The McLean-based contractor, which primarily serves federal civil, defense, and intelligence agencies, said the job cuts mostly came from middle and senior-level management.

“We believe these measures will better position Booz Allen for continued growth by making our cost structure more flexible and freeing up additional resources to invest in growth areas across government, commercial, and international markets,” Booz Allen’s Chairman, CEO and President Ralph Shrader said in a statement.

The company is expanding into commercial and international markets as the federal government looks to rein in expenses.

The company reported revenues of $1.4 billion during the third quarter, compared with $1.39 billion during the third quarter of 2010. Profit more than doubled to $62.9 million, compared with $23.6 million last year.

Booz Allen expects a restructuring charge of $10 million to $14 million pretax in the fourth quarter of this year for termination benefits paid to departing employees.
The company said it still expects year-over-year revenue growth of 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent the current year.

That number is more than double the $362 million in economic impact found in a previous study of the state wine industry in 2005.

The 2010 “Economic Impact Study of Wine and Wine Grapes on the Commonwealth of Virginia” was completed by Frank, Rimmerman + Co., an accounting and consulting firm that specializes in the wine industry. The study, commissioned by the Virginia Wine Board, was completed in January 2011.

The study found that the number of wineries in Virginia rose 49 percent, from 129 in 2005 to 193 in 2010.  The number of full-time equivalent jobs at wineries and vineyards increased 50 percent from 3,162 to 4,753, while wages at wineries and vineyards increased 86 percent, from $84 million to $156 million, during the same period. 

The study also highlights the effect tourism is having on the wine industry. The number of wine-related tourists visiting Virginia increased from 1 million in 2005 to 1.62 million in 2010, a rise of 62 percent.  Spending related to winery tourism also was up,  from $57 million in 2005 to $131 million in 2010, a 130 percent increase.

The amount of taxes paid to the state and to local governments by the wine industry grew from $21 million to $43 million, a 105 percent increase.

The average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 3.87 percent, down from 3.98 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly survey. A year ago, the average 30-year rate was 4.81 percent.

The 15-year, fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.14 percent this week, down from an average of 3.24 percent last week. A year ago, the average 15-year fixed rate was 4.08 percent.

“Most mortgage rates eased to all-time record lows this week as fourth quarter growth in the economy fell short of market projections,” Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist and Vice President Frank Nothaft, said in a statement. “The Gross Domestic Product rose 2.8 percent in the final three months of 2011, below the market consensus forecast of 3.0 percent, while consumer spending in December was flat. One bright spot, however, was that fixed residential investment increased for the third consecutive quarter and residential construction spending rebounded in December, rising 0.7 percent.“

The health system will add a third helicopter in a partnership with Dallas-based Med-Trans Corp.

The three aircraft provide medical transport for patients in Southwest and Central Virginia plus sections of West Virginia and North Carolina.

The new helicopter, to the called Life-Guard 12, will be based in the Rockbridge County area, serving localities on either side of the Virginia-West Virginia state line.

Upon receiving approval by the local agencies and government officials, Carilion plans to construct a permanent base for Life-Guard 12 at Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington.

Carilion’s other helicopters, Life-Guard 10 and Life-Guard 11, cover the Roanoke Valley and New River Valley regions, respectively.

BOEM’s environmental assessment found that there would be no significant environmental and socioeconomic impacts from issuing wind energy leases in designated Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) areas off the mid-Atlantic Coast.

In another step forward, BOEM published Calls for Information and Nominations for Maryland and Virginia to solicit lease nominations. 
The call is the first step in the leasing process. It describes areas that will be made available and solicits expression of interest from developers. Developers will have 45 days to respond to the call.
The bureau also announced the finalization of a lease form that will help streamline the issuance of renewable energy leases. “Offshore wind holds incredible potential for our country, and we’re moving full-steam ahead to accelerate the siting, leasing and construction of new projects,” Salazar said.

The news was welcomed in Virginia. “Cost-effective development of Virginia’s offshore wind resources is one important component of our overall effort to make Virginia ‘The Energy Capital of the East Coast,’ said Gov. Bob McDonnell. “America must continue to generate electricity from traditional sources such as coal, nuclear and natural gas, while moving forward in pursuit of innovative alternative sources like wind, solar and biomass. Our partnership with BOEM, and this step forward toward offshore wind development builds on the strong foundation laid by the Virginia Task Force and our private partners like the VOW Coalition, Huntington Ingalls, Gamesa and others.”
       
Reaction from environmental groups also was positive. Glen Besa, director of the Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter, issued a statement saying, “We applaud BOEM’s initiative to fast-track the process to get us to this point today where Virginia’s offshore wind areas are now open for business.  We have a tremendous product to offer with those wind turbines spinning off Virginia’s coast; it’s a product that supports the creation of over 10,000 Virginia jobs and powers over 700,000 Virginia homes.”

The wind area under consideration was identified through consultation with BOEM’s intergovernmental Virginia Renewable Energy Task Force. It contains 19 whole OCS blocks and 13 sub-blocks offshore Virginia. The western edge of the area is about 23.5 nautical miles from the Virginia Beach coastline. The entire area is approximately 112,799 acres. A map of what’s known as the Call Area can be found at http://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-Program/State-Activities/Virginia.aspx. . 

BOEM said it will use industry responses to its call for information to gauge specific interest in the commercial development of wind resources in the designated area. Depending on the response, the bureau may proceed with the competitive or noncompetitive leasing process.  According to the BOEM, both leasing processes would include opportunities for public input and thorough environmental review. 

The center will handle the entire commercial customer credit experience, including customer data, billing, accounts receivable and collections.
Roanoke-based Advance Auto is a Fortune 500 company that operates 3,645 auto parts stores across the U.S. The company serves both do-it-yourself customers and professional installers.

“Over the last few years, we have invested over $10 million in our Store Support Center in Roanoke in our effort to expand and improve our facilities,” Advance Auto President and CEO Darren Jackson said in a statement.  “This new team will be part of our over 1,600-team member base in Roanoke and is an integral part of our goal to grow Advance through service and reflects our longstanding commitment to the growth and development of the Roanoke Valley.”

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced plans for the park expansion at a town hall meeting in Richmond examining the importance of the area’s history in attracting tourists. Virginia is marketing itself as a destination during the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.

“Tourism is one of the top economic drivers in Virginia and in communities throughout the country,” Salazar said in a statement. “These acquisitions, funded by fees from offshore oil and gas development, will enable us to preserve two key battlefields of the Civil War and help draw more visitors and jobs to the area. This is a win-win situation for everyone.”

In January, the Obama administration launched the creation of a Travel & Competitiveness Task Force to create jobs by promoting domestic and international travel opportunities throughout the U.S.

“In 2010, tourism in Virginia generated $18.9 billion in revenue, provided $1.3 billion in state and local taxes and supported more than 204,000 jobs,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said in statement. “In these difficult economic times, these investments in our history will also pay dividends to our future by putting more people back to work.”

The land to be preserved with the new funds lies primarily on the Glendale and Malvern Hill battlefields, which played key roles in the summer 1862 campaign by Union Gen. George B. McClellan to take Richmond, the Confederate capital.

The federal funds will be used to acquire at least 385 acres, much of which lies on the Glendale battlefield.  Until now, Glendale has been inaccessible to visitors.  The Department of the Interior said that, with these preservation funds, the battlefield will be almost entirely preserved and the area will be made accessible to visitors for the first time.

Nearly 23 million people visit Virginia’s 22 National Park sites, with out-of-town visitors contributing $493 million to local economies and supporting 7,000 private sector jobs. 

At Richmond National Battlefield Park, for example, out-of-town visitors contributed more than $8 million to the local economy in 2010, supporting more than 130 jobs in the community.

MWH announced in November that it had terminated its contract with Anthem in a dispute over reimbursements.

“These agreements ensure that Anthem members in the Fredericksburg area will once again have in-network access to Mary Washington Healthcare facilities,” C. Burke King, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, said in a statement. “The renewal of our network agreements with Mary Washington Healthcare is a positive outcome for the hospital system, area physicians, Anthem and most importantly, the community.”

The new three-year agreements renew the participation of all MWH facilities in Anthem’s commercial and affiliated-HMO networks.

Anthem and MWH also renewed HealthKeepers, Inc.’s Anthem HealthKeepers Plus (Medicaid) HMO network contract that was set to expire Jan. 31.

In addition, MWH will participate in Anthem’s Medicare Advantage network.

The agreements are effective Feb. 1, 2012 through Dec. 31, 2014. No other details were disclosed

Mary Washington Healthcare facilities that are now back in Anthem’s provider networks include: Mary Washington Hospital; Stafford Hospital; the Fredericksburg Ambulatory Surgical Center; Snowden Inpatient Behavioral Health; and Snowden Partial-Day Rehabilitation Services.

The plant had been operating at a loss for the past several years, Tredegar said in a statement. The closure, expected to be completed by Sept. 30, will affect 146 employees.
Tredegar, a Richmond-based aluminum extrusion and plastics films manufacturer, will recognize shutdown charges of about $8 million, including a depreciation of fixed assets and severance-related charges.

“While the employees have made an exceptional effort to help weather the current construction recession, prospects for a significant recovery in Kentland’s core market, residential building and construction, now appear to be well into the future,” Duncan Crowdis, president of Bonnell Aluminum, said in a statement. “Eligible employees will be offered severance and outplacement services.”

“We’re excited about bringing these concepts to downtown Norfolk,” Doug Aronson, a principal partner with DASH Development and owner of Yo-Mix, said in a statement.  “We believe in downtown’s growth and feel strongly that both the business and residential community will enjoy what we have to offer.” Aronson and partner Sam Huang lead Dash Development in Norfolk, a company that focuses on restaurant properties. Aronson is a former senior vice president and broker with S.L. Nusbaum.

Construction will begin soon with scheduled openings of Yo-Mix in late Spring of this year and Tokyo Fresh Asian Bistro and Bar in the fall.  Rickey Jacobson, Matthew Nusbaum and Sharon Swanberg represented the landlord in the transactions. Opened in 2010, the Wells Fargo Center is a Class A, 23-story, mixed-use development.  It has a 255,000-square-foot office tower, 50,000 square feet of retail space on Monticello Avenue, 121 luxury apartments and 1,859 parking spaces within two garages. The building is about 82 percent leased. It already has two restaurants on the ground floor: a Buffalo Wild Wings and a small cafe.