By REID J. EPSTEIN, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)
Katherine White spent countless hours this year organizing voters to back Joseph R. Biden Jr. for president. One of millions of suburban women who became politically active for the first time after Donald J. Trump’s election in 2016, Ms. White is among the coterie of Biden voters processing his victory by thinking about what comes next. She will not have to wait long — Virginia’s 2021 governor’s contest is already underway, with three major Democratic candidates declared and two more planning to enter the race as soon as next week.
By JESSICA WETZLER, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Virginia has been under a state of emergency due to COVID-19 for 257 days. During that time, Gov. Ralph Northam has carried the ability to issue executive orders as the director of emergency management — a power defined under the Code of Virginia. Since Northam took office in January 2018, he has issued 71 executive orders, according to the governor’s website. Of those orders issued in 2020, 23 out of 27 have been issued under the state of emergency declared on March 12.
By JOANNE KIMBERLIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The bad news: We’re drinking more. The good news: We’re drinking more. Record sales at Virginia’s state-run liquor stores helped save the commonwealth’s pandemic-bruised budget, adding $545.3 million to the kitty, a $45.8 million increase from the year before. And that’s just through the end of June, the close of the last fiscal year.
By WYATT GORDON, Virginia Mercury
Highway expansion is often pitched as necessary to combat congestion for a growing population. For opponents, that makes the Virginia Department of Transportation’s planned Martinsville Southern Connector — a $745 million, 7.4-mile highway expansion in a shrinking corner of the state — all the more perplexing. “This project goes against everything this administration, the Commonwealth Transportation Board and VDOT say they’re doing,” said Trip Pollard, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.
By REBECCA TAN AND RACHEL CHASON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
The second wave has reached the region’s most vulnerable. Amid soaring coronavirus caseloads in Maryland, Virginia and D.C., some nursing homes have begun to report explosive new outbreaks of the novel coronavirus among residents and staff, affirming the worst fears of family members and health officials. Despite stringent shutdown measures in place since March, widespread community transmission has allowed the highly contagious virus to creep back into facilities through asymptomatic employees, threatening the elderly residents most at risk of dying.
By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Students will continue to fill desks in Chesapeake. At an emergency School Board meeting Monday afternoon, the district opted to stay on its present course of having some students report to brick-and-mortar buildings despite surging coronavirus cases.
By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Maria Julia Cruz ruffled her purple-streaked hair while clutching a plastic Food Lion bag that contained the medicine keeping her alive. One bottle for her high blood pressure. Another for low blood sugar. Eye drops for her glaucoma. On a recent afternoon, healthcare workers checked her temperature before Cruz entered the clinic that has provided the insulin needed to control her diabetes for over two years -- the clinic that never shut down in a pandemic that’s threatened healthcare for those who needed it most.
The Full Report
37 articles, 20 publications
The Virginia Public Access Project
Virginia will be racing the clock next spring to redraw legislative boundaries in time for the House of Delegates to hold November elections in the new districts. This visual explains the time squeeze created by the likely late arrival of the necessary Census data and uncertainties about how a new voter-approved redistricting commission will work.
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 PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
Four attorneys have been named to district court judgeships left unfilled after the end of the 2020 General Assembly session. Five district bench seats remain vacant, according to the Supreme Court’s administrative office. Two of the appointments went to delegates. Del. Joe Lindsey, D-Norfolk, was appointed Nov. 10 to that city’s general district bench. He replaces Clark Daugherty, who retired earlier this year, according to The Virginian-Pilot. Del. Chris Collins, R-Frederick County, resigned from the House in June to accept appointment as a general district judge in the 26th District.
By BRANDON SHILLINGFORD, VCU Capital News Service
Could legalizing marijuana in Virginia help address social disparities and inequities? That’s one of the topics the state’s legislative watchdog agency explores in a new report examining how the commonwealth could legalize marijuana. The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission report was published shortly before Gov. Ralph Northam announced he will support legislation to legalize marijuana in the Old Dominion.
By DANIEL BERTI, Prince William Times
Del. Lee Carter is calling on Virginia lawmakers to devote all future tax revenue from the sale of legalized cannabis products to reparations for Black and Indigenous Virginians and to establish a “Governor’s Commission on Reparations” to guide the process. Last week, Gov. Ralph Northam announced his support for legalizing cannabis after a report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) projected that legalization could bring in up to $300 million in new state tax revenue annually. The report also found that Black Virginians have been arrested and convicted for marijuana offenses at much higher rates than white Virginians.
By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Three fellow Republican state senators took to social media to rebuke Sen. Amanda Chase, a GOP candidate for governor, for charging that Virginia Democrats “hate white people” and are seeking the Richmond registrar’s ouster because she is white. Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, tweeted on Monday: “I’ve been repeatedly asked to comment on Amanda Chase’s most recent offensive statements, as reported on Sunday in the RTD. Quite honestly, I just don’t have the time to address every crazy thing she says. It would be a full time job.”
WAVY-TV
A Virginia Beach attorney who has been periodically involved in the controversy surrounding the Confederate monument in Portsmouth has announced his intent to run for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Attorney and gun shop owner Tim Anderson announced Monday he plans to run against Democrat and incumbent Del. Nancy Guy, who won the seat in late 2019 after a recount gave her a 41-vote margin over Republican Chris Stolle.
By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE-FM
At least five Democrats and two Republicans in Virginia’s House of Delegates are running for higher office. But that doesn’t mean they’re out of a job if they lose. Virginia law allows candidates in statewide primaries to simultaneously run for their House seats. The rules matter because Republicans need to flip six seats to retake the House.
By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine
U.S. Sen. David Perdue, one of Georgia’s two incumbent Republican senators who are facing a Jan. 5 election runoff that will determine the balance of power in the Senate, made profitable purchases of shares in Lynchburg-based nuclear fuel supplier BWX Technologies Inc. — the Navy’s sole nuclear fuel provider — just before Perdue took over chairmanship in 2019 of the Senate subcommittee overseeing the Navy fleet, according to reports.
By ABBY CHURCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Jesus got 23 votes in Chesterfield County. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson got two. In Hanover County, SpongeBob got a vote. So did Harambe. It’s safe to say voters in Chesterfield and Hanover counties thought out of the box with their write-ins for president, vice president, U.S. Senate and House.
By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
No temporary casino is likely to operate in Virginia before April 2022, according to Kevin Hall, executive director of the Virginia Lottery. Backers of the planned Hard Rock Bristol Hotel & Casino have expressed their intent to host a temporary gaming site in part of the Bristol Mall — possibly as soon as late next year — while much of the planned $400 million makeover occurs elsewhere on the property.
By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The Department of Motor Vehicles is offering more renewal options online so drivers can avoid booking in-person appointments. And this time, they’re helping out commercial drivers. Drivers can now renew their credentials online at dmvNOW.com, according to the DMV.
By DAVE RESS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Newport News Shipbuilding won a $2.2 billion contract to build six module sections for each of the Navy’s first two Columbia-class submarines. The contract was awarded by General Dynamics’ Electric Boat division, which has worked in a partnership with Newport News building nuclear subs for the Navy for several years.
By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Shenandoah Valley Organic has plans to build a new packaging plant at 350 Acorn Drive in Harrisonburg, according to city documents obtained Thursday through a Freedom of Information Act request. The phase one site plan calls for a 76,000-square-foot, one-story packaging plant in addition to a 3,600-square-foot, single-story water treatment plant. Phase two — a roughly 53,000-square-foot, one-story facility — is planned adjacent to the southeast of the phase one packaging plant.
By MATT WELCH, Northern Virginia Daily
T-Mobile is inching closer toward acquiring Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel), the Edinburg-based company announced in its third quarter financial and operating results earlier this month. On Nov. 3, both sides agreed in principle to resolve “disputed items” and work toward finalizing the process that would allow T-Mobile to acquire Shentel, the report said.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Two senior executives at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport have been put on paid administrative leave during an investigation into an undisclosed “serious allegation” involving them, airport officials said Monday. On leave are Timothy Bradshaw, the executive director of the airport, and Richard Osborne, director of planning and engineering.
By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
The Virginia Military Institute has formed a diversity, equity and inclusion committee that met for the first time Monday and established its charter. The committee consists of members of the board of visitors and may include non-voting member representatives from the university’s faculty, staff, corps of cadets, alumni and other groups. Its purpose is to review VMI’s progress on inclusivity and its vision of maintaining a welcoming and affirming environment.
By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
A task force created by John Tyler Community College says the school should change its name because its eponym, the 10th president of the United States, was a slave owner and supporter of the Confederacy. The recommendation is the latest instance of a Virginia school shedding an association with the Confederacy.
By ALI SULLIVAN AND EVA SUROVELL, Cavalier Daily
Dean of Students Allen Groves sat down for an interview Wednesday with The Cavalier Daily to discuss student compliance with public health guidelines and community building amid the pandemic. Generally, Groves said that he thinks students have observed the University’s health and safety guidelines — including mask-wearing, limiting travel and adhering to gathering restrictions — this semester.
By MARTY O'BRIEN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Citing the rising number of coronavirus cases, Williamsburg-James City County Schools on Monday became the first large school district in Hampton Roads to cancel athletics for the 2020-21 winter sports season. The decision was made after consideration by WJCC Schools Superintendent Olwen E. Herron, in collaboration with high school principals, athletic directors and central office personnel.
By ROBERT ANDERSON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The delayed VHSL winter sports season is scheduled to open Dec. 21 with the start of boys and girls basketball games. However, if the season began this week, a number of Timesland schools would be on the sidelines. School administrators within the Alleghany and Roanoke Health Districts — which include 13 public high schools — have agreed to determine whether their winter sports teams will compete based on a series of measures of the spread of COVID-19.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
The Rappahannock Area Health District reported a record high of new COVID-19 cases on Monday while the Orange County Fire & EMS Department placed 11 workers in quarantine after six of them tested positive for the virus. The Orange department shifted schedules to maintain minimum staffing levels on ambulances, Chief Nathan Mort said in a press release. It currently has 37 career staff serving the county’s 34,000 residents, according to the department website.
By DANIEL BERTI, Prince William Times
As cases of COVID-19 cases climb in the region, particularly among aging adults, George Mason University College of Health and Human Services is offering training to help staff in local nursing homes stop the spread of the virus. The college has joined the National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network that helps train local nursing homes on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among residents, staff, and visitors as well as how to fight social isolation for residents and family members.
By MICHAEL E. RUANE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Archaeologists have found evidence of at least two graves, along with artifacts such as a fragment of an ink bottle, a porcelain piece of doll’s foot, and building foundations, during a dig at the site of a historic African American church in Colonial Williamsburg, officials said Monday. The discoveries were made in late summer and early fall beneath a parking lot on Nassau Street at the former location of the old First Baptist Church.
By MALLORY NOE-PAYNE, WVTF
In the past nine months of the pandemic, an all volunteer-effort in Richmond has filled more than 4,000 requests for help and distributed more than $140,000 in direct cash assistance. The group, called Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Richmond, has existed since 2018 when there were record low winter temperatures. A group of people saw unmet need in the community and decided to help. But over the past nine months of the pandemic they've significantly ramped up efforts.
By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
A Henrico County woman pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to pointing a laser at a police airplane flying over the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond in June. Amanda Robinson, 33, pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. District Judge David Novak. She faces up to five years in prison when sentenced on March 23.
By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
The Alexandria City School Board voted unanimously to rename T.C. Williams High School on Monday night, ending months of heated debate over whether the city’s flagship school — made famous by the movie “Remember the Titans” — should bear the name of a racist former superintendent who fiercely resisted integration.
By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Regional leaders are projecting a COVID-19 vaccine will be available by the spring to the general populations of Loudoun County and other localities in the Washington region. With two manufacturers — Pfizer and Moderna — seeking federal approval for vaccines with highly effective results, the region is preparing for the
By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Virginia Beach Sheriff Ken Stolle is among those who have been appointed to a state commission tasked with again investigating the Virginia Beach mass shooting, which ended with 13 people dead and four others seriously injured in May of 2019. The selection of Stolle, whose office responded to the shooting as it unfolded, by the Senate Rules Committee drew some strong criticism. Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler, D-Virginia Beach, called it “a clear conflict of interest,” saying no one who worked with local law enforcement when the shooting happened should be on the commission.
By RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
After months of stumbling, gun rights advocates in Norfolk have finally amassed enough signatures to force the City Council to hold hearings on their request for the city to keep allowing guns in city-owned buildings. Called the Norfolk Second Amendment Preservation Coalition, the group gathered more than 2,600 petition signatures on Election Day, forcing the city’s hand and mandating a public discussion.
By ADELE UPHAUS–CONNER, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
All contracted employees of Fredericksburg City Public Schools will receive a one-time bonus of $1,000 next month. The city School Board unanimously approved the bonuses at a special called meeting Monday morning. The bonuses are intended to “recognize the challenging work environment which staff have encountered and their ongoing commitment to the school division’s mission of inspiring and empowering all learners to excel,” according to the budget resolution approved Monday.
By PATRICK HITE, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)
Kate Collins Middle School was closed Monday and will be closed again Tuesday following several positive COVID-19 cases in the school. Jeffrey Cassell, Waynesboro Public Schools superintendent, sent a letter to families of students this weekend informing them that three staff members at the middle school were diagnosed with the virus.
By STAFF REPORT, Page Valley News
The Honorable Clark Andrew Ritchie, presiding judge of the Page County Circuit Court, shut down the court on Tuesday, Nov. 17 due to a COVID-19 case in the building. Grayson Markowitz, clerk of the county’s circuit court, confirmed the closure.
By SARAH WADE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Schools don’t seem to be fueling the (Bristol) region’s current wave of COVID-19 cases, but they’re certainly feeling its impacts. In addition to the challenges of keeping in-person classrooms safe and virtual classrooms running smoothly, multiple area school systems are dealing with a regular source of disruption: student and staff absences caused by the pandemic.
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
In 2016, Virginians voted on a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have enshrined the long-standing ban on compulsory union membership, better known as “right-to-work.” The measure was pushed by Republicans, who perhaps saw the day when they’d no longer control the General Assembly and wanted to make it difficult for a future Democratic majority to repeal the law. Virginians voted down the amendment by a narrow margin — 53% to 47%.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
In transparency there is trust. So we were glad to learn that the Richmond Police Department (RPD) made the wise decision this past week to publicly identify the members of its new advisory panel. In October, Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith announced the creation of the department’s External Advisory Committee. But he didn’t reveal who serves on the group, citing concerns from most members of potential harassment for cooperating with police.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
District Court Judge Claire Cardwell last week dismissed felony charges against 19 people, including several elected officials, related to a June protest that resulted in damage to the city’s Confederate memorial. This was the right decision. The charges were unwarranted and even the judge voiced her belief that they were politically motivated — not a serious attempt to punish wrongdoing or make Portsmouth safer.
|
|
|
