Latest news with #VRE
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Miller & Smith Unveils the Marbella at Beacon Park: Where Modern Elegance Meets Riverside Living in Woodbridge, VA
Come Home to Beacon Park at Belmont Bay Miller & Smith introduces the Marbella — a four-level, design-forward townhome now available in the Beacon Park community at Belmont Bay, Woodbridge, VA. Offering up to 4 bedrooms, rooftop terraces, and luxury finishes, the Marbella is ideal for modern families seeking stylish, flexible living near the water. Located just minutes from VRE, I-95, and outdoor attractions, this community combines elegance, convenience, and innovation for a one-of-a-kind lifestyle experience. Woodbridge, VA - Miller & Smith, a trusted name in homebuilding for over 60 years, proudly announces the debut of the Marbella, a bold new four-level townhome in the vibrant Beacon Park community at Belmont Bay. Crafted with sophistication, versatility, and timeless appeal, the Marbella is redefining the standard for elevated townhome living in Northern Virginia. A Home That Evolves With You The Marbella offers a flexible floor plan with 2 to 4 bedrooms, up to 4 full baths, and an impressive 2,126 square feet of thoughtfully designed space. Whether entertaining friends on the rooftop terrace, gathering in the chef-inspired kitchen, or relaxing in the loft or rec room, every corner of the Marbella is designed to enhance the way modern families live, work, and play. Trend-Forward Design with Lasting Appeal Reflecting the latest 2025 interior trends, the Marbella - Coming This Fall, features a sophisticated palette of dusty blues, portabella tones, and black metal accents. Inside, homeowners will discover elevated finishes like Shaw engineered oak flooring, granite countertops, Samsung stainless appliances, and designer lighting — a perfect fusion of luxury and livability. 'We envisioned a space where beauty meets practicality,' said Tracey Lamb, VP of Sales at Miller & Smith. 'The Marbella is more than a townhome — it's a canvas for lifestyle flexibility, a space that adapts to the rhythms of life and encourages meaningful moments.' Prime Location. Endless Possibilities. Nestled in the heart of Belmont Bay, Beacon Park offers residents the best of Northern Virginia — from waterfront vistas and quick marina access, to nearby shopping, dining, and top-rated schools. With Leesylvania State Park, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) just minutes away, the Marbella offers a rare blend of serenity and connectivity. A Commitment to Quality and Innovation The Marbella includes smart building features like 3-piece rough-ins for future bathroom expansion, fresh air ventilation systems, and energy-efficient dual-zone climate control. Built with superior materials and backed by Miller & Smith's comprehensive warranty program, this home is a long-term investment in both comfort and quality. Now Selling: Your Tour Awaits Interested homebuyers can now tour the Marbella virtually and experience the future of townhome living at Beacon Park, model coming this fall. With limited homesites available, early interest is highly encouraged by signing up to take advantage of Pre-Sale pricing. Media Contact Company Name: Miller and Smith Contact Person: Sara Buehl Email: Send Email Phone: 703-975-2982 City: Vienna State: VA Country: United States Website: Press Release Distributed by To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Miller & Smith Unveils the Marbella at Beacon Park: Where Modern Elegance Meets Riverside Living in Woodbridge, VA
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Opinion India banning use of specific antibiotics in production of meat, poultry and milk products is a welcome move
In a landmark decision aimed to address the growing concern around antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and transference of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) from animal to human microbiota, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned the use of specific antibiotics in the production of meat, meat products, milk, milk products, poultry, eggs, and aquaculture from April 1. This follows India's commitment to the Muscat Ministerial Manifesto on AMR in November 2022 where two key decisions were taken: Reducing the total amount of antimicrobials used in agrifood systems by at least 30 per cent to 50 per cent by 2030 and preserving critically important antimicrobials for human medicine and ending the use of medically important antimicrobials for growth promotion in animals. How do antibiotics act as growth promoters and why is this a problem? Antimicrobial growth promoters (AMGPs) disrupt the microbial balance in the gut by suppressing harmful bacteria, allowing the animals to absorb more nutrients from their food, leading to fattening and feed efficiency. Specific bacteria that may hinder nutrient absorption are targeted to reduce gut inflammation and create a more favourable environment for beneficial bacteria. In doing so, AMGPs create selective pressure that may favour resistant strains to emerge within the bacterial population. The growth-promoting effect of antibiotics was recognised in the 1940s. The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved AMGPs without veterinary prescription in 1951, and other large livestock-producing countries followed. At the other end of the spectrum, Sweden banned the use of AMGPs in 1986. The avoparcin story is a case in point. Avoparcin and vancomycin are both glycopeptide antibiotics and kill bacteria in the intestines. Denmark had a human population of 5.2 million in 1994 and consumed 24 kg of active vancomycin, in contrast to 24,000 kg of active avoparcin for swine and broilers. Austria imported an average of 582 kg of vancomycin for medical purposes between 1992 and 1996, compared to 62,642 kg of avoparcin for animal husbandry. Denmark was the first country to ban its use in 1995 due to concerns about the emergence of antibiotic vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). During the 1960s, productivity-oriented policies across nation-states and the integration of feed, animal, and food companies led to the emergence of intensive and antibiotic-dependent high-volume livestock production as a global norm. Antimicrobial consumption for animals in the BRICS countries was expected to nearly double between 2010 and 2030, while their human populations were expected to grow by about a fifth over the same period. By 2010, India was the fourth-highest consumer of global antimicrobial consumption in food animal production after China, the USA, and Brazil. The recent Economic Survey reported that the livestock sector in India – dairy, poultry meat, eggs, and fisheries – registered a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9 per cent during 2014-15 to 2020-21 (at constant prices) and its contribution to total agriculture gross value added (GVA) at constant prices increased from 24.3 per cent in 2014-15 to 30.1 per cent in 2020-21. The Indian Network for Fishery and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR) has recently released the AMR surveillance trends for 2019-22. Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for several infections in humans; 91.3 per cent of S. aureus isolates in the aquaculture sector were resistant to penicillin, followed by erythromycin (36.1 per cent) and cefoxitin (16.4 per cent). Resistance to ciprofloxacin was high in freshwater fish isolates (54.8 per cent) while erythromycin resistance was 34.3 per cent in freshwater, 40.8 per cent in shrimp and 18.8 per cent in marine isolates. Isolates of poultry origin demonstrated high resistance to common antibiotics – ampicillin (58 per cent), cefotaxime (52 per cent) and tetracycline (50 per cent). Resistance was similarly high among porcine Escherichia coli isolates. While this ban is timely and more than welcome, the history of AMR in the livestock sector is one of overwhelming challenges since the politics and economics of 'cheap and reliable protein' tend to prevail over antimicrobial stewardship. The core imperative is to reduce the need for antimicrobials while still ensuring animal health and welfare, notwithstanding the possibility of some increased costs in the short run. Key measures include external biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction and spread of pathogens between farms, internal biosecurity measures within a farm, vaccinations, genetic selection, and measures to improve animal welfare, alternative measures to augment production including probiotics and prebiotics, bacteriophages, and organic acids and promotion of farming systems that require low antimicrobial use, such as organic production. AMGPs cannot compensate for inadequate animal husbandry or poor hygiene. Community engagement needs to be the cornerstone strategy to address the complex cultural, political, and economic drivers of intensive and backyard production and distribution systems. Narrow reforms per se have limited chances of success, and it is critical to involve the community before planning, during implementation, and after implementation.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Virginia commissions approve $155 million Manassas rail line agreement
(Virginia Railway Express) Owners of the commuter rail system Virginia Railway Express on Thursday signed off on a five-year, $155 million agreement to purchase the Manassas Line, allowing the system to enhance service reliability and provide control over stations and schedules between Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia. The Manassas Line originates at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and goes to Broad Run in Prince William County. The move will give the rail system ownership of Seminary Yard in Alexandria, allowing the system to enhance the existing freight rail yard and construct a midday storage facility. The ownership rights will also give VRE the Broad Run Corridor from Alexandria to Broad Run, the permanent easement to five station platforms and the permanent commuter rail operating easement along the Manassas Line. On Thursday night, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock River Transportation Commission, co-partners of VRE, officially voted at separate meetings to authorize the VRE chief executive officer to execute a funding agreement with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA). The agreement is part of VRE's System Plan 2050 designed to help officials address the public's changing travel patterns, including those of commuting office workers, which have shifted over the past decade. The plan is also focused on maximizing daily riders and expanding daily service offering non-peak and weekend service. 'This is a long-term investment towards the future,' said NVTC Vice Chair Sarah Bagley at the meeting. She also serves as chair of the VRE Operations Board. The decision by the governing bodies comes after VPRA and Norfolk Southern Railway Company agreed to purchase the Manassas Line last summer. In its Manassas Line Funding Agreement with VPRA, VRE committed to a multi-year funding schedule in exchange for four railroad property interests along the Manassas Line. The groups said the properties are 'critical' to VRE's current and future commuter rail operations. The agreement does not identify the specific source or sources of funds for each scheduled payment. However, the deal does provide a general framework for the funding commitment. Under the agreement, VRE is committing to contributing $155 million to VRPA in six approximately equal payments. The final payment is expected to be on July 10, 2029. The NVTC board discussed that while the agreement appears to be an added cost, investing in acquiring the railroad properties will create savings by cutting back on the rising costs of storing rail cars and leasing the Manassas Line. VRE Chief Financial Officer Mark Schofield said on Thursday having its storage yard could also allow the system to enable other operators to store their railcars. 'The property acquisition piece of this was not something that we had maybe contemplated a couple of years ago, but we are making a very positive trade in terms of the cost of the midday storage yard,' Schofield said on Thursday. Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw added, 'We can't just pick up the railcars and move them to some other track. We're captured (and) that's always a challenging negotiation.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Virginia commissions approve $155 million Manassas rail line agreement
(Virginia Railway Express) Owners of the commuter rail system Virginia Railway Express on Thursday signed off on a five-year, $155 million agreement to purchase the Manassas Line, allowing the system to enhance service reliability and provide control over stations and schedules between Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia. The Manassas Line originates at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and goes to Broad Run in Prince William County. The move will give the rail system ownership of Seminary Yard in Alexandria, allowing the system to enhance the existing freight rail yard and construct a midday storage facility. The ownership rights will also give VRE the Broad Run Corridor from Alexandria to Broad Run, the permanent easement to five station platforms and the permanent commuter rail operating easement along the Manassas Line. On Thursday night, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock River Transportation Commission, co-partners of VRE, officially voted at separate meetings to authorize the VRE chief executive officer to execute a funding agreement with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA). The agreement is part of VRE's System Plan 2050 designed to help officials address the public's changing travel patterns, including those of commuting office workers, which have shifted over the past decade. The plan is also focused on maximizing daily riders and expanding daily service offering non-peak and weekend service. 'This is a long-term investment towards the future,' said NVTC Vice Chair Sarah Bagley at the meeting. She also serves as chair of the VRE Operations Board. The decision by the governing bodies comes after VPRA and Norfolk Southern Railway Company agreed to purchase the Manassas Line last summer. In its Manassas Line Funding Agreement with VPRA, VRE committed to a multi-year funding schedule in exchange for four railroad property interests along the Manassas Line. The groups said the properties are 'critical' to VRE's current and future commuter rail operations. The agreement does not identify the specific source or sources of funds for each scheduled payment. However, the deal does provide a general framework for the funding commitment. Under the agreement, VRE is committing to contributing $155 million to VRPA in six approximately equal payments. The final payment is expected to be on July 10, 2029. The NVTC board discussed that while the agreement appears to be an added cost, investing in acquiring the railroad properties will create savings by cutting back on the rising costs of storing rail cars and leasing the Manassas Line. VRE Chief Financial Officer Mark Schofield said on Thursday having its storage yard could also allow the system to enable other operators to store their railcars. 'The property acquisition piece of this was not something that we had maybe contemplated a couple of years ago, but we are making a very positive trade in terms of the cost of the midday storage yard,' Schofield said on Thursday. Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw added, 'We can't just pick up the railcars and move them to some other track. We're captured (and) that's always a challenging negotiation.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
