VaNews
July 23, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Commonwealth Strategy Group
------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to our long-time colleague and new CSG Partner - Lauren B. Schmitt! Thank you for being part of this team! commonwealthstrategy.net/team ([link removed])
* Read Online ([link removed])
* 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])
* Refer a Friend ([link removed])

Top of the News


** Ballad 'at war' with health pandemic ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Ballad Health is “at war” with COVID-19 as local cases have nearly doubled in the past two weeks, and system officials work to address an additional surge expected in upcoming weeks. Dedicated COVID-19 treatment beds at Ballad hospitals reached 88% capacity Wednesday, prompting officials to announce temporary changes designed to ramp up both bed and staffing capacity, Chief Operating Officer/Incident Commander Eric Deaton said during a news briefing.
------------------------------------------------------------


** D.C.-area parents brace for more all-virtual school ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By HANNAH NATANSON, MORIAH BALINGIT AND PERRY STEIN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Thousands of D.C. area families that had pinned their hopes on school buildings reopening this fall must grapple with a stunning new reality: Their children will not step inside a classroom for who knows how many months to come. The announcements came rapid-fire over the course of the day Tuesday: First, Fairfax County Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools in Northern Virginia said they were switching to all-virtual schooling in the fall.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Dozens of Hanover teachers, parents hold car rally against five-day school reopening plan ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Annual live shooter drills always made David Chung imagine how he might need to take a bullet for his students. He says he’d be ready to do it in a heartbeat, but now he’s afraid of the harm he could cause teaching them face-to-face. “I’m being asked to host the virus and spread it around my students,” he said, speaking hypothetically at a protest outside the Hanover County School Board’s office Wednesday.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia’s largest school insurer says worker’s compensation is unlikely for teachers who catch COVID-19 ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Virginia’s largest insurer for local school divisions had a clear message for administrators on Monday: Don’t worry about COVID-related worker’s compensation claims from school employees. “The burden of proof to determine that’s where you contracted the disease is going to be tough to do,” said Lee Brannon, the senior school specialist for VACORP, during an online summit for the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia. As public schools weigh their options for reopening in the fall, Brannon said he’s received questions from “a lot of people” about what would happen if a teacher — or any other school employee — filed for worker’s compensation after contracting COVID-19 on the job.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Law enforcement leaders encourage legislators to improve procedure to decertify officers ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Law enforcement leaders on Wednesday encouraged state legislators to strengthen the process of decertifying an officer’s license to prevent a bad one from working again in law enforcement. The officials addressed a joint meeting of the House of Delegates’ Courts of Justice and Public Safety committees ahead of a special session of the General Assembly. The legislature will take up police and criminal justice reform after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Kaine Says Portland Crackdown Reminiscent of Honduran Dictatorship ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said the tactics used by federal agents against protestors in Portland are reminiscent of the Honduran dictatorship he briefly lived under as a Jesuit volunteer in 1980. President Trump says he’s restoring law and order to a city with continuing protests that have resulted in some property damage. He has vowed to send the agents to more cities over the objections of local and state officials. But Kaine objected to tactics that have included wearing camouflage and picking up protestors in unmarked cars.
------------------------------------------------------------


** In Mathews, a heated debate over Lee-Jackson Elementary resurfaces ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

It was standing room only Tuesday night inside the Mathews High School media center. “I’ll make this very short, and it’s just my opinion,” Tom Noble told the School Board. “I think Ms. Turner is a racist.” Several people gasped. Kamilah Turner started the petition that the board was there to discuss — seeking a new name for Lee-Jackson Elementary. The county’s only elementary school has borne the name of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson since at least the early 1900s.
The Full Report
60 articles, 22 publications
* Read Online ([link removed])
* 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])
* Refer a Friend ([link removed])


** FROM VPAP
------------------------------------------------------------


** VPAP Visual Money Follows Power ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

The Virginia Public Access Project

While in control of the House of Delegates, Republicans enjoyed an advantage in raising money from companies and business trade associations that lobby the legislature. The fundraising dynamics were reversed this year after Democrats seized the majority. This visual shows the changing GOP:Democratic ratio of business donations to members of four key House committees.
------------------------------------------------------------


** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

The Virginia Public Access Project

Our COVID-19 dashboard makes it easy to track the latest available data for tests performed, infections, deaths and hospital capacity. There's a filter for each city and county, plus an exclusive per-capita ZIP Code map. Updated each morning around 10:00 am.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia asked to invest $1 billion to prevent evictions ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

A racial justice organization is calling on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to reinstate a statewide moratorium on evictions and invest $1 billion in a relief program to help thousands of families who could face eviction because of the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Members of New Virginia Majority said Wednesday that the $50 million Northam has earmarked for rent relief won’t be nearly enough to help people who have lost their jobs and are behind on their rent due to the pandemic.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Democrats vow sweeping changes in criminal justice ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ALAN SUDERMAN AND DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

Virginia Democrats say they are looking to make transformational change to the state’s criminal justice system — just a few months after taking a far less ambitious approach. The killing of George Floyd and widespread protests over police violence have prompted lawmakers and their allies to promise sweeping changes to a criminal justice system many advocates have long said doles out disparate treatment to minorities.
------------------------------------------------------------


** At state hearing, law enforcement representatives back allowing more censures for excessive force ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Representatives from local and state law enforcement agencies on Wednesday signaled support for expanding and improving the system under which misbehaving police officers are permanently removed from the job. Representatives of the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police signaled support for amending the state’s decertification policy, allowing for more officers to be censured for excessive use of force.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Lawmakers to slash the state budget and consider criminal-justice reforms ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MICHAEL LEE POPE, Mount Vernon Gazette

The threadbare Franklin and Armfield office on Duke Street stands at the crossroads between racial injustice and economic crisis. It’s a ramshackle building now, but it was once the headquarters for the largest domestic slave trading firm in the United States, present at the creation of the systemic racism that plagues Virginia cops and courts. It’s also the city’s latest acquisition, and the state budget was to include $2.5 million to help transform it into the Freedom House Museum. But then the pandemic hit, and the governor hit the pause button on that line item as well as all the other spending priorities of the new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia police chiefs want to make it easier to banish bad cops from profession ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone says he’s fired police officers for unethical conduct and using excessive force. And he says that to his dismay, he’s watched as those same officers get hired to work in a nearby department. “I’ve seen it all too often,” he told lawmakers Wednesday. “Clearly we have to do something to put control measures in place to stop that.”


** STATE ELECTIONS
------------------------------------------------------------


** NoVa Chamber yanks invite to state Sen. Amanda Chase ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KATE ANDREWS, Virginia Business

The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce rescinded a speaking invitation Wednesday to state Sen. Amanda Chase, the controversial Chesterfield County-based politician who is seeking the 2021 GOP nomination for governor, with the chamber’s newly installed chairman, Kathryn Falk, saying the chamber condemns “statements and actions by Senator Chase and any person who attempts to divide us, playing on people’s fears and appealing to bigotry and hate.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** Norfolk councilwoman Andria McClellan says she’s exploring a run for Virginia lieutenant governor ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Andria McClellan, who has served on Norfolk City Council since 2016, said Wednesday she’s eyeing a run for lieutenant governor in 2021. The Hampton Roads native said she’ll spend the next few months listening to Virginians and supporting the candidates running for office in November.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Indian American announces PAC for Lt Gov of Virginia race ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Times of India

An Indian-American Republican businessman will run for the powerful office of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and has launched a political action committee for it. Puneet Ahluwalia, 55, in an e-mail to his supporters on Tuesday, announced: "I have taken the leap by launching the Proud American Political Action Committee to explore my run for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia." A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt organization in the US that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Beach lawyer announces run for attorney general ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Chuck Smith, a Virginia Beach lawyer who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2017, is running again to be Virginia's top lawyer. Smith, a Republican, officially announced his bid Wednesday, becoming the second candidate in the 2021 election. Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk, is also running for the post. Either would be the state's first Black attorney general.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Medicaid wins federal approval to offer housing, job support ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia won federal approval to create a Medicaid program to offer housing and employment services for people with significant behavioral and physical health needs. The program could launch in July 2022 as long as the governor and lawmakers approve matching funds.
------------------------------------------------------------


** VDOE annual report now provides per-pupil funding for each public school ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CATHY JETT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Virginians who want to know how much local, state and federal money is spent per pupil at an individual school finally have a way to find out. The Virginia Department of Education’s annual School Quality Profiles report, which has provided that information on a district level for decades, now includes the per-pupil expenditure at each of the state’s public schools for the first time because of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Smithfield’s DMV service center will not reopen at current location ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JESSICA NOLTE, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles will not reopen its customer service center in Smithfield at the existing location, according to an agency spokesperson. The 912 S. Church St. location was closed in March along with the 74 other service centers in the state to limit the spread of the coronavirus.


** CONGRESS
------------------------------------------------------------


** House passes sweeping conservation legislation pushed by Sen. Mark Warner ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The U.S. House of Representatives passed sweeping conservation legislation on Wednesday, sending to President Donald Trump’s desk a plan providing $9.5 billion for national parks repair and permanently directing $900 million a year toward outdoor recreation on public lands. The House passed the Great American Outdoors Act by a 310-107 vote, and it sailed through the Senate last month. Trump has signaled support for the legislation, which promises new parks and upgraded recreational facilities across the country. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has been leading the effort for years to provide financial relief to national parks.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Kaine, Warner push for Virginia's new gun control measures to become federal law ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

With Virginia’s controversial new gun control measures now in effect, the state’s Democratic U.S. senators want the state laws to become federal law. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, who is running for re-election, on Wednesday introduced the “Virginia Plan to Reduce Gun Violence Act of 2020” that would enact most of Virginia’s new gun control legislation nationally, including the state’s new “red flag” law, a one-handgun-a-month law, and the required reporting of lost and stolen guns. The proposal is not likely to gain support in the Republican-controlled Senate or with the White House.


** TRANSPORTATION
------------------------------------------------------------


** A politician’s return of a $10,000 donation was never cashed. The transit union says it lost the check. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The $10,000 donation that cost former Metro board member Christian Dorsey his position was returned to the agency’s largest union five months ago, but the check was never cashed — because it was lost in the mail, Dorsey and the union said. Dorsey (D), an Arlington County Board member, who served as one of Metro’s appointed leaders until February, lost that unpaid job over his failure to disclose the union donation within 10 days, as the Metro board’s ethics policy requires.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Long-awaited transportation hub, Amtrak station in Newport News slated to open in two years ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOSH REYES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

A hub in Newport News for rail, buses, taxis and airport shuttles has been in the works for a decade, and on Tuesday, officials ceremonially broke ground at the site. They said travelers could anticipate using the new multimodal center in August of 2022.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Norfolk International Airport saw traffic drop by more than 75% in June ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

As the coronavirus pandemic has continued to keep people home and largely off airplanes, Norfolk International Airport leaders say the number of passengers using it in June dropped by more than 75% compared with the same time a year ago. Just 93,725 travelers flew into and out of the airport in last month compared with 385,174 in June 2019.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
------------------------------------------------------------


** Lynchburg colleges won't require COVID-19 test for returning students this fall ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Liberty University will not require students to be tested for COVID-19 ahead of the first day of fall classes, according to a proposed operations plan submitted to the state for approval. In addition to Liberty, two other institutions of higher learning in the Hill City — the University of Lynchburg and Randolph College — will not make testing mandatory for students, according to draft reopening plans.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Small Virginia colleges, university foundations sought relief through PPP loans ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JAMES FARIS, Richmond BizSense

Nineteen small private and for-profit colleges and universities in Virginia applied for a combined range of $22 million-$55 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Additionally, foundations and organizations tied to larger public universities such as George Mason University, James Madison University, the University of Mary Washington and the University of Virginia were approved for a combined total of $5.3 million-$12.4 million in PPP money.
------------------------------------------------------------


** EVMS nonwhite and women employees have less trust in leaders, culture report says ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Nonwhite and women employees at Eastern Virginia Medical School have lower trust in its leadership than do other staff, and more needs to be done to address that, according to a report following the school’s yearbook scandal. The Community Advisory Board recently released its recommendations to the school after a study of its campus culture. EVMS President Dr. Richard V. Homan formed the board last year after a photo surfaced from Gov. Ralph Northam’s page in the EVMS yearbook for 1984, the year he graduated and turned 25.


** CORONAVIRUS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginians can help scientists understand how the pandemic affects their lives, livelihoods ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Your friends and families have asked, and now researchers want to know: How have you been during the coronavirus pandemic? Have you been ill or anxious? Have you lost your job, had a hard time paying bills or buying food? Or has life been more or less the same, but different? While you might feel you’ve been talking about nothing but the coronavirus since March, Virginia’s researchers haven’t had a unified way to tap into that information until now.
------------------------------------------------------------


** 1,022 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported 1,022 coronavirus cases Wednesday, bringing the state’s tally to 80,393. Of the total cases, 77,380 are confirmed and 3,013 are probable, meaning those patients are symptomatic and have a known exposure to the illness.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Coronavirus could push 250,000 into hunger in D.C. region, report says ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KYLE SWENSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Up to a quarter of a million people in the Washington area could be thrown into hunger because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the Capital Area Food Bank, even as the amount of donated food and the number of distribution sites plummet precipitously. About half of the food bank’s 450 partner groups and food pantries are closed because of the pandemic — mostly because of building closures, a loss of elderly volunteers or a lack of funding.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Young people in Hampton Roads are contracting the coronavirus in greater numbers, making it harder to stop ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MARIE ALBIGES AND PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

With the number of hospitalizations and positive COVID-19 tests spiking in Hampton Roads in recent weeks, younger people now make up the majority of new cases. And it’s worrying health officials as they try to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the region.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Fredericksburg-area virus cases rise by highest amount in five weeks ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

As virus cases surge throughout Virginia and the rest of the nation, the Rappahannock Area Health District on Wednesday reported its largest daily increase of COVID-19 cases in five weeks. There were 46 new cases in Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford. That’s the highest daily number since June 14, when there were 82 new cases reported—and many of them came from one area nursing home.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Democrats point fingers at Washington for COVID response ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MAX THORNBERRY, Northern Virginia Daily

Virginia Democrats insist they want to see children back in school this fall but say a slow federal response to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic has put huge barriers in the way of that happening. In a press call hosted by the Virginia Democratic Party Wednesday afternoon, several state education leaders laid out a searing critique of Donald Trump and Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Leaders pointed to threats of federal funding for education being tied to committing to open schools for five-day-a-week education as counterproductive during a time when schools face an unprecedented challenge.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Richmond libraries to return to curbside-only operation as city sees increase in daily COVID-19 cases ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOHANNA ALONSO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Richmond’s libraries are closing public spaces and returning to curbside-only service weeks after reopening, likely through Labor Day, said agency Director Scott Firestine. Several library workers were exposed to COVID-19 after branches reopened to the public July 6, he said, although so far no employees have tested positive for the virus.
------------------------------------------------------------


** As schools cancel fall sports, athletes play on in club leagues ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

One evening last week, five boys wearing navy and gold Steward School jerseys stepped onto a basketball court and positioned themselves for tipoff. The coronavirus pandemic has put high school sports across the state on hold, but there are still ways for teenage athletes to play alongside their schoolmates. Pay-to-play club sports persist, even as high schools put the brakes on athletic competition.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Judge cites “speedy trial” rules, sets September jury trial date for Chesapeake doctor ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By PETER DUJARDIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A federal judge on Wednesday scheduled the first local jury trial since state and local courts put tight COVID-19 restrictions in place more than four months ago. Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith scheduled the trial to begin Sept. 29 for a Chesapeake doctor accused of performing dozens of hysterectomies and other unnecessary surgeries.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
------------------------------------------------------------


** Richmond-area activist groups call for unity, amnesty for all protesters ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ALI ROCKETT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Richmond organizers and activists from several organizations came together Wednesday in an effort to unify and amplify their calls for dropping the charges faced by any protester arrested during the recent civil unrest. Among the speakers were Michaela Hatton, a recent graduate from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work, and Omari Al-Qadaffi, a well-known housing rights organizer — two of the nearly 300 people arrested for their roles in separate protests.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Powerful violin vigil at Lee statue honors McClain ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LILY BETTS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A group of about two dozen musicians gathered at the base of the Robert E. Lee monument Tuesday evening to perform a Violin Vigil in memory of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man from Aurora, Colo., who died in police custody in August 2019. Saraya Perry, a hobbyist who has been playing the violin for 16 years, said that the concert gave an outlet to some of those who have not been able to express support of recent protests.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Monument Avenue residents refile lawsuit challenging removal of Lee statue ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Less than a week after dropping a similar lawsuit, five Richmond residents who live in the Monument Avenue Historic District are suing Virginia over its planned removal of the Robert E. Lee statue. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Richmond Circuit Court but announced Wednesday, reiterates claims in previous complaints that taking down the statue would decrease property values and hurt tax incentives.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Monument Removal Cost: $1.8M, Receipts Confirm ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA, WCVE

Newly released copies of the contract and invoices for the removal of the city’s Confederate iconography confirm it will cost the city $1.8 million. A total of 14 pieces -- including monuments, plaques and cannons -- were removed by the company NAH LLC, before a judge ordered the operations to stop earlier this month. There’s little information available about the limited liability company, but according to the Virginia State Corporation Commission it formed in June. Invoices obtained by VPM shows NAH LLC was paid a base rate of $900,000 for the removal. The city paid an additional $180,000 per workday, totaling another $900,000.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Beach will discuss moving its Confederate monument on Thursday ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ALISSA SKELTON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The future of the Virginia Beach Confederate monument may be determined Thursday night at the Convention Center. The Virginia Beach City Council will listen to public comment starting at 7 p.m. Attendees should wear masks and follow physical distancing guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19.


** LOCAL
------------------------------------------------------------


** Arlington asks voters to issue bonds for storm water, school improvements ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Arlington voters will decide in November whether to allow the county to issue $144.5 million worth of bonds to pay for storm water, school and transportation projects, the County Board agreed Tuesday night. The $51 million storm water bonds would pay for improvements in handling storm water, water quality and other capital maintenance projects. They would be issued over several years based on project needs.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Loudoun County weighs switching from a sheriff to a police department ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By TOM JACKMAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

As the population of once rural Loudoun County soared in recent years to more than 400,000, an idea took hold: The county needed a police department rather than a sheriff’s office. When the county’s Board of Supervisors flipped from Republican to Democratic control in November, Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said she would pursue a voter referendum to create a new Loudoun County police department, and the board scheduled a vote for this week to discuss putting the issue to the voters. Then came the pushback, not only from Sheriff Mike Chapman (R), also reelected in November, but from Loudoun residents and other supervisors who felt the county was moving too quickly.
------------------------------------------------------------


** New Virginia gun law used to secure Grace Covenant Church stabber’s firearms ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Fort Hunt Herald

One of Virginia’s newest gun laws has been used by Fairfax County law enforcement to “safeguard firearms” owned by the alleged Grace Covenant Church stabber Chance Harrison. Harrison, a 32-year-old man from South Riding, is accused of stabbing two people at the Chantilly place of worship during an education event on Saturday afternoon, July 18, 2020. He was charged with two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, one count of felony assault on a police officer, one count of misdemeanor assault, and was being held without bond.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Manassas City Council Considers Giving Mayor Voting Power ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By OLIVIA AVENI BRISCOE, Potomac Local (Subscription Required)

Manassas City leaders will consider giving their mayor a say. A public hearing to discuss whether or not the city’s mayor should have a vote is expected to be announced soon. Historically, the mayor has cast a vote only to play the role of a tie-breaker in the instance the council is deadlocked on an issue.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Petersburg, Hopewell school boards approve virtual start for school year ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JESS NOCERA AND KENYA HUNTER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Public schools in Petersburg and Hopewell will begin the 2020-21 school year virtually on Sept. 8, with Hopewell starting a month later than expected. The school boards in both cities approved plans for virtual instruction at their respective meetings Wednesday night.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Petersburg council renames Lee Memorial Park to honor legends with city ties ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The city of Petersburg’s Lee Memorial Park will no longer be named for a Confederate general, but rather for legends who have called the city home. The City Council voted 6-1 to rename the park to Petersburg Legends Historical Park and Nature Sanctuary, during a virtual Tuesday meeting.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Norfolk Public Schools students will start fall virtually learning ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SARA GREGORY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Norfolk’s school year will start virtually and continue online at least for the first nine weeks of the year, the city’s school board decided Wednesday. Online learning could extend beyond that, but the board decided only to address the start of the school year given the constantly changing health forecasts.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Chesapeake teachers group advocates for all-virtual start to school year ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The association representing more than 1,000 Chesapeake teachers and school staff said Wednesday that it does not support any plan that calls for in-person instruction when school resumes. The announcement by the Chesapeake Education Association calls for virtual instruction for all students during the first semester given an increase in numbers of coronavirus cases in the region, including Chesapeake.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Defense League asks IW for no new gun laws ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By STEPHEN FALESKI, Smithfield Times (Paywall)

Some Isle of Wight gun owners are hoping the county’s Board of Supervisors won’t ban firearms in government buildings, public parks or other areas, even though it now has the authority to do so. Effective July 1, House Bill 421 and its companion legislation, Senate Bill 35, now authorize localities to prohibit the possession or carrying of guns, ammunition or firearm components in those locations, with some exceptions for training and athletic events that require the use of a firearm. The measure is one of several new gun laws the General Assembly enacted earlier this year that go into effect this month.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Stafford teachers urge School Board to delay in-school classes ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By HAILEY BULLIS, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The Stafford County School Board is expected to decide next week whether to shift to all-online classes for the beginning of the school year amid concerns from some teachers about being exposed to COVID-19. Dozens of educators and staff members gathered outside the Stafford Government Center on Tuesday evening to call on School Board members—who were meeting inside—to delay plans to allow some in-person classes.
------------------------------------------------------------


** City Council signals support for frontline workers ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Charlottesville officials are tentatively backing a regional effort to provide support to essential workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. The City Council discussed the Frontline Workers Fair Treatment Charter during its meeting early Tuesday morning. The charter, which would provide guarantees to workers as the pandemic continues, was developed by the University of Virginia’s Equity Center, Network2Work at Piedmont Virginia Community College and UVa’s President’s Council.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Council advances firearm ban, signals support for expanded CRB power ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Charlottesville is one step closer to banning firearms in city facilities and properties while signaling support for expanded civilian oversight of police. The council conducted a first reading of an ordinance that would prohibit firearms during its virtual meeting on Monday. The ordinance would bar firearms in city buildings, parks and recreational or community centers.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Amherst County supervisors pass resolution supporting gun rights ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JUSTIN FAULCONER, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Three weeks after controversial new state gun legislation took effect, Amherst County officials approved a resolution Tuesday stating the county will not prohibit legal possession of firearms and ammunition. The unanimous vote came a day after the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors adopted such a measure expressing continued opposition to any laws restricting the second amendment. Patrick County also passed a similar measure last week.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Montgomery County board approves Sept. 8 start date, reopening ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By YANN RANAIVO, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Montgomery County School Board voted 5-2 early Wednesday morning in favor of a plan that will bring students back to class with conditions on Sept. 8 and that establishes numerous measures for mitigating the spread of COVID-19. The marathon meeting, which started early Tuesday afternoon, mostly tackled the reopening, an issue that has sparked debate and controversy among school districts across the country.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Vowing no action on gun control, Pittsylvania County resolution takes aim a new Va. law ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CALEB AYERS, Danville Register & Bee

Pittsylvania County has become one of the first Virginia localities to adopt a resolution supporting "no local gun control" on Tuesday. The resolution, which unanimously passed, is in response to a state law enacted on July 1 that allows localities to pass an ordinance and implement stricter gun control in government-owned buildings and parks.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Petition to keep the Confederate statue where it is in Lebanon gains traction ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ANGELIQUE ARINTOK, WCYB

There are more than 500 signatures on a petition calling to move a Confederate statue in Lebanon, Virginia. More recently, we learned a separate effort with 2,000+ signatures is pleading for the monument to stay.

Today's Sponsor:


** Commonwealth Strategy Group
------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to our long-time colleague and new CSG Partner - Lauren B. Schmitt! Thank you for being part of this team! commonwealthstrategy.net/team ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Politicization ratchets ever higher ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Daily Progress Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

If a State Board of Elections decision to approve late-filing candidates wasn’t already political — and we don’t think it was — the decision sure has been politicized now. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has filed a lawsuit challenging the decision. That’s despite the fact that Democrats hold a majority on the board, and the candidate approvals were passed with a Democrat’s vote.
------------------------------------------------------------


** As climate changes, extreme heat poses a deadly risk ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

An unprecedented heat wave blanketed the region over the weekend and early this week, with several Hampton Roads communities reporting record temperatures and debilitating heat indices between 109 and 113 degrees. Thankfully, those extraordinary temperatures are expected to subside by week’s end. But the region should expect to experience these types of extreme-weather events with greater frequency in coming years, which represents a severe risk to public health and safety.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Trusted messengers are needed for the final census push ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

One year ago, Gov. Ralph Northam made a significant investment in Virginia’s 2020 census efforts. Northam steered $1.5 million from the state’s Economic Contingency Fund toward materials to raise participation in the decennial survey. The money supported the work of the Virginia Complete Count Commission (VCCC), a body of nearly three dozen members created by the governor, representing “constituencies that have historically been considered ‘hard-to-count’ populations.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** One name for U.S. Route 1, and it's not Jeff Davis ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Nearly 100 years ago, the General Assembly named Virginia’s portion of U.S. Route 1 in honor of Jefferson Davis, the failed Confederacy’s only president. The naming came as part of the Lost Cause veneration that swept the South around the turn of the 20th century, with the United Daughters of the Confederacy leading the charge for the designation.


** COLUMNISTS
------------------------------------------------------------


** CASEY: Thousands of Virginia workers stymied with unemployment claims ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DAN CASEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Last week some state lawmakers trained their attention on the Virginia Employment Commission, and the tsunami of pandemic-related unemployment claims the agency has fielded since mid-March. More than 1 million Virginians have applied for benefits. For many, that process has been relatively painless. I and my wife are in that lucky category. Each of us was furloughed for a spell, and we had no problems collecting benefits.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Schapiro: It's payback time for Bills ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

An otherwise quiet summer Sunday was disrupted by Virginia Democrats’ mini-tweet storm over a $5,000 contribution to Republican Amanda Chase, the Trump-mimicking candidate for governor, from the PAC of the Daddy Greenbucks of environmental politics, Michael Bills. John Chapman, a member of Alexandria City Council, Koran Saines of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and Monique Alcala, former chairwoman of the Latino caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia, scolded Clean Virginia for its donation to the Chesterfield senator, saying it was indefensible to throw money at someone who parrots the president’s appeals to racial fears.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Polifact: Freitas says Ocasio-Cortez votes with Trump more than Spanberger ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By WARREN FISKE, WCVE

Del. Nick Freitas will try to convince voters in the 7th Congressional District that they were fooled in 2018 when they elected Democrat Abigail Spanberger to the U.S. House of Resentatives....Freitas, in the days leading up to his nomination, said Spanberger has broken her promise to be an independent, moderate Democrat. He repeatedly said that Spanberger has voted to the left of most Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a self-described democratic socialist.


** OP-ED
------------------------------------------------------------


** Munley: Virginia doesn't need McAuliffe, the pipeline cheerleader ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CYNTHIA MUNLEY, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has recently raised $1.7 million in political cash, threatening a potential second term run as Virginia governor. McAuliffe wants to waltz back onto Virginia’s political landscape after literally mutilating our region with a miles-long pipeline ridge scar that disfigures our once-intact Blue Ridge Mountains. With his double boondoggle “pipelines-for-Virginia” idea, McAuliffe’s Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines (ACP and MVP) imposed heartbreaking damage to our region and communities still fighting to preserve their safety.

Munley is an organizer of Preserve Salem


** Invite Friends to read VaNews
------------------------------------------------------------
Invite two friends to read VaNews and you'll receive VaViews, a weekly compilation of commentary from a variety of viewpoints.
b96c18c0-73d7-4f80-ba25-a96795413390.png
You don't have any referrals yet.
Share VaNews with a friend ([link removed])

Or use your personal referral link:
[link removed]

For questions email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
Participation in the VaNews Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the VPAP Terms and Conditions of Use ([link removed]) .
------------------------------------------------------------
Donate ([link removed]) Subscribe ([link removed]) Content Policy ([link removed]) Privacy ([link removed])

============================================================

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
Virginia Public Access Project . P.O. Box 1472 . Richmond, VA 23218 . USA