VaNews
July 25, 2020
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** Confederate memorials quietly removed from Virginia Capitol overnight ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Workers wielding power tools and huge rolls of bubble wrap carted a life-size statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee and busts of seven of his Confederate colleagues out of the Virginia Capitol late Thursday night and early Friday morning. House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) ordered them removed from the historic Capitol’s Old House Chamber, the room where rebel lawmakers met when Richmond served as the capital of the Confederacy.
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** Northam may impose stricter policies for Hampton Roads next week to tamp down coronavirus cases ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Hampton Roads residents should brace for the possibility of more restrictions next week as cases of the coronavirus continue to climb. Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to elaborate on new policies Tuesday at a news conference, a spokeswoman for the governor told The Virginian-Pilot.
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** Busch Gardens launches new survey to learn more about how to reopen ([link removed])
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By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has been fighting to reopen during the pandemic and has created a new survey to collect information from guests about how to reopen for the season. The park closed in March due to the coronavirus and has remained shuttered since. Park officials have expressed frustration at Busch Gardens still being unable to operate under Gov. Ralph Northam’s Phase 3.
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** GOP Senator Seeks New Limits on Northam ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE

A top Republican in Virginia’s Senate is proposing new time limits on the governor’s executive orders, which have multiplied in the wake of the pandemic. Governor Ralph Northam has issued 16 executive orders since the beginning of March. He’s used his powers to close schools and businesses when the pandemic hit and enforce a curfew during Richmond's protests. Sen. Steve Newman (R-Bedford), vice chair of the Senate Republican Caucus, likened the actions to “dictatorial rule.”
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** Defeat of Atlantic Coast Pipeline rooted in homegrown legal strategy ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Six summers ago, a group of community activists from both sides of the Blue Ridge Mountains met around a kitchen table at a Christmas tree farm in Augusta County to face the emerging threat of a natural gas pipeline that Virginia's largest energy company was planning to build through the heart of the state. Dominion Energy already had begun notifying landowners along a 400-foot wide study corridor for the Southeast Reliability Project.
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** Some Virginians are getting mystery seeds in the mail. Officials say don’t plant them. ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Virginia is the latest state to report residents receiving unsolicited mysterious seeds in packets marked with Chinese writing, according to a release from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Friday. VDACS “has been notified that several Virginia residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China,” the release said.
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** Fallen tree planted by George Washington gets solemn honors before facing the sawmill ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL E. RUANE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Two fifers played the national anthem. A Navy chaplain read lines from the Bible about a tree that reached to heaven. And an Army howitzer fired a salute that filled the woods with smoke. The 5,000-pound decedent rested on a metal pallet, moss still on its bark, while workers waited at a portable mill saw, with axes, hatchets and crow bars.
The Full Report
42 articles, 21 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
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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.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Robert E. Lee statue removed from Virginia Capitol overnight ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, oversaw the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the state Capitol overnight Thursday along with busts and artifacts representing eight men who served in the Confederacy. “Virginia has a story to tell that extends far beyond glorifying the Confederacy and its participants,” Filler-Corn said in a statement announcing her decision Friday morning. “The Confederacy’s primary objective in the Civil War was to preserve an ideology that maintained the enslavement of human beings. Now is the time to provide context to our Capitol to truly tell the Commonwealth’s whole history.”
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** House Speaker clears Virginia Capitol of Lee statue, Confederate busts ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The statue of Robert E. Lee and busts of others who fought for or governed the Confederacy were quietly removed from the Virginia State Capitol Thursday night and early Friday morning at the direction of House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn. Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, ordered the Lee statue and other sculptures be taken from the Old House Chamber, saying, "Virginia has a story to tell that extends far beyond glorifying the Confederacy and its participants."
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** Robert E. Lee statue, Confederate busts removed from Virginia state Capitol ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and several busts from the same era were taken out of a room in the Virginia state Capitol Thursday night at the direction of House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn. Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, said the removal of the statue and busts, located in the Old House Chamber, was supervised by a professional conservator, and the objects were moved to an undisclosed location this morning.
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** Virginia evicts Confederate monuments from its state Capitol ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

Virginia has removed from its iconic state capitol the busts and a statue honoring Confederate generals and officials. That includes a bronze statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee positioned in the same spot where he stood to assume command of the state’s armed forces in the Civil War nearly 160 years ago.
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** Lee statue, Confederate busts, removed overnight from Old House chamber at Va. Capitol ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and seven busts depicting Confederate leaders were removed overnight Thursday from the Old House Chamber inside the Virginia Capitol. House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, who decided to remove the Confederate representations, said in a statement that the state “has a story to tell that extends far beyond glorifying the Confederacy and its participants.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Redistricting fight heats up with statewide referendum looming ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia voters will consider a constitutional amendment in November that would revamp the state’s political redistricting process, and efforts to sway public opinion on the matter are heating up. The group OneVirginia2021, which has led a years-long bipartisan effort to reform how the state redraws legislative and congressional districts, this week launched a ballot campaign dedicated to promoting the amendment, including a fund to raise money for the effort.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Gade, Warner try to resolve debate details before November vote ([link removed])
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By ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION, Culpeper Star Exponent (Metered Paywall - 20 articles a month)

Three debates, five debates, however many debates, incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and his challenger, Republican nominee Daniel Gade, will surely meet to talk about the issues prior to the Nov. 3 election. Earlier this week, Gade challenged Warner to participate with him in “The People’s Debate,” hosted by the Virginia American Association of Retired Persons at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Richmond CBS6 TV studio.
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** Fewer people are registering to vote in Virginia as coronavirus blocks efforts ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The registration of new voters in Virginia has dropped significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, months before a presidential election expected to draw a high turnout. June saw a 40% decrease in the number of new voters registered compared with June 2016, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a slight rebound from more dramatic corresponding drops in May and April as DMV centers, the primary location for voter registration, gradually reopen.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Survey: SROs make majority of Virginia high-schoolers feel safer ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A survey of high school students across Virginia found that school resource officers make most feel safer. The results of the annual secondary school climate survey come as school districts locally and across the country are reevaluating the role of police on school grounds. Last month, the Charlottesville School Board ended its agreement with the city police department for school resource officers, and the Albemarle board approved a resolution directing the superintendent to recommend other school safety options beyond the officers.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Carilion purchases full ownership of Lexington hospital ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Carilion Clinic on Friday said it has full ownership of the hospital in Lexington, after purchasing the remaining 20% ownership of Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital from the community’s health foundation for $10.9 million. The hospital is being renamed Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital. Carilion spokesman Chris Turnbull said it was a coincidence that Jackson’s name was being removed during a time of debate over memorials to Confederate generals.
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** Arlington Startup CEO Facing Federal Fraud Charges ([link removed])
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ArlNow

A once high-flying Arlington startup is now at the center of a federal fraud case. Trustify, a Crystal City-based technology firm that provided an online marketplace for private investigations, went bankrupt last year. Just two years prior to that, the company moved into a swanky new office and was touted by the governor’s office for its plan to create 184 new jobs in Arlington.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Metro Will Hand Out 500,000 Cloth Masks From The Federal Government ([link removed])
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By JORDAN PASCALE, DCist

Next month, Metro will start to hand out 500,000 cloth masks it received from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the transit agency announced Thursday. It’s unclear exactly when and how they will be distributed throughout the system. WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said they’re looking to individually wrap each one for sanitary purposes. Wiedefeld says they hope to distribute them at major stations and bus transfer points.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Student demonstrators, local activists demand defunding, abolishing VCU Police ([link removed])
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By EDUARDO ACEVEDO, Commonwealth Times

A VCU student organization is demanding the university defund and abolish its police department, joining the Richmond facet of a nationwide movement seeking change in law enforcement and justice for those killed by police. Student organization VCU Student Power held a protest outside Cabell Library on Wednesday to honor Marcus-David Peters. Members and local activists spoke at the demonstration, some saying the VCU Police department is contributing to “over-policing” in Richmond.
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** University of Mary Washington renames Trinkle Hall for civil rights legend James Farmer ([link removed])
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By GINNY BIXBY, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The University of Mary Washington renamed Trinkle Hall on Friday for the late civil rights leader and professor James Farmer. The decision by the Board of Visitors was triggered by an ad hoc committee’s recommendation in October that the university find a new name for the academic building. It was named after former Virginia Gov. Elbert Lee Trinkle, who served from 1922 to 1926 and was known for his public support of segregation and eugenics. Trinkle championed the Racial Integrity Act of 1924, the Forced Sterilization Act of 1924 and the Racial Segregation Act of 1926.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Bowser: Visitors from coronavirus hot spots must quarantine for 14 days when arriving in D.C. ([link removed])
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By JULIE ZAUZMER AND FENIT NIRAPPIL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Visitors arriving from most states to the nation’s capital soon must self-quarantine for 14 days to help slow the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said her order, which takes effect Monday, will help the city battle a recent increase in coronavirus infections. It’s the latest action taken this week in the greater Washington region as leaders try to avoid the infection spikes seen elsewhere in the country.
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** 1,127 new coronavirus cases reported in Virginia ([link removed])
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By MARGARET MATRAY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia reported 1,127 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths Friday, according to data from the state Department of Health. In all, the state has seen a total of 82,364 cases, which includes 79,253 confirmed cases and 3,111 probable ones, which means those patients are symptomatic and have a known exposure to the virus.
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** As COVID-19 infections rise in Virginia, contacting affected people slows ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

As the pace of COVID-19 cases continued to rise this week in Virginia, public health workers struggled to keep up with notifying people and tracing their contacts, according to state data. The Virginia Department of Health’s weekly update on contact tracing showed that investigators were able to contact 74% of people within 24 hours of a positive test result, a drop of 4 percentage points since last week.
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** Portsmouth hospital staffers failed to clean hands and equipment, state inspector finds ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Some Maryview Medical Center staff failed to clean their hands and wipe down equipment between intensive care patient rooms, a state hospital inspector found during an unannounced visit this spring. The hygiene lapses were discovered during an investigation March 10-12, three days after public health officials confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in Virginia and as the World Health Organization declared the new rapidly spreading disease a pandemic.
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** Charlottesville City Council to discuss tightening virus regulations in special meeting Monday ([link removed])
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By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Charlottesville appears ready to join Albemarle County in tightening restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The City Council will hold a virtual special meeting Monday to consider an ordinance related to the virus. The ordinance largely mirrors Albemarle County’s plan to go back to something akin to Phase Two of the state’s reopening plan.
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** No local COVID-19 case clusters linked to Bristol race ([link removed])
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By TIM DODSON, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

More than a week after Bristol Motor Speedway hosted one of the country’s largest in-person sports gatherings since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, local health officials say they have not linked any case clusters to the NASCAR All-Star Race, as of Thursday. The speedway implemented procedures at the race that included physical distancing between spectators in the stadium and requiring fans to wear masks in most parts of the arena, except when they were at their seats.
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** Virginia creating COVID-19 dashboards to help inform school reopening decisions ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

As more Virginia school systems decide to start the upcoming school year completely online, the state is set to roll out a new tool to help districts decide when students should return to school buildings. Secretary of Education Atif Qarni said Friday that the Virginia Department of Health is expected to unveil next week school reopening dashboards, complete with locality-specific COVID-19 data and ratings for if it's safe for students to return.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Virginia commission recommends removing the state's Lee statue from U.S. Capitol ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Virginia is a step closer to removing its Robert E. Lee statue in the U.S. Capitol after a state panel unanimously recommended on Friday replacing the tribute to the Confederate general. The Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol, a group the General Assembly created this year, voted to take the statue down and replace it with a to-be-determined Virginian.
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** Judge dismisses one of four lawsuits seeking to block removal of Lee statue in Richmond ([link removed])
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By VALERIE BONK, WTOP

One of two cases blocking the removal of a Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia, has been dismissed by a judge. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson has denied a request for a preliminary injunction to stop the removal of the Lee statue on Monument Avenue and dismissed the lawsuit completely.
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** Richmond lawyer files state complaint against former judge in Lee statue case ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A prominent Richmond lawyer has filed a misconduct complaint against a judge who recused himself in the high-profile Confederate monuments cases after issuing injunctions barring statue removal. Richmond Circuit Judge Bradley B. Cavedo granted two injunctions in a challenge to Virginia’s plan to take down the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue and delivered an injunction in a case against Mayor Levar Stoney over the removal of city-owned Confederate statues.
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** Confederate descendant asks King George to remove monument that is 'an insult to Black citizens' ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Years ago, Dave Jones looked at the Confederate monument on the King George Courthouse lawn and wondered why it was there. He’s white, a native of Louisiana and a descendant of one William Walter Jones, who fought for the Confederate States of America. If his great-great-grandfather were here today, Jones would have a few words for him.
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** Roanoke man, 70, charged with knocking down Lee monument ([link removed])
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By ALICIA PETSKA, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A 70-year-old man is charged with toppling the Robert E. Lee monument in downtown Roanoke, according to the Roanoke Police Department. The monument was discovered overturned on the ground just before midnight Wednesday. One day earlier, on Tuesday night, a police officer driving by had spotted William Clay Foreman of Roanoke tampering with the stone spire, officials said.
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** New Virginia Majority Marches Against Evictions ([link removed])
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By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

Drivers through Leesburg on Thursday evening saw dozens of protestors in bright orange shirts, holding signs and chanting on the corner of Plaza Street and Market Street despite the downpour of rain. New Virginia Majority, a statewide advocacy group for marginalized communities including black and brown people, young people, and working-class women, organized the march to oppose evictions and secure more help from the government for people struggling to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.


** LOCAL
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** Arlington NAACP Calls for Removal of Police Stationed at Schools ([link removed])
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ArlNow

The Arlington branch of the NAACP says School Resource Officers should be removed by Arlington Public Schools. SROs are sworn Arlington County Police officers who are stationed in schools. In addition to providing added security, an SRO “mentors, educators and coaches” for students, the police department says.
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** Arlington County Considering Further Encrypting Police Communications ([link removed])
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ArlNow

Amid a national protest movement calling for police reform, the Arlington County Police Department launched an effort to consider ways to further restrict public access to law enforcement radio communications. Unlike D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, which encrypts all but one channel, Arlington’s police channels have been mostly open to public monitoring — by those with scanners or smartphone apps — with the exception of some devoted to sensitive operations. That may be about to change.
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** FCPS renames Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day ([link removed])
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Fort Hunt Herald

The Fairfax County School Board has taken another step to address the “overrepresentation of white and Eurocentric history” in education by renaming Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The vote amends the name in the already approved 2020-2021 school year calendar as well as for the following 2021-22 school year, according to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
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** Prince William schools plan 'responsive actions' after investigation of superintendent’s Twitter account ([link removed])
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By EMILY SIDES, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)

The Prince William County School Board will be taking “a range of responsive actions” after an independent review of Superintendent Steve Walts’ Twitter account, according to board Chair Babur Lateef. A citizen complaint first publicized in May questioned Walts’ use of the account @SuperPWCS, including private messages with students at late hours. Walts has said all use of the account was for official business. According to the division, Walts conducted more than 2,000 private conversations through the Twitter account, including more than 20,000 messages, mostly with students.
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** County teachers union wants “virtual” opening ([link removed])
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Fauquier Now

The county teachers union wants Fauquier public schools to reopen next month without in-person classes. The Fauquier Education Association last month supported the “blended” model, combining in-person and virtual classes, which the school board unanimously adopted July 13. But, a new survey of its members prompted the association leadership to change its position Thursday, according to a letter sent to the school board.
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** Superintendent: York County should start the school year with remote learning ([link removed])
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By GABRIELLE RENTE, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

With the debate on whether or not to resume in-person classes continuing, the superintendent of the York County School Division has recommended starting the school year with remote learning. At least for the first nine weeks.
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** Danville Public Schools invests $2.7 million in technology to promote virtual learning ([link removed])
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Danville Register & Bee

Danville Public Schools has spent nearly $2.7 million this summer on technological upgrades to facilitate virtual learning for this fall. The funds came from the $3.2 million the district received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Recovery and Economic Security (CARES) Act in late March.
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** Voting on Bristol casino to begin Sept. 18 ([link removed])
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By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Bristol voters can begin casting ballots on the proposed Hard Rock Bristol casino in just 55 days. The general election is Nov. 3, but a new Virginia law permits “no excuse absentee voting” by mail and in-person early voting starting Sept. 18. This coincides with another law allowing casinos by referendum in five financially challenged cities, including Bristol.


** EDITORIALS
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** The cloud over Mr. Fairfax ([link removed])
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Washington Post Editorial (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A year and a half has passed since two women accused Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) of separate sexual assaults in 2000 and 2004, prompting widespread calls for his resignation. Still unanswered after these many months is the question of whether this top elected official in the commonwealth is a criminal who preyed on vulnerable women or the victim of false accusations and a rush to judgment.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Lohmann: There’s been a yearlong food fight in King William County over less than a $100 meals tax bill ([link removed])
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By BILL LOHMANN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

There’s a food fight, of sorts, going on in King William County, and it’s gotten a little messy. A county farmer, Christopher C. Couch, doesn’t believe the salads he packages and delivers to customers around the Richmond area should be subject to the county’s meal tax; county officials believe otherwise. Both sides have dug in their heels, believing they are in the right.
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** Schapiro: At Va.'s Capitol, the South falls again ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia’s attic is crowded with Confederates. Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, speaker of the House of Delegates, at week’s end dispatched to storage likenesses of eight dead, white Southern males, ordering the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee and busts of seven Rebel leaders from the Old House Chamber, wherein met the Virginia secessionist convention and the Confederate Congress, when Richmond was the seat of the failed revolt to preserve Black slavery.


** OP-ED
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** Burton: Repairing the breach: Supporting teachers is supporting kids ([link removed])
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By CHRIS BURTON, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

It is truly sad to see some parents pitting themselves against teachers in regard to the return-to-school plans. COVID-19 has done a lot of damage to America, but few could have predicted that a pandemic would tear at the cohesiveness of a community the way many other national political issues tend to do in our presently polarized times. The vitriol being directed toward teachers is staggering and disheartening for a number of reasons.

Burton is a CPA in Roanoke.
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** Haas: State activists proved that progress on gun violence is possible ([link removed])
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By LORI HAAS, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Change is possible, and this month it came to Virginia. On July 1, more than 13 years since the shooting at Virginia Tech, some of our nation’s strongest gun violence prevention laws went into effect in the home state of the National Rifle Association. If this kind of change can happen in Virginia, it can happen anywhere.

Haas is the senior director of advocacy for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
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** Hayfield: Americans with Disabilities Act born of Virginia's struggle for equality ([link removed])
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By KATHRYN A. HAYFIELD, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

This year, vocational rehabilitation (VR) turns 100 against the backdrop of a worldwide pandemic and a national focus on equality. It is ironic that the VR program evolved in the midst of the Spanish flu a century ago and that the nation’s longest standing workforce program has been intimately involved in advocating for the civil rights and equality of individuals with disabilities for decades.

Hayfield is commissioner of the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services.


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