VaNews
October 30, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Treasurers Association of Virginia & Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia
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Serving the Commonwealth and our localities: TAV ([link removed]) and CORVA ([link removed])
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Top of the News


** VMI to remove statue of Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson ([link removed])
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By GRACE MAMON AND CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors voted unanimously Thursday to move the statue of Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson from its central location on post. A new location was not announced, but two options mentioned were putting it in storage or moving the statue to the New Market battlefield, where 10 cadets died in the Civil War fighting for the Confederacy.
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** Virginia ranks worst in nation for quickly reviewing some unemployment claims ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Virginia’s unemployment insurance program now ranks worst in the country when it comes to quickly processing claims that require staff review — a backlog that has risen to more than 90,000 cases, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. Applicants caught in the bureaucratic limbo have been left waiting as long as five months for the state to decide whether their claims are valid and to begin issuing payments. And at the current rate, U.S. Department of Labor data shows it could easily take more than a year for an applicant to exhaust the appeals process.
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** Virginia COVID-19 reporting form receives 45,000 complaints, many against the governor ([link removed])
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By CALEB PERHNE, WCYB

The Virginia Department of Health has received more than 45,000 complaints related to masking and distancing requirements at businesses, but only 30 restaurants have had their permits suspended. In one local health district, there was just one. ...Julie Henderson with the Virginia Department of Health said, "We do have, however, some who either doesn't agree with the executive orders or doesn't believe this is a pandemic."
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** In Danville, Bob Good says battle against Democrats akin to fighting terrorism ([link removed])
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By PARKER COTTON, Danville Register & Bee

During a campaign stop on Thursday afternoon in Danville, 5th Congressional District Republican candidate Bob Good encouraged a group of supporters to vote early in what he described as the most important election in his lifetime. Spearheading his message, Good told the dozen people assembled in a side room of the Westside Diner that the fight against Democrats is akin to fighting terrorism.
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** The big dig commences ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

Crews broke ground Thursday on the $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) expansion — the largest project in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s history and one of the largest infrastructure projects in the nation. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam joined state and local leaders in a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning, marking the commencement of the project.
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** Three states — Maryland, Virginia, N. Carolina — to collaborate on offshore wind projects ([link removed])
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By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The windblown coastal states of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina will join forces to build offshore power projects and promote the region as a hub for offshore wind energy and industry, the states’ governors announced Thursday. The collaboration will attempt to make it easier and more predictable for companies to work across the three states, encourage manufacturing of parts for wind turbines and other infrastructure, and reduce project costs through supply chain development, a joint news release said.
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** 18 Richmond families to get $500 monthly for next 2 years under guaranteed income program ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

An experimental pilot program in Richmond will give $500 a month to 18 families over the next two years, Mayor Levar Stoney announced Thursday. The guaranteed basic income is expected to help randomly selected families that no longer qualify for public benefits programs but are still struggling to make ends meet in essential or service industry jobs making only slightly more than $13 an hour.
The Full Report
54 articles, 34 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** From VPAP So you think you're a Pundit! ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Many will aspire, but only one will prevail. It's time for VPAP's annual election prediction contest. This is a chance to demonstrate your punditry acumen by calling a variety of Virginia races, ranging from Biden-Trump to the Confederate monument ballot initiative in Front Royal. You can take the quiz anonymously for kicks or provide your name for a chance to be crowned the 2020 VPAP Pundit. Entries due on Election Day, a few hours before the polls close.
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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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** 7 days - clock starts for Northam to act on assembly budget ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The seven-day clock is ticking for Gov. Ralph Northam to act on a revised two-year state budget, which arrived at the governor’s office on Thursday. His potential amendments could include language for carrying out a constitutional amendment that is before Virginia voters to determine whether to establish an independent commission for political redistricting.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** In back and forth over VMI, Carroll Foy campaign calls Chase a 'toxic extremist' ([link removed])
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By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jennifer Carroll Foy has fired back at state Sen. Amanda F. Chase for insisting that if Virginia Military Institute was a racist college, then the state Democratic party should "clear the log out of its own eye" by having Carroll Foy and Gov. Ralph S. Northam resign from political service since they both graduated from the Lexington school.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Oh yeah, there’s a U.S. Senate race in Virginia ([link removed])
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By RANDI B. HAGI AND ANDREW JENNER, Harrisonburg Citizen

Overshadowed by the presidential campaign and other expensive and hotly-contested U.S. Senate contests, both Democratic Sen. Mark Warner and his Republican challenger Daniel Gade seem OK with running in an under-the-radar race. For Warner, it has meant focusing more on helping other Democratic candidates and the party’s brand. For Gade, it has meant quietly connecting with voters across Virginia and establishing some independence from those who have embraced fringe conspiracy theories, chiefly the QAnon conspiracies.
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** Officials urge voters to avoid mailing ballots, use drop boxes instead ([link removed])
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By ERIN COX, MICHAEL BRICE-SADDLER AND ANTONIO OLIVO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

With less than a week until Election Day, elections officials in Maryland and the District are urging voters to put mail-in ballots into drop boxes, saying that with U.S. Postal Service delays, it may be too late to return them by mail.
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** 106,000 cast early ballots in county, 41% of registered voters ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

With less than a week to go before Election Day, nearly 41% of Chesterfield County’s registered voters already have cast their ballots. According to Susan Beals, chair of the county’s three-member electoral board, about 106,000 county residents had voted in the Nov. 3 general election as of Wednesday morning. Chesterfield has roughly 259,000 registered voters, Beals told the Board of Supervisors in a presentation at its monthly meeting Wednesday.
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** Warrenton voter gets, uses wrong in-person ballot ([link removed])
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By DON DEL ROSSO, Fauquier Now

The Warrenton voter next time will make certain that she received the correct ballot before casting it. Rachel M. Bongiovi on Thursday morning went to the general registrar’s office at 528 Waterloo Road to vote early in the Nov. 3 election. As required, Ms. Bongiovi presented proper identification to an election officer behind a long service counter.
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** Smyth County law enforcement plan to keep close watch on voting sites ([link removed])
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By JASMINE DENT FRANKS, Smyth County News & Messenger

As Election Day looms nearer, local law enforcement are making plans to guard against voter intimidation and election interference. Law enforcement leaders in Smyth County say they don’t have knowledge of any such threats locally, but the high tensions and volatile political climate surrounding the 2020 presidential election has them battening down the hatches just in case.
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** Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell: ‘I’m sick of the tone of both parties’ ([link removed])
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By REGINA MOBLEY, WAVY-TV

The politics of the nation are more divisive and more divided; that was the pronouncement from the 71st governor of Virginia five days before the general election. Republican Bob McDonnell voted for Donald Trump four years ago, and even though he’s critical of Donald Trump the man, McDonnell still supports the president’s policies. “We are not electing a pope. We are electing a president,” said McDonnell in an interview outside his business office in Virginia Beach.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Va. personal care attendants face deadline to prove hours for Medicaid hazard pay ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Personal care attendants who work directly for Medicaid clients face a deadline on Friday to show the hours they worked during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic to qualify for a $1,500 hazardous duty payment. The attendants have until 5 p.m. on Friday to submit any unlogged time worked from the beginning of the public health emergency on March 12 through June 30 to qualify for hazard pay that Gov. Ralph Northam announced this month, using $73 million in federal aid provided for emergency relief under the CARES Act.
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** State says lawsuit over carbon cap-and-invest plan should be dismissed … because of $71 in court fees ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Virginia is asking the Richmond Circuit Court to dismiss a lawsuit by the Virginia Manufacturers Association that aims to block the state’s participation in a regional carbon cap-and-invest market because it says VMA didn’t pay its court fees in time. . . . The sticking point, according to the state, is $71 that a paralegal for the firm representing the manufacturers association did not pay until Oct. 5, three days after the 30-day window allowed by the state for appeals of new regulations.
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** Chief judge denies request to appoint full-time circuit court judge for Fauquier County ([link removed])
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By COY FERRELL, Fauquier Times

In August, members of the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors formally requested that a circuit court judge be appointed to hear cases in Fauquier County full-time, with the same judge being assigned a much smaller case load in Rappahannock County. Last week, Chief Judge Douglas Fleming of the 20th Judicial Circuit denied that request. Virginia has 31 judicial circuits; these courts hear serious criminal and civil cases, some family matters (such as divorce) and appeals from general district courts and juvenile and domestic relations courts.
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** Circuit chief to Fauquier: No full-time judge for you ([link removed])
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By DON DEL ROSSO, Fauquier Now

Rejecting a Fauquier board of supervisors’ plea, the 20th Circuit Court chief judge has no plans to assign a full-time jurist to Warrenton to handle cases in this county and neighboring Rappahannock. For more than 40 years, a circuit court judge had presided in Warrenton — until last November, when Judge Jeffrey W. Parker retired after 18-1/2 years on the bench.
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** State takes additional action to secure CVTC grounds ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN FAULCONER, Amherst New Era Progress

The head of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has assured Amherst County officials security of the Central Virginia Training Center campus is strengthening following recent acts of vandalism. The Amherst County Board of Supervisors recently wrote to DBHDS, which runs the CVTC site of roughly 350 acres and nearly 100 buildings in Madison Heights, expressing concerns with safety and criminal activity, particularly after business hours.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland agree to partner on wind energy efforts ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The governors of Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland have agreed to collectively promote offshore wind energy efforts along their shared coastline. Representatives from each state plan to work together to “cooperatively promote, develop, and expand offshore wind energy and the accompanying industry supply chain and workforce,” according to a prepared statement issued by the three governors. Developing wind power projects along the Atlantic Coast could support up to 86,000 jobs, spur $57 billion in investment and create up to $25 billion in economic output by 2030, their signed agreement states.
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** Report: Offshore wind industry could support more than 5,000 Hampton Roads jobs ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Inside Business

The offshore wind industry could eventually support thousands of Hampton Roads jobs and pump $740 million into the Virginia economy, according to a new economic impact study. The study estimates that 5,200 jobs, the majority of which would be based in Hampton Roads, could be supported for each gigawatt of electricity the region installs and services annually, according to study author and Richmond consulting firm Mangum Economics.
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** Federal regulators order Atlantic Coast Pipeline to provide a plan for project wind-down, restoration ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Almost four months after the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, federal regulators have ordered the project developers to provide a plan for what they intend to do with the facilities and the lands where the natural gas pipeline was supposed to be built. The order from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission applies to both the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Supply Header Project, a roughly 38-mile pipeline that was expected to connect the ACP with existing pipelines in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
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** First-time unemployment claims across Virginia rose for second week in a row ([link removed])
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By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Nearly 1,000 more Virginians filed first-time unemployment claims last week compared to the week prior, according to the latest weekly data from the Virginia Employment Commission. During the week ending Oct. 24, another 12,352 initial or first-time claims were filed, up by 8.7% or 987 claims. The number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits each week continued to fall, though, for the tenth week in a row to 127,621 as of Oct. 24.
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** New mega-region group plans collaboration on economic development in Richmond and Hampton Roads ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A collaborative effort is taking shape to support economic development that would benefit both the Richmond area and the Hampton Roads as a mega-region. An organization called “RVA-757 Connects” — backed by foundations, chambers of commerce and businesses in the two regions — got its nonprofit status earlier this year and has named as its president and CEO John Martin, the managing partner of SIR, a market research firm in Richmond.
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** Ballad launches new health program ([link removed])
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By LEIF GREISS, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Ballad Health announced a new program Thursday to bridge gaps in care, improve people’s health and reduce costly avoidable health issues by helping people without health insurance get the care they need without incurring a bill they can’t pay.
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** Small businesses see relief as Northam expands grant program ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

When Boitnott Visual Communications Corp. faced hard economic times more than two decades ago, Keith Boitnott said his father told him the business survived by selling more. But these times are different for the 51-year-old Midlothian-based company, which relies on renting audiovisual equipment to corporations and other clients for big events that they no longer hold since a global pandemic that reached Virginia in early March.
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** Large expansion, state grant for nearby winery announced by Governor Northam ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Rappahannock News (Metered Paywall)

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that nearby Revalation Vineyards will invest more than $2.3 million to build a new wine production facility, tasting room and event space off of Route 231 between Etlan and Madison. With the project, the company is creating five new jobs and committing to purchase nearly 60 tons of Virginia-grown grapes over the next three years.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Governor, others break ground on HRBT Expansion Project – the largest infrastructure project in state’s history ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORTS, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

It’s known as Virginia’s largest infrastructure project to date: The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project, a $3.8 billion endeavor that officials say will increase tunnel and interstate capacity along 9.9 miles of Interstate 64 between Hampton and Norfolk, reducing congestion and easing access to the Port of Virginia and Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest Naval base.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** VMI board votes to remove Stonewall Jackson statue ([link removed])
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By IAN SHAPIRA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia Military Institute’s Board of Visitors voted Thursday to remove the prominent statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson as pressure builds for the state-supported military school to address allegations of racism. The board’s unanimous decision follows a Washington Post report this month detailing bigotry at the 181-year-old school in Lexington, which received $19 million in state funds this fiscal year.
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** VMI to remove statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson ([link removed])
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Associated Press

The Virginia Military Institute’s board voted Thursday to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson that currently stands in front of the historic barracks on campus, a school spokesperson said. Spokesman William “Bill” Wyatt said the board also voted to take a number of other steps toward addressing issues of diversity, including directing the adoption of a diversity hiring plan and creating a permanent diversity office.
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** VCU's student food pantry is stocked but seeing fewer recipients ([link removed])
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By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Ram Pantry saw a rush of activity in the final week before it was shut down. It was March, and the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University was closing as the pandemic arrived in Richmond. Students were losing their jobs, and there was no certainty when it would be safe to visit grocery stores again. That week, 130 students visited VCU’s on-campus student food pantry. Every last jar of peanut butter and can of soup was distributed, and the pantry was closed for the next six months. This semester, the campus has reopened, but business at the Ram Pantry slowed.
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** GMU students petition for pass/fail grading for fall 2020 semester ([link removed])
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By HANNAH CHO, Fourth Estate

As of Oct. 22, over 4,000 students have signed a petition calling for a credit/no credit grading option to be made available for the fall 2020 semester. While Mason has yet to announce whether it will adopt the same credit/no credit grading system used in the spring, students are advocating for this change. The pass/fail grading system was adopted in the spring 2020 semester in response to the pandemic-prompted transition to virtual instruction and its impact on students’ academic performance. With the absence of a page that outlines this semester’s academic options on the school’s registrar website, it is unclear whether the same system is currently in place or if the school has quietly reverted to ordinary grading policies.
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** Jerry Falwell Jr. sues Liberty University alleging defamation, breach of contract ([link removed])
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By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Jerry Falwell Jr. on Thursday sued Liberty University alleging defamation and breach of contract, saying the religious institution damaged his reputation after it forced the evangelical leader to resign. Falwell stepped down as president and chancellor of the school in August following a string of scandals, including a stunning allegation he and his wife, Becki Falwell, had a yearslong sexual affair with a now-estranged business partner.
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** Jerry Falwell Jr. sues Liberty University, says school damaged his reputation ([link removed])
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By SUSAN SVRLUGA AND SARAH PULLIAM BAILEY, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Jerry Falwell Jr. has sued Liberty University, the evangelical school co-founded by his father that he led for more than a decade before resigning in August after a series of personal scandals. Falwell claims Liberty damaged his reputation, alleging the university accepted without verifying what he called false statements made by a man who had an affair with Falwell’s wife and attempted to extort the couple, according to the complaint.
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** Falwell sues Liberty, saying school damaged his reputation ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN AND ELANA SCHOR, Associated Press

Jerry Falwell Jr. has sued Liberty University, alleging the evangelical school founded by his late pastor father damaged his reputation in a series of public statements that followed his resignation as president and chancellor in August amid a series of scandals. The lawsuit filed in Lynchburg Circuit Court on Wednesday includes claims of defamation and breach of contract.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Virginia COVID-19 cases rise by 1,429 ([link removed])
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By ABBY CHURCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Thursday that the statewide total for COVID-19 cases is 178,183 — an increase of 1,429 from the 176,754 reported Wednesday. The 178,183 cases consist of 165,384 confirmed cases and 12,799 probable cases. There are 3,636 COVID-19 deaths in Virginia — 3,384 confirmed and 252 probable. That’s an increase of 20 from the 3,616 reported Wednesday.
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** Daily coronavirus caseload surpasses 2,000 in D.C. region again ([link removed])
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By DANA HEDGPETH AND RACHEL CHASON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A national spike in coronavirus infections continued to make its presence felt Thursday in the greater Washington region, which recorded its ninth-highest number of new cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic. The 2,492 new infections in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. lifted the seven-day rolling average of daily cases above 2,000 for the first time since early August. Local leaders say the spike is halting any possibility of lifting more pandemic-related restrictions anytime soon.
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** At Martinsville Speedway, even the campers will be socially distanced ([link removed])
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By BILL WYATT, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Martinsville Speedway will offer a limited fan experience for races starting Friday. Phase 3 guidelines in Virginia limits the number of spectators to 1,000, and that’s how many fans Speedway officials intend to allow inside.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Attorney: Legal brief urging removal of Lee statue will be filed by more than 50 nearby residents ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

More than 50 residents in the area near the Robert E. Lee monument plan to file a brief with the Virginia Supreme Court supporting Gov. Ralph Northam’s plans to remove the statue, according to a lawyer representing them. A suit filed by five residents near the 130-year-old statue, the focus of Black Lives Matter and other protests this year, has been blocking its removal. On Tuesday, a Richmond Circuit Court judge ruled against the plaintiffs.
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** Confederate flag over I-95 in Stafford County removed ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL LARIS, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A large and conspicuous Confederate flag, visible to hundreds of thousands of motorists along Interstate 95 in Stafford County, was removed by its backers this week to make way for a Virginia Department of Transportation project to ease traffic snarls along a congested stretch of the highway.
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** Giant Confederate flag in Stafford to be removed ([link removed])
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By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The giant Confederate battle flag in Stafford County is coming down. The flag has flown atop an 80-foot pole on Falmouth property since 2014 and has been targeted for removal several times by those offended by the Confederate symbol.
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** Sheriff explains his stance on militia ([link removed])
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By DAVID HOLTZMAN, Central Virginian

Louisa County Sheriff Donald Lowe clarified his position this week about a militia group that said it was working with him. Members of the Louisa militia said in an Oct. 15 article in The Central Virginian that they derive their status as a “constitutional militia” from their relationship with local law enforcement. Lowe said the connection his office has to the militia is that they talk with each other.


** LOCAL
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** SEIU: Loudoun’s Public Employees Already Organizing ([link removed])
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By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

Some county government employees are already getting ready to ask the Board of Supervisors authorize unionization, according to the president of the Service Employees International Union Virginia 512 that counts more than 200 Loudoun County employees among its members.
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** Richmond school superintendent 'not optimistic' about in-person learning ([link removed])
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By SCOTT WISE, WTVR-TV

Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras does not think students will return to classrooms when school resumes in 2021 following Winter Break....Kamras' statement comes the same week that both Chesterfield and Henrico Schools announced plans to have middle and high school students return to classrooms in November and February respectively. Younger students in the counties return earlier or, in many cases, have already returned to in-person learning.
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** Former Police Among Civilian Review Task Force Nominees ([link removed])
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By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE-FM

This week, Richmond City Council’s Public Safety Committee nominated six people to a task force working to establish a civilian review board for police misconduct. The slate of names drew immediate criticism from police reform advocates for the inclusion of two former law enforcement officers. Council Member Kim Gray nominated John Dixon III, a former Petersburg police chief, and Council Member Reva Trammell nominated Charlene Hinton, who worked for police departments in Petersburg and Richmond.
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** Following three positive COVID-19 cases in a week, Matoaka Elementary closes, returns to remote learning ([link removed])
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By ALEX PERRY, Virginia Gazette (Metered Paywall - 4 Articles per Month)

Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools announced on the school division website that one of its elementary schools closed early Thursday morning, and has returned to remote learning after a third staff member at the school tested positive for COVID-19.
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** Three supervisors blast BOS Chair after she questions administrator's job ‘performance’ ([link removed])
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By JOHN MCCASLIN, Rappahannock News (Metered Paywall)

Three Rappahannock supervisors today rushed to defend Rappahannock County Administrator Garrey W. Curry after Board of Supervisors’ Chair Christine Smith proposed the BOS go into “closed session” at its next regular meeting purportedly to discuss Curry’s performance in office. “I cannot fathom why, especially during this challenging time, the board’s chair would try to discredit someone who, by any objective measure, has worked hard to save taxpayers money and keep our county on track,” Supervisor Keir Whitson reacted Tuesday evening.
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** Culpeper supervisor forfeits two vehicles over unpaid commissions ([link removed])
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By JOSH GULLY, Culpeper Times (Metered Paywall)

A judge recently ruled that Culpeper County Supervisor Kathy Campbell owes a former real estate agent for her Settle Down Real Estate LLC $33,049 in commissions. So far, in lieu of money, Campbell has turned over two vehicles. According to State Corporation Commission documents, Settle Down Real Estate LLC filed articles of organization in June 2018. The company’s existence was cancelled on Sept. 30, 2019, for failure to pay its annual fees, but was reinstated in February 2020. A State Corporation Commission employee told the Culpeper Times that the LLC was cancelled again this year on Sept. 30 and is currently inactive for once again not filing the annual fee.
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** County gets nearly $2 million to create 13 Wi-Fi hot-spots ([link removed])
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By JEFF POOLE, Orange County Review

Nearly 5,800 Orange County homes soon should be within two miles of a free wireless hotspot after the county was awarded a nearly $2 million grant last week as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The hotspots are an innovative solution that provides access to free Wi-Fi for students, small business, teleworkers and residents, according to Orange County Administrator Ted Voorhees.
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** Nelson County sees surge in foster care due to opioids ([link removed])
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By NICK CROPPER, Nelson County Times

Nelson County is seeing a surge of foster care children, but a lack of locally approved foster homes leads officials to look outside the community for housing. As of Oct. 19, there were 29 children in the foster care system, a number Department of Social Services manager Angie Rose said has increased over the past few years. By comparison, Rose said there were four foster care children in the county when she stepped into her role in 2014.
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** Lynchburg police awarded grant money for riot gear ([link removed])
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By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Lynchburg police will soon be outfitted with dozens of new riot suits, bulletproof vests and vehicle barriers thanks to a trio of state and federally funded grants. The new equipment, worth a total of $214,258, will give police more tools to respond to instances of civil unrest in the city, according to Chief Ryan Zuidema.
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** Franklin County Middle School goes all-virtual until Nov. 5 ([link removed])
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By MIKE ALLEN, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Franklin County will shut down its middle school and Gereau Center on Friday and switch those classes to all virtual learning, following an identical switch Thursday that affected the county high school. According to a letter sent Thursday by county schools Superintendent Mark Church, students in Benjamin Franklin Middle School and The Gereau Center will all take online-only classes through Wednesday.
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** Amherst County seeks additional grant money for broadband expansion efforts ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN FAULCONER, Amherst New Era Progress

Amherst County has applied for a federal grant of approximately $1 million to aid a broadband expansion project in the works in the county. County Administrator Dean Rodgers recently applied on the county’s behalf for additional Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Stability (CARES) Act money for broadband expansion on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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** Supervisors walk out in protest of hybrid meeting ([link removed])
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By SHERRY HAMILTON, Gazette-Journal

Tensions were high during Tuesday’s meeting of the Mathews County Board of Supervisors, as one supervisor questioned the validity of the meeting and ended up walking out, along with a second supervisor. The meeting was held both electronically and in person, with chairman Amy Dubois, vice chair Mike Rowe and supervisor Melissa Mason joining electronically from their homes in a livestream that was projected on a screen above the dais.

Today's Sponsor:


** Treasurers Association of Virginia & Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia
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Serving the Commonwealth and our localities: TAV ([link removed]) and CORVA ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
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** Webb is good pick for district ([link removed])
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Daily Progress Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

It is satisfying to know that the 5th Congressional District’s next representative could come from right here in Charlottesville-Albemarle. Democrat Dr. Cameron Webb is seeking to replace Denver Riggleman of Nelson County, who was defeated in the Republicans’ drive-through convention earlier this year by Bob Good of Campbell County.
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** Court compromises privacy with license plate data ruling ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

While all eyes were on the U.S. Supreme Court and hearings preceding the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the Virginia Supreme Court was expanding the reach of the surveillance state in the commonwealth. By allowing law enforcement agencies to collect, compile and indefinitely retain information culled from automated license plate readers — identifying data that would allow police to track citizens without cause — the state Supreme Court has erred in a way that demands legislative remedy.
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** Virginia’s new coastal resilience plan has to deliver tangible solutions ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Climate change no longer can be an ideological battle. There is no time to waste. The data inside Virginia’s new Coastal Resilience Master Planning Framework is clear. Recent estimates show that 250,000 acres of land, nearly 1,500 miles of roads and just under $17.5 billion in property in the commonwealth lie less than 5 feet above the high tide line.


** THE FRIDAY READ
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** Pandemic Fatigue Is Real—And It’s Spreading ([link removed])
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By STACY MEICHTRY, JOANNA SUGDEN AND ANDREW BARNETT, Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

From the corridors of Washington to the cobblestones of Paris, the coronavirus is roaring back and authorities are ramping up restrictions again. This time around, however, everyone is tired. Hospital staff world-wide are demoralized after seven months of virus-fighting triage. The wartime rhetoric that world leaders initially used to rally support is gone. Family members who willingly sealed themselves off during spring lockdowns are suddenly finding it hard to resist the urge to reunite.


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