Trick-or-Treat Times in Hampton Roads

All cities in Hampton Roads follow the same basic guidelines on trick-or-treating, except on starting times.  Some specify a star time of 6pm, while others allow trick-or-treating to begin at dusk.  Across the region, Halloween trick-or-treating is open to children aged 12 and under.  Below are the times by city.

• Chesapeake: 6pm to 8 p.m. 
• Hampton:  dusk to 8 p.m.
• Newport News:  until 8 p.m.
• James City County: 6pm to 8 p.m.
• Norfolk: until 8 p.m. 
• Portsmouth: dusk to 8 p.m. 
• Suffolk:  until 8 p.m.
• Virginia Beach:  dusk to 8 p.m. 

For those wondering when dusk is...with the sun setting a little bit after 6pm today, dusk will hit at about 6:30pm.

Cancer Patient has Medical Records Stolen

A Chesapeake woman who is beginning treatments for cancer is pleading for the person who stole her medical records to return them as soon as possible.  Jessica Diehl says the records were in a laptop computer bag that was taken from her car at Portsmouth City Park Sunday afternoon sometime between 3pm and 6pm.

Diehl, a military veteran, says her papers are vital to her cancer treatment and are irreplaceable.  Not having them could affect her benefits from the Veterans Administration, she says.

Diehl has filed a report with the Portsmouth Police Department but says she would willing to forgo charges if the person who has the records returns them.

If you have any information, contact Portsmouth Police at 757-393-8536.

WTKR-TV is also covering this story

Look...Up in the Sky

There are some great advantages to working morning radio.  Having my workday done before noon gives me the rest of the afternoon for reading, shopping, exercising, cleaning, helping the kids with homework or playing video games. 

There are also plenty of disadvantages.  There's the 3:40am alarm buzz, for starters.  Also, I can't watch the NFL or NBA in primetime because sports get me too keyed up to sleep.  I can't stay out late because, frankly, I'm falling asleep by 9pm.  And I can't stay up and skywatch.  It's this last point that leaves me disappointed today.

Tuesday morning found the news wire and social networks lit up with reports of the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, being seen in half of the United States, as far south as Georgia.  A reddish sky was reported as nearby as Richmond.

Scientists say a coronal mass ejection, or a huge release of energy from the Sun, hit the Earth's magnetic field Monday at around 2pm EDT, creating a specular aurora.  I, of course, didn't see it, having checked out at my customary 8:30pm. 

Scientists say the storm that created the lights is subsiding but add that its effects could linger for another day.
Tonight, I think I'll peek out the backdoor after 7pm and take a look for myself, just in case.

Links:
www.Spaceweather.com -- includes news and photos from Monday's aurora
Animation showing how the aurora grew over the North Pole during the magnetic storm.

Time for the Flu Shot

Today I rolled up my sleeve for my annual flu shot.  It's a precaution I didn't used to take.

With a wife and two kids in school, I always assumed there was nothing I hadn't been exposed to.  But now that I am (sigh) middle-aged, and presumably more at risk of flu-related illness, I forced myself to go and get immunized at my local Rite Aid today.  It was during my ten minute wait before the shot that a thought occurred to me:  how many strains of flu are there?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are three types:  A, B, and C.  Type A is the most common, most varied, and most virulent of all of the flu viruses.  There are at least 27 different sub types and strains of the Type A virus, each designated by the type of HA and NA proteins present on the virus's surface.  The H1N1 virus, better known as the Swine Flu virus, made headlines in 2009.

There are also Type B and Type C flu viruses.  Both are less common and somewhat less dangerous than the viruses in the Type A family.

Helping protect us against the flu is the influenza vaccine.  Each dose contains three influenza viruses:  two Type A and one Type B, based on the World Health Organization's flu forecast.  According to Wikipedia, the 2011-2012 flu shot is composed of vaccines against...

• an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus;
• an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus;
• a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus

It's the same formula as last year.

Each immunization should provide a lifetime of immunity against the strains of flu in each shot, assuming the viruses don't mutate.  And influenza is one of the those pesky viruses, like the cold virus, which is always remaking itself, forcing our immune systems to adapt and forcing us to get a new flu shot every year.

The CDC recommends flu shots for the very young, senior citizens, and those with compromised immune systems.  But experts say that everyone can benefit from having a flu shot.  Studies have shown immunizations greatly reduce hospitalization rates due to flu.

The flu is more than just a fever and chills, doctors say.  The National Institutes of Health has estimated more than 200,000 Americans are hospitalized every year due to the flu; more than 40,000 Americans die from it.

The U.S. should have a solid supply of flu vaccine this year.  The CDC estimates more than 160 million doses will be available.  Flu shots are available at your doctor's office, local health departments, most pharmacies and even some grocery stores.

Links:
CDC report on flu strains
CDC report on flu shot supply
Wikipedia article on flu shots

Update: Orphaned Bear Cub Dies

Officials at the Wildlife Center of Virginia are working to find the cause of death of one of the two bear cubs that were rescued in Suffolk this week.  The cub described as the quieter of the two was found dead in its enclosure Thursday morning. Veterinarians who did the initial examinations Tuesday said both animals were a bit underweight but otherwise appeared healthy.

The second cub, which fell 40 feet from a tree after being hit with a tranquilizer dart, was still in good condition Thursday.  Officials will continue to monitor its health with the goal of releasing into the wild at a later date.

The cubs were orphaned when their mother was hit by a car on Route 58 in Suffolk. 

On the web:
www.wildlifecenter.org

The Channel 13-DIRECTV Conflict

WVEC-TV 13 has launched a public relations campaign explaining their side of their negotiations with DIRECTV over retransmission rights.  The current agreement between WVEC and DIRECTV expires October 31st.  DIRECTV subscribers could lose the ABC affiliate if a new agreement isn't reached.  WVEC's campaign involves the spot below, which is in fairly heavy rotation on the station.



The controversy is similar to one earlier this year between between LIN Media, NBC affiliate WAVY's parent company, and Dish Network.  That issue wasn't resolved until after Dish Network blacked out WAVY's programming for several days.  WAVY was also blacked out in Eastern North Carolina for a time in September due to a disagreement between LIN and Mediacom.


Such disputes grow out of the 1994 Cable Television and Protection Act.  The law banned cable companies from charging local TV stations to carry their signals, but it also gave local TV the right to negotiate with the cable companies over retransmission rights.  The agreement could involve cash paid by the cable company to the TV station, or there could be other considerations.  WVEC's now defunct local news channel LNC 5 was a byproduct of a retransmission agreement between the station and Cox Communications in the 1990's.


Links:
WVEC's side of the story
Retransmission consent explained on Wikipedia

Ophaned Bear Cubs now at Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility

The two bear cubs who became orphans when their mother was struck and killed by a car this week in Suffolk are being cared for at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.  Veterinarians said both cubs appeared healthy, despite a 40 foot fall from a tree suffered by one after it was tranquilized by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Officials determined both cubs were males.  At about 20 lbs each, they are considered somewhat small for their age.  The cubs will be fattened up and monitored before they are released into the wild.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia also cared for more wildlife from Hampton Roads earlier this year.  Three eaglets were removed from their nest at Norfolk Botanical Gardens in April when their mother was struck by a passenger jet.  The eaglets were raised at the Wildlife Center and released into the wild over the summer.

One of the center's resident bald eagles is a Norfolk native.  "Buddy" was rescued from his nest at Norfolk Botanical Gardens in 2008 when a bout with avian pox left him with a deformed beak.  It's believed Buddy would have difficulty surviving in the wild, so he lives at the center.  Officials there say they hope to use buddy in educational programs.

Link:
The Wildlife Center of Virginia