Today's Sponsor: Dominion Energy

VaNews Aug. 27, 2019
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Today's Sponsor:


** Dominion Energy
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We're proud to support VPAP's mission of providing citizens with easy access to non-partisan information about Virginia politics.

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** FROM VPAP
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** VISUALIZATION: PINPOINTING DEMOCRATS' SMALL DONORS ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

How much do out-of-state donors account for a recent surge in donations of $100 or less to Virginia Democrats? Some clues come from ActBlue, a PAC that must identify anyone who uses its online platform to give money to Virginia candidates. By far, California tops the list of small donors. Click a nationwide map to see small donation totals by city and ZIP Code.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** VIRGINIA GOVERNOR'S APPROVAL RATINGS ABOVE WATER 6 MONTHS AFTER BLACKFACE SCANDAL ([link removed])
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By ZACK BUDRYK, The Hill

More Virginians approve of Gov. Ralph Northam’s (D) job performance than disapprove six months after the revelation of a racist image on his medical school yearbook page prompted calls for his resignation, according to a Roanoke College poll released Monday.


** 6 MONTHS AFTER BLACKFACE SCANDAL, MORE APPROVE OF NORTHAM THAN DISAPPROVE ([link removed])
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By ALEJANDRO ALVAREZ, WTOP

A new survey suggests Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s popular support is holding above water, six months into the fallout of a blackface scandal and amid a contentious gun control debate. Despite pressure to resign from within his own party, an August poll conducted by Roanoke College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research and released Monday showed more respondents expressed approval for the Democratic governor than disapproval.


** VIRGINIA GOV SIGNS DEAL EXPANDING MATTAPONI RESERVATION ([link removed])
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Associated Press

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed a land trust agreement that transfers more than 100 acres of land to the Mattaponi Indian Reservation. The governor announced the deal Monday, saying it will almost double the size of the tribe's current reservation in King William County.


** ROANOKE AREA TO GAIN DATA INSIGHTS ON OPIOID CRISIS, NORTHAM SAYS ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Southwest Virginia has a new tool in its belt to fight the opioid crisis. The region will be the second in the state to adopt software to share data about the opioid and addiction epidemic, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday in Roanoke County.


** VIRGINIA AG HERRING JOINS LAWSUIT OVER TREATMENT OF DETAINED IMMIGRANT CHILDREN ([link removed])
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WFXR

Attorney General Mark Herring (D-Va.) has joined a group of other attorneys general suing the Trump Administration over its planned changes to detention of children in the United States illegally. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, is lead by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, both Democrats.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** VIRGINIA FIRST LADIES URGE STATE LAWMAKERS TO RATIFY ERA ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Two Virginia first ladies on Monday urged the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment during an event marking the 99th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which secured women’s right to vote. Virginia first lady Pam Northam and former first lady Anne Holton spoke on the steps of the state Capitol


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** TRUMP APPROVAL HITS NEW LOW AMONG VIRGINIANS IN ROANOKE COLLEGE POLL ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginians’ dislike of President Trump is getting worse, according to a new statewide poll that suggests the headwinds Republicans could face in crucial legislative elections this fall.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** VIRGINIA RELEASES FINAL PLAN FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY CLEANUP ([link removed])
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By TAMARA DIETRICH, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia finally has its final Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) — an ambitious road map to further reduce pollution and clean up the Chesapeake Bay. The plan was released Friday as part of a regional effort that began in 2010 and commits Virginia and other bay states to install anti-pollution measures by 2025 that will restore the country’s largest estuary. This is Virginia’s third and last cleanup plan under that effort.


** VIRGINIA REPORTS 3 CONFIRMED CASES OF ILLNESS FROM VAPING ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health on Monday said it has three confirmed cases of illnesses from vaping and is asking parents to talk with their kids about the dangers of using e-cigarettes.


** VA. HEALTH OFFICIALS CONFIRM 3 CASES OF VAPING-RELATED LUNG ILLNESS ([link removed])
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By BRIDGET BALCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed three cases of people with a severe lung illness associated with the use of e-cigarettes, known as vaping, in the state. As of Aug. 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had identified 193 possible cases of the illness in 22 states. The majority of the cases involve adolescents and young adults.


** VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ISSUES FIRST-EVER BACK-TO-SCHOOL VAPING WARNING ([link removed])
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By CHARLES FISHBURNE, WCVE

The Virginia Department of Health has issued its first-ever back-to-school warning about e-cigarette use or “vaping.”


** CONGRESS
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** SEN. WARNER VISITS E.C. GLASS TO SHARE HIGHER EDUCATION INITIATIVES ([link removed])
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By OLIVIA JOHNSON, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

In the courtyard of E.C. Glass High School on Monday, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., discussed higher education accessibility with high school students and participants of Lynchburg’s post- secondary scholarship programs. E.C. Glass was the first stop of Warner’s weeklong tour of communities in central Virginia.


** AT LYNCHBURG HIGH SCHOOL, SEN. WARNER TAKES PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO HIGHER EDUCATION ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Like so many teenagers across the country, when it came time for Mubashara Ashraf to pick where to continue her education after high school, she had to factor in the cost. Ashraf settled on Randolph College to study education after she graduated from Heritage High School in Lynchburg. Because she chose to attend a college in the area this fall, a nonprofit chipped in an $8,000 scholarship.


** REP. WEXTON LAUNCHES CONGRESSIONAL AGRITOURISM CAUCUS, TOURS RURAL BUSINESSES ([link removed])
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By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times

Winemaker and businessman Lew Parker has delivered an array of awards for Willowcroft Farm Vineyards just south of Leesburg. Over the past 30 years, Willowcroft and other farms and rural operations have leaned on their staff, loyal customers and decisions from local, state and federal governments to help grow their business. With the growth of the agritourism industry, U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.-10th) hopes to provide additional support


** IN ALBEMARLE, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY HEARS ABOUT LABOR, TRADE ISSUES FROM FARMERS ([link removed])
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By ALLISON WRABEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Farmers from across Virginia’s 5th Congressional District met with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in Albemarle County to discuss agriculture issues, such as labor, hemp farming and various regulations. Rep. Denver Riggleman, the district’s congressman, and Perdue toured Roslyn Farm — owned by fellow Republican Richard Fox, a former candidate for the 25th House District


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** VIRGINIA TECH’S GOVERNING BOARD MOVES PROJECTS FORWARD, SETS PUBLIC COMMENT PLAN ON TUITION ([link removed])
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By ROBBY KORTH, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors on Monday voted to move forward with $164.4 million in campus capital projects and laid the groundwork for public comment on potential tuition increases at future meetings. The board met Monday in Northern Virginia. For the construction projects, all in Blacksburg, the next step will be for the university to seek out contractors


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** FINAL BAY RESTORATION PLAN RELEASED ([link removed])
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By JESSICA WETZLER, Daily News Record (Subscription Required)

After more than 4,800 comments were submitted calling for revisions and adjustments, the final Phase III of the Watershed Implementation Plan has been released. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s office released the draft for Phase III on April 5, allowing public comment until June 7. With more than two months of reviewing and finalizing later, Northam released the final plan Friday to restore Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers.


** N. VA. LEADERS SAY MORE POLITICAL COURAGE IS NECESSARY TO SOLVE THE REGION'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRSIS ([link removed])
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By ALEX KOMA, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

Northern Virginia’s top local leaders admit they’re failing to address the rapid rise of housing costs in the region — and in a truly rare move for politicians, they’re willing to take some of the blame for those shortcomings. Most researchers, advocates and developers agree Greater Washington's housing affordability crunch has been driven primarily by a lack of supply, a diagnosis that officials from Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William say they accept. And at a summit convened by the region’s chambers of commerce Monday, leaders from each jurisdiction conceded that they’ve too often allowed political concerns to slow the construction of new homes.


** DATA COLLECTION AND SHARING ARE NEWEST TOOLS TO FIGHT OPIOID ABUSE ([link removed])
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By DAVID SEIDEL, WVTF

A data sharing platform aimed at fighting opioid abuse and addiction is being expanded into southwest Virginia. The platform, known as FAACT (Framework for Addiction Analysis and Community Transformation), collects street-level data on crime, overdoses and emerging drug trends. Law enforcement, health providers and community service agencies can access the data and use it to focus their resources.


** LOCAL
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** AREA RESIDENTS, NOT AMAZON NEWCOMERS, ARE FUELING NORTHERN VIRGINIA REAL ESTATE FRENZY, AGENTS SAY ([link removed])
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By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The first Amazon employees have barely arrived in Northern Virginia, but the housing market close to the company’s new headquarters in Arlington County is behaving as if all 25,000 workers are moving in next week, real estate agents and analysts say.


** LOCAL LEADERS URGE REGIONAL HOUSING PLAN AND TRANSIT INVESTMENTS ([link removed])
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ArlNow

The majority of local leaders agree that Northern Virginia needs more affordable housing and bus transit — though they differ on the details. Local leaders discussed issues ranging from housing to the area’s overall economic health during the Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit co-hosted by several local chambers of commerce at George Mason University’s Arlington campus earlier today (Monday).


** DEMOCRATS CLAIM PROSECUTOR CANDIDATE WITTMANN DOESN’T LIVE IN LOUDOUN ([link removed])
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By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

A petition filed in Loudoun County Circuit Court argues Republican candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney does not live in the county and is ineligible for the office. The petition, filed by four Loudoun Democrats, seeks to have Nicole Wittmann, the chief deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, struck from Loudoun’s voter rolls and disqualified as a candidate, pointing to the home in Herndon where she has long lived with her husband and two children.


** SIGNATURE COLLECTION IN SCHOOL BOARD RACE DOES ‘NOT CONSTITUTE A CRIME’ ([link removed])
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By URIAH KISER, Potomac Local (Subscription Required)

A campaign volunteer for Neabsco District School Board member Diane Raulston collected signatures to get the candidate on the November ballot before having her voting rights restored. Prior to the restoration of her voting rights on April 10, 2019, the campaign volunteer was barred from participating in the electoral process. Of the 144 validated signatures she submitted, only 87 of them were collected after her rights were restored.


** RICHMOND SCHOOLS CHIEF SUPPORTS COMBINING SCHOOLS IN EFFORT TO IMPROVE STUDENT DIVERSITY ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Richmond’s schools chief is throwing his support behind a controversial proposal to combine several city elementary school zones in the name of improving student diversity. “It’s a creative way to increase diversity and bring communities together,” city school system Superintendent Jason Kamras told the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Monday.


** ACLU CITES WRONG ORDINANCE, BUT STILL OPPOSES WINCHESTER'S PANHANDLING BAN ([link removed])
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By BRIAN BREAHM, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia has advised Winchester that its recently approved ban on roadside panhandling "would not withstand a legal challenge under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."

Today's Sponsor:


** Dominion Energy
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We're proud to support VPAP's mission of providing citizens with easy access to non-partisan information about Virginia politics.


** EDITORIALS
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** VETERANS CLINIC A WELCOME ADDITION TO REGION ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

THE NEW STEVEN A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center in Virginia Beach is a welcome and necessary addition to the services offered to veterans and military families in Hampton Roads.


** SO HOW SHOULD WE PAY FOR I-81? ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Some localities in western Virginia are unhappy with the funding plan for Interstate 81 that the General Assembly approved back in April. Specifically, the legislature raised the wholesale tax on gas and diesel in the planning districts along the length of I-81 through Virginia. Now, some local governments are busy passing resolutions against that plan.


** LOCAL RESEARCH ADDRESSES GLOBAL PROBLEMS ([link removed])
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Daily Press Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Kepone was once a scourge of the James River. Nearly 30 tons of the chemical - once used as an insecticide and in rat poison - was illegally dumped in the river in the mid-1970s. At the time, it was considered one of Virginia’s worst environmental disasters. And a layer of it remains buried in the riverbed to this day.


** STATE RACES BETTER THAN REALITY TV ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

In the You-Can’t-Make-This-Up Department, Del. Nick Freitas, R–Culpeper, a two-term incumbent in a heavily Republican House district, has to run a write-in-campaign for reelection this November because he didn’t file the proper paperwork on time.
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