VaNews
November 23, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Court Clerk's Association
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Happy Thanksgiving Week to all Virginians!
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Top of the News


** Virginia Democrats see ways around GOP plan to shrink legislative session ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

After Democrats led a record-breaking 84-day special session this year, Virginia Republicans are pushing in the opposite direction — by demanding the shortest regular General Assembly session in at least a half-century. House and Senate GOP leaders announced this week that they won’t agree to stretch the session, which begins Jan. 13, past 30 days — something lawmakers have done as a matter of bipartisan routine since 1971, when a revamped state constitution first required them to meet annually instead of every other year.
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** Redactions to watchdog report on Va. Parole Board came after governor’s office got notice of FOIA requests ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

In late July, employees in Virginia’s Office of the Inspector General were preparing to release what they seemed to think was an important report on alleged misconduct by the Virginia Parole Board. . . . But before releasing the report, records show the inspector general’s office (OSIG) sent Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration an advance notice that the document would be distributed “on or about” July 24 to journalists who had requested it under the Freedom of Information Act. The email appeared to set off a chain of events that would delay the report’s release and end with the redaction of nearly everything in it, according to emails the Virginia Mercury obtained through public records requests.
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** Are college students taking COVID-19 home with them? ([link removed])
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By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

College students across the state are leaving campuses next week and returning home as cases of the coronavirus are surging nationwide and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people not travel for the Thanksgiving holiday. Administrators are trying to ensure that when their students go home, they don’t take the coronavirus with them and spread it to older, more vulnerable family members. Young, otherwise healthy people are more likely to transmit the virus without displaying symptoms.
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** While hiring plummets at Virginia Tech, board members question employee spending ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Hiring at Virginia Tech — the largest employer in the New River Valley — has slowed this summer to more than half the typical rate. “We’ve really moved forward with restraint,” Jack Finney, vice provost for faculty affairs, told Tech’s board of visitors earlier this week . “We had asked for all new hires to take a pause until we better understood the budget situation.” So far, Tech and Radford University have avoided the kinds of layoffs that have struck other industries as the pandemic turmoils the economy.
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** As COVID-19 cases rise, more Hanover County parents want to send their kids back into classrooms ([link removed])
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By ABBY CHURCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

As Brittany Crawford watched COVID-19 cases rise by a million in a week nationwide, the decision loomed. The past few months had been challenging as her son Aden, a second-grader at Kersey Creek Elementary, learned from their Hanover County home while she worked for Capital One from the same room. He needed the structure and socialization of a classroom, she thought, but at what cost?
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** AG finds reasonable cause of discrimination within Loudoun Schools ([link removed])
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By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Office of the Virginia Attorney General's Division of Human Rights has determined that Loudoun County Public Schools had a discriminatory impact on Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic students that applied to the Academies of Loudoun in 2018. The school division is being requested to engage in a post-determination conciliation process to resolve the matter, according to a 61-page determination signed on Nov. 18 by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D).
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** Rural food banks fight to put turkeys on the table ([link removed])
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By KYLE SWENSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The words from the other end of the phone landed like a sucker punch, and as Sharon Ames absorbed the message, she realized she was in trouble. “This little old lady is about to have a heart attack,” Ames thought about herself. It was early November and Ames, the executive director of the Fauquier Community Food Bank and Thrift Store in Warrenton, Va., was preparing for a Thanksgiving food drive. Six hundred families had signed up for free holiday meals, a good 150 more than usual.
The Full Report
48 articles, 24 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Our COVID-19 dashboard makes it easy to track the latest available data for tests performed, infections, deaths and hospital capacity. There's a filter for each city and county, plus an exclusive per-capita ZIP Code map. Updated each morning around 10:30 a.m.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Virginia AG’s office finds elite Loudoun STEM school discriminates ([link removed])
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By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Virginia Attorney General’s Office has determined that an elite magnet school in Loudoun County discriminates against Black and Hispanic students in its admissions process and is ordering the school system to enact major revisions. In a sweeping ruling made public Friday and spanning 61 pages, Virginia officials found the admissions policies at the Academies of Loudoun, although “facially neutral,” in fact barred from admission qualified Black and Hispanic students who applied during the fall 2018 cycle.
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** AG Finds Racial ‘Discriminatory Impact’ in Academies Admissions Policies ([link removed])
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By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

An investigation into admissions policies at the Academies of Loudoun by Attorney General Mark Herring’s Division of Human Rights has found they had a discriminatory impact on Black and Hispanic students, backing up assertions by the Loudoun NAACP when it requested the investigation. The investigation was launched in last 2019 after a request by the Loudoun NAACP, alleging discriminatory admissions policies at the Academies of Loudoun.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Area's state lawmakers focused on mental health, education, COVID ahead of 2021 session ([link removed])
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By ALLISON WRABEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

State legislators representing Central Virginia have a variety of priorities ahead of the upcoming General Assembly session. During a recent meeting with the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, several area state senators and delegates shared their priorities for the 2021 session, which begins Jan. 13. Topics included mental health, education funding, law enforcement and broadband.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Chase says Virginia Democrats 'hate white people' ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Sen. Amanda Chase, a Republican candidate for governor, says Virginia’s Democratic Party hates white people and that the party is seeking the Richmond voter registrar’s ouster because she is white. On Friday night, Chase posted on Facebook in response to a Richmond Times-Dispatch story about state Democrats asking for Richmond voter registrar Kirk Showalter’s resignation or removal. “Make no mistake. The Virginia Democratic Party is racist to its core,” Chase wrote.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Virginia ABC now delivers in five locations ([link removed])
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By KARRI PEIFER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Most residents in the Richmond area can now get booze delivered directly to their home through an expanded pilot program launched this week by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. That’s right, whole bottles of booze, delivered right to your door — in Virginia. Virginia ABC launched the expanded program Wednesday at five stores in the state as part of its COVID-19 response efforts.
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** New 'SWAMP’ Index Gives Virginia Low Marks for Ethics Laws ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE-FM

Virginia politicians face some of the loosest ethics rules in the U.S., according to a new index from nonpartisan group Coalition for Integrity. Just five states ranked lower than Virginia in the coalition’s States With Anti-Corruption Measures for Public Officials (S.W.A.M.P.) Index. The ranking tracks whether states (and Washington D.C.) have rules to thwart potential corruption and conflict of interests and punish lawmakers who disobey the rules.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Virginia’s unemployment rate falls to 5.3% ([link removed])
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By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The monthly unemployment rate in Virginia fell nearly a full percentage point, from 6.2% in September to 5.3% in October, but that came with a smaller labor force. The Virginia Employment Commission said Friday that the rate remains 2.6 percentage points higher than the rate was a year ago, pre-pandemic. The labor force shrunk by 15,589 during the month to nearly 4.28 million workers statewide, and is 167,459 workers short of a year ago.
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** Study predicts sluggish recovery for Virginia tourism. Hampton Roads officials are trying to avoid the worst. ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Inside Business

After years of successful tourism seasons that saw growth in visitor spending and jobs, the tourism industry in Hampton Roads and statewide suffered a severe blow from the coronavirus pandemic that will take years to recover from. A recent study commissioned by the Virginia Tourism Corporation drew a baseline scenario in which the state loses almost $10 billion in visitor spending and more than 62,000 jobs in 2020 due to the pandemic.
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** ‘You’re Basically Pulling the Rug Out From Under Us’ - Extended Unemployment Ends ([link removed])
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By WHITTNEY EVANS, WCVE-FM

About 20,000 people in Virginia will lose unemployment benefits after this week. Workers are eligible for up to 26 weeks of regular state-funded unemployment benefits, followed by 13 weeks of federally-funded Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation. Once that benefit is exhausted, claimants can apply for 13 more weeks, under the Extended Benefits Program.
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** Controversial natural gas station in Chesapeake won’t happen — at least for now ([link removed])
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By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A controversial natural gas project that would impact Chesapeake appears down — but not out — after the utility behind it said last week it was unable to meet a crucial deadline. Lawyers for Virginia Natural Gas wrote to state regulators that the utility could not meet the conditions needed before Dec. 31 in order to move the project forward. Chief among them: confirmation that an independent power producer known as C4GT had secured financing.
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** FAA reopens its analysis of planned wind farm in Botetourt County ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Federal Aviation Administration has reopened its analysis of whether wind turbines up to 680 feet tall atop a Botetourt County mountain would interfere with passing aircraft. After completing a review in August, the FAA found no hazard. But since then, the agency has determined that not all government officials or public airport owners were notified of a public comment period.
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** Liquidation Sale At Virginia Hotel Highlights The Ups And Downs Of The COVID Economy ([link removed])
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By DANIELLA CHESLOW, DCist

As he walked past furniture tagged with discount prices — a king-sized bed for $250, $29 for an end table — E.J. White recalled how the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel in Tysons, Va. looked in more prosperous times. White, 38, played drums for a band that performed in the hotel’s black-tie balls for fraternities. “They usually have a photo booth out here,” he said, pointing to the space just outside the Fairfax Ballroom’s heavy wood doors. “They have tables, they have a stage set up. So it’s very nice and upscale and elegant.”
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** Tyler Whitley, veteran politics reporter for News Leader and Times-Dispatch, dies at 83 ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Tyler Whitley, veteran politics reporter for The Richmond News Leader and the Richmond Times-Dispatch whose to-the-point, often cleverly worded stories could make candidates and officials more than names on a printed page, died of a brief illness at a suburban Richmond hospital Wednesday night. He was 83.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** COVID-19 withdrawals cause critical loss of tuition ([link removed])
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By JAMIE MCEACHIN, The Breeze

The university’s budget has been hit hard by the decision to transition online after COVID-19 cases climbed past 1,000 during the first few days of the fall semester, and falling enrollment has contributed to JMU’s financial woes. The previously optimistic freshman enrollment rate decreased from 5,194 to 4,581 as of a enrollment count that occurred Sept. 11, and the total number of undergraduate withdrawals after the start of the semester sat at 738 by Nov. 2 — a loss costing the university $12.6 million in tuition and fees.
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** Professors combat Zoom fatigue, seek to build classroom community during remote semester ([link removed])
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By AMANDA PALLAS, Cavalier Daily

As the fall semester winds down, professors across departments agreed that it has been a challenging few months for faculty as well as students. This fall, Prof. Michael Wormington taught cell biology — a required course for biology majors — online. Wormington, who has taught at the University since 1993, said that this semester was one of the hardest he has ever experienced.
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** Richmond schools and university create 'No Loan' program for city youths ([link removed])
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By KENYA HUNTER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Richmond Public Schools students who attend the University of Richmond will be able to graduate with no loans thanks to a new program launched through a partnership between the two institutions. On Wednesday, the university announced the “No Loan” program, which will support RPS students hoping to attend UR through grants instead of loans.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** As coronavirus cases surge, Virginia leaders urge caution around the holiday ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Coronavirus cases are swiftly rising throughout the nation, with Virginia leaders preemptively asking residents to do their part to slow the spread during Thanksgiving. The message: Stay home for the holiday, hold your celebration outdoors or get together with friends and family online. While the pandemic has not reached the level it has in other parts of the country, more people are getting sick in Virginia every day.
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** Coronavirus cases are soaring in the D.C. region. Experts say the worst is yet to come. ([link removed])
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By ERIN COX AND JULIE ZAUZMER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A spike in coronavirus cases has brought the Washington region to the brink of the toughest season of the pandemic so far, experts say, with the coming winter poised to eclipse the virus’s impact in the spring. “This is probably the worst” of the pandemic, Joshua Sharfstein, a former top FDA official and Johns Hopkins University public health professor, said of the next three months. “We’re staring at the big battle with covid right now.”
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** Fredericksburg-area hospitals seeing 'alarming' increase in COVID-19 patients ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Local hospitals treated more COVID-19 patients last week than any time during the pandemic, prompting health care officials to join others across the state and nation in imploring people to stay home this Thanksgiving. “It is too dangerous,” Dr. Mike McDermott, president and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare said about traditional gatherings.
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** Nursing homes thankful for state shipment of rapid tests for COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Thanksgiving will be a test for Virginia's nursing homes, as cases of COVID-19 surge in the communities surrounding them and public health officials warn against traditional holiday travel and family gatherings. But the state is boosting supplies of rapid tests for the coronavirus at nursing homes across Virginia so they can keep close watch for potential infection of employees and residents, while long-term-care facilities look for ways to allow residents to meet safely with their families.
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** Sunday's state COVID-19 data: Cases again up by more than 2,000 ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Sunday that the state’s cumulative total of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic has reached 217,796, an increase of 2,117 from Saturday. The state’s seven-day average number of daily new cases reported topped 2,000 for the first time Friday. At the beginning of November, it was just over 1,300. On Oct. 1, it was 747. There have been 3,938 reported COVID-19 deaths in Virginia as of Sunday - a number unchanged from Saturday.
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** COVID-19 cases spike in Virginia ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A holiday-time surge of COVID-19 cases seemed inevitable, but not this soon. Over the last week, Virginia has averaged 2,010 new COVID-19 cases per day, more than double the number of daily cases the state reported this time last month. More than 7% of everyone tested for COVID-19 in the state over the last week was carrying the virus, up from 5% a month ago.
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** Some Southside families say they will serve up caution on Thanksgiving ([link removed])
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By HOLLY KOZELSKY, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Even with smaller Thanksgiving dinners, Jana Anderson hopes families can still celebrate despite the current state of the pandemic. “Obviously, we’re not going to get together with a lot of people,” she said of her own family. “Not getting together with family and friends, it’s a lot different this year. This year it’s going to be smaller.” To compensate for the altered Thanksgiving landscape — and potential depression it represents — she's bringing out the Yuletide early.
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** More States Offer Covid-19 Contact-Tracing Apps, but Adoption Is Uneven ([link removed])
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By ROLFE WINKLER, Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

Covid-19 contact-tracing apps from Apple Inc. and Google are coming to more states, along with evidence that they can help slow infections as long as enough people use them. . . . That has been the struggle in Virginia, which in early August became the first state to roll out an exposure notification app. Three months later, downloads of the app, known as Covidwise, amounted to roughly a 10th of Virginia’s population of about 8.5 million.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** ‘Norfolk Innovation Corridor’ launches with goal to be ‘the most resilient community in America’ ([link removed])
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By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

If you haven’t heard of a “Norfolk Innovation Corridor” yet, chances are you will. A coordinated marketing effort by some of the city’s most visible institutions launched Thursday to rebrand a swath of mostly downtown waterfront property that had already been designated as a “technology zone.” Among those who will promote their presence in the Norfolk Innovation Corridor are downtown payroll company ADP, Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, Tidewater Community College, Sentara, Eastern Virginia Medical School and CHKD.
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** For the first time, Virginia is setting aside capital funds to restore its oyster population ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Virginia is setting $10 million in new funding for oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay, focusing on the Piankatank, Great Wicomico and York Rivers. It marks the first time the state is using capital funds, usually reserved for building state facilities and roads, to restore natural resources.
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** Historic railroad tunnel in Afton opens ([link removed])
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By JACLYN BARTON, News Virginian

Nearly two decades after restoration efforts began, the Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail system opened to the public on Saturday. Pedestrians and bicyclists can now explore the 2.25 mile-long trail that includes being able to walk through the restored railroad tunnel that lies over 700 feet below the Blue Ridge Mountains at Rockfish Gap. The nearly mile-long tunnel was constructed between 1849 and 1858.


** LOCAL
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** County Missing $10 Million in Delinquent Taxes Amid Pandemic ([link removed])
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By JO DEVOE, ArlNow

In March, Arlington County was on-track to set a new record low for tax delinquency rates. Then, the coronavirus hit. . . . Delinquency rates had decreased by almost half since 2014, but COVID-19 erased two years of record-setting lows. The County is currently out nearly $10 million in uncollected tax revenue, de la Pava said.
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** Alexandria teaching students the racist history behind school names ([link removed])
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By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

On a recent Wednesday morning, Andrea Houston greeted her fourth-graders with a question. “Have you guys,” she asked the roughly 20 9- and 10-year-olds gathered on Zoom, “heard the buzz in Alexandria City Public Schools?” Two boys’ hands shot up. One mentioned signs he’d seen on neighbors’ lawns, something about “Rename TC Now” — a reference to T.C. Williams High School, Alexandria’s only public high school.
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** Northern Virginia elected leader volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trial ([link removed])
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By KRISTI KING, WTOP

The way one Northern Virginia leader sees it, getting elected to public office means signing up for public service — even if that includes joining a clinical trial during a pandemic. David Snyder of the Falls Church City Council is among 30,000 participants in a nationwide third-phase Moderna trial to develop and safely test a coronavirus vaccine against COVID-19.
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** Man seen exhaling on women outside Trump golf club charged ([link removed])
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Associated Press

A man seen forcefully exhaling on two women outside President Donald Trump’s Virginia golf course has been charged with assault. Raymond Deskins, 61, was charged with misdemeanor assault after a private citizen obtained a warrant through a county magistrate, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. Deskin did not immediately return a request for comment.
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** Portsmouth’s 2020 was filled with racial discord. But the year is ending with a new chapter. ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The firing of Portsmouth’s police chief and same-day unraveling of her criminal case against a powerful lawmaker were the latest harbingers of a new era for a majority-Black city whose politics have long been defined by racial acrimony. Angela Greene’s job was the last casualty — at least for now — in a five-month saga that began with a protest and vandalism at Portsmouth’s downtown Confederate monument. City Manager Lydia Pettis Patton and City Attorney Solomon Ashby have also been forced out.
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** Winchester schools will switch to 100% online learning through Dec. 2 ([link removed])
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By ANNA MEROD, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Winchester Public Schools announced Friday that all students will switch to 100% online learning beginning Monday through Dec. 2 because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in the community and beyond. Superintendent Jason Van Heukelum shared in a letter with division staff, students and families that the increase in positive cases has compromised the division's ability to effectively complete contact tracing — particularly in the last 24 hours.
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** Commonwealth Attorney's Office to extend domestic violence services, sees increase in domestic incidents ([link removed])
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By SARAH HONOSKY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Domestic violence is a perennial issue, and the Lynchburg Commonwealth's Attorney's Office now has $600,000 more to fight it. The influx of money comes during a pandemic that has forced greater stressors on many homes, including joblessness, furloughs and stay-at-home orders that could exacerbate abusive situations.
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** Nelson supervisors support medicinal cannabis cultivator to locate in county ([link removed])
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By NICK CROPPER, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The Nelson County Board of Supervisors has unanimously endorsed the application of a medical cannabis cultivator to set up shop in the county, bringing with it potentially 100 jobs. A copy of the board’s resolution provided to the Nelson County Times states a business prospect has expressed interest in locating a pharmaceutical processing facility in Nelson County’s Colleen Business Park. The resolution does not refer to the prospective company by name but it is described as being a leading medical cannabis cultivator.
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** Pulaski County using multiple avenues to fill broadband holes ([link removed])
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By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Pulaski County is working on multiple projects to ensure the entire locality has access to broadband internet in the next few years, according to County Administrator Jonathan Sweet. Like many localities in Southwest Virginia, Pulaski has many rural areas that are not privy to reliable or any broadband connections. However, the county has announced two initiatives in recent weeks to help combat the problem.
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** In Danville, women candidates point to 'good ol' boy' and antiquated gender-role ideas as political hurdles ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

Though women make up at least half of the city's population, there hasn't been a female member of Danville City Council in a decade. The last woman to serve on council was Ruby Archie, who died while in office in June 2010. She was also the first and only woman to become mayor in Danville. Just three women, including Archie, have been on council since the mid-1990s — about 25 years.
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** With climbing COVID-19 cases, Danville Public Schools going back to virtual learning after Thanksgiving ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Danville Register & Bee

With COVID-19 cases growing in Danville Public Schools, the system will switch back to remote learning for the week after Thanksgiving break. On Sunday, the school system announced two transportation staff members on Saturday had tested positive for the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, a release from the school district said. Three others were exposed.
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** Tazewell County settles suits with West Virginia governor's companies ([link removed])
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By JIM TALBERT, Richlands News-Press

Settling lawsuits with West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s companies will add a lot of trail for ATV riders in Tazewell County. The board of supervisors held a closed session Nov. 17 to discuss litigation with Justice low seam mining and Black River Coal Company. Following the closed session the board approved several motions designed to eliminate lawsuits those companies had filed against the treasurer’s office and the commissioner of revenue’s office.

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Court Clerk's Association
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Happy Thanksgiving Week to all Virginians!


** EDITORIALS
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** Keep next legislative session as short as possible ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Since March, Virginians have endured unprecedented restrictions on their freedom to earn a living, go to school, worship in church, host family events, and attend public and private gatherings—all in the name of stopping or at least slowing the transmission of the deadly coronavirus. They were also unable to go to Richmond to observe and testify during the General Assembly’s 84-day special session, which was held virtually in the House to address the financial impacts of the pandemic and pass a package of criminal justice reform bills.
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** The silver lining of conducting a census during a pandemic ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Entering 2020, Virginia leaders anticipated challenges in transitioning to a new census system. Just a decade ago, “mail” still was the key method for people to participate. In October 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that 74% of households “filled out and mailed back” their forms. The 2020 census added new self-response options: by phone and online. And right as initial mailers hit households reminding people to participate via the new choices, COVID-19 hit pandemic status.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Schapiro: Va. Republicans and the politics of process ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Between the ’rona and reefer, it was easy to overlook Virginia Republicans’ latest ruse. The GOP minorities in the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate are vowing to cut short the fast-approaching regular session of the General Assembly because its just-past special session — and smorgasbord of an agenda — ran too long. Republicans can do this by denying a minimum vote required by the Virginia Constitution.


** OP-ED
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** Rozell: Once A Powerhouse, Rural Virginia Continues Watching Its Political Clout Decline ([link removed])
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By MARK J. ROZELL, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Rural Virginia used to rule the commonwealth. Its delegates and senators dominated the House of Delegates and Senate, respectively, dictating state policy and politics well into the 1990s. Governors from outside the “Urban Crescent” that loops from Washington’s bedroom communities south to Richmond and southeast toward Hampton Roads were not uncommon.

Rozell is dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University
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** Blake and Peterson: Kids struggle with mental illness ([link removed])
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By BARBARA BLAKE AND ERIC PETERSON, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Growing up is not easy. Many researchers, however, identify adolescence as a particularly tough period for children. Tweens and teens can be bombarded with concerns such as family and school pressures, substance abuse and cyberbullying. A 2019 Pew study found that 70% of teenagers thought anxiety and depression were major problems among their peers.

Blake is the chief administrative officer of The Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University. Peterson is a retired U.S. Marine colonel who currently works as a program manager.
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** Morse: Proposed VMI investigation both unserious and dangerous ([link removed])
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By GORDON C. MORSE, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia has merrily, improbably and strangely leapt over a previously unleapable line regarding the governance of its state-supported colleges and universities. This bad bus — the investigation of Virginia Military Institute — needs to be pulled over. Better, park it and throw away the key.

After writing editorials for the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot in the 1980s, Gordon C. Morse wrote speeches for Gov. Gerald L. Baliles.
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** McPhillips: Norfolk initiative makes resilience the city’s centerpiece ([link removed])
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By CHARLES V. MCPHILLIPS, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

From the dawn of the industrial age to the modern day’s knowledge-based economy, entrepreneurs and their companies have gravitated to metropolitan areas where they can find three resources abundantly pooled: (1) skilled talent located in or powerfully attracted to the area, (2) technology spill-overs from similar firms and academic institutions based there, and (3) deep value-added support from locally bunched players in their service/supply chain.

McPhillips served as president of Greater Norfolk Corporation from 2014 to 2020.
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** Nash: Bring the red wolves back to Virginia ([link removed])
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By STEPHEN NASH, published in Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Beyond our viral and electoral maelstrom, Virginia faces happier challenges. “Washington Redwolves,” for example? It polls well. Fine idea for the NFL roster if you ask me, and the actual animal behind the name is nearly extinct, so maybe an affiliation with the football-team-formerly-known-as-Redskins would help. The last few of the planet’s wild red wolves, among the most critically endangered on the planet, hang on in coastal North Carolina’s Alligator River region. You can also see them at Roanoke’s Mill Mountain Zoo, part of a national network of captive breeding facilities where red wolves await hoped-for release into the wild.

Nash, a visiting senior research scholar at the University of Richmond, is the author of “Virginia Climate Fever: How Global Warming Will Transform Our Cities, Shorelines and Forests.”


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