VaNews
February 24, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Poverty Law Center
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We thank legislators for bipartisan support of our mission to remove systemic barriers that keep Virginians in poverty.

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Top of the News


** VPAP Visual Mapping 'Super Tuesday' Donors ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Eight days before the Virginia Democratic presidential primary, VPAP has calculated which candidate has raised the most money in each of the state's 2,700 voting precincts. The campaign contribution data is current through January 31.
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** Economic desperation, unlikely alliances: Why casinos may be coming to Virginia ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

An unlikely alliance between a black Democrat and white Republicans from the opposite end of the state has Virginia poised to pull the lever on casino gambling after decades of resisting its lure. The Senate and the House of Delegates have approved versions of a complicated bill that would permit casinos in five cities — and potentially a casino-like slot machine palace in Prince William County.
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** For Virginia Tech parents, new gun laws a long struggle ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

When Virginia lawmakers pass sweeping new gun control laws in the coming days, it will mark the culmination of nearly 13 years of often thankless work for two parents whose children were shot in one of the country’s worst mass shootings. Lori Haas and Andrew Goddard started pressing lawmakers to enact new gun laws shortly after a gunman killed 32 people and wounded more than a dozen others at Virginia Tech in 2007.
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** Key Atlantic Coast Pipeline permit heads to Supreme Court ([link removed])
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By DENISE LAVOIE, SARAH RANKIN AND ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

When plans for the 605-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline were first unveiled in 2014, supporters of the natural gas project brimmed with enthusiasm and promises. The pipeline would bring natural gas from West Virginia to growing markets in Virginia and North Carolina, and with it, would come economic development, thousands of jobs and reduced energy costs for consumers, supporters said.
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** In racially divided Portsmouth, Lydia Pettis Patton is at the center of the storm ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Peering from behind the broad brim of her hat, she sat deadpan as the city ripped in. Two dozen of her sorority sisters — once her most powerful allies — wore head-to-toe red in a show of protest. Resign, their leader said. Activist Barry Randall took the lectern and said what would be unspeakable in most public forums. He called Portsmouth City Manager Lydia Pettis Patton a traitor to her race.
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** Hampton sheriff, the longest-serving in Virginia, not likely to run for reelection ([link removed])
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By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

For B.J. Roberts, a career in law enforcement started when he saw the boots. The officer wore a pair of sleek, jet black boots that came up above his knees — required gear for the Newport News Police Department field officers’ unit. It was the 1950s. Roberts was among several children whom the officer helped cross the street on the way to school. "He used to cross us from the projects ... to the elementary school. I was so infatuated with that man’s boots,” Roberts recalled.
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** Faded records tell the story of school segregation in Virginia ([link removed])
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By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The two-room schoolhouse sat deep in rural Virginia in 1956, at the height of segregation. The temperature dwindled to single digits. Ethel Rae Stewart Smith, who taught two dozen black children in that schoolhouse, had run out of coal for the potbelly stove. She thought back to a visit, years earlier, from the white superintendent, Oscar Emerick. She recalled his promise: “If you need anything,” he had said, surveying her school, “don’t fail to let me know.” She reached for a pen.
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The Full Report
34 articles, 17 publications

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** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Why Northam’s assault weapons bill never really had a chance in the Virginia Senate ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam's assault weapons bill was in trouble — not from Republicans in the newly blue legislature, but from a handful of fellow Democrats in the Senate. The day before the General Assembly gaveled into session last month, in a closed-door caucus meeting, Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City) and a few rural lawmakers said they wouldn’t support all eight pieces of Northam’s gun-control agenda.
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** Legislation giving counties taxing authority equal to cities met with opposition ([link removed])
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By TYLER HAMMEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A pair of bills seeking to equalize taxing authority between Virginia cities and counties has some restaurant and lodging owners concerned about potential tax rate increases. HB 785 and SB 588 seek to give counties the same authority as cities to impose taxes on meals, cigarettes, admissions, hotel rooms and travel campgrounds.
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** Experts say Virginia needs sharper focus on problem gambling ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

Billy Hoffman couldn’t put a dollar amount on how much he lost to his gambling problem. What started in his teenage years as a passion for poker grew into trips to the horse track, a knack for sniffing out backroom video gambling machines and lottery ticket buying sprees. After losing his second marriage, he knew it had cost him too much. So he called a hotline. He got involved in Gamblers Anonymous, pulling himself into recovery and a new career as a counselor working with people struggling with their own gambling issues.
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** Change in how prisoners are counted may further sap SW Virginia in redistricting ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

State lawmakers haven’t reached an agreement yet on redistricting reform, but plans under consideration would call for changing the way people in prisons and jails are counted. With eyes on the 2020 census and subsequent round of political districts mapmaking, Democrats sponsoring legislation want to have prisoners counted not at correctional facilities, but at their last home address.
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** Groups divided over proposed bill to give immunity to someone reporting, experiencing drug overdose ([link removed])
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By JOSEPH WHITNEY SMITH, Virginia Gazette (Metered Paywall - 4 Articles per Month)

Groups, including former drug users, are split over a Senate bill that would give immunity to both someone reporting or experiencing an overdose. In a recent unanimous vote, the Senate passed Senate Bill 667, introduced by Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax. The bill expands on the current protection offered only to the person reporting the overdose ...


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** In Arlington Buttigieg says he, not Sanders, is the Democrat who can unite Americans ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg pitched himself as the “nominee ready to bring Americans together” before a crowd of a few thousand gathered in Northern Virginia on Sunday. “If you’re ready for that vision of the presidency, for politics that bring everyone in, this campaign is for you,” Buttigieg said
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** Biden’s announcement of 32 endorsements from Virginia included 3 names in error, campaign says ([link removed])
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By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Joe Biden’s campaign put out a list of 32 endorsements from Virginia activists and politicians Thursday, including three of the seven members of Hampton City Council. Some of those were listed in error, a campaign spokeswoman said Friday, including one Hampton councilwoman. Chris Snead said that she hasn’t endorsed any candidate and was still weighing her options, although she was leaning toward former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** HQ2-adjacent open space could be much larger if Arlington gives up surface parking ([link removed])
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By JONATHAN CAPRIEL, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

The green space adjacent to the first pair of Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) HQ2 towers could be so much grander if it weren't for some redundant on-street parking. That is what New York-based James Corner Field Operations, the urban design and landscape architecture firm Amazon has enlisted to mold Metropolitan Park's open space, said Thursday night
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** New tick-borne disease challenges Virginia cattlemen ([link removed])
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By CLINT SCHEMMER, Associated Press

Many Virginia farmers may not realize it, but a new tick-borne disease is threatening their cattle and dairy animals, livestock experts say. A hemoprotozoa, a single-celled microorganism, is infecting herds in at least 21 Virginia counties, including Madison, Fauquier, Orange, Greene and Louisa.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** New agreement dodges 2nd strike in 3 months for Fairfax Connector ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW DELANEY, WTOP

A tentative agreement between Fairfax Connector operator Transdev and a workers’ union quashed the potential for the second strike in three months on Sunday morning. Wage increases and improvements to healthcare are some of the key elements of the agreement between Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1764 and Transdev.
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** Despite decreased ridership, WATA continues to address growing community needs ([link removed])
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By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Public transportation can seem like a lesser need in more rural areas, but for suburban areas like Williamsburg the transportation system is continuing to grow the local economy, provide environmentally friendly transportation options and create more services for the disabled. Public transit across the state has been growing in recent years to address the growing need of transportation for people with disabilities, said Jennifer DeBruhl, chief of transportation for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transport.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virginia universities work to organize census counts ([link removed])
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By RUTH SERVEN SMITH, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Spring break marks a different deadline on many college campuses this year: In addition to the halfway point in the semester, U.S. Census Bureau officials and partners see the middle of March as a crucial time to reach students who must mark their residence before they leave for the summer. “We’re in full-blown educational efforts,” said Carah Ong Whaley, associate director at James Madison University’s Center for Civic Engagement, who in 2018 was appointed to the Virginia Complete Count Commission.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Judge says state courts must offer timely access to filings ([link removed])
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Associated Press

A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that the First Amendment guarantees a qualified right to access newly filed civil lawsuits on the day they are filed. The judge also declared Friday that state court officials in Norfolk and Prince William County deprived a court news service of that First Amendment right for several months starting in January 2018.
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** Judge tosses free-speech suit filed against Charlottesville by Unite the Right organizer ([link removed])
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By ANDREW BLAKE, Washington Times

Jason Kessler, the organizer of the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, was rebuffed by a federal court judge Friday in a civil suit he brought against the city. Senior U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon dismissed a lawsuit in which Mr. Kessler, a self-described “pro-white” activist, alleged that the city of Charlottesville had violated his First Amendment rights by allowing fights to break out on the day of the event between participants and counter-protesters, causing authorities to declare an unlawful assembly and ultimately resulting in the rally ending early.
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** U.S. Supreme Court to decide winner in case of gas pipeline vs. Appalachian Trail ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER AND ROBERT BARNES, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline begins in West Virginia and is planned to cross some of the most mountainous scenery in central Virginia before completing its 600-mile path in North Carolina. Work in Virginia has been halted for more than a year as the builders contend with a host of setbacks handed down by federal courts.
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** Amid push for gun control laws in General Assembly, dozens rally to join militia ([link removed])
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By CALEB AYERS, Danville Register & Bee

They were all together for one purpose: to join a militia. More than 100 residents of Pittsylvania and Halifax counties gathered at a militia muster on Saturday to organize into groups for each county and take stock of the people and weapons involved. Armed with guns of varying sizes, they listened to speakers about the goal of a militia, asked questions, spoke in support of the movement and were sworn into their respective groups.


** LOCAL
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** EDA seeks auditing firm ([link removed])
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By JOSH GULLY, Northern Virginia Daily

The Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority has begun seeking a new firm to complete its long-overdue audit. The EDA's longtime auditing firm Yount Hyde & Barbour provided clean audits during years in which the authority says, in a $21.3 million lawsuit, that its former Executive Director Jennifer McDonald of stealing money.
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** Arlington board member is forced to quit second transit panel ([link removed])
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By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Arlington County Board forced member Christian Dorsey to step down from a second transit board Saturday over a campaign donation from Metro’s largest union, and he apologized for misleading statements he made last month suggesting that he had already returned the money.
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** Virginia Beach after-school program runs afoul of state absenteeism rules ([link removed])
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By BRIANA ADHIKUSUMA, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Three high schools in Virginia Beach have been letting absent students make up attendance time with after-school tutoring and other academic activities. They say it’s meant to help students get back on track with their academics. But the state said the practice is not allowed.
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** Dozens march in support of voting rights in Lynchburg ([link removed])
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By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Signs demanding equality fluttered across Lynchburg’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge and Boulevard on Saturday as more than three dozen people marched in support of voting rights. As the group made its way uphill to Fifth Street Baptist Church, chants calling for an end to voter suppression and for greater diversity in government echoed out across the 5th Street corridor.

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Poverty Law Center
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We thank legislators for bipartisan support of our mission to remove systemic barriers that keep Virginians in poverty.


** EDITORIALS
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** State-based exchange should expand options ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The Virginia General Assembly is considering legislation that would set up a state-run health insurance marketplace to replace the federal marketplace established by the Affordable Care Act. A bill (SB 732) patroned by Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, which passed the Senate on a bipartisan 29-10 vote, would create a Virginia Health Benefit Exchange under the aegis of the State Corporation Commission
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** Police technology looks promising, but weigh funding ([link removed])
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Daily Progress Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

It’s hard to argue with that logic. Allowing the Virginia State Police to deploy electronic ticketing across the commonwealth would save time and, more importantly, save lives, a former VSP superintendent told a group of senators last week. Wayne D. Huggins even made a good case — although not a flawless one — for charging the cost of the system back to the people receiving the tickets.
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** Cowardice, Hypocrisy on Redistricting Reform ([link removed])
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News & Advance Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Nonpartisan redistricting reform in the Commonwealth of Virginia, by way of an amendment to the state Constitution, is on life support thanks to the political cowardice and hypocrisy of Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn and the Democratic majority in the House of Delegates. That’s a harsh assessment, but it’s the truth.
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** Democrats balk on redistricting reform ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Democratic lawmakers in Richmond have made a huge error in declining to hold a vote on a proposed amendment to the state Constitution to reform redistricting in the commonwealth. No two ways about it: This is a promise made to voters they have broken. And though they may not face an electoral backlash for it, it’s the type of naked partisanship that sullies state government
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** General Assembly should pass redistricting amendment ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

During last year’s General Assembly, most House Democrats voted for a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a bipartisan redistricting committee. Many campaigned on the issue of fair elections and ending divisive partisan gerrymandering. Democrats swept the November elections, regaining control of both the House of Delegates and state Senate for the first time in a quarter-century.
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** Ranked-choice voting pilot worth a try ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Some say it offers voters more choice. Others call it a “Doodle poll” approach to casting ballots. But if House Bill 1103 clears the General Assembly and picks up the support of Gov. Ralph Northam, Virginia would have the option of offering ranked-choice voting in local elections. The proposed 10-year pilot program deserves a try.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Shenk: "Peer-to-peer" car rentals coming to Virginia? ([link removed])
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By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

A pair of somewhat under-the-radar bills winding through the General Assembly could bring some interesting and important changes on state roads if passed. One bill aims to unlock a market for a new type of peer-to-peer car rental service. The other bill focuses on distracted driving.
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** Worrell: The Virginian-Pilot’s offices are moving, but its commitment to Hampton Roads is staying ([link removed])
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By KRIS WORRELL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Virginian-Pilot has been in the news a bit lately, a position most media outlets do not relish. We are more accustomed to reporting the news, not being the focus of it. However, with our sale of the building on Brambleton Avenue and forthcoming move out of Norfolk, it is understandable that some folks may have questions about what those changes mean for their local news operation.


** OP-ED
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** Hahn: The case for a fossil fuel-free campus in Southwest Virginia ([link removed])
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By HEIDI HAHN, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

There is a scientific and political consensus that climate change is an existential threat caused by industrial pollution and overconsumption. Temperatures, sea levels, air pollution, and natural disasters are on the rise. Responding to the climate crisis is a particularly urgent and appropriate task for Virginia Tech because of the long history of extractive practices in the surrounding Appalachian mountains

Hahn is a sophomore at Virginia Tech where she studies Environmental Policy and Planning and Green Engineering. This piece was written with the assistance of other members of Virginia Tech for Climate Justice
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** Vassey: Revolutionizing 'reduce, reuse, recycle' ([link removed])
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By BRETT VASSEY, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

In the wake of China’s decision two years ago to stop collecting recyclable materials such as plastic from the United States, the impact has been profound. Recyclers across the commonwealth are financially stressed, and many localities are having difficulty effectively managing their curbside recycling programs.

Brett Vassey is president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association
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** Lieubau: A cautionary tale from Connecticut ([link removed])
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By CAROL PLATT LIEBAU, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Before Virginia lawmakers decide to introduce collective bargaining for government employees in their state, they should take a look at the mess it has created in my home state of Connecticut. Here in the Constitution State, people are staggering under the double burden of high taxes and a high cost of living, thanks in large part to the overwhelming power government unions wield over public policy.

Liebau is the President of Yankee Institute, a free market policy organization in Hartford, Connecticut.
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** Dayney & Mitchell: Offshore wind is Virginia’s economic opportunity ([link removed])
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By STEVE DAYNEY & MARK MITCHELL, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Climate change is a global challenge which can best be addressed through partnerships, bringing together expertise from around the world. The combination of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Dominion Energy to advance offshore wind power in the United States is an example of how private industry can drive innovation and, with public policy support, help provide solutions

Steve Dayney is head of Offshore, North America, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Mark Mitchell is vice president of Generation Construction, Dominion Energy.
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** Morse: A tangled redistricting web woven proves difficult to unknot ([link removed])
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By GORDON C. MORSE, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

About redistricting: Will we ever find a way to make this easier? Virginia hatched this business. The favored term is “gerrymandering,” but it easily could have been called “Henrymandering.” That would be in recognition of Virginia’s celebrated first governor, Patrick Henry, who once had it in for Virginia’s equally celebrated James Madison.

Gordon C. Morse began his writing career with the Daily Press editorial page in 1983, then moved across the water to write opinion for The Virginian-Pilot. He later joined the administration of Gerald L. Baliles as the governor's speechwriter
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** Armbrust, Enright and Givens: Virginia needs real justice for the wrongly convicted ([link removed])
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By SHAWN ARMBRUST, DEIRDRE ENRIGHT AND JENNIFER GIVENS, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Imagine being convicted of a crime you didn’t commit. While you’re in prison, a surveillance video is found showing someone else committing the crime. This is the key evidence you need to prove the truth and gain your freedom. Except in Virginia, you would probably have no way to present it in court.

Shawn Armbrust is the executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project. Deirdre Enright and Jennifer Givens are co-directors of the Innocence Clinic at University of Virginia Law.
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