News around Virginia
500 to lose jobs with Reynolds Wrap
RICHMOND -- The Richmond area is losing about 490 jobs and one of its most famous business brands: Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil.
Reynolds Consumer Products announced Wednesday that it plans to close its local aluminum-foil operations by mid-year 2009, a result of what the company called "market dynamics," namely an increase in foreign-produced, low-value store brands.
In a statement, the company said the first job cuts will come this year and will continue in phases until the second quarter of 2009. In all, about 490 employees will be affected.
Local employees had expected some job reductions because of the slowing economy and rising transportation costs, but not an outright closure of the plants, said Frank Tunstall III, president of the Steelworkers Local 400, which represents about 300 of the affected employees.
In a statement, the company said the local manufacturing will be moved to other U.S. locations to "improve the competitive position of the business," but it did not say where. Phone messages and e-mails to company spokesmen were not returned yesterday.
Roanoke hospital facing loss of Medicare money
ROANOKE -- Medicare has warned a Roanoke hospital it could lose funding unless it corrects problems identified during an investigation of a mental-health patient's suicide in its emergency room.
Medicare spokeswoman Lorraine Ryan said Wednesday that Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital has been placed on a special status for hospitals that fail to follow agency regulations. She says it will have to take steps to get back into compliance.
Medicare has told Carilion it failed to provide a safe setting for all patients.
Carilion says since the July suicide, it has cleared rooms used by mental-health patients of potentially harmful items. Workers now check on such patients frequently.
The changes occurred after a patient hanged herself in a room where she was being held while waiting for a bed in a mental hospital.
Nor'easter causes flooding, power outages
NORFOLK -- High winds and showers from a nor'easter are causing flooding and power outages in portions of Hampton Roads and have prompted restrictions on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. About 6,000 homes and businesses were without power Thursday, most from Norfolk to Virginia Beach.
High water closed streets and bridges in Hampton, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Norfolk. The MacArthur Center mall opened its garages to Norfolk residents to park through Friday.
Winds of up to 40 miles per hour prompted officials to bar pickup campers, camper trailers, house trailers and vehicles with exterior cargo from crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Vehicles towing anything also are banned from crossing.
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