VaNews Sept. 12, 2019
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** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** VIRGINIA OPTS OUT AS PURDUE PHARMA REACHES TENTATIVE SETTLEMENT IN OPIOID LAWSUITS ([link removed])
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By AARON DAVIS, LENNY BERNSTEIN, JOEL ACHENBACH AND SCOTT HIGHAM, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin, has reached a tentative settlement with 22 states and more than 2,000 localities that sued the company over its role in the opioid crisis of the past two decades, people close to the deal said Wednesday. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring on Wednesday morning announced that he had added the Sackler family — owners of Purdue Pharma — to the state’s lawsuit. In a statement Wednesday evening, Herring said that he hadn’t agreed to the settlement and “won’t unless and until I am sure it is in the best interest of Virginians.”


** HERRING SUES SACKLERS FOR ROLE IN OPIOID EPIDEMIC ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is suing four members of the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, for their personal roles in promoting the opioid epidemic. The suit also alleges they fraudulently took billions of dollars from the company to keep it out of reach of the state, which has been seeking damages from the company to compensate for the cost of coping with the addiction and death caused by opioids.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY RECEIVES $150,000 FROM DARK MONEY GROUP ([link removed])
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By CAMERON CAWTHORNE, Washington Free Beacon

The Democratic Party of Virginia received a $150,000 donation earlier this month from a D.C.-based progressive nonprofit that is funded by millions in dark money. ACRONYM, a 501(c)(4) "dark money" group, was co-founded in 2017 by Tara McGowan, a 33-year-old Democratic strategist and former digital director for the Priorities USA super PAC, and former Dollar Shave Club CEO Mike Dubin. During ACRONYM's first year in 2017, McGowan coordinated 100 percent of the digital advertising for Gov. Ralph Northam's (D., Va.) successful gubernatorial race, according to Axios.


** DEMOCRATS, INDEPENDENT MAKE CASE FOR HOUSE OF DELEGATES ([link removed])
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By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Two Democrats and an unaffiliated candidate told local voters Wednesday why they should represent the area in the House of Delegates. Democrats Jenni Kitchen and Elizabeth Alcorn and Janice Lee Allen, an independent, spoke at a debate hosted by the Senior Statesmen of Virginia at The Center.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** VA. COURT CLERKS SURPRISED TO BE AT CENTER OF CHALLENGE TO LAW REQUIRING RACE ON MARRIAGE APPLICATIONS ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Two surprised circuit court clerks from two very different parts of Virginia find themselves the focus of a federal case challenging a Virginia law requiring marriage applicants to categorize their race. Michelle Trout, clerk for largely rural Rockbridge County, with 22,700 residents, and Paul Ferguson, of urban Arlington County, with a population of 235,000, were sued last week along with the Virginia State Registrar over the constitutionality of the state law.


** INSPECTOR GENERAL INVESTIGATES VIRGINIA MEDICAID CONTRACT ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

Virginia’s inspector general is investigating a contract worth up to $1.5 million that the state’s Medicaid office awarded to a company owned by a former U.S. government employee who helped oversee federal oversight of the state. The Department of Medical Assistance Services said earlier this week that it asked for the investigation to “ensure full transparency.” The agency did not say what prompted the request and declined to answer questions.


** A SALES TAX BUMP AS ONLINE DEALERS SIGN UP ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Well, here’s a surprise: sales and use tax collections, which have grown only sluggishly in the past few years despite a buoyant economy, jumped by 12.9% in August. Another surprise: use tax collections -- that is taxes paid on sales outside Virginia, basically from Internet vendors -- soared by 44%. More than 1,200 new dealers signed up in August, and more than 31,700 Internet vendors now collect and pay use taxes to Virginia.


** STATE PLANS TO ADD 56 BEDS TO CATAWBA HOSPITAL TO CARE FOR VIRGINIANS IN MENTAL HEALTH CRISES ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Virginia’s mental health agency plans to add 56 beds to Catawba Hospital to keep up with demand placed on the public psychiatric hospitals by a law requiring that they turn away no one in need. The state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services plans to have six beds ready for patients by November and to have 28 total available by June. The beds will be reserved for older adults.


** GO VIRGINIA FUNDS LOCAL PROJECTS ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Two projects in the Roanoke and New River valleys — one to foster blockchain technology and the other to develop regional hubs to connect talent at Virginia Tech with employers — have received more than $500,000 in state grants. The funding was approved by the GO Virginia board, created in 2017 to spur private sector growth and high-wage jobs to revitalize a state economy hampered by cutbacks in defense and other federal spending.


** DEQ CALLS FOR STRICTER POLLUTION CONTROLS AT ENVIVA WOOD PELLET PLANT ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

In the old mill town of Franklin, the streets smell of gasoline and fast food, peanuts by the millions and wood — mostly wood. To some, it’s the smell of money, an indicator of the industry that keeps the local economy going. To others, it’s a reminder of the hazardous air pollution that environmentalists believe the Enviva Southampton wood pellet plant, located just beyond the city line, has been knowingly emitting above federal limits since its opening in 2013.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** BLACKJEWEL BACK IN COURT OVER STOCKPILES IN HONAKER, RAVEN, STONEGA, HARLAN, KY. ([link removed])
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By JENAY TATE, Coalfield Progress

Arguments will resume Sept. 12 regarding the fate of coal stockpiled on five Blackjewel LLC sites in Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia. A West Virginia bankruptcy court has been asked to keep the coal onsite until the company, now undergoing Chapter 11 reorganization, pays miners what they are owed for work done before July 1. That’s the day when Blackjewel filed for bankruptcy and told an estimated 1,700 employees in four states to go home.


** NEWSPAPERS SOLD, BUT NOT BUILDINGS ([link removed])
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By JENAY TATE, Coalfield Progress

The Dickenson Star, The Coalfield Progress and The Post have been sold to a Missouri-based newspaper company whose owners are keen on trying to help save small-town newspapers. The sale is one of several as American Hometown Publishing, which purchased the local newspapers in 2005, comes to an end. Other holdings in Tennessee, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Florida either have already been sold or are in that process.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** VIRGINIA GETS GREEN LIGHT TO ADD RAILWAY TRACKS BETWEEN D.C. AND RICHMOND ([link removed])
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By JORDAN PASCALE, WAMU

The federal government has signed off on Virginia’s plans to expand the number of railway tracks between D.C. and Richmond, which will mean more passenger train capacity, increased reliability and a slight uptick in train speeds in the future. The DC2RVA high speed rail project would add a third track along the stretch between the two cities, and a fourth track from Alexandria to Long Bridge, which connects Virginia and D.C. over the Potomac River.


** PLAN FOR LONG BRIDGE EXPANSION MOVES FORWARD ([link removed])
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By LUZ LAZO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A proposal to expand the Long Bridge over the Potomac River, which officials say is key to the region’s growing rail needs, appears to be moving forward. The District Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration have released a draft environmental impact statement on the project,


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** SHOULD FOUNDATIONS ESTABLISHED BY PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES BE ALLOWED TO KEEP DONOR RECORDS SECRET? ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in a closely-watched dispute over fundraising foundations established by public universities and whether they should be subject to freedom of information laws that govern the schools themselves. The case hails from George Mason University, where a student group called Transparent GMU sued after the university’s foundation refused to turn over records of its agreements with private donors – a request sparked by questions about donations by conservative mega-donor Charles Koch and his family.


** VIRGINIA TECH STUDENTS SAY OVERFLOW OF FRESHMEN HAS LED TO PACKED BLACKSBURG TRANSIT BUSES ([link removed])
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By ROBBY KORTH, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Mauricio Kattan watched the second and third full buses roll right by his stop along Prices Fork Road Wednesday morning, unable to pick him up. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. This was not a good problem to have. The industrial engineering junior was going to be late for class.


** UVA BOARD TO CONSIDER ADDING COMMENT POLICY ([link removed])
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By RUTH SERVEN SMITH, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

This week, the University of Virginia will become the latest public institution in the state to consider adding a public comment policy. A new law, initially sponsored in the last General Assembly session by Sen. Chap Peterson, D-Fairfax, requires state universities to offer public comment before considering a tuition increase.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** STUDY WILL TAKE A LONG, HARD LOOK AT THREAT OF FLOODING IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA ([link removed])
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By DICK ULIANO, WTOP

Some Northern Virginia communities along the Potomac River, including Old Town, Bell Haven and the Fort Hunt area, are no strangers to the threat of flooding. These communities are part of a $3.5 million study on the risk of coastal storms and what can be done to protect public and private property.


** LOCAL
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** ARLINGTON POLICE CONSIDERS PARTNERSHIP WITH AMAZON-OWNED RING, DESPITE CONCERNS ([link removed])
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By JONATHAN CAPRIEL, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

The Arlington County Police Department appears likely to become the fourth Greater Washington law enforcement agency to sign a partnership with Ring Inc., a doorbell-camera company owned by Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), despite internal concerns over privacy and racial profiling.


** PETERSBURG CIRCUIT COURT POSITION UP FOR GRABS IN WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN ([link removed])
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By SEAN GORMAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The list of candidates vying to become Petersburg Circuit Court clerk is growing, but no names are slated to appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. Shalva Braxton, the current clerk, did not file the signatures she needed to run as an independent candidate, and is now running a write-in campaign alongside My Parham, the wife of Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham; Kristen Barbour, an office administrator; and Henry Otis Brown, an attorney.


** NEW SAND AT THE VIRGINIA BEACH OCEANFRONT PERSEVERED THROUGH HURRICANE DORIAN ([link removed])
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By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Millions of dollars worth of sand deposited on the beach between 15th and 50th streets at the Oceanfront this summer withstood Hurricane Dorian’s blustery trek through coastal Virginia. “It did its job,” said Andria Allmond, spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District.


** FEDS FILE NEW CHARGES AGAINST EX AIRPORT DIRECTOR SPIRITO ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Federal prosecutors filed additional charges against former Newport News airport executive director Kenneth Spirito, alleging he used airport funds for his personal benefit and lied in sworn statements about his role in the airport’s repayment of People Express airline’s debt.


** THE END OF RECYCLING AS YOU KNOW IT ([link removed])
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By MELISSA CASTRO, Charlottesville Tomorrow

On any given weekday, more than 2,000 green bins line the streets of residential Charlottesville, awaiting a rumbling, beeping white truck that will launch the contents of the bins on the first leg of a one-way trip to a landfill, or, at best, a very long trip around the world before it is reborn as a new consumer product. ...


** COUNCIL OKS COUNCILMAN'S REQUEST TO VACATE LAND ([link removed])
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By JOSH GULLY, Northern Virginia Daily

The Town Council at its regular Monday meeting approved Councilman Chris Holloway’s request to vacate a portion of Carter Street so that he can build townhouses. The council, with Holloway abstaining, unanimously approved the vacation of a 5,443-square-foot area on Carter Street between Beeden Lane and Steele Avenue.


** EDITORIALS
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** DORIAN HELPED MANY PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON, WALLOPS ISLAND FIGHTS EROSION ([link removed])
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Daily Press Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Hurricane Dorian was another close call for a majority of the Peninsula, a practice run of sorts. That’s fine, the once-Category 5 storm spun up the eastern seaboard with enough potential to inflict some significant damage on our exposed region.


** COLUMNISTS
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** SCHAPIRO: THE ROW OVER RAO ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Mike Rao is beating the odds. Despite a bumpy presidency, Rao has led Virginia Commonwealth University for 10 years. That’s 3.5 years more than the average tenure of a college or university president in the United States, according to a 2017 survey by the American Council on Education.


** OP-ED
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** BYRON: BROADBAND ACCESS KEY TO RURAL VIRGINIA'S FUTURE ([link removed])
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By KATHY BYRON, Published in the Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

It has been 20 years since the General Assembly established the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. Founded with a mission to promote economic growth and development throughout our region, the accomplishments and achievements of the tobacco commission have been great and far-reaching.

Byron, a Republican, represents the 22nd District in the House of Delegates. She is also a member of the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.


** WOOFTER: WHY ARE WE STILL WAITING ON BROADBAND? ([link removed])
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By JENNIFER WOOFTER, Published in the Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Long before I considered a run for the House of Delegates, I heard concerns about the lack of high-speed internet in our rural communities. On a recent drive from Smith Mountain Lake to Lynchburg, cutting through the heart of the 22nd District, I had the chance to see for myself that broadband internet access is still a pipe dream for too many in our community.

Woofter is a sustainability consultant and the Democratic candidate for the 22nd District House of Delegates that covers parts of Bedford County, Campbell County, Lynchburg and Franklin County.


** CAMPBELL AND MOESER: THE REAL NAVY HILL ([link removed])
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By BEN CAMPBELL AND JOHN MOESER, Published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The real Navy Hill was a close-knit, mixed-income, mixed-use African American community, much like its western neighbor, Jackson Ward. Navy Hill School was particularly noteworthy. Despite discriminatory funding, its academic performance rivaled the city’s best white schools.

Ben Campbell is pastor emeritus of Richmond Hill and the author of “Richmond’s Unhealed History.” John Moeser is professor emeritus of urban studies and planning at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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