VaNews
October 13, 2020

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** CGI
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Top of the News


** Driving with no lights on? Possible new Virginia law bans police from pulling you over ([link removed])
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By JEFF WILLIAMSON, WSLS-TV

Law enforcement officers may soon be making fewer traffic stops in Virginia. The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill earlier this month that limits the reasons why authorities can pull over a driver. House Bill 5058 is titled “Marijuana and certain traffic offenses; issuing citations, etc," and alters the current law in a variety of ways.
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** Tuesday is Virginia's voter registration deadline; about 1 million votes already are in ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Tuesday is Virginia’s voter registration deadline in a year in which about 1 million Virginians have already cast their ballots. As of Sunday, 532,983 Virginians had cast ballots in person and 444,390 had voted by mail, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. An additional 642,687 mail ballots were still out.
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** Newest virus hotspot: around the golf course ([link removed])
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By LIZA FULTON AND TOM MCLAUGHLIN, South Boston News & Record

Fears among public health officials that people are letting down their guard against the coronavirus are borne out by the growing number of cases nationwide — with the U.S. back up to more than 50,000 new cases daily for the first time since mid-August. While the virus has plateaued in recent weeks in Halifax County, according to state health department tracking data, potential outbreaks are a constant threat. That reality has hit home at private settings in the county — including at Halifax County Country Club and Green’s Folly Golf Club.
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** Is fear of missing a paycheck partly to blame for falling attendance at COVID-19 testing events? ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

In late May, 536 people registered for one of the Richmond-Henrico Health District’s COVID-19 community testing events. Throughout the summer, including much of August, attendance rarely dipped below 150. But for the past few weeks, registration numbers have taken a dive. One of the district’s latest events, organized in the parking lot of the Eastern Henrico Health Department earlier this month, only attracted 48 people. Other health departments and their community partners across Virginia have noticed a similar trend.
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** Thousands Fail to Enroll in Virginia Public Schools ([link removed])
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By SANDY HAUSMAN, WVTF

As classes got underway around the state, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents did a survey of more than 120 members and made a disturbing discovery. “We were facing a potential 37,000 shortfall in student enrollment that would translate to about $155 million in lost revenue if those children do not enroll,” says Ben Kiser, executive director of the association.
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** Private Schools See Increased Interest During Pandemic ([link removed])
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By ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA, WCVE-FM

With most Virginia public school districts offering only virtual learning during the pandemic, private schools with in-person options say they’re seeing increased interest from parents. A majority of private schools in Virginia opened in person, according to the Virginia Council for Private Education, an advocacy group that represents their interests and was tasked with overseeing their health and safety standards.
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** 20 years later, the USS Cole’s legacy continues to inspire ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Two decades after the attack that cost the lives of 17 sailors, the legacy of USS Cole lives on — and Senior Chief Will Merchen has proof. He was a damage controlman on the Cole on that Oct. 12 in Aden, Yemen, his first deployment. He and his shipmates kept the destroyer afloat after a suicide bomb nearly tore the ship in two.
The Full Report
40 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 10:30 a.m.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Northam will go out in public without a negative coronavirus test. Here’s why experts say it’s OK. ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Despite not having test confirmation to prove he no longer has the coronavirus, Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to hold a press conference in person Tuesday. Administration officials said Northam has not taken any follow-up tests since his illness. That’s because they are adhering to new recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that don’t rely on negative test results to determine when someone may come out of isolation for COVID-19.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Proposed constitutional amendment could bring tax breaks to disabled veterans in Virginia ([link removed])
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By HANNAH MCCOMSEY, WSET

When Virginians cast their ballots in November, there will also be a ballot question about a tax breaks for disabled veterans. The Virginia Department of Elections explained the question; a proposed vehicle tax break for veterans who have a "one hundred percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability."


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Warner, Wexton observe COVID-19 response efforts at Janelia campus in Ashburn ([link removed])
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By JOHN BATTISTON, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

To cap off a day of socially-distanced local visits, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Friday toured the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, where he was joined by Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.-10th). Janelia Executive Director Ron Vale, HHMI Vice President and General Counsel Heidi Henning and Janelia Director of Innovations and External Relations Mike Perham led Friday's tour, in which Warner and Wexton observed several measures on-site researchers are taking to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
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** Democrats Aim to Hold on to Competitive 7th District Seat ([link removed])
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By MALLORY NOE-PAYNE, WVTF

Two years ago Abigail Spanberger narrowly ousted hardcore conservative Dave Brat. The former CIA agent and first time political candidate made history by becoming the first Democrat to win the Central Virginia seat in decades. Spanberger positioned herself as a moderate and immediately backed the claim up by voting against Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. To this day she’s still critical of Democratic leadership.
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** Bob Good Denies ‘Any Knowledge’ of Past Investments ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE-FM

Republican Congressional hopeful Bob Good said he lacks “any knowledge” of which stocks he held while he took key votes on the Campbell Board of Supervisors. In an interview on Saturday, he also downplayed questions over why his assets weren’t reported to Virginia’s ethics board from 2016 through 2019, as required by state law. “I don’t think this question is of any concern to the voters of the fifth district,” Good said.
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** The issue preventing app from tracking some Virginia ballots ([link removed])
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By CAMERON THOMPSON, WTVR-TV

The Virginia State Board of Elections said it is aware of an issue that prevents some people from tracking the status of their mail-in ballots online. It was an issue that a Henrico County mother and son told CBS 6 they had experienced. Jeffrey Duszak said he and his mother, Barbara, decided to vote by mail when early voting began earlier this year.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Final tax return, payment deadline looms large ([link removed])
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By BRYAN MCKENZIE, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

For those who pushed filing their tax returns off in the wake of COVID-19, the time has come to sit down and settle up. Internal Revenue Service officials are reminding taxpayers that tax return deadlines eased in April due to restrictions stemming from the pandemic, including lock downs and restrictions on all but essential businesses, are again set in stone.
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** A national report says Virginia is failing in climate change education. State officials dispute that. ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS AND SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

A report by two major educational nonprofits released last week on how states’ science standards for public schools handle climate change gave Virginia a failing grade, citing “abysmal scores across the board.” . . . However, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Education says the report misses the mark because it fails to capture what students are actually taught in Virginia public schools, overlooking more detailed guidance published by the state.


** CONGRESS
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** U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine shares political journey with Danville middle school students ([link removed])
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By PARKER COTTON, Danville Register & Bee

Sen. Tim Kaine met virtually with United States history students from Danville’s Westwood Middle School on Monday to offer insight about the inner workings of government. Chase Bridgen’s 19 sixth-grade students logged into a Google Meet video chat with Kaine, who spoke from his home in Richmond.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Carilion receives $1 million grant to expand telehealth ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Carilion Clinic has received a $1 million federal grant to expand telemedicine throughout its service area and allow for more physicians to make virtual house calls. The funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be awarded over three years and will be used to create three or four virtual care centers in Carilion’s rural communities, to expand tele-neurology so that neurologists in Roanoke can evaluate stroke patients in all the rural emergency rooms, and to purchase portable telehealth devices that could be used to monitor patients from their homes.
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** Secretary of Energy voices approval of Lambert’s Point Docks operation amid air quality study ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The country’s top energy official said Monday he was confident about the safety of Norfolk Southern’s Lambert’s Point Docks operation as state officials begin to investigate how the coal loading facility is affecting Norfolk’s air quality. U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette wore an American flag neck gaiter as he toured the 1,850-foot-long pier on Monday. Brouillette met with Norfolk Southern workers and leaders during a visit he said was meant to show the Trump administration’s support for the domestic coal industry.
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** Indigenous trust fund will receive annual Norfolk casino funds ([link removed])
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Va Business Magazine

On Virginia’s first state-recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe announced Monday that its proposed casino in Norfolk would provide between $3.5 million and $4 million each year to the Virginia Indigenous People’s Trust Fund. The proposed $500 million casino and resort is on the Nov. 3 general election ballot in the city of Norfolk; if voters approve the plan, the casino would be built on the waterfront near Harbor Park.
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** With few students and no fall sports, business dries up around ODU ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Ynot Italian founder Tony DiSilvestro is unequivocal about how the loss of an Old Dominion University football season and a truncated fall semester have affected his business. “It’s been really tough,” DiSilvestro said. Businesses near the campus of ODU have been through mandated closures and restrictions on their capacity, but the fall semester has brought with it more trouble: no sporting events and a decreased student presence on campus.
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** Richmond restaurants say they might not survive without federal help ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Seven months into a pandemic that plunged the food service industry into limbo, Richmond restaurant owners continue demanding financial assistance from the federal government. Restaurants are one of the largest economic drivers in the nation — Richmond restaurants helped contribute roughly $45 million to the city in meals taxes in fiscal year 2019 — and are a force for building up communities and culture, but they might never see that relief.
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** First Virginia Black Business Expo to be held at Fredericksburg Fairgrounds ([link removed])
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By TAFT COGHILL, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

When Shuvonne Berry set up at the food truck festival to cap Fredericksburg Black Restaurant Week on Sept. 6, she believed she was prepared. Berry had an assortment of 350 cupcakes for sale at an event that was scheduled to run from noon to 4 p.m. at the commuter lot off Garrisonville Road in North Stafford. “I sold out in an hour and a half,” Berry said.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Hundreds of GMU students petition for pass-fail grading system ([link removed])
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By VALERIE BONK, WTOP

Hundreds of students at one George Mason University are asking for their grading system to change this fall. Almost 1,500 students at the Fairfax university have signed a Change.org petition over the last few days asking for grading to be switched from letters to pass/fail. They say virtual instruction just isn’t the same.
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** Examining Highland’s legacy: College’s ownership of James Monroe’s Highland sparks community discourse ([link removed])
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By CHARLES COLEMAN AND ALEXANDRA BYRNE, Flat Hat

James Monroe’s Highland, the former plantation where the country’s fifth president lived and enslaved as many as 250 individuals, has become the center of debate regarding the College of William and Mary’s history with slavery. Highland, categorized as a present-day historic site, is located in Albemarle, Va. and has been owned and operated by the College since 1974. After the murder of George Floyd in May and the growing national attention towards the Black Lives Matter Movement, students within the community began to reexamine the College’s relationship with racial injustice.
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** College avoids Title IX infractions, reveals plans of further athletic equity ([link removed])
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By AIDAN WHITE, Flat Hat

The College of William and Mary has laid out a plan which they say will ensure that the decision to cut the women’s gymnastics, volleyball and swimming teams is in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. However, they may still be facing a class action lawsuit on behalf of female athletes.
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** Roanoke College announces spring semester plans, cancels spring break ([link removed])
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By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Roanoke College plans to offer multiple class formats in the spring semester, allowing for more in-person classes while also letting students continue to learn remotely, the private college announced Monday. In addition, spring break has been canceled to reduce travel. In a letter to the campus community, President Michael Maxey said he anticipates more students will return to campus for the spring semester. But the option to take classes online will remain.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** VCU study: COVID-19 accounted for many March-Aug. U.S. deaths ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

For every two deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S., a third American dies as a result of the pandemic, according to a study led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study shows that deaths between March 1 and Aug. 1 increased by 20% when compared to previous years — but deaths attributed to COVID-19 accounted for only 67% of those deaths.
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** Poll: Half of Maryland residents wouldn’t take an FDA-approved coronavirus vaccine ([link removed])
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By ERIN COX, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Half of Maryland residents would not take a federally approved coronavirus vaccine today even if it were offered free, a new poll found. The Goucher Poll released Tuesday also found widespread concern in Maryland about contracting the coronavirus. About 7 in 10 people say they are either “somewhat” or “very concerned” about themselves or a loved one getting sick.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Man jailed for rally riots, torch march attends university ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

Cole Evan White joined torch-carrying white supremacists on a march through the University of Virginia’s campus and attacked anti-racism protesters the next day. Within a matter of days, he enrolled at a university in California. White, 26, continued his studies at San Francisco State University after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to riot on the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia. . . . Now he’s facing a possible prison term. A federal judge is scheduled to sentence White on Friday for his role in the violence that reverberated far from the Virginia college town.


** LOCAL
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** Arlington County announces community dialogues on racial equity ([link removed])
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By LOLA FADULU, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Arlington County is launching a series of virtual conversations for residents about racial equity in the county, including in health, education and transportation. The six online sessions, part of the liberal Virginia suburb’s new Dialogues on Race and Equity initiative, will begin at the end of October and be facilitated by Challenging Racism, an organization that began in Arlington in 2004 and leads workshops on issues involving race and ethnicity.
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** More Loudoun Students May Opt-in to Hybrid Learning, But is There Enough Room? ([link removed])
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Loudoun Now

Over the summer, the parents of about half of Loudoun’s public school students said they wanted their children in class as part of a hybrid teaching program that offers two days of learning in person each week. The other half said they preferred to keep their kids at home for online learning. Next month, they’ll have an opportunity to change their minds. While the school district, and others in the region, opened the year with 100% distance learning, administrators are beginning to phase in hybrid classes.
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** Chipman files complaint against Robertson over campaign activities in Richmond's 6th District ([link removed])
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By CHRIS SUAREZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A longtime Richmond City Council member seeking reelection is facing allegations that she violated local and federal campaign rules. In a complaint lodged with the city’s election office on Monday, 6th District council candidate Allan-Charles Chipman said Councilwoman Ellen Robertson’s campaign filed financial reports that didn’t account for about $21,000 left over from her 2016 reelection bid.
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** City Council Approves Purchase of Cemetery For Enslaved People ([link removed])
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By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE-FM

On Monday night, Richmond City Council approved plans to buy vacant land that historically served as the city’s Burial Ground for Free People of Colour and Slaves. The historic cemetery sits at the corner of 5th and Hospital streets, where a billboard and a long-vacant gas station now sit. The assessed value of the property is $145,000, which the city is prepared to pay at a tax delinquent auction. The Richmond Slave Trail will then be extended to the site from the area near Main Street Station.
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** Pandemic takes center stage in Virginia Beach school board races ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Though school board elections don’t generally garner as much attention as higher-profile contests, pandemics that force children to attend school remotely tend to change that dynamic. Board members and superintendents are dealing with the herculean task of how to best re-open schools — bringing a new level of scrutiny to a race that has been about as down-ballot as it gets.
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** Frederick Water to resume disconnecting delinquent accounts ([link removed])
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By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Starting today, Frederick Water will resume disconnecting delinquent water and sewer service accounts. Penalties and disconnections had been suspended since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the delinquency rate increased, according to Frederick Water Executive Director Eric Lawrence. As of late September, delinquent account balances from more than 900 customers topped $200,000.
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** Henry County Public Schools -- minus 1 -- make their hybrid return ([link removed])
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By KIM BARTO MEEKS, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

One to a seat on school buses. Socially distanced desks. Breakfast and lunches eaten in the classroom instead of the cafeteria. And face masks for all. These were some of the new health and safety rules that greeted students Monday, when all but one of Henry County’s 14 schools reopened for the first day of face-to-face instruction on a hybrid schedule.

Today's Sponsor:


** CGI
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eVA, Virginia’s nationally recognized electronic procurement system creates visibility, access and opportunities for SWaM businesses to compete for business across the Commonwealth. ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
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** Why are some rural Republicans voting against more rural broadband? ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

In the movie “Moneyball” about how the low-budget Oakland Athletics revolutionized the way baseball players are evaluated, there’s a scene in which the A’s general manager discusses a certain lowly regarded journeyman who can’t hit very well but draws an unusual number of walks. “He gets on base a lot, Rocco. Do I care if it’s a walk or a hit?” asks the general manager played by Brad Pitt. The analyst played by Jonah Hill responds: “You do not.” The point was, the player got on base, and it didn’t matter how he got there.
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** U.Va. draws a line at toppling statue of Thomas Jefferson ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

With any social movement, there comes a time when somebody has to say “Enough.” University of Virginia President Jim Ryan seems to have reached that moment. As monuments to Confederate rebels started coming down in Virginia and elsewhere, those seeking justice next turned to slaveholders. This would include most white Virginians who made history in the 18th century and much of the 19th, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
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** Last call for voter registration in Virginia ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia lawmakers this year passed a slew of legislation to make it easier to vote and to encourage greater participation at the polls. While some of those took effect in July, the commonwealth still requires would-be voters to register 22 days in advance of an election. That’s today, which means folks who want to cast a ballot this year, but who have yet to register, shouldn’t waste another second.
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** Commuting habits have changed during COVID-19. What’s the future? ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Before COVID-19, the promise of Northern Virginia’s toll roads was growing. For locals heading to work, or out-of-state travelers looking to beat traffic, the express lanes “will help get you there faster with quick, simple and predictable travel along 495, 95 and 395.” During the pandemic, traffic might be quicker and simpler, but the “predictable travel” premise has changed. On Friday, The Washington Post reported that Transurban North America — the operator of 50-plus miles of Northern Virginia’s toll roads — was selling stakes.
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** Voting matters ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

If you want to have a say in how lawmakers spend your hard-earned tax dollars, there’s a simple solution: Vote. In order to vote, you’ve got to be registered. And if you haven’t registered to vote, the deadline to do so is Tuesday, Oct. 13. Voting matters.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Dvorak: In one Virginia courtroom, a judge tries to stop a revolving door ([link removed])
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By PETULA DVORAK, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

On good days, he’s charming, genteel and hard-working. The polite guy who always holds the door for people. But the problems piling up on the bad days — speeding tickets, failures to show in court, fix-it tickets, unpaid fines, anger and depression — baffled everyone around the smart 23-year-old business owner from Virginia. For years, his mom tried therapists and counseling to help her smart and troubled son find his balance. Imprisonment, rather than treatment, was where he kept ending up.


** OP-ED
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** Schultz: Outdoor enthusiasts should fight for environmental protection ([link removed])
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By KEN SCHULTZ, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The day after early voting in the 2020 election, I went to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague National Seashore on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Each year more than 1 million visitors enjoy these federal public lands, famous for the beach, historic lighthouse, wild ponies, migratory birds and surf fishing.
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** Harle: Virginia Values Act tramples freedom ([link removed])
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By DENISE HARLE, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Calvary Road Baptist Church in Alexandria offers its community a place of worship and a school that has provided generations of children a quality education for more than 40 years. All of Calvary Road’s ministries emanate from its core religious beliefs in loving God and loving their neighbors. But these values aren’t quite acceptable to the state government. Gov. Ralph Northam recently signed into law the so-called Virginia Values Act, which strips religious organizations of their right to serve their communities and make employment decisions according to their faith.

Harle, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom Center for Life, represents Calvary Road Baptist Church.
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** Ramadan: Stop spending on bricks-and-mortar and start investing in online education ([link removed])
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By DAVID RAMADAN, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A Sept. 29 report from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) confirms that a college degree remains a straight pathway to a better life for Virginians. Still, financial speed bumps for colleges and students alike loom on the road to earning one. According to the SCHEV report, overall enrollment at Virginia’s 15 publicly supported colleges and universities dropped by less than half of one percent, but enrollment at our network of 23 community colleges dropped by an “unexpected” 10%.

Ramadan served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2012 to 2016, representing parts of Prince William and Loudoun counties, and is an adjunct professor at the Schar School at George Mason University
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** Murray: Dominion Energy Virginia customers will benefit from Va. Clean Economy Act ([link removed])
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By WILLIAM L. MURRAY, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Patrick Wilson’s article on the Virginia Clean Economy Act, one of the most far-reaching pieces of climate legislation in the nation and certainly the most far-reaching in the South, operates from the premise that Virginia electricity prices are high today. That is false as can be demonstrated by looking at state electricity prices published monthly by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Murray is senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications at Dominion Energy.


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