VaNews
November 20, 2020

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Top of the News


** In race for Virginia’s next governor, two Chesterfield lawmakers vie for the soul of the GOP ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

It’s 11 a.m. on Nov. 7, four days after the election, and poll workers at the Philadelphia Convention Center are just about finished counting thousands of absentee ballots that will give Pennsylvania’s 20 cherished electoral votes to Joe Biden and seal Donald Trump’s fate as a one-term president. Hundreds of miles to the south, Trump’s female alter-ego is preparing to take the torch and run with it – all the way, she hopes, to the Virginia governor’s mansion.
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** As new General Assembly Building rises, so do questions about labor practices at site ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

By the time the next governor takes office, a tunnel long sought by the state Senate will be partly built between the Capitol and a new General Assembly Building that is rising on a corner of Capitol Square in the heart of Virginia’s seat of government in downtown Richmond. The $25 million tunnel was a last-minute addition to the state budget the assembly adopted in March, before a public health emergency upended state spending priorities, but the project is still on track for completion by the end of 2023, after the General Assembly holds its first legislative session in its new quarters.
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** Virginia schools will have some flexibility in administering state SOLs this spring ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Virginia schools will have some flexibility in administering Standards of Learning tests to elementary and middle school students this spring, according to a Thursday news release from the state Department of Education. Instead of being required to take the full slate of normally state-mandated tests — designed to set minimum expectations for what students should know at the end of every school year — younger students will have the option of taking local assessments in history, social science and English under waivers and emergency guidance issued by state Superintendent James Lane, the Virginia Board of Education, and Secretary of Education Atif Qarni.
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** After Virginia faulted a Christian day care for lack of masks, pastor told parents covid was a ‘hoax’ ([link removed])
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By MEAGAN FLYNN, SARAH PULLIAM BAILEY AND MICHELLE BOORSTEIN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The complaints started to mount after a teacher who tested positive for the coronavirus had been at work maskless — working with toddlers and infants. In fact, no one was wearing masks at Little Lambs Christian Dayschool, the day care at Fairlawn Christian Academy in Radford, according to Virginia Department of Health records.
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** Virginia Wesleyan women’s basketball players face sanctions after early Thanksgiving gathering ([link removed])
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By RAY NIMMO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Multiple members of the Virginia Wesleyan University women’s basketball team have been suspended from on-campus housing and face additional sanctions from the athletic department, the college acknowledged Thursday. Virginia Wesleyan did not say what those additional sanctions are, or how many players were disciplined. The school said an off-campus gathering led to the suspensions and said in a statement that “protocols have been repeatedly communicated throughout the campus community, athletic department, and all teams.”
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** Are they masks or muzzles? Two local discussions highlight different opinions ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

As new COVID-19 cases are being reported at unprecedented levels locally and nationwide, the debate about face coverings continues to separate those who follow public-health recommendations from those who liken masks to muzzles. Two discussions this week—during meetings held by elected officials in Spotsylvania and King George counties—shed light on the different schools of thought. They came as the Rappahannock Area Health District continued to see new cases being reported at the highest levels since the pandemic began.
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** Constitutional challenge may stall rural broadband initiatives throughout Va. ([link removed])
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By RACHEL NEEDHAM, Rappahannock News (Metered Paywall)

The Rappahannock Electric Cooperative is being taken to court for acting lawfully under a new Virginia statute that may violate the constitutional rights of property owners. ...Earlier this year the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 831 authorizing utility companies to use existing “easements for the location and use of electric and communications facilities” for the purpose of expanding broadband networks on the basis that doing so is in the public interest. But the Granos are arguing that the bill, now adopted as Virginia Code § 55.1-306.1, is unconstitutional, and by acting in compliance with the new code REC is violating their rights.
The Full Report
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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.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Del. Chris Hurst continues push to open up police files to the public ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A New River Valley state delegate is renewing his push to loosen up Virginia’s restrictive policies when it comes to the release of law enforcement’s criminal investigative files. Improving transparency for police records was one of a handful of unresolved issues from the General Assembly’s special session on police reform and other topics that wrapped up this month. Del. Chris Hurst, D-Montgomery, introduced a bill that called for ending state law enforcement agencies’ practice of hiding away nearly all of their files from the public. Lawmakers said details in the bill needed further vetting, so they sent it to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act Council.
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** $1.5 trillion stimulus needed to keep economy, states afloat, Moody's analyst tells Va. Senate officials ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A new federal stimulus package of $1.5 trillion is necessary to keep Americans, businesses and state and local governments afloat until vaccines are widely distributed and used to bring COVID-19 under control, a research analyst for Moody’s Analytics told Virginia Senate budget officials on Thursday.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Local pastor to run for Kirk Cox’s House seat ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

Two days after Kirk Cox formally launched his 2021 campaign for governor, a fellow Republican has announced plans to pursue the Virginia House of Delegates seat Cox has held for the past 30 years. Mike Cherry, pastor at Life Church in South Chesterfield and a member of the Colonial Heights City Council, said in a statement Thursday morning that he’s running for the 66th House District in next November’s state legislative elections.
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** Retired Norfolk detective Richard ‘Rick’ James seeks House Democratic — again ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Another Democrat has joined the race for an open state delegate seat in east Norfolk, setting up a contest for the party’s nomination in a district it has long held. Richard “Rick” James, a retired Norfolk police officer and detective, is running against Norfolk Councilwoman Angelia Williams Graves, who announced her candidacy on Monday. James has run unsuccessfully for the seat three times before — most recently in 2014 — according to the Virginia Public Access Project.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Virginia Democratic Party officials ask for resignation or removal of Richmond's voter registrar ([link removed])
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By CHRIS SUAREZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Democratic Party of Virginia has asked for Richmond's voter registrar to quit or be fired. In a letter to the city's Electoral Board listing several concerns with General Registrar Kirk Showalter's handling of the election, local and state party officials said she did not comply with the state's open records laws and new election rules intended to help voters who accidentally submitted absentee ballots with errors.
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** Cameron Webb reflects on his attempt to represent 5th District ([link removed])
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By CHARLOTTE RENE WOODS, Charlottesville Tomorrow

Despite out-performing Democratic president-elect Joe Biden in the district and drawing national attention as a “toss up” race by multiple pundits, Dr. Cameron Webb did not ultimately flip Virginia’s largest and reliably red district blue this year. As President Donald Trump continues to challenge election results weeks after the election, Webb called his Republican opponent on election night to concede and wish him well. “We didn’t raise the bar as much as we needed to.” Webb said in a phone call reflecting on his campaign.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** State waivers grant Virginia school divisions SOL flexibility ([link removed])
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By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia’s education leaders on Thursday approved several waivers that will give school divisions flexibility to reduce the need for in-person Standards of Learning testing during the coronavirus pandemic. The moves by the Virginia Board of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane and Secretary of Education Atif Qarni will allow school divisions to opt for local assessments for elementary and middle school history/social science and English writing tests.
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** State Board of Education waives some SOL requirements ([link removed])
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By KENYA HUNTER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

State education officials on Thursday decided to ease several testing and graduation requirements to reduce stress and limit the need for in-person assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under emergency guidance approved by the Virginia Board of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane and Secretary of Education Atif Qarni, elementary and middle school students won’t have to take history or writing Standards of Learning tests, which are mandated by the state.
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** DMV offers online and mailing options for two-year renewals ([link removed])
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By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginians can now renew their driver’s licenses and identification cards for two years without an appointment at the Department of Motor Vehicles, freeing up space for others to visit a branch. Two-year renewals can now be done at dmvNOW.com or by mail, the DMV said in a news release Thursday.
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** New unemployment claims jump 12% in Virginia ([link removed])
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By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

There were 11,088 initial unemployment claims filed in Virginia during the week ending Nov. 14, nearly 12% more than the week before. Filing for unemployment is the first step toward collecting benefits after a person is laid off or furloughed. The number of continuing claims sought week after week dropped 7.4% to 85,129, according to the data released Thursday by the Virginia Employment Commission.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Dynamic Aviation's $48M Expansion Includes 207 New Jobs ([link removed])
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By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater will add more than 200 jobs as part of a $47.9 million expansion, according to a Thursday press release from the office of Gov. Ralph Northam. “Dynamic Aviation chose its Virginia location for the facility expansion and the creation of 207 new jobs because of the region’s infrastructure, assets and strategic location,” Michael Stoltzfus, president and CEO of Dynamic Aviation, said in the release.
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** Report: Half of SWVA households earned less than basic living cost in 2018 ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

More than 50% of Southwest Virginia households in 2018 lived in poverty or earned less than the basic cost of living, according to a report released Thursday by the United Ways of Virginia. Using the “ALICE” acronym — asset-limited, income-constrained and employed — the United Ways of Virginia reported that 51% of Southwest households were under the ALICE threshold in 2018, compared to 39% across Virginia. Full data is not in for this year, but with the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, the number of households living in poverty is expected to increase, the report says.
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** More than 200 jobs coming to this Rockingham company thanks to a near $48 million investment ([link removed])
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By LAURA PETERS, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

A $47.9 million investment from Dynamic Aviation will bring more than 200 jobs to Rockingham County and the surrounding areas. According to a release from Governor Ralph Northam, Dynamic Aviation, a leading provider of special-mission aviation solutions for government and commercial organizations worldwide, will expand its Rockingham County operation.
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** Northam announces $10M investment in oyster restoration ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

Gov. Ralph Northam on Thursday visited the Elizabeth River Project’s Learning Barge to announce $10 million in funding to support future Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration — marking the first time Virginia capital funds have been directed toward restoring natural resources.
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** Offshore Wind Farm Threatens Tangier Family’s Conch Fishing Livelihood ([link removed])
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By STEFANIE JACKSON, Eastern Shore Post

A small group of Tangier watermen find themselves competing with Virginia’s biggest power company, Dominion Energy, for natural resources in an area just outside the Chesapeake Bay 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Dominion Energy is using a 2,135-acre site in federal waters – leased by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy – for its recently launched Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, a two-turbine, offshore wind test site.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Metro board approves budget cuts, buyouts as pandemic dents agency’s budget ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN GEORGE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Metro board members unanimously approved service cuts and a buyout plan Thursday aimed at avoiding as many layoffs as possible as the transit agency faces a $176 million budget shortfall due to the coronavirus pandemic. The agency will offer retirement-eligible employees $15,000 to leave in hopes that several hundred workers will accept the incentive — part of an effort to shed 1,400 jobs. The move didn’t sit well with Metro’s biggest employee union, which called on the agency to wait for help from the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, which has pledged an initial $10 billion nationally for transit.
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** Metro budget crunch will mean less frequent trains, but not earlier closing time ([link removed])
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By JOHN AARON, WTOP

Metro riders may soon have to wait a bit longer for a train, but won’t have to worry about the mass transit system closing down earlier than usual. The changes come as Metro faces a massive budget gap. “With the dramatic decline in passengers and fare revenue, our service and financial model has been thrown out of balance,” said Metro Board member Steve McMillin.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Danville Community College struggles with drop in enrollment as community colleges statewide see decline ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

Danville Community College has seen a 15% decline in enrollment this fall compared to the same period in 2019 — the highest in the state. “This year has been a challenging time for all of us, and everyone across the [Virginia Community College] system is working incredibly hard to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has had on higher education,” DCC spokesperson Faith O’Neil told the Danville Register & Bee via email Tuesday.
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** VCU raises $841.6M in record fundraising campaign ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Virginia Business

Virginia Commonwealth University announced Thursday it raised more than $841.6 million through its Make It Real Campaign — exceeding its goal of $750 million and marking the university’s largest campaign to date. The campaign launched publicly in September 2016 after a silent period that began in 2012. It closed this June, a year after it had reached the $750 million goal.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Smithsonian museums, zoo to close as coronavirus caseload in D.C. region hits record for 16th day ([link removed])
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By DANA HEDGPETH AND OVETTA WIGGINS, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The greater Washington region reported more than 5,000 new coronavirus infections Thursday — a record for a single day — with weeks of sustained increases prompting the Smithsonian Institution to close facilities that had reopened to the public. Maryland, Virginia and D.C. reported 5,077 new cases Thursday amid a national surge that has seen several states set records in recent days. It lifted the Washington region’s seven-day average number of daily new cases to 4,109 — about twice the number being reported at the end of October.
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** Virginia COVID-19 cases are now 210,787 - an increase of 1,954 from Wednesday ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Thursday that the state’s cumulative total of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic is now 210,787, an increase of 1,954 from Wednesday. The 210,787 cases consist of 190,156 confirmed cases and 20,631 probable cases. There are 3,896 COVID-19 deaths in Virginia — 3,594 confirmed and 302 probable. That’s an increase of 36 from the 3,860 reported Wednesday.
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** Augusta Health: COVID cases diagnosed at hospital tripled in last month ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, News Virginian

The number of COVID-19 cases diagnosed at Augusta Health has tripled in the past month, according to a press release from Augusta Health on Monday. The release said that projections indicate this upward trend in current prevalence rates is expected to continue through at least the end of the year. Eight patients and several impacted staff members in the Augusta Health skilled nursing facility have tested positive for COVID-19, and all but one are asymptomatic, the release said.
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** Weyers Cave urgent care temporarily closing ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, News Virginian

Augusta Health's Weyers Cave urgent care location will temporarily be closing, the hospital announced Wednesday. Because urgent care volumes in general have decreased during the pandemic, employees from Augusta Health's Weyers Cave location will be temporarily moved to support facilities with increasing volumes to meet the community's healthcare needs.
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** Under stress, providers brace for surge of virus ([link removed])
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By LIZA FULTON, South Boston News & Record

Around the country, hospitals are straining to treat a massive surge of patients with COVID-19, and while Virginia hospitals say the situation in the Commonwealth is not yet critical, frontline providers are fatigued and under enormous stress. At Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital, “while our volumes change daily, we are able to care for our community while following necessary protocols to keep patients and staff safe,” said Joni Henderson, spokesperson for SHRH. In the past nine days, four persons have died of covid-related causes in Halifax County, raising the local death toll to 12 since the pandemic’s onset.
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** Gatherings spike surge in cases, deaths of COVID-19 in West Piedmont Health District ([link removed])
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By STEVEN DOYLE, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

More than 4,000 cases. More than 100 dead. That’s the impact of COVID-19 on your families, friends and neighbors in the West Piedmont Health District. Those milestones were surpassed Thursday on a record-setting report from the Virginia Department of Health that showed 91 new cases and three deaths across the district.
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** Long-term care facility outbreaks play significant role in health district's COVID-19 deaths ([link removed])
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By JASMINE FRANKS, Bland County Messenger

COVID-19 deaths associated with outbreaks at long-term care facilities are a significant factor in the area's total total number of deaths related to the illness. As of Thursday, the Mount Rogers Health District reported 165 virus-related deaths in the six counties and two cities it encompasses. According to data from the Virginia Department of Health's long-term care facility outbreak tracker, at least 97 deaths have been associated with outbreaks at nursing homes, assisted living and multi-care facilities in the district.
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** Judge: Virginia pandemic restrictions apply to gun show ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

The producers of one of the nation’s largest gun shows have canceled the event after losing a legal challenge to newly imposed pandemic restrictions in Virginia. The Nation’s Gun Show is held several times a year at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside Washington. A three-day show expected to draw thousands had been scheduled to start Friday.
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** Pulaski County Christian school closes because of COVID-19 restrictions ([link removed])
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By TONIA MOXLEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A Pulaski County Christian day care and elementary school has shut its doors because of COVID-19 safety restrictions. Fairlawn Christian Academy and Little Lambs Christian Dayschool closed as of Wednesday, according to a recorded message. The closure is due to changes in Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive orders, the message said. The day school’s food service permit was suspended on Wednesday “due to employees in the establishment not wearing masks, employees in the establishment not following social distancing guidelines and an employee known to be positive for COVID-19 who was not excluded from work,” according to a statement from Dr. Noelle Bissell, director of the New River Health District.
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** Halloween Parties Caused at Least 3 COVID-19 Outbreaks ([link removed])
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By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

The Loudoun County Health Department is tracking at least three outbreaks of COVID-19 resulting from Halloween parties put on by kids, said Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend. Goodfriend told county supervisors on Nov. 17 that those were among a number of outbreaks in Loudoun over the past several weeks that were preventable.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** In U.S. Cities, The Health Effects Of Past Housing Discrimination Are Plain To See ([link removed])
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By MARIA GODOY, WVTF

Torey Edmonds has lived in the same house in an African-American neighborhood of the East End of Richmond, Va., for all of her 61 years. When she was a little girl, she says her neighborhood was a place of tidy homes with rose bushes and fruit trees, and residents had ready access to shops like beauty salons, movie theaters and several grocery stores. But as she grew up, she says, the neighborhood went downhill.


** LOCAL
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** Virginia chemistry teacher asked students to insert ‘neon . . . neck’ to describe how George Floyd died ([link removed])
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By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A high school teacher in Arlington gave students a question that asked them to insert the name of a chemical element to fill out a sentence describing how George Floyd died beneath the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in May. “George Floyd couldn’t breathe because a police officer put his ____ George’s neck,” the question read. The answer was the chemical element “neon.”
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** Loudoun Supervisors Send Gov’t Building Gun Ban to Public Hearing ([link removed])
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By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

Loudoun supervisors have advanced a proposed ordinance banning guns in county government buildings, polling places, and possibly parks to a public hearing. As written, the regulation would ban firearms and ammunition from buildings or part of a buildings controlled by the county government, any county public park, any county recreation or community center, and any parts of any building being used for a governmental purposes, such as polling places during voting.
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** Despite ‘highest risk’ COVID metrics, Prince William sticks with plan to return students to schools ([link removed])
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By JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times

Despite having the highest COVID-19 school metrics in the region, Prince William County schools has no plans yet to change its schedule for allowing students to return to in-person learning. During a school board meeting Wednesday night, Superintendent Steven Walts and other senior school division staff said Prince William County schools will not tie its decisions about in-person learning to any specific pandemic parameters, as school divisions in Fairfax and Loudoun counties have in recent days.
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** Far fewer local inmates are being transferred to ICE ([link removed])
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By DANIEL BERTI, Prince William Times

The Prince William-Manassas jail has transferred far fewer inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement custody in the last two months than in the past because the county no longer holds a 287(g) agreement with ICE and has new policies for how the jail interacts with federal immigration officials. Jail Superintendent Pete Meletis said Wednesday that only 16 inmates, all charged with at least a felony, have been transferred from the jail to ICE custody since mid-September – far lower than at any point in the last decade.
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** After initial hesitation, RPD identifies members of chief's new community advisory committee ([link removed])
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By REED WILLIAMS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Richmond Police Department publicly identified the members of its new community advisory committee this week, more than one month after the chief announced he had established the panel to forge greater trust between the department and city residents. Last month, Police Chief Gerald Smith had declined to name all but one of the members of his new External Advisory Committee, despite widespread calls in Richmond and nationwide for greater police transparency and accountability.
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** Stoney hires Richmond chef to be restaurant and city liaison ([link removed])
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By KARRI PEIFER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Local chef and restaurant owner Jason Alley has been hired by the city of Richmond to be its “provisional policy adviser” and liaise between Richmond small-business owners and city officials.
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** Rising coronavirus cases force schools to prepare for return to all-virtual instruction ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

Amid surging COVID-19 transmissions in Chesterfield and across the country, the local school system has adopted a new protocol for deciding whether to continue offering students two days of face-to-face instruction weekly or return to the 100% virtual format in which it began the 2020-21 school year. Superintendent Merv Daugherty outlined details of the two-pronged plan, which was developed in conjunction with the Chesterfield Health Department, in an email message to staff and families last Friday.
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** TCC promised an arts hub in Norfolk’s NEON district. It may not happen. ([link removed])
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By SARA GREGORY AND RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The culinary and visual arts center that Tidewater Community College proposed building in Norfolk’s NEON district was envisioned as an anchor, a new downtown destination. But 2½ years since Mayor Kenny Alexander announced the plans, the Greyhound bus station that was to be demolished to make way for a gleaming new building still sits untouched.
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** King William commissioner of the revenue resigns from position ([link removed])
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By EMILY HOLTER, Tidewater Review

King William Commissioner of the Revenue Sally Pearson issued a letter of resignation Nov. 12 to the Circuit Court and the Board of Supervisors stating she would leave her position. “For personal reasons, I will resign from the office of Commissioner of King William County effective Feb. 1, 2021,” Pearson stated in the letter. Pearson first assumed the position in 1994. She has held the position for 26 years and was reelected in 2019. The letter of resignation comes in the middle of her current term.
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** King William Board of Supervisors holds special meeting to discuss reassessment questions ([link removed])
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By EMILY HOLTER, Tidewater Review

As the 2021 reassessment notices filled King William County mailboxes and residents saw their property’s fair market values increase or decrease drastically, it left many, including the Board of Supervisors, asking questions. During King William’s last reassessment cycle six years prior, it was collecting roughly 80% of the county’s total fair market value, though state codes call for collection on 100% of the value. Since the reassessment, folks are hesitant to accept the findings of Roanoke-based, state-accredited reassessment firm BrightMinds.
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** Stafford supervisors approve one-time stipend for school employees ([link removed])
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By ADELE UPHAUS–CONNER, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors has approved a request from the School Board to provide one-time stipends of $1,000 to all full-time school employees and $500 for part-time workers. The total cost of the stipends is approximately $4.5 million. The money will come from savings accumulated in the school division’s Health Benefits Fund.
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** Judge finds pipeline protesters in contempt for refusing to leave tree-sits ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Two unidentified activists blocking construction of a natural gas pipeline from high in a white pine and a chestnut oak were found in contempt of court Thursday. Montgomery County Circuit Judge Robert Turk imposed a fine of $500 a day against each tree-sitter for as long as they remain on the tarp-covered wooden platforms that went up more than two years ago.
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** Montgomery County School Board approves reduced stipends for employees ([link removed])
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By YANN RANAIVO, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Current Montgomery County Public School employees who were employed by the district last school year will get one-time bonuses of $1,750, for now. The Montgomery County School Board, during a Zoom meeting this week, passed the merit stipend amounts on a narrow 4-3 vote. The school board had originally agreed to give employees $2,000 stipends, but was required to rework its plan after the county Board of Supervisors last week decided to provide just half of the additional money requested to help with the bonuses.
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** Creating a vision for future of training center's site ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN FAULCONER, Amherst New Era Progress

A longtime resident of Old Town Madison Heights, Calvin Carson sees future redevelopment of the Central Virginia Training Center campus as a destination for retirees. A retirement center, among other uses on the CVTC grounds, is a potential draw Carson believes could make the Lynchburg region attractive for many in areas such as Northern Virginia looking for a change of scenery.

Today's Sponsor:


** Craft + Design Online, presented by the Visual Arts Center of Richmond
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Shop the work of over 120 artists at Craft + Design Online, a virtual craft show, November 20-29! [link removed]


** EDITORIALS
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** Will 'Hillbilly Elegy' help or hurt Appalachia? ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The movie “Hillbilly Elegy” — based on J.D. Vance’s best-selling memoir of the same name — comes out Tuesday on Netflix. It’s likely to be a powerful drama, one that’s already getting talked about as a potential Oscar winner. It certainly brings the star power: The movie is directed by Ron Howard and stars Glenn Close and Amy Adams. We can’t review a movie we haven’t seen but we can raise a question in advance for viewers to think about: Will this movie help or hurt Appalachia’s reputation?
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** Changes needed in special ed funding ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The percentage of Virginia children exposed to “adverse childhood experiences”—such as physical abuse, neglect, witnessing violence or having an incarcerated parent or substance abuse in the household—increased 20 percent between fiscal 2010 and FY 2019, according to a draft report released Tuesday by the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission. And traumatized children often wind up “acting up” in school.
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** For state lawmakers, a question of how to proceed ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

It matters greatly how we make laws in Virginia. Unfortunately, we face a health challenge — the COVID-19 pandemic — that makes it extremely difficult for the normal practice of If you have ever visited Richmond during a session of the General Assembly, you immediately know why. It’s about people constantly interacting in close proximity to each other. They literally breath each other’s air — sometimes loudly.


** OP-ED
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** Students’ plight should move us to act on gun violence ([link removed])
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By KRISTA BARTON-ARNOLD, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

On Sunday evening, I received a phone call sharing the news that two of my Parkway Elementary students were shot. I have been a principal for 18 years, in three different Virginia Beach elementary schools. Up until that night, I had never received such a call. I should not have been expecting it — no elementary principal should — yet the shocking thing is, I was.

Barton-Arnold is the principal of Parkway Elementary School in Virginia Beach. She has been an educator for 36 years, and a principal for 18 years, with Virginia Beach City Public Schools.


** THE FRIDAY READ
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** Living the good life at Peaceful Fields Sanctuary ([link removed])
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By BRIAN BREHM, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Meet Mondo, a big-chested fellow who prefers the slower pace of country living. His turn-ons include cracked corn and pecking at pebbles; his turn-offs are feather dusters and getting eaten at Thanksgiving. Fortunately, Mondo has no worries this holiday season. The supersized turkey was recently rescued from the claustrophobic confines of a corporate poultry operation near Fredericksburg and will spend the rest of his natural life wandering the 13 rustic acres of Peaceful Fields Sanctuary in Frederick County.


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