program
in the department of rehabilitation
counseling, Marcia J. Lawton, Ph.D.,
will discuss her book “Beacon of Hope.”
Debra Jay, author of “Aging and Addiction:
Helping Older Adults Overcome
Alcohol and Medical Dependence,” will
serve as keynote speaker.

More than 200 health and social
workers, family caregivers and older
adults have registered for the conference
to learn about the signs and
symptoms of alcohol misuse, about
how to address the issue with clients
and families and about where to find
help.

Information provided by VCU Communications
and Public Relations

Law aims to make textbooks
more affordable

A law passed recently by the Virginia
General Assembly seeks to
make textbooks and other learning
materials more affordable for students
in Virginia’s public schools.

House Bill 137, sponsored by Delegate
Christopher K. Peace, R-Mechanicsville,
permits local school boards to
enter into contracts with publishers for
the purchasing of textbooks.

Identical to Senate Bill 356, sponsored
by Sen. John C. Watkins, RMidlothian,
the bill broadens the term
“textbook” to include not only print
material but also electronic media.

A key component of the legislation
calls for local school boards to provide
the materials at reduced prices or free
of charge to students who are unable
to afford them.

The measure was approved unanimously
by both the House and Senate
and was signed in March by Gov.
Timothy M. Kaine. The law takes
effect July 1.

“This bill is a step in (the right)
direction, allowing for the first time an
all-electronic version of the book to be
purchased with textbook funds,” said
Mark Burnet, director of the Virginia
Open Education Foundation.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization
that funds educational content
for Virginia’s K-12 schools.

Brief by Michelle Antogiovanni,
Capital News Service

Toll-road compact
ends for Va., N.C.

The toll-road agreement between
Virginia and North Carolina has
reached a dead end.

House Bill 84, sponsored by Delegate
R. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave,
repealed the Virginia-North Carolina
Interstate Toll Road Compact established
during the 2006 session of the
General Assembly.

The original legislation in 2006 allowed
both Virginia and North Carolina
to set, impose and collect tolls for traffic
along Interstate 95.

The toll was not to exceed $5 for
a two-axle vehicle. Proceeds from the
tolls would have been split between
Virginia and North Carolina after collection
and other costs were paid.

North Carolina’s General Assembly
failed to pass legislation like Virginia’s
2006 law, and no compact between the
two states has been ratified.

Virginia’s charter had hoped the
tolls would be used for establishing
welcome centers, rest areas and facilities
where travelers could obtain food,
fuel, souvenirs, and vehicle repairs and
service along the stretch of highway
connecting the two states.

The charter also called for the
establishment of a compact commission
with five legislators from Virginia and
five from North Carolina.

The bill to repeal the toll-road
compact will take effect July 1, 2009.

Brief by Michelle Antogiovanni,
Capital News Service

Small plane crashes into
Chesterfield house, killing
two passengers

Virginia police say two people
aboard a small plane were killed when
the aircraft crashed into a Chesterfield
County house.

Sgt. Tom Cunningham said one
person in the home was taken to VCU
Medical Center with burn injuries.

Names of the victims were not
immediately available.

The accident happened about 10:20
a.m. Sunday, about eight miles from the
Chesterfield County Airport. The house
was engulfed in flames, and debris was
strewn through the neighborhood,
but no other homes appeared to be
damaged.

A Chesterfield County Airport
manager said the plane took off from
his airport moments before crashing.
The Federal Aviation Administration
is investigating.

Brief by the Associated Press