By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Cases of COVID-19 are coming in so rapidly that there are times local public health workers can’t get to them all. “On one day we can keep up, then all of a sudden there’s a day where we get hundreds of new cases. Then we tell our disease investigators which ones are priority,” said Dr. Molly O’Dell, who is leading the pandemic response for the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts.
By JESSICA NOLTE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The Navy is reinstituting coronavirus-related restrictions in Hampton Roads because of an increase in cases among the military and civilian population. The change means Navy installations will return to Health Protection Condition Level Charlie, which means there is a substantial risk to the community. Navy installations in the region were placed under HPCON Charlie in March and the restrictions remained in place until late September.
By JEFF SOUTH, Virginia Mercury
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, fatal drug overdoses have exploded in Virginia, and health officials are predicting “the worst year on record by far” for such deaths in the commonwealth. From January through June, at least 1,086 Virginians died from overdoses of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, prescription opioids and other drugs, the state medical examiner has found. That represented a 39 percent increase from the first half of 2019.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
With one state budget waiting for Gov. Ralph Northam’s signature, the General Assembly this week began looking ahead to a new two-year budget that could recover some of the revenues lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, while facing a long-term challenge of matching spending with money to pay for it. The House Appropriations Committee held its annual budget retreat on Tuesday — reduced from its customary two days to one afternoon and conducted online because of the public health emergency.
By RACHEL WEINER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Arlington residents last year elected a progressive top prosecutor backed by the county’s public defender. Both agreed on decriminalizing marijuana possession, ending cash bail and generally showing more leniency to people who break the law. Now Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and Public Defender Brad Haywood are engaged in an unusual set of legal challenges to one county judge who they say has overstepped his authority and thwarted those efforts.
By LUZ LAZO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Drivers on the Express Lanes on Interstates 95, 395 and the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia will find it harder to cheat on paying tolls, operator Transurban North America said this week in announcing a high-tech crackdown. Roadside camera technology is being deployed to verify carpool trips, the company said. The cameras, to be placed throughout the three corridors, will identify cars traveling with an E-ZPass Flex set to carpool. And those cameras will be able to verify that there are at least three people aboard. Or not.
By STAFF REPORT, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Virginia's tallest bridges opened to traffic Monday in Buchanan County, Va. The Virginia Department of Transportation’s Route 460 Connector Phase I project, located near Breaks Interstate Park, is the first portion of the federally-designated Corridor Q in Virginia between Grundy and the Kentucky state line to open to traffic, according to a statement released Monday by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The Full Report
44 articles, 19 publications
The Virginia Public Access Project
Early voting came to Virginia in a big way this fall, with nearly two-thirds of the 4.4 million ballots cast before Election Day. This VPAP analysis zeroes in on instances where early voting -- in person and by mail -- stood above (or below) the crowd. (This visual uses the official lexicon of "absentee" to describe early voting.)
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.
By KATHERINE KNOTT, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Early this year before most people had heard of the novel coronavirus, Virginia’s legislature, led by a new Democratic majority, made a change to state voting laws. Mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Election Day but arrived up until noon that Friday could be legally counted, lawmakers decided. (At a special session in August, they broadened access further by establishing drop boxes, prepaid postage on mail-in ballots and allowing people to correct errors on their ballots through Friday.)
By ADA ROMANO, VCU Capital News Service
The Latino vote went to different candidates around the nation, but in Virginia a majority of Latinos favored former Vice President Joe Biden and are hopeful he’ll reverse President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. More than 60% of Latinos in Virginia voted for Biden during this year’s presidential election, while almost 40% supported Trump, according to exit polls conducted by The Washington Post and other media organizations.
By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury
Plans for one of two controversial new natural gas plants planned to be built in Charles City County appear to be faltering, according to a letter sent by Virginia Natural Gas to state regulators Friday. In the filing by McGuireWoods attorney Lisa Crabtree, Virginia Natural Gas informed the State Corporation Commission that it would not meet three criteria set by regulators as a condition for their approval of a gas infrastructure expansion by the mandated Dec. 31 deadline.
By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
As most of the circuit courts in Virginia’s population centers are either preparing for or actively resuming jury trials, the bulk of Virginia courthouses still have not received jury trial approval from the Supreme Court. As of Nov. 9, 27 circuit courts had been approved to start bringing jurors back into the courthouse. But another 93 courts were still waiting for the word from Richmond, according to L. Steven Emmert of Virginia Beach.
By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
Advocates of diversity in the bench and bar say they’re pleased with recent advances in Northern Virginia, but questions remain about whether the progress is sustainable. Observers also see work to be done in making other bar groups more representative. For lawyers in Northern Virginia, signs of change are readily apparent. The current presidents of the Alexandria, Arlington County and Fairfax County bar associations all are African American.
By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
George C. Marshall, Army chief of staff during World War II, and civil rights attorney Oliver Hill Sr. were among the prominent Virginians whom speakers recommended Tuesday as potential replacements for Virginia’s statue of Robert E. Lee at the U.S. Capitol. A state panel charged with recommending a replacement for the Lee statue held a virtual public hearing to receive public input. Next month the panel will recommend a Virginian to the General Assembly, which has final say on who will be paired with George Washington in the Statuary Hall collection.
By ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION, Culpeper Star Exponent (Metered Paywall - 20 articles a month)
The Culpeper County Planning Commission has unanimously — and in short order — recommended against granting a conditional use permit for the 1,000 acre Maroon Solar power plant project on rural farmland near Raccoon Ford. The vote came last week following its first formal review of the $200 million project of Durham, N.C., based Strata Solar.
By JEFF CLABAUGH, WTOP
Digital identity management company ID.me says it will hire more than 1,000 new employees in Northern Virginia by the end of 2021. The fast-growing, McLean, Virginia-based company said jobs include engineering, customer support, sales and marketing.
By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine
Packaging manufacturer Klöckner Pentaplast Group (kp) will invest $68 million to expand its facilities in Louisa and Wythe counties, creating 54 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. Founded in 1965 Montabaur, Germany, Klöckner Pentaplast Group manufactures packaging for pharmaceutical, medical device, food, beverage and card clients.
By PARKER COTTON, Danville Register & Bee
The Pittsylvania County Economic Development Committee received updates Tuesday on four projects throughout the county that are in different stages of action or inaction as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief among the updates was that Micro Blenders Inc. has delayed its Gretna project for three to five years, said Susan McCulloch, the county’s economic project manager.
By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The members of a Virginia Military Institute committee that was created to make recommendations about 35 memorials with ties to the Confederacy pledged Tuesday to receive input from as many people as possible. The 10-member Commemorations and Memorials Naming and Review Committee held its inaugural meeting Tuesday.
By BRYAN MCKENZIE, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
University of Virginia administrators are looking into reports of large student gatherings at which COVID-19 restrictions are ignored as the fall semester winds down, including reported events this week and one last week at a local winery. Charlottesville residents have reported numerous parties in the Rugby Road area with students not wearing masks while ignoring attendance limits and not social distancing. Residents reported one party on Saturday afternoon near Gordon Avenue and 17th Street NW.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
An investigation spurred by student complaints prompted Roanoke College to admit Tuesday to short-changing students who fell victim to sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. Acknowledging lapses in its handling of sex discrimination matters and stating a strong desire to improve, the college announced personnel changes and new procedures.
By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
The Virginia Department of Health reported Tuesday that the state’s cumulative total of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic is now up to 206,762, an increase of 2,125 from Monday. The 206,762 cases consist of 187,287 confirmed cases and 19,475 probable cases. There are 3,835 COVID-19 deaths in Virginia — 3,557 confirmed and 278 probable. That’s an increase of 29 from the 3,806 reported Monday.
By JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times
As Prince William County’s COVID-19 cases rise, so too has the demand for free tests. But at least for now, the county is unable to boost the number of free tests it can offer residents because of a lack of lab capacity, county officials said Tuesday. Prince William officials have had to shut down the county’s free COVID-19 testing sites early five times since Friday, Nov. 13, because they’ve reached capacity. That included twice on Monday, Nov. 16 and twice on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
COVID-19 cases are rising throughout the Fredericksburg region at levels that public health officials haven’t experienced before. The Rappahannock Area Health District, which includes Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford, is seeing its highest seven-day average of new cases since the pandemic began, said spokesperson Allison Balmes–John.
By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press
After the coronavirus pandemic forced months of online-only learning, some Virginia school districts had high hopes for bringing students back to school for some in-person classes before the end of the year. But with COVID-19 cases surging across the country — including in Virginia — the state’s largest school systems have hit the brakes on reopening plans. School officials in Virginia Beach, Henrico County and Fairfax County all announced Monday they are pausing their plans for in-person classes, citing increased virus spread in their communities.
By BEN FINLEY, Associated Press
U.S. Navy bases and personnel in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region were ordered Tuesday to limit travel and other activities as coronavirus cases rise. The Navy said in a statement that the order was issued by Rear Adm. Charles W. Rock of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. It impacts the world’s largest Navy base in Norfolk and several other installations throughout the region, including a large air station in Virginia Beach.
By NEIL HARVEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Across-the-board testing at the Western Virginia Regional Jail in Roanoke County has found that approximately 230 inmates have COVID-19, the facility’s superintendent said Tuesday. That’s about 25% of the 830 individuals now housed there. Roughly a dozen of the jail’s 250 staffers have also returned positive results, officials said.
By MIKE ALLEN, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The statue of a Confederate soldier that stands outside the Franklin County Courthouse in Rocky Mount won’t be going anywhere. Tuesday at their regular meeting, the Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to keep the monument where it is. Though at least four of the supervisors spoke of placing a plaque nearby bearing text to expound on the statue’s purpose as a memorial, the board deferred discussions of that idea until a later date.
By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
A Richmond City Council committee voted Tuesday to recommend changing the name of a South Side road that honors the former president of the Confederacy. Reva Trammell, the 8th District councilwoman and the ordinance’s chief sponsor, introduced the proposal to change the name of Jefferson Davis Highway in June, at the request of a namesake civic association in her district and the Richmond NAACP.
By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
For many, a love affair with Chesapeake Bay starts with a taste of crabmeat, oyster or bluefish -- so for Hampton University environmental scientist Benjamin Cuker, writing about what people eat made sense as a way of exploring the Bay’s problems and suggesting some solutions to them. The problems, both for the Bay and the people around it, comes down to eutropification -- excessive richness of nutrition, like the excess fertilizer and animal waste rain storms move from farmers' fields that feed the summertime algae blooms that in turn create square miles of dead zones, he argues.
By JUSTIN JOUVENAL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
A judge has strongly rebuked Fairfax County police and prosecutors for taking nine months to disclose key evidence that shows that an 18-year-old accused of first-degree murder might have acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a man in Springfield last year. The commonwealth violated its legal duty to provide exculpatory evidence to Kelvin Omar Gonzalez in a timely fashion and irreparably damaged his ability to mount a defense at his Jan. 5 trial, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Thomas P. Mann wrote in an opinion this month.
By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
A Fairfax County judge has taken law enforcement to task for a nine-month delay in disclosing information helpful to the defense of a man charged with first-degree murder. “The Commonwealth buried its head in the sand,” wrote Circuit Judge Thomas P. Mann in a Nov. 4 opinion in which he determined to give the jury a rare adverse inference instruction pointing out the prejudicial delays by the prosecution.
By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Members of the Fairfax County School Board on Tuesday questioned the superintendent over his sudden decision to delay in-person learning for thousands of students in Virginia’s largest school system. Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced Monday afternoon that local coronavirus cases — which are spiking in the Washington region and nationwide — had exceeded Fairfax’s acceptable threshold. Because of that, he said, the school system would not send 6,800 pre-K, kindergarten and special-education students back to classrooms the next day, as officials had originally planned. . . . Board members did not seriously dispute the decision Tuesday during a virtual meeting, although some lamented it as an unfortunate necessity. But members criticized the way Fairfax officials communicated the switch to the public — and some took issue with how the board learned about it.
By KENYA HUNTER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Although Richmond Public Schools’ on-time graduation rate ticked up a percentage point to 71.6% last school year, the system held the lowest rate in the state for the third year in a row, and had the highest dropout rate. Armstrong High and the Richmond Alternative School saw double-digit gains, but South Side high schools saw double-digit losses last year. Only one in three Latino students graduated on time, according to data requested by Richmond School Board member Felicia Cosby.
By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
A Chesterfield County education group is demanding state intervention, citing a county school reopening process it described as “reckless, chaotic [and] secretive.” Chesterfield Educators United has asked Gov. Ralph Northam, state Secretary of Education Atif Qarni and state Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane (a former Chesterfield superintendent) for help navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that in the absence of clear state guidance, “local decision-makers have been swayed by political considerations rather than safety.”
By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Chesapeake Public Schools will keep students in its buildings, opting to stay the course even as coronavirus cases are on the rise in the city and region. Chesapeake now holds the torch with the most aggressive return-to-school plan in Hampton Roads after Virginia Beach on Monday reverted to an all-virtual model and other school districts, such as Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk, remain online for the first semester.
By ALISSA SKELTON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Around 300 Virginia Beach city workers, mostly in the Public Works and Public Utilities Departments, have signed a petition demanding better pay and are asking the city to launch an investigation into management who abuse their power, according to the workers' letter. This is the latest action by employees to advocate for a better work environment and more compensation. Three months ago, city Waste Management workers refused to collect trash for one day in an effort to demand hazard pay and new equipment, including garbage trucks.
By RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
A better-than-expected budgetary briefing Saturday prompted several Norfolk City Council members to ask why the city isn’t using millions of dollars it had left over last year to reopen libraries and recreation centers. Hefty budget cuts — which included shuttering libraries and rec centers for an indefinite period and laying off or furloughing staff — combined with better-than-expected tax revenues meant that the city ended the last fiscal year in July with $3.6 million on hand, budget director Greg Patrick told the council during its retreat Saturday.
By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
Students will start to return to Newport News schools in January and February under a plan Superintendent George Parker presented Tuesday to the School Board. Students in pre-K through second grade will return to school four days a week — on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday — starting Jan. 11. They’ll be joined by some students with disabilities and English language-learners.
By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
Schools will pause in-person instruction after Thanksgiving break in hopes of limiting the spread of COVID-19, Hampton City Schools announced Monday night. About 922 pre-K and kindergarten students and some students with disabilities are currently learning in-person in a hybrid model after students returned to school buildings on Nov. 4. In a message to families, the district said the return “has gone very well.”
By SARA GREGORY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The Portsmouth School Board has delayed the in-person return for staff and students in response to rising case numbers and teacher concerns. Employees were to return to schools next Monday, and students were to start returning in phases for two days a week in January. Superintendent Elie Bracy recommended pushing back the dates.
By MICKEY POWELL, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The Clarke County Board of Supervisors is seeking the General Assembly’s help to persuade private telecommunications companies to connect broadband to residents who need it. But area legislators say it might be easier for those without high-speed internet service to work together to obtain it for themselves. As a largely rural county with a small population, “we certainly don’t have the money to foot (the bill for) the infrastructure,” supervisors Chairman David Weiss told state legislators during a recent meeting to discuss the board’s legislative priorities for the 2021 General Assembly session.
By EVAN GOODENOW, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Just 1.3% of the 7,843 arrests by Winchester police between 2017-19 involved officers using force, according to newly released information from the city police department. Police Chief John R. Piper said the data, which was released on the department’s website Monday, is designed to educate the public and increase transparency. He said the low percentage may reduce misconceptions that force is often used in arrests.
By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee
It’s just a matter of a couple of weeks or so before the city can expect to have $15 million from Caesars Entertainment following voters’ approval of a casino in Danville. As part of the company’s agreement with the city, Caesars must pay $15 million to Danville within 30 days of the vote in favor of the casino planned for the former Dan River Inc. Schoolfield site, which was certified Nov. 9.
By HOLLY KOZELSKY, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Working together as one organization, several regional companies are planning to take strides toward protecting the area’s environment. The new Eco Ambassador Council, said to be the first collaboration of its kind in the area, met for the first time Nov. 10 with a “Virtual Executive Breakfast Event” over Zoom. “The EAC is a coalition of businesses in the region who wish to combine their community investment to support environmental projects that increase tourism and economic development now, and preservation of these precious resources for future generations,” invitation information to the council states.
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Virginia’s great marijuana debate is here and it may not be as interesting as we thought. Gov. Ralph Northam this week called for legalizing the plant, and the state’s most serious-minded body — the legislative watchdog agency known as the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission — prosaically laid out 75 things for legislators to think about if they do so.
Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
With all the problems facing local governments, including but not limited to the social and economic havoc wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic, one would think that Stafford County supervisors have enough on their plates without starting a feud with the neighbors. But unfortunately, that’s exactly what they seem intent on doing.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The coronavirus has caused widespread disruption to everyday life, but public bodies have managed to muddle through the pandemic thanks in large part to loosened rules about electronic meetings that allow members to gather virtually. This has been a vital and important change, but it should be a temporary one. As with online learning versus in-person classroom instruction, the business of government is best conducted in spaces where the public can safely gather, observe and participate, and Virginia should continue to insist on such openness going forward.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Virginia’s latest set of statewide measures to contain COVID-19 demonstrates a hard truth: Roughly eight months after the coronavirus was declared a pandemic, the public health crisis lingers in our communities. So does the economic apprehension. As the virus maintains its enervating timeline, the Dec. 30 deadline for spending attached to March’s $2.2 trillion federal CARES Act aid package is fast approaching.
By MARCIA CONSTON, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The challenges of COVID-19 continue to affect our community in a myriad of ways. As president of Tidewater Community College, I want to share a solution to address one of the most pressing concerns during this pivotal time — Virginians faced with unemployment or underemployment due to the pandemic.
Conston is president of Tidewater Community College.
|
|
|
