VaNews
February 25, 2020

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** Raytheon Company
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Top of the News


** Justices seem inclined to let Va. pipeline proceed ([link removed])
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By ROBERT BARNES, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The argument got metaphysical at times, but in the end a majority of the Supreme Court Monday seemed prepared to find that environmentalists and a lower court had gone too far in saying a proposed $8 billion gas pipeline could not pass beneath the Appalachian Trail.
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** Senate panel advances seven Northam-backed gun control measures, some with compromises ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Seven of the eight gun control measures Gov. Ralph Northam proposed, which previously cleared the House, advanced Monday through a key Senate panel, albeit some with compromises in the face of a tougher path to passage in the upper chamber.
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** Democrats are expanding Virginians’ access to voting, but cities will likely be stuck with the bill ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Don’t get them wrong — they’re all for expanding access to the polls. But the people who run elections in localities across the state are concerned about what kind of impacts — financial or otherwise — come with making it easier than ever to vote in Virginia, something the new Democratic majority in the General Assembly has made a top priority this year.
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** Senate panel supports scaled-back collective bargaining bill for public-sector employees ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Public-sector employees across Virginia, including teachers, are unlikely to be granted statewide authority to bargain collectively, Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said Monday.
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** Mayors of Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake urge The Virginian-Pilot to reconsider move ([link removed])
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By SCOTT DAUGHERTY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The mayors of Virginia’s three largest cities issued a rare joint statement Monday urging the parent company of The Virginian-Pilot to reconsider moving its newsroom in April to Newport News. In the statement, Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer and Chesapeake Mayor Rick West said they were “saddened and dismayed” Tribune Publishing had decided to merge The Pilot’s office with that of its sister publication, the Daily Press.
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** Malvo withdraws Supreme Court case after Va. passes parole for juveniles ([link removed])
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By TOM JACKMAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo agreed to drop his request for a resentencing that was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed legislation on Monday that creates the possibility of parole for juvenile offenders serving sentences of 20 years to life.
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** Virginia heads toward peer-to-peer auto rental law ([link removed])
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By NEAL AUGENSTEIN, WTOP

Think of it as Airbnb for cars. Virginia lawmakers are considering a bill that would establish rules for peer-to-peer car rentals, in which a car owner could rent a vehicle to a stranger, for a fee. Unlike traditional car rental companies that monopolize airport rentals, and established ride-sharing companies that enable a driver to rent a car by the hour, in peer-to-peer rentals, the car owner lists a vehicle for rent in an online, searchable marketplace.
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The Full Report
36 articles, 18 publications

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** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Malvo and Virginia agree to end Supreme Court case after Northam signs sentencing law ([link removed])
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Associated Press

Lee Boyd Malvo, one of the so-called Beltway snipers, and Virginia agreed Monday to dismiss a pending Supreme Court case after the state changed criminal sentencing law for juveniles. Under the new law, signed by Gov. Ralph Northam earlier in the day, people serving life terms for crimes they committed before they turned 18 can be considered for parole after serving at least 20 years.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** House, Senate press forward on gun control legislation ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

With two weeks left in the General Assembly session, the House of Delegates and Senate are hashing out the details of several gun control bills. Democrats are on the verge of fulfilling a top campaign promise to deliver gun control, an issue that has dominated this legislative session. Both chambers say they’ve reached agreement on a few bills ...
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** After killing an assault weapons ban, Va. Senate panel advances 7 other gun-control bills ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A state Senate committee on Monday advanced seven of the eight gun-control bills advocated by Gov. Ralph Northam, a week after killing a proposed assault weapons ban that several Democrats said was going too far.
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** Virginia lawmakers pass bill ending Lee-Jackson holiday ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Amid an ongoing debate about how Virginia should acknowledge its Confederate history, state lawmakers passed a bill Monday that scraps a 116-year-old state holiday honoring rebel generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
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** Senate panel rejects measure challenging Dominion's monopoly ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Lawmakers on a key Senate panel on Monday rejected legislation that would challenge Dominion’s monopoly over the electric market, in a defeat for large electric consumers seeking purchasing flexibility. The Senate Commerce Committee killed a bill backed by large-scale energy users like Costco and Target that would allow them to purchase electricity from any provider offering 100% renewable energy.
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** The Debate Over Paid Sick Days Continues in Richmond ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL POPE, WVTF

With less than two weeks left in the General Assembly session, lawmakers are still hashing out an agreement on paid sick days. The effort to give five paid sick days to workers across Virginia is moving through the House and Senate, although advocates did not get everything they wanted and businesses are still wary of taking on too much too quickly.
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** Why Some Black Lawmakers Oppose The Redistricting Amendment ([link removed])
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By MALLORY NOE-PAYNE, WVTF

Republicans in the statehouse are accusing Virginia Democrats of walking back promises to pass redistricting reform. But understanding why there’s resistance from some Democrats on the measure requires going back a year.
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** General Assembly passes bill relaxing sunscreen restrictions in schools ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Lawmakers have argued on guns, gambling and gerrymandering over the first few weeks of this year’s legislative session. But there’s at least one area where they all agree: sunscreen. Both chambers of the General Assembly unanimously passed a bill to allow any public elementary or secondary schoolers to carry — and apply — their own sunscreen. It’s an allowance so basic, it was met with incredulity by the senators who discussed the bill during a January committee meeting.
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** Legislature OKs bills to combat human trafficking of minors ([link removed])
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By RODNEY ROBINSON, VCU Capital News Service

The General Assembly has passed two identical bills intended to help social workers in the fight against minor-involved human trafficking. The bills, introduced by House Majority Leader Charniele L. Herring, D-Alexandria, and Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, were recommended by the Virginia State Crime Commission.
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** Chesterfield judgeship in limbo after legislative delegation fails to reach consensus ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The prospects of two candidates picked by a majority of Chesterfield County’s 10-member state legislative delegation to fill two county judgeships are uncertain after two legislators who didn’t participate in the selection process signaled their opposition and endorsed two other candidates.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Roanoke College poll shows Democratic candidates lead Trump in Virginia ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Just a week from Super Tuesday, when Virginians will vote for a Democratic presidential candidate, a new poll from Roanoke College shows that each of the contenders leads President Donald Trump in the state. However, the poll shows that most of the candidates named in the interview were not viewed much more favorably than Trump.
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** Democratic presidential hopefuls round up Virginia endorsements ahead of Super Tuesday ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR AND JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Candidates in the crowded Democratic presidential primary field will vie for Virginia’s 124 delegates on March 3. Virginia’s primary coincides with those of 13 other states in what will likely be a pivotal Super Tuesday contest. Candidates are seeking alliances with current and former lawmakers, local elected leaders and other prominent Virginia figures ...


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** State literacy summit shines light on reading achievement ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Virginia’s steady decline in reading test scores over the last five years should raise alarm for educators across the state, state Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane said Monday to kick off a literacy summit in Charlottesville. “The warning signs are here on these declines, and if we don’t do something now, we’re going to look back in 10 years, and folks are going to say they should have known because the trend was there,” Lane said.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** John Watkins will lend family firms up to $200,000 during proceedings ([link removed])
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By GREGORY J. GILLIGAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Watkins Nurseries Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, has reached out to a prominent family member for interim financing. Former state Sen. John C. Watkins, whose son is both the Chesterfield County-based company’s president and majority shareholder, has agreed to lend the nursery and two related businesses — Virginia’s Resources Recycled LLC and Watkins-Amelia LLC — up to $200,000...
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** NC wind project lays groundwork in Virginia Beach ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Inside Business

The turbines might be in the Outer Banks, but a planned wind farm in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, could have a huge economic impact in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads, according to project leaders. ... Most recently, the Virginia Beach Economic Development Authority approved a five-year option of up to 30 acres in the Corporate Landing Business Park to Avangrid Renewables to build an electrical substation.
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** Hemp industry advocates decry federal regulations during first day summit in Danville ([link removed])
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By KIM BARTO MEEKS, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Throughout the first day of Danville’s Industrial Hemp Summit, one number kept coming up again and again: 0.3%. That tiny percentage poses big problems for hemp producers across the country, multiple speakers agreed. Federal law states that hemp crops cannot contain more than 0.3% THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.
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** Virginia lawmakers say smoking hemp is fine if you’re 21 ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Virginia lawmakers cleared residents to smoke industrial hemp Monday, though they say they didn’t really understand why anyone would want to. Technically, the fibrous plant is already legal under federal law, but Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, said he wanted to clear up any confusion about the smokable version, which looks and smells exactly like marijuana but contains only trace amounts of the THC that gets people high.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Fairfax Connector strike averted as tentative labor deal reached ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN GEORGE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The union that represents Fairfax Connector bus operators will vote Saturday on a labor contract that could end three months of contentious negotiations that included a strike and the threat of a second one. [link removed]


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Mason Announces Next President, Gregory Washington ([link removed])
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By HAILEY BULLIS, GMU Fourth Estate

After a more than six-month-long search, Mason’s Board of Visitors (BOV) has selected Gregory Washington, the dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California-Irvine (UCI), to be Mason’s eighth president. Washington is set to start the position on July 1, 2020, according to an email sent out by Rector Tom Davis. He is Mason’s first African American president.
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** George Mason University names new president ([link removed])
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By RICHARD FOSTER, Virginia Business

The George Mason University Board of Visitors has selected Gregory Washington, the dean of the University of California, Irvine’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering, as the eighth president of George Mason. Washington will start on July 1. He takes over from former state Secretary of Education Anne Holton, who has served as the university’s interim president since August, when former GMU President Ángel Cabrera left to become president of Georgia Tech.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Supreme Court hears battle over Atlantic Coast Pipeline ([link removed])
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By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Monday appeared ready to remove an obstacle to construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, with a majority of justices expressing skepticism about a lower court ruling that tossed out a key permit needed for the natural gas pipeline to cross under the Appalachian Trail.
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** Supreme Court hears arguments on Atlantic Coast Pipeline ([link removed])
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By NANCY SORRELLS, News Virginian

Implications surrounding Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) crossing of the Appalachian Trail at the Augusta-Nelson County line near Waynesboro were heard before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday morning. The case set the U.S. Forest Service and the ACP against seven Valley environmental and cultural organizations represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center.
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** Justices consider pivotal pipeline question ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The highest court in the country on Monday delved into a deep question that will determine the fate of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The question before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday was whether the Appalachian Trail includes the land it crosses, and, if so, is all of that land part of the National Park System?
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** Local residents visit Supreme Court for pipeline argument ([link removed])
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By LEANNA SMITH, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

At least two local residents visited the U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments regarding the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. At 10 a.m., the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the consolidated cases U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Assn. and Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC v. Cowpasture River Assn.The Court will decide whether the U.S. Forest Service has the authority to grant rights-of-way for the pipeline to cross under the Appalachian Trail
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** Mountain Valley weighs options should its crossing of the Appalachian Trail be blocked ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

When a federal appeals court ruled that a natural gas pipeline cannot cross under the Appalachian Trail, it erected a “2,192-mile-long barrier” that blocks service to much of the East Coast, lawyers for Mountain Valley Pipeline say in court papers.
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** Battlefield battles: Proposed African American history museum draws criticism ([link removed])
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By BEN HITCHCOCK, Cville Weekly

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, a historic preservation group that installed a monument to Confederate soldiers in Winchester last year, is now angling for a $1.6 million grant from the state of Virginia for the creation of a different kind of monument—an African American history center. Some local black history organizations have expressed concerns.
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** Study Seeks to Document the History of National Park Segregation and its Lasting Effects ([link removed])
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By JAHD KHALIL, WVTF

Evidence of the legacy of segregation in Virginia’s national park sites is hidden in plain sight. Now, a study of how parks were segregated is looking at how the park service can highlight that history to campers and hikers. It will also try to determine if history has something to do with how different groups are represented in park visitorship.


** LOCAL
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** Developer seeks to buy Navy Hill land from Richmond and upgrade Coliseum ([link removed])
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By MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A Washington-based developer has offered to buy and renovate the Richmond Coliseum and redevelop about 14 acres of publicly owned downtown real estate, according to an offer letter obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Douglas Development Corp. lodged the unsolicited $15 million offer on the heels of the Richmond City Council killing the $1.5 billion Navy Hill proposal, which called for demolishing the Coliseum and for a new arena and mixed-use development to rise on the same property.
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** Preserving and expanding Virginia Beach’s forests is key in fight against flooding, study says ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia Beach’s forests play an outsized role in the city’s fight against flooding by silently managing massive amounts of water every day of the year, according to a new study that will be released this week.
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** Virginia Beach will pay three years of interest on certain tax refunds — if businesses request it ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The city has decided to pay the interest it owes on certain tax refunds for the past three years. But first the companies need to request the money. The city estimated the total amount of interest for the past three years is between $75,000 and $120,000. It hasn’t paid interest in 20 years, possibly totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, but officials are citing a three-year statute of limitations.
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** Fredericksburg judge agrees to pause, but not halt, slave auction block decision ([link removed])
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By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

A Fredericksburg judge refused Monday to grant an injunction to stop the city from removing a slave auction block from a downtown street corner, but did give the building owner challenging the move time to file an appeal. Circuit Judge Sarah Deneke agreed to a 15-day stay of her order so the attorney for E.D. Cole Building LLC could ask the Virginia Supreme Court to take the case.
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** Augusta County supervisors nix militia idea, saying they don't have authority ([link removed])
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By CLAIRE MITZEL, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

Citing a legal opinion from the county attorney, Augusta County Supervisors on Monday said they don't have the authority to call up a militia. "The bottom line is, our legal counsel has said you don't have the authority to do this," Beverley Manor Supervisor Butch Wells said. "That's very simple."

Today's Sponsor:


** Raytheon Company
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A global technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. Raytheon.com ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
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** Weigh progress of RGGI enrollment against cost ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The mad rush to get Virginia into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative raises questions. This thing — a compact of Northeastern states begun more than 10 years ago — maintains an artificial market for the trading of emissions credits, all in the cause, proponents insist, of helping the climate.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Politifact: U.S isn't reducing carbon emissions at world's highest rate ([link removed])
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By WARREN FISKE, Politifact

House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, recently accused the newly-elected Democratic majorities in the General Assembly of undermining Virginia’s pro-business environment. Gilbert particularly focused on bills passed by the House and Senate that would require Virginia to completely rely on renewable energy sources by mid-century - a death knell for Southwest Virginia’s declining coal industry. We fact-checked Gilbert’s assertion that “America’s carbon emissions are being reduced at a rate higher than any country in the world.”


** OP-ED
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** Wilson and Dye: The Uncertain Future of Virginia’s Right-to-Work Laws Affects our Business Climate ([link removed])
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By JACK WILSON AND NANCY DYE, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

It was with great dismay that I read of Norfolk Southern’s decision to relocate over 100 jobs out of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Admittedly, they are confronting a changing business model — but when facing the choice of remaining in Virginia or Pennsylvania, Virginia lost out.

Wilson is chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. Dye is a retired doctor and former Republican state Senate candidate from Roanoke.
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** Cobb: Don't sacrifice Virginia's well-being for the sake of expanded gambling ([link removed])
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By VICTORIA COBB, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

“The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed,” warned C.S. Lewis, the renowned British scholar and bestselling author. It’s an apropos warning for our state, considering the glitzy promises accompanying legislative proposals to launch the largest gambling expansion in Virginia’s history.

Victoria Cobb is president of The Family Foundation of Virginia.
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