NORFOLK ECONOMIST SAYS GOV. RALPH NORTHAM IS WRONG ABOUT OFFSHORE WIND CREATING 14,000 NEW JOBS

Gov. Ralph Northam used an eyebrow-raising number this week for how many new jobs will be created by the commonwealth’s next step to become a major player in the offshore wind industry. 14,000. One local economist is now saying it’s “highly doubtful” that could happen.

NORTHAM TOUTS UPCOMING COUNT AT OPENING OF RICHMOND-AREA CENSUS OFFICE

With Census Day just two months away, state and local officials are boosting efforts to encourage participation in the population count that takes place every 10 years. Gov. Ralph Northam and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Thursday pitched census participation as a financial proposition.

HERRING, OTHER STATE AGS, SUE TO HAVE ERA RECOGNIZED

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is partnering with attorneys general in other states that have recently ratified the Equal Rights Amendment to sue the National Archives to ensure the women’s rights measure is added to the U.S. Constitution.

DEMOCRATIC AGS SUE TO FORCE US TO ADOPT ERA IN CONSTITUTION

Three Democratic state attorneys general sued a U.S. government official Thursday, seeking to force him to recognize Virginia’s recent vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and adopt the measure in the Constitution.

HERRING, OTHER STATE AGS FILE LAWSUIT DEMANDING ADDITION OF ERA TO CONSTITUTION

The attorneys general for the last three states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment filed a lawsuit in federal court on Thursday arguing that the Trump administration must add the amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

OVER GOP OUTCRY, DEMOCRATS MUSCLE 7 GUN-CONTROL BILLS THROUGH VA. HOUSE

Democrats in the House of Delegates on Thursday passed seven of the eight gun-control measures advocated by Gov. Ralph Northam, a significant step for an issue that Republicans had blocked for decades. In debate ahead of the votes, lawmakers showed flashes of the emotion that has supercharged the gun-control issue in Virginia in recent weeks.

HOUSE OF DELEGATES PASSES SEVEN GUN CONTROL MEASURES NORTHAM BACKS

The Virginia House of Delegates on Thursday cleared seven gun control measures largely along party lines, putting them a step closer to Gov. Ralph Northam’s signature. Democrats passed measures calling for universal background checks, a “red flag” law to temporarily remove guns from people in crisis, and new power for localities to adopt gun ordinances,

VIRGINIA HOUSE PASSES GUN-CONTROL MEASURES

The Virginia House of Delegates has passed several pieces of gun-control legislation, but some of the measures face an uncertain future in the more conservative Senate. The Democrat-led House approved seven gun measures Thursday, largely along party lines.

AS DEMOCRATS PASS GUN-CONTROL MEASURES, ASSAULT WEAPONS BILL STILL IN COMMITTEE

Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly have passed major gun-control bills creating universal background checks, a red-flag law and reinstating the former one-handgun-a-month rule. But a big piece of the Democratic gun-control agenda still hasn’t left the starting gate.

HOUSE PANEL BANS ELECTRONIC 'SKILL' GAMES, BUT OKS SPORTS BETTING, INTERNET LOTTERY SALES

The table is almost set for the House of Delegates to open Virginia to sports betting and internet lottery sales, but electronic “skill games” won’t be part of the action unless the Senate brokers a path to regulate them. The House General Laws Committee on Thursday endorsed a gaming subcommittee’s recommendations to ban electronic skill games,

BEST FOR BUSINESS, WORST FOR WORKERS: VIRGINIA DEBATES RIGHT-TO-WORK LAW

With Democrats in charge of the legislature and a several lawmakers pushing changes to the right-to-work law, business interests are taking notice. They’ve mobilized a public relations and lobbying campaign against the effort, with a flurry of op-eds, editorials, and media outreach.

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS ARE PUSHING WORKER-FRIENDLY LAWS

Virginia AFL-CIO president Doris Crouse-Mays stepped up the lectern, recited the usual “Thank you Madam Chair,” and then, with a couple of arm pumps and a mini-two-step dance move, declared in her best ebullient Southwest Virginia style: “I’ve been waiting so long to say that!” It’s been a big year for Virginia’s labor movement.

DEMOCRATS WEIGH WHICH WORKERS EXEMPT FROM INCREASED MINIMUM WAGE

Continue to exempt nannies? What about waitstaff? A carve-out for employers who offer health insurance? Different wages for different regions? It’s all on the table as Democrats in Virginia sort out the specifics of their campaign promise to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

HURST TRAFFIC STOP TRIGGERS POLICE INTERNAL REVIEW, CALL FOR LIMITS TO LEGISLATIVE IMMUNITY IN CONSTITUTION

A police traffic stop early Sunday of a state legislator who was released without charge despite field testing above the legal threshold for drunken driving continued to prompt new reactions Thursday both in Christiansburg and the state Capitol.

VA. LEGISLATORS WOULD LOSE IMMUNITY FROM ARREST UNDER PROPOSED CHANGE TO CONSTITUTION

Virginia's lawmakers, largely immune from arrest when the General Assembly is in session, could lose that privilege under a measure proposed Thursday, as a local police department probes why a state delegate recently stopped for drunken driving was let go without charges. Sen. Bryce E. Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) introduced a resolution to strip the immunity provision from the state constitution

CIGARETTE TAXES IN PLAY AS SENATE PANEL WORKS ON LOCAL TAXING AUTHORITY

Virginia localities would be able to impose local taxes on cigarettes of up to 40 cents a pack — on top of state taxes — under an emerging legislative proposal for equalizing local taxing authority between counties and city and town governments.

HOUSE PUTS CARBON CAP-AND-TRADE GEARS IN MOTION WITH RGGI BILL VOTE

After a few false starts, carbon cap-and-trade legislation began moving Thursday night with a favorable vote by the House Energy Subcommittee....A 10-state compact that aims to cut carbon emissions through market mechanisms, RGGI is one of Democrats’ top-line environmental goals for the session.

CHANGING MINDS ON ONE DEATH PENALTY ISSUE — BUT WILL THEY MOVE TO ABOLITION IN VIRGINIA?

Sometimes, even a Virginia state senator will change his or her mind — and a startling shift on a death penalty bill by several Senate Republicans Thursday seems to be a sign of some active debate on the issue behind the closed doors of caucus meetings. When state Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, presented her bill banning execution of people with serious mental illness, she picked up support of five GOP senators who had opposed the measure last year.

BIPARTISAN BILL WOULD IMPROVE CONDITIONS FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN IN VIRGINIA

With the number of incarcerated women up nationwide by over 750% between 1980 and 2017, a bipartisan group of lawmakers are pushing legislation that aims to address their health needs.

LEVINE'S GUARDIANSHIP BILL FACES UNEXPECTED LAST-MINUTE OBJECTION

For the third year, Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria, proposed a bill intended to strengthen family members’ and loved ones’ rights to visit adults who are under legal guardianship.

LEGISLATORS SEEK TO TACKLE SHORTAGE OF NURSES TO PROVIDE SEXUAL ASSAULT EXAMS

After a man raped her, Kayla Cotten didn’t know what to do. She had been sleeping in her bed in Bedford County in July 2018 when a friend of her housemate crawled in beside and raped her. “I was in shock,” Cotten, 22, recalled.

MAKING A POINT ABOUT SEWAGE IN THE JAMES RIVER

It’s one of those bills that’s easy to miss — but state Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, is playing hardball on a long standing flow of pollution into the James River. What the bill says it does is simply to direct the Department of Environmental Quality to identify the owner of any combined sewer overflow outfall east of Charlottesville that discharges into the James River watershed and to determine what actions by the owner are necessary to bring such an outfall into compliance with state and federal clean water law.

LAWMAKER WHO WANTS TO RETURN ARLINGTON TO D.C. HAS I-66 REVERSE TOLL BILL REJECTED

A proposal to add new “reverse tolling” on to I-66, put forward by a delegate who suggested that Arlington should be returned to D.C., has been struck down in the House of Delegates. The goal of HB 677, the bill proposed by Del. Dave LaRock (R), was to toll rush hour traffic heading both eastbound and westbound on I-66, instead of just tolling those heading in the peak direction.

AREA LEGISLATORS BALK AT PROPOSED GAS TAX INCREASE

Gov. Ralph Northam has proposed raising Virginia’s gasoline tax a total of 12 cents over the next three years, but area legislators fear the hefty increase won’t do much to improve local roads.

CHESTERFIELD DELEGATION REACHES CONSENSUS ON NEW CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE, MORRISSEY SAYS

A replacement for the retired Circuit Court judge T.J. Hauler was the subject of a recent meeting of Chesterfield County’s legislative delegation. Sen. Joe Morrissey said Saturday that three senators and five delegates agreed on the appointment of current Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Jayne Pemberton to fill the vacancy.

VIRGINIA HOUSE BILL PROTECTING STUDENT JOURNALISTS ADVANCES

Students, faculty and advocates lined up at the podium Wednesday to voice support and concern for a bill that would extend free speech protection to student journalists. Some students traveled from Northern Virginia and Culpeper to snag a spot in the crowded House subcommittee room in support of First Amendment rights and to meet with legislators on National Student Press Freedom Day.

MECKLENBURG COUNTY SALES TAX BILL MAKES HEADWAY AT STATE CAPITOL

Mecklenburg County is a step closer to authorizing a 1-percent local sales tax to pay for school construction projects following action this week in the Virginia State Senate. Senate Bill 943, sponsored by Clarksville Republican Frank Ruff, is on its way to the House of Delegates for consideration after the upper chamber passed the measure on a 24-14 vote.

TAYLOR, BLOOMBERG CAMPAIGN MAKES STOP IN DANVILLE

Diana Taylor, partner of former mayor of New York and presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, made a stop at Crema and Vine in Danville this morning on the campaign trail. Taylor met with citizens of Danville and discussed topics that were important to them, including climate, jobs, education and health care.

DUNN SEEKING GOP NOMINATION FOR U.S. SENATE SEAT

Blaine Dunn, who represents the Red Bud District on the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, says he is seeking the Republican nomination to run for U.S. Senate this fall. The seat is held by Mark Warner, a Democrat, who has represented Virginia in the Senate since 2009.

FORMER SEN. JOHN WARNER URGES REPUBLICANS TO BACK IMPEACHMENT WITNESSES

A former Republican senator is urging members of his party to call for witnesses as part of President Trump’s impeachment trial. Former Sen. John Warner (Va.) asked Republicans to honor the nation's history of “judicial norms” as the impeachment process continues, largely echoing many Democrats that have been calling for witnesses since the start of the impeachment trial.

JBG SMITH'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING ENDEAVOR COLLECTS $104 MILLION, MAKES FIRST LOAN

The affordable housing investment venture co-founded by JBG Smith Properties has raised $104 million and invested in its first project, the developer announced late Wednesday. As one of its first projects, the Washington Housing Initiative, as it's been dubbed, will loan $15.1 million to the nonprofit Alexandria Housing Development Corp., which will use those funds to buy the Avana Alexandria Apartments.

MACK TO OPEN TRUCK MANUFACTURING PLANT IN ROANOKE COUNTY

Mack Trucks plans to invest $13 million in Roanoke County by opening a new facility where it will manufacture medium-duty trucks. The company, which is a subsidiary of Volvo, expects to hire 250 employees to work in the former LSC Communications building, which it is leasing from owner Camrett Logistics. Average annual wages will exceed $42,400, according to county officials.

INDUSTRY SITE PROJECT GETS MAJOR FUNDING

The development of a new industrial park between Norton and Wise County will receive nearly $1.8 million of additional funds.

ALTRIA TAKES $4.1 BILLION HIT ON ITS INVESTMENT IN E-CIG MAKER JUUL

For the second time in four months, Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. has devalued its investment in Juul Labs Inc. as legal cases and regulatory pressure mount for the electronic cigarette maker.

MEC WINS FUNDING FOR COUNTY FIBER BROADBAND

Virginia has awarded a $710,514 grant to Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative’s EMPOWER subsidiary to expand fiber optic internet service in Halifax County. The award, provided through the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI), is part of an $18.3 million grant round announced Wednesday by Gov. Ralph Northam.

KOMATSU LAYING OFF 40 IN DUFFIELD

A mining company is laying off 40 employees at its facility in Duffield, Virginia. Komatsu made the announcement Thursday. The employees impacted were informed this week of the cuts. Komatsu said its representatives are working closely with employees to support them during the process.

NOVA’S NEXT SPAGHETTI BOWL: I-66/VA. 28 WORK IS ABOUT TO GET MORE COMPLICATED

Major work is continuing in Centreville to rebuild the Route 28/Interstate 66 interchange to accommodate I-66 Express Lanes as part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s $3.7 billion Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project. Outer portions of the I-66 bridge at Va. 28 are being demolished to allow for the addition of the express lanes

NORFOLK TO GET THIRD AMTRAK TRAIN AS PART OF LANDMARK TRANSPORTATION DEAL

Norfolk could get a third round trip Amtrak train this year, as part of the landmark transportation deal the governor announced in December. There’s already an early morning train and a mid-morning train leaving Norfolk, so a third would depart midday.

HERE'S WHAT VIRGINIA'S $3.7 BILLION RAIL PLAN MEANS FOR THE VALLEY

Residents in western Virginia won’t see additional passenger trains or rail infrastructure soon, but that doesn’t mean the Valley won’t benefit from the new plan to revitalize the state's rail service, transportation officials say. In December, Gov. Ralph Northam announced a $3.7 billion deal with CSX, a freight rail operation and transportation company, to improve rail service in the Commonwealth.

NEW POPULATION ESTIMATES: MONTGOMERY COUNTY PASSES ROANOKE

Montgomery County has surpassed Roanoke as the largest municipality west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, according to the newest population estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

FUTURE CHESAPEAKE BAY WILD OYSTERS MAY OUTSHINE ANY OTHER OYSTER—LITERALLY

In the dead of winter, a room packed with scientists stared at the screen behind Jason Spires as he talked, their eyes reflecting the photo of glowing green baby oysters. Glowing oysters is the latest tool being developed to track oysters planted on wild oyster sanctuaries around the Chesapeake Bay. Part of a 2014 agreement between six states and Washington, D.C., the goal of the sanctuaries is to give the bivalves a fighting chance,

IN BLOW TO NAVY HILL PLAN, BOURNE DROPS BILL TO DEVOTE STATE SALES TAX TO COLISEUM REPLACEMENT

In another blow to backers of the $1.5 billion Navy Hill plan, a Richmond delegate has dropped an effort to devote state sales taxes to replacing the Richmond Coliseum. Del. Jeff Bourne, D-Richmond, on Thursday withdrew his support for legislation he filed that would have steered $55.7 million worth of sales tax revenue over 30 years to the massive, mixed-use economic development project centering on a new downtown arena.

JUDGE DISMISSES FORMER HOPEWELL REGISTRAR'S LAWSUIT AGAINST ELECTORAL BOARD

A Hopewell Circuit Court judge this month dismissed a lawsuit the city's former general registrar brought against the electoral board that fired her last year. Yolanda Stokes, who drew scrutiny for a plan to print 2018 local election ballots that state officials said were unfair, sued about a week after the three-member Hopewell Electoral Board unanimously voted last March to oust Stokes from the registrar's job

GUN RIGHTS ADVOCATES TRYING TO FORCE NORFOLK COUNCIL'S HAND

Fed up with what they say is indifference from city leaders, gun rights advocates are mounting a petition effort that could force Norfolk’s City Council to take a vote on a resolution opposing proposed state gun-control laws. This is the latest salvo in a months-long push to convince localities across the state to adopt so-called “Second Amendment Sanctuary” resolutions.

VIRGINIA BEACH GROUP THAT ENDORSED POLS ON ELECTION DAY MAY HAVE VIOLATED STATE ELECTION LAW

A letter by Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle says a group formed by a member of the School Board may have violated the law by failing to register with state election officials or disclose contributions and spending used to persuade city voters to back several local politicians this past year. Stolle’s comments about the Virginia Beach Teachers’ Association, which in November made a series of endorsements in local and General Assembly races, came on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in a letter to Virginia Elections Commissioner Chris Piper.

LAYOFFS. PROGRAMS ELIMINATED. WHAT’S GOING ON AT VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD?

Thirteen employees at Valley Community Services Board lost their jobs this month. Shenandoah Clubhouse closed. Five employees who used to work at the clubhouse are now "displaced" ... That’s 20 fewer people working at Valley Community Services Board, already understaffed in an underserved area with a significant need for mental health support services.

NEW POPULATION ESTIMATES: MONTGOMERY COUNTY PASSES ROANOKE

Montgomery County has surpassed Roanoke as the largest municipality west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, according to the newest population estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Montgomery County, which saw its population steadily grow throughout the past decade ...Roanoke’s population fell from 100,033 to 99,348, according to the most recent data.

MARTINSVILLE CITY COUNCIL ISSUES PROCLAMATION TO BE READY FOR CHANGE IN REVERSION RULES

Martinsville City Council voted unanimously on Dec. 10 to revert from a city to a town, and Tuesday night members voted unanimously to memorialize that decision by approving a resolution on the matter. Their reason: They positioned the city in case the rules of the reversion process were to change. Assistant City Manager and City Attorney Eric Monday said Delegate Danny Marshall (R-Danville) had filed bills with the Virginia House of Delegates that would “give Henry County veto power over the reversion process.”

SURRY GETS $2.2 MIL FOR INTERNET

A grant in the amount of $2.2 million has been awarded to Surry County to further the implementation of high-speed internet. The funds will help to provide broadband internet to over 1,200 homes in the county, according to a press release from Prince George Electric Cooperative. The grant was awarded through the Virginia Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Telecommunications Initiative

NO STATE GRANT FUNDS FOR BROADBAND

Orange County Broadband Authority Chairman and District 2 Supervisor Jim White provided an update on the county’s burgeoning broadband fiber project to the Orange Town Council at its meeting last Tuesday. “This project is a major initiative for the county because reliable, affordable broadband is not a viable option currently for many of our citizens,” he said. “We’ve been waiting 20 years, but the major players just aren’t interested in meeting our need.

LOCAL BROADBAND GRANT APPROVED FOR FIBER INSTALLATION

A grant worth more than $2 million that will help pay for fiber installation past more than 400 residences and more than 100 businesses in Bath County has been approved. Gov. Ralph Northam announced last Wednesday that the grant, worth a total of $2,202,000, had been funded.

EPA IS ABDICATING ITS BAY RESPONSIBILITIES

When Cosmo Servidio, administrator of EPA Region III, which includes the Chesapeake Bay watershed, says, “I just want to assure everyone, we are fully committed to working with this partnership to meet the goals of 2025. Nothing has changed,” the only part of that statement supported by the evidence is the “Nothing has changed” part.

VIRGINIA CORRECTLY MOVES TO ENSURE SAFE WATER FOR SCHOOLS

Parents have a right to know if the drinking water at their child’s school has high levels of lead. And parents who send young children to day-care centers should be able to trust that the drinking water there is safe. Two bills introduced in the General Assembly beef up regulations

THE CENSUS IS WHO WE ARE

Two months from now, one short set of questions will shape Virginia’s future for the next decade. On Thursday, city, state and U.S. Census officials spoke at the opening of the Richmond Area Census Office (ACO). Around 3,600 employees are expected to join the local effort and become “foot soldiers” of our representative democracy, as Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney put it.

DANCE AND PEACE: “BALANCE BILLING” A GOOD PLACE TO START ON HEALTH CARE REFORM

Erika Zak isn’t a household name but her heartbreaking story is a cautionary tale about shortcomings in the American health care system. Not long after Zak’s five-year-old daughter, Loïe, was born, the new mom from Oregon received a devastating medical diagnosis: Stage 4 metastatic colon cancer. Zak responded well to treatment, but the cumulative effect of chemotherapy and other medical procedures intended to eradicate the cancer left Zak needing a new liver.

Rosalyn Dance and Chris Peace are former members of the state legislature and currently serve as co-chairs for the Virginia Consumer Healthcare Alliance

MCAULIFFE: NUTRITION PROGRAMS FEED STUDENT SUCCESS

When Gov. Ralph Northam released his biennial budget last month, he was rightly applauded by family and child advocates throughout the commonwealth. He proposes much-needed investments in affordable housing, child care, maternal health and education. Specifically, he adds $1.2 billion in K-12 funding, including $140 million in new money for the state’s “at-risk add-on” for low-income school districts.

Dorothy McAuliffe is chair of No Kid Hungry Virginia and former first lady of Virginia

WHAT MADE VIRGINIA CHANGE ITS MIND ON GUNS?

Lisette Johnson had been a lifelong Republican. She became an activist on gun safety after she was shot by her estranged husband more than a decade ago, and she asked her Republican state senator for his backing on gun control bills. “I thought everyone would be on board with this, like, what objection could they possibly have?” Ms. Johnson said. “But it became very clear that the people interested in this were not the people I had aligned myself with, who were Republicans.”