By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The General Assembly’s oversight commission on Monday recommended that legislators eliminate Virginia’s coal mine tax credits, saying they are no longer relevant. The coal tax credits are among the state’s largest incentives to promote business growth, but they generate economic losses for the state, according to a Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report. The state has spent $225 million between 2010 and 2018, but JLARC found negligible economic benefits in spending and returns in revenue.
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury
Virginia isn’t doing an adequate job of lending out money to help small businesses, according to a new report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission that found tens of millions of dollars have sat unused in recent years. In a presentation to legislators Monday morning, JLARC staff said the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority is taking an “overly conservative” and risk-averse approach to its lending practices.
By LUZ LAZO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
It could be next summer before the bulk of the Washington region’s workers return to their offices after months spent teleworking because of the novel coronavirus, according to a new survey. More than six months after the pandemic hit the region, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to work from home, many of their employers remain uncertain when and how they will be allowed back in the office, based on a study led by the Greater Washington Partnership.
By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Select K-12 special education students are heading back into Chesterfield County public school classrooms at the end of the month. On Sept. 29, the first cohort of students for the district of nearly 63,000 will attend school in person, four days a week, based on the recommendation of Chesterfield schools’ Health Committee during Monday’s School Board work session.
By EZRA MARCUS, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)
For Daniel Gardner, 19, a junior at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., the dread and dejection set in before classes even started. Before resuming in-person instruction this fall, the university had laid out a comprehensive 34-page plan emphasizing the “public health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff.” But when Mr. Gardner returned to campus to help run freshman orientation in late August, he saw students crowded around tables in the dining hall. He saw students stumbling home from off-campus parties.
By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The anticipated opening of the Metrorail Silver Line in Loudoun County may be delayed until next summer due to low ridership revenue amid the pandemic and no sign of further federal assistance. Metro’s ridership and revenues have dropped due to the COVID-19 crisis, according to Metro staff, which has led the agency to conclude that it will run out of funding by the end of the year.
By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)
Money from campus vending machines, and bookstore, theater and cafeteria sales ae part of what will be used to fund a John Tyler Community College study that could result in buildings, streets or even the entire campus getting new names. Thursday afternoon, the JTCC Board approved a recommendation from JTCC president Dr. Edward Raspiller to spend up to $90,000 to pay for a state-mandated review of everything related to the community college that could infer support of racial inequality. All 23 Virginia community colleges have been asked to audit all of their operations and make recommendations on what should be changed to promote inclusivity.
The Full Report
44 articles, 22 publications
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. In-person visits to the DMV still account for half of voter registration activity. But iconic voter drive volunteers armed with clipboards have given way to online apps that steer people to state's Citizen Portal.
Loudoun Now
The Leesburg Police Department is investigating an incident of destruction of town property that occurred Friday evening near Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s Leesburg home. Just before 7 p.m. Sept. 11, Leesburg Police dispatchers received a report of 20 to 25 people wearing black masks on the sidewalk in the historic district.
By SAM FOWLER, VCU Capital News Service
An effort to require Virginia school districts provide in-person classes to students with poor internet access during the COVID-19 pandemic is most likely dead. House Bill 5009, introduced by Del. Mark Cole, R-Fredericksburg, would require public schools to offer in-person classes to elementary, middle and high school students who have substandard internet connections at home.
By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Virginia voters will see two proposed amendments to the state constitution on the Nov. 3 ballot. Question 1, the Redistricting Commission Amendment, would change the way Virginia handles political redistricting. A “yes” vote supports transferring the power to draw the state’s congressional and legislative districts from the state legislature to a redistricting commission made up of state legislators and citizens.
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Staffers at the Democratic Party of Virginia announced Monday they had successfully unionized into two bargaining units that party leaders are formally recognizing. A unit representing eight office staff members is undergoing contract negotiations, while a larger unit of 52 campaign staffers recently ratified its first contract, a spokesman for the party said.
By JESSICA WETZLER, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Agriculture, social justice and the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic were all topics of discussion during Monday’s virtual forum with congressional candidates vying to represent the 6th District in the House of Representatives. And while most questions yielded different opinions, there were similar viewpoints shared by incumbent Rep. Ben Cline, R-Lexington, and Democratic challenger Nicholas Betts.
By SARAH RANKIN AND ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press
Several of Virginia’s publicly funded economic development incentive programs have limited benefit and either need to be overhauled or eliminated, according to a new report published Monday by the state’s legislative watchdog agency. Staff of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission presented lawmakers with the findings of an investigation into the effectiveness of 10 incentives intended to either promote business growth through infrastructure development or encourage business activity in distressed regions. State spending on the incentives totals $690 million over the study period, fiscal year 2010 through fiscal year 2018.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
The Virginia Small Business Financing Authority, the state agency responsible for administering a new $71 million grant program for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, is not doing its job in helping small firms get loans, according to a new report by the General Assembly’s watchdog agency.
By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury
Virginia’s coal tax credits, some of the state’s largest economic incentives, “generate negligible economic benefits” and “no longer appear relevant” in a world where natural gas is rapidly displacing coal, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission told legislators Monday morning ahead of the release of a new report on the efficacy of such incentives. Virginia has had two coal tax credits on its books for the past few decades. The Coalfield Employment Enhancement Tax Credit, known as the coalfield tax credit, can be used by any coal-related company and was adopted in 1995 to make Virginia more competitive in the coal markets.
WAVY-TV
The Virginia Department of Elections announced “Free to Be Absentee,” their new awareness campaign designed to educate voters about absentee and early voting to avoid the spread of COVID-19. The campaign features a series of contemporary and entertaining digital ads and social media content that highlight a creative focus on the absentee and early voting processes.
By MICHAEL ERRIGO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
A few months ago, Billy Wiles was ready to give up on the state of Virginia. The Stone Bridge senior quarterback and his family, sensing he would not be given a high school football season amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, explored other options in June. Wiles looked hard at schools in Florida and West Virginia, schools where he might be able to play come autumn. Coaches and teammates convinced the family to stick around and trust the potential of a condensed football season in the spring, as the Virginia High School League announced in late July.
By KATE ANDREWS, Va Business Magazine
Two more Virginia newspapers — The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg and The News & Advance in Lynchburg — have dismissed employees, following newsroom layoffs last week at three other publications owned by Lee Enterprises. Two editors, a page designer and two circulation clerks have been laid off at The News & Advance.
By JOHN CRANE, Danville Register & Bee
BGF, which announced in October 2018 it would relocate its headquarters to the Dan River Region and bring 65 new jobs, has postponed its plans to construct a 25,000-square foot building at the Cyber Park and move its operations there. The company, which has so far hired more than 40 employees and has been leasing space at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research, is delaying its plans due to a slowdown in the aerospace industry because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By JUSTIN GEORGE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Metro on Monday named a former assistant general manager to run and reform its embattled Rail Operations Control Center, the latest of internal shake-ups after a blistering audit this month revealed a host of safety and workplace issues. A memo that General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld sent to Metro employees on Monday and obtained by The Washington Post said the Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) no longer would fall under the supervision of Chief Operating Officer Joe Leader.
By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The city’s ban on gatherings of more than 50 will continue until at least Nov. 2. The city council unanimously voted in favor of extending the emergency ordinance at its regular meeting Monday night. The ordinance went into effect Aug. 6, shortly after Radford University students begin returning to the city for the fall semester. Since that time, the city has seen its COVID-19 cases rise from just under 30 at the beginning of August to 669 as of Monday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
By HANK KURZ JR., Associated Press
Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said he takes the impact of the coronavirus pandemic personally and that he supports team medical experts who say it was the “exact right call” to postpone the Hokies’ scheduled upcoming game against Virginia. The Hokies pulled out of their season-opener against Virginia on Friday, the week before the scheduled matchup with their instate rival, because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the football team. Team doctors suggested “it wasn’t even close” if the team could play, Fuente said on a Zoom call on Monday.
By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The Virginia Department of Health reported 757 new coronavirus cases Monday, bringing the state’s tally to 134,571. At least 2,743 Virginians have died from the virus, up 19 from Sunday.
By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Two people detained at an immigrant detention center in Caroline County — located 45 minutes north of Richmond — tested positive for coronavirus last week, according to officials. The ICE facility hasn’t had a positive test since July 30 and is currently operating at half of its 336-bed capacity.
By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Nearly six months since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Charlottesville, the Thomas Jefferson Health District has redesigned its dashboard of case information and added more data points to help the public better understand the status of the pandemic locally. A big change in the district’s new COVID-19 portal, unveiled Monday, is showing the dates when people tested positive or first developed symptoms, along with a seven-day moving average of new cases for the district by date of onset.
By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
When COVID-19 forced Virginia Tech to evacuate in the spring, university researchers wasted no time finding a novel way to detect potential coronavirus outbreaks on campus. Peter Vikesland, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, for several years has been studying how sewage treatment plants enable or inhibit antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
By CHARLES WILBORN, Danville Register & Bee
The death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise in the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District at the same time outbreaks are widening at local long-term care facilities, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health. Four new deaths — three in Danville and one in Pittsylvania County — were recorded on Monday morning. It's not clear when those deaths actually occurred, because state health officials have noted a lag of entering data into an online database.
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press
A federal judge on Monday issued an arrest warrant for a neo-Nazi podcaster who promoted and attended a white nationalist rally in Virginia that erupted in violence three years ago. U.S. District Judge Norman Moon said Texas resident Robert “Azzmador” Ray has been in “total disregard” of court orders in a lawsuit against him and other far-right extremists and groups associated with the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
By KEITH EPPS, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
A circuit judge overturned a lower court decision that declared the curfew enacted by Fredericksburg officials during the early days of social justice protesting in the city unconstitutional. In a 21-page document filed Monday in Fredericksburg Circuit Court, Judge Joseph Ellis wrote that his examination of pertinent law led him to conclude that the city was within its rights to enact a curfew and to make a violation a Class 1 misdemeanor.
By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
The death penalty has been used in the U.S. to enforce racial hierarchies since colonial times, according to a report released Tuesday by the Death Penalty Information Center. Racial disparities are still present in capital cases, the DPIC contends.
By PAUL FARHI AND ELAHE IZADI, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
A fake FBI raid staged Monday by a notorious right-wing activist and conspiracist turned into an embarrassment for The Washington Post, which briefly reported the faux-event as if it were the real deal. The “raid” on a house in Arlington, Va., actually involved actors recruited by Jacob Wohl, who has a history of making false accusations and has orchestrated dubious events in an effort to smear perceived opponents of President Trump.
ArlNow
A month and a half ago, the Arlington branch of the NAACP publicly called for the county’s logo to be changed. Over the weekend, members of the County Board voiced support for that change. Arlington’s logo, along with its flag, depicts Arlington House, the county’s namesake that sits atop a hill in Arlington National Cemetery. The house was built by enslaved persons in the early 1800s on the orders of George Washington Parke Custis, George Washington’s adopted son.
By DANIEL BERTI, Prince William Times
The Prince William County Human Rights Commission is asking the board of county supervisors adopt a new county seal that better reflects the county’s diversity. The Prince William County seal was adopted in 1935 and features a white hand holding scales evenly balanced over a stalk of tobacco.
By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now
The Loudoun Board of Supervisors has narrowly voted to support state legislation that would allow localities to set up law enforcement civilian review boards that could make binding disciplinary determinations. Two bills in the General Assembly would authorized civilian review boards that could investigate complaints from the public about law enforcement, review incidents and the use of force, review internal investigations, recommend policy, and even make binding disciplinary decisions.
Loudoun Now
Look for teachers to be quicker on the block button this week, following a number of disturbing intrusions into online learning sessions last week. School division administrators on Friday acknowledged several incidents in which students logged into other classes and used racial slurs or displayed sexual or racist images during online classes.
By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE-FM
Richmond officials announced plans Monday to create five new green spaces south of the James River. The proposed green spaces will be created using 36 acres of city-owned land. Mayor Levar Stoney made the announcement alongside 8th District Councilwoman Reva Trammell. Along with Councilman Mike Jones, the three plan to introduce an ordinance making the green space designations official later this month.
By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE-FM
Richmond City Council voted Monday night to reestablish a tax credit program for commercial and industrial properties. Last year, City Council voted to end Richmond’s tax abatement program that provided seven- to ten-year tax exemptions for renovating properties more than 20 years old. Only properties where 30 percent of the units were reserved for affordable housing would qualify for an abatement moving forward, City Council decided. That decision came after a VCU report found that the program was mostly being used by developers and homeowners in the city’s wealthier neighborhoods.
By ABBY CHURCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
A class of students at Kersey Creek Elementary School in Hanover County will move to remote instruction after its teacher tested positive for COVID-19, according to an email Monday from school Principal Allison Mullens. The email from Mullens, which was sent to families of Kersey Creek students and shared with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, said the exposure was limited to the teacher’s classroom.
By ALISSA SKELTON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
For the first time in 39 years, the city has hired an external candidate to lead the Virginia Beach Police Department. Paul Neudigate, an assistant chief of the Cincinnati Police Department, will become Virginia Beach’s police chief, the city announced on Monday. Patrick Duhaney, Virginia Beach’s new city manager, picked Neudigate, whom he had previously worked with while city manager in Cincinnati. Duhaney said several local law enforcement executives were on the interview panels and Neudigate was selected by a consensus.
By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Fido may not notice the difference, but most of Virginia Beach’s red fire hydrants will be getting a makeover. In the next weeks, firefighters will begin painting 9,000 public hydrants yellow with color-coded caps. The change is intended to align the city’s color scheme with the National Fire Protection Association’s recommendations. Yellow has been the national standard for the hydrants' barrel for years.
By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
The Newport News School Board plans to vote Tuesday to start the process of renaming four schools. The schools — Epes Elementary, Nelson Elementary, Lee Hall Elementary and Dozier Middle School — are in the first tier of a three-tier list of schools that district staff identified as needing to be studied. The other six schools may be renamed later.
By LEANNA SMITH, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)
There were major fireworks before and during Thursday night's Staunton City Council meeting that have set social media talking. The biggest one is that City Attorney Doug Guynn resigned. He had copies of his letter ready for councilors, which he passed out after a work session. Guynn also simultaneously emailed two members who attended via video.
By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Eight people — five of whom were Black — on Monday urged city School Board Chair Steve Fletcher to resign over comments he made last month on Facebook. Eleven people spoke during the public comment portion of the board’s mid-month meeting with the balance — two of whom were Black — expressing support for Fletcher and saying he wasn’t a racist.
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
President Trump knew COVID-19 was deadly and highly contagious as far back as Feb. 7 but consistently played it down because, as he told journalist Bob Woodward, “I don’t want to create a panic.” It’s hard to tell which is the most remarkable aspect of this: Was it that the president of the United States intentionally did not take the actions necessary to warn people of the virus and slow its spread?
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The Virginia Beach City Council will begin discussion today on the design and construction of a permanent monument to remember the victims of the 2019 municipal center shooting. That may not be an easy or tidy process, but it is an important one. The pain and sorrow of that tragedy still ripple across the community and a memorial will provide a focus for that grief and pay tribute to the memories of those we lost.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
The 2020 census process has looked nothing like years past. First, the mail no longer is the primary method for households to complete their forms, as new online and phone options have been added. More than 70% of Virginia households have self-responded, which is tied for seventh highest among all U.S. states. Of those that self-responded, 57.6% used the internet. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, imagine if the online option had not been planned.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Six months ago this past Saturday, Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in Virginia in response to the spread of COVID-19. “Our top priority is to make sure Virginians stay safe and healthy, and that our response to this situation leaves no one behind,” Northam said in a statement on March 12. “From our health department, to our schools, to our hospitals, to our transit systems, Virginia’s agencies and institutions have been thoroughly planning for every scenario. This emergency declaration will ensure we can continue to prepare for and appropriately respond to Virginians’ needs during this time.
Washington Post Editorial (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Like air traffic controllers, the rail controllers who staff the nerve center of the D.C. area’s Metro subway system have one overriding responsibility: to keep passengers and employees safe and alive. Or, as Metro itself put it in a list of hiring qualifications for the center’s director: a “zealous commitment to achieving safety results.” That zealous commitment has evidently been badly lacking, according to a withering audit by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, the independent watchdog charged with monitoring and enforcing safety at Metro.
By BOB NEWMAN, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
What have we learned about our health system from the COVID-19 pandemic? We have seen that our public health systems and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been badly underfunded and understaffed, such that the testing, contact tracing and quarantining required to contain such an infectious disease has been very difficult.
Newman, a University of Virginia Medical School graduate and U.S. Navy veteran, spent more than 15 years in private practice in rural Virginia and 17 years teaching family medicine, most recently at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.
By PETER JACKSON, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
This coming weekend, the Wahoos should have been battling the Hokies at Lane Stadium. But after a spike in cases on Virginia Tech’s campus, the schools were left with no safe way to carry out the much-anticipated rivalry game. As the leaves start to turn, the Commonwealth Cup normally brings our whole state together. At a time of much division, it is particularly sad and disheartening that we — and our national leadership — failed our student athletes by creating a situation in Virginia that was unsafe for football.
Peter Jackson is an assistant professor in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University and a NIH-Fogarty Global Health Fellow at Johns Hopkins University.
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