Today's Sponsor: Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia

VaNews Sept. 4, 2019
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Today's Sponsor:


** Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia
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Celebrating our centennial year at our annual conference in Colonial Williamsburg. www.vacomrev.com ([link removed])

Read Online ([link removed]) 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** VIRGINIA GOV PICKS PANEL TO REMOVE DISCRIMINATORY LAWS ([link removed])
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Associated Press

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has named nine people to a new commission designed to eliminate Jim Crow-era discriminatory language in state laws and regulations. Northam announced Tuesday that he was appointing Norfolk Circuit Court Chief Judge Jerrauld Jones, former Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Herring, Chief Deputy Attorney General Cynthia Hudson and others to the commission.


** VIRGINIA AG'S OFFICE ASKS COURT TO CUT STATE'S POTENTIAL LEGAL BILL FOR GERRYMANDERING CASE ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Attorney General Mark Herring’s office is opposing a Democratic-aligned law firm’s attempt to collect more than $4.5 million in fees and litigation costs after winning its redistricting lawsuit challenging the Virginia House of Delegates map. In a motion filed in federal court last week, Herring’s office suggested $3.1 million would be a more appropriate amount for the Perkins Coie legal team


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** JUDGES SWORN IN TO APPEALS, CIRCUIT COURTS ([link removed])
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By EVAN GOODENOW, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

In a passing of the gavel on Tuesday at the Joint Judicial Center, Judge Clifford L. “Clay” Athey Jr. was sworn in as a Virginia Court of Appeals judge and Brian M. Madden was sworn in as his replacement for the 26th Circuit Court.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** BETO O’ROURKE STUMPS IN VIRGINIA FOR DEMOCRATS IN PIVOTAL STATE ELECTIONS ([link removed])
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By ANTONIO OLIVO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia Democrat Dan Helmer got a boost in his bid to unseat Del. Tim Hugo when presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke appeared by his side over the Labor Day weekend to whip up voter enthusiasm in a pivotal state election this November. O’Rourke traveled throughout the state over the weekend, driving home the message that national Democrats want to flip control of the Virginia legislature in part to build momentum for the race for the White House.


** DEMOCRATS BET BIG ON OBAMACARE TO WIN VIRGINIA STATEHOUSE ([link removed])
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By RACHANA PRADHAN, Politico

Virginia Democrats are betting health care will help them take control of the state legislature in November, following their rout of Republicans two years ago that nearly eliminated the GOP’s hold on the Virginia statehouse. Democrats are already pouring tens of thousands of dollars into ads targeting the health care records of GOP incumbents in newly competitive races


** FACING TOUGH RE-ELECTION BID, STURTEVANT DECLARES OPPOSITION TO REZONING FOR RICHMOND'S WHITEST SCHOOLS ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY AND GRAHAM MOOMAW, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

State Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, said Tuesday that he’ll push to “save” two high-performing, majority-white Richmond elementary schools that might be merged with majority-black schools. Facing a tough re-election fight this fall, Sturtevant, a former Richmond School Board member, used the first day of school to wade into an intense neighborhood debate over the future of the two schools and the city’s racial divides.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** NEW VISITOR RULES FOR VA. PRISONS AIMED AT CURBING CONTRABAND ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

In a bid to curb drugs and other contraband from getting into prisons, starting Jan. 15, the Virginia Department of Corrections will limit inmate visitor lists to no more than 10 different people.


** DIGITAL LICENSES NOW AVAILABLE FOR MANY OCCUPATIONS IN VIRGINIA ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Hundreds of thousands of state-licensed professionals in Virginia now will be able to display their credentials using a smartphone app. Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation said Tuesday it has partnered with Merit, a California-based digital credentialing firm, to provide digital licenses for occupational license holders in the state.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** NORFOLK SOUTHERN CONFIRMS FURLOUGHS IN ROANOKE ([link removed])
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By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Norfolk Southern Corp. furloughed about 130 locomotive shop employees in Roanoke on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern said through its press office that it wants “the optimal number of people and assets at every location across our system in order to operate safely and efficiently.” Due to decreased demand for locomotive repair, it said it needed to cut staff in the locomotive mechanical areas. The railroad has revealed long-term plans to operate with fewer locomotives.


** RICHMOND-BASED LECLAIRRYAN LAW FIRM FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY ([link removed])
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By GREGORY J. GILLIGAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

After experiencing dramatic declines in gross revenue and profitability and an exodus of lawyers in recent years, the Richmond-based legal giant LeClairRyan has filed for bankruptcy. The firm, which was founded in 1988 and grew into 25 offices with nearly 400 attorneys at its peak, filed the petition Tuesday morning in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** IN VIRGINIA, MOST FARE EVASION FINES IN THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE GONE UNPAID ([link removed])
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By KERY MURAKAMI, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

When a rider is cited for not paying the fare to board a bus or train in Northern Virginia, the ticket is more likely to be dropped in the courts than paid. Only 278 of the 1,306 fare evasion citations handled by the Arlington, Fairfax and Alexandria general district courts between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2019, were paid


** NO FLY ZONE ([link removed])
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By DAVID STREEVER, Style Weekly

Dockless scooters promise mobility for all, but recent restrictions limit their operation in Gilpin Court. Derrick Gregory doesn't drive to work. The North Side resident commutes to his information-technology job downtown by bike, bus or until recently, an e-scooter. His last trip ended at East Baker and North First streets, where the scooter slowed to a stop.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** WHICH VIRGINIA LOCALITIES RELY MOST ON TRAFFIC FINES FOR REVENUE? ([link removed])
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By MECHELLE HANKERSON, Virginia Mercury

Emporia is a well-known speed trap, dreaded by heavy-footed drivers who might think the city near the border of North Carolina funds its operations entirely through the punishment of too-fast drivers. But 124 miles away, there’s a town that relies on bad drivers’ traffic fines and similar payments more than Emporia: Eastville, a 200-person town on the Eastern Shore, has a $349,232 town budget that comes mostly (72%) from fines and forfeitures, according to an analysis by Governing magazine.


** LOCAL
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** FAIRFAX SUPERVISOR MCKAY MEETS WITH STATE POLICE, SAYS HE HAS NOTHING TO HIDE REGARDING HOME SALE ([link removed])
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By ANTONIO OLIVO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff C. McKay met Tuesday with Virginia State Police investigators reportedly seeking to determine whether he violated a state ethics law when buying his home from a developer friend in 2017.


** COLISEUM VOTE LIKELY WOULD FAIL IF VOTE WAS TAKEN TODAY ([link removed])
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By JEREMY M. LAZARUS, Richmond Free Press

The Navy Hill District Corp. plan to replace the Richmond Coliseum and bring more than $1 billion in new development nearby has yet to gain the backing of City Council. Despite a full-court lobbying press and continued op-eds from supporters close to the project published in Richmond’s daily newspaper, which is backing the plan, the project likely would fail if City Council were to vote on it after returning from the summer recess.


** TROPICAL STORM WATCH ISSUED FOR HAMPTON ROADS AS DORIAN HEADS NORTHWEST ([link removed])
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By ROBYN SIDERSKY AND LEE TOLLIVER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Hampton Roads is under a tropical storm watch as Hurricane Dorian grew larger Tuesday and finally began its trek north.

Today's Sponsor:


** Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia
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Celebrating our centennial year at our annual conference in Colonial Williamsburg. www.vacomrev.com ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
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** THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM BETO O'ROURKE'S TRIP TO SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

When Beto O’Rourke was running for the U.S. Senate in 2018, he made a point of visiting every county in Texas – which meant the Democratic candidate spent an inordinate amount of time in sparsely-populated counties that had voted 80% — a few even 90% — or more for Donald Trump. O’Rourke jokes that those counties glow so red you can see them from outer space


** END THE BLAME GAME ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

When parents send their children to school, they have every right to assume the health of their students is of paramount concern to school officials. While it is normal for most school kids to come down with the occasional cold (it’s almost impossible not to when little ones are in constant contact with germ-laden surfaces like door handles, playground equipment and other kids), exposing children to the Legionella bacteria is another matter entirely.


** COMPUTER SCIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

In November 2017, Virginia took a leap of faith by becoming the first state to create mandatory standards for computer science in the classroom. That was a smart move. As schools begin implementation this fall, there are several statistics that support children adopting these skills at a young age. For students with serious interest in computer science careers, the numbers are clear. At the end of 2018, Gov. Ralph Northam’s office cited computing as the No. 1 source of all new U.S. wages.


** COLUMNISTS
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** WILLIAMS: STURTEVANT'S PETITION ON RICHMOND SCHOOL BOUNDARIES IS OUT OF LINE ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL PAUL WILLIAMS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

“Save Our Neighborhood Schools” is a term laden with so much baggage that it shouldn’t be trotted out in polite company. But there it was: the headline on state Sen. Glen Sturtevant’s, R-Chesterfield, petition against Richmond Public Schools’ proposals to enhance diversity in the district’s schools, and their potential effect on William Fox and Mary Munford elementary schools.


** OP-ED
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** IMERSHEIN: ELIMINATE MEDICALLY-UNNECESSARY ABORTION RESTRICTIONS ([link removed])
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By SARA IMERSHEIN, Published in the Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

On Sept. 5, Virginia’s Board of Health will convene to hear testimony and consider medically unnecessary regulations designed to close down women’s health clinics and limit access to abortion. These regulations (known as TRAP, or Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) do nothing to improve patient health care.

Imershein is a board-certified OBGYN licensed in Virginia since 1983 and working for six years at the Falls Church Healthcare Center.
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