By SARAH HONOSKY AND SHANNON KELLY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Nearly 100 people packed the hall and boardroom at the Bedford County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday in response to a document drafted encouraging localities to oppose Governor Ralph Northam’s latest pandemic restriction on the size of gatherings. The “No Shutdown” resolution brought to the meeting was written by local Virginia House of Delegates hopeful and small business owner Isaiah Knight, who said he based the draft on Bedford County's Second Amendment sanctuary resolution that was passed last winter.
By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Virginia residents seeking coronavirus tests ahead of family gatherings that health officials have advised against are experiencing lines stretching two to four hours, limited appointments and delayed test results. Demand has boomed in recent weeks as Thanksgiving nears. Statewide the seven-day average of cases has swelled to a record-breaking 2,403; a month ago, that number was 1,180.
By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Nearly 100 residents died of COVID-19 in area hospitals so far in November, making it this region’s deadliest month yet, Ballad Health officials said Tuesday. There were 97 deaths in Ballad facilities during the past three weeks within its 21-county Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia service area, Ballad Chief Operating Officer Eric Deaton said during the system’s weekly news briefing.
By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
A report on student grades from one of the nation’s largest school districts offers some of the first concrete evidence that online learning is forcing a striking drop in students’ academic performance, and that the most vulnerable students — children with disabilities and English-language learners — are suffering the most. Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, which has been mostly online since March, published an internal analysis this week showing that, between the last academic year and this one, the percentage of F’s earned by middle school and high school students jumped by 83 percent: from 6 percent of all grades to 11 percent.
By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury
Jess Reingold, a web project manager who lives in Alexandria, has lots of ideas for Virginia’s COVIDWISE app, which was the first software system in the nation to alert users if they’ve had a close contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. “There isn’t much to see or do in it unless you’ve tested positive,” she wrote in an email last week. Some of her ideas include a statewide heatmap of cases, a search portal for nearby testing sites, and other dashboards to make the app more interactive, like a tab with vaccine development updates and the latest announcements from Gov. Ralph Northam.
By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Organizers who staged a massive pro-gun rally at the state Capitol in January say they've been shut out of holding a repeat event next year, and instead plan to jam the city's roadways with a caravan of vehicles from all over Virginia and beyond. “Games are being played to silence us,” Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League told his members in an email Tuesday.
Associated Press
Bruce Carver Boynton, a civil rights pioneer from Alabama who inspired the landmark “Freedom Rides” of 1961, has died. He was 83....Boynton was arrested 60 years ago for entering the white part of a racially segregated bus station in Virginia and launching a chain reaction that ultimately helped to bring about the abolition of Jim Crow laws in the South.
The Full Report
34 articles, 19 publications
The Virginia Public Access Project
VPAP has created an annotated timeline of the soon-to-be named Redistricting Commission, including a meeting set for today that will review the application process for eight citizen members. Legislators will review the applications and put forward names, with the final selection made by a panel of five retired circuit court judges.
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 CAROLINE KEALY AND BRHETT VICKERY, WSET-TV
Lawmakers in Campbell, Appomattox and Bedford Counties are considering a resolution that resists Governor Ralph Northam's new executive orders. The intent of the 'No Shut Down' Resolution is a locality's First Amendment rights, specifically the right to peacefully assemble. The three counties are working on drafts of the resolution and say that they are highly considering putting it on a future agenda.
By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Two Republicans have joined the race for an open state delegate seat in a Democratic stronghold that recently became slightly more friendly to the GOP. Political newcomers Sylvia Bryant and Mario Portillo will vie for the Republican nomination in a firehouse primary on Dec. 6 at the American Legion Unit 327 in Norfolk, where the party will hold a drive-thru election in order to meet social distancing guidelines through the COVID-19 pandemic.
By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)
State Sen. Amanda F. Chase, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor next year, fired back at her party in a pair of blistering social-media posts, accusing the GOP in one of them of not winning statewide races because "Republicans eat their own." In those posts, Chase — whose district includes the city of Colonial Heights — excoriated Senate Republican leadership for what she claimed was their defense of Virginia Democrats, whom she claimed in a Facebook post and a subsequent Richmond Times-Dispatch interview last week "hate white people" over their efforts to have Richmond's voter registrar, who is White, removed.
By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
A bid by Appalachian Power Co. to raise its base rates — which would have cost the average residential customer an extra $10 a month — was denied Tuesday by the State Corporation Commission. In rejecting the request, the SCC ruled that Appalachian had earned a profit within its authorized range during a three-year period from 2017 to 2019. The utility had maintained that its earnings were lower, and that it needed to raise rates to maintain service and stay competitive in the energy market.
By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury
Appalachian Power Company, Virginia’s second largest electric utility serving more than half a million customers in and around Southwest Virginia, will not be allowed to raise its rates for the upcoming three years, regulators decided Tuesday. The State Corporation Commission also slightly decreased the company’s allowed profit margin, from 9.42 percent to 9.2 percent. Appalachian, which has about 450,000 Virginia customers, mostly in the southwestern part of the state, had argued it should be increased to 9.9 percent.
By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Compared to many other states, Virginia falls short in compensating innocent persons wrongfully sent to prison, according to a recent study. Staff of the Virginia House Appropriations Committee have suggested lawmakers consider setting a minimum award per year of imprisonment, making persons who pleaded guilty to a crime eligible, and removing the General Assembly from the decision process.
By SAM FOWLER, VCU Capital News Service
Virginia’s commercial marijuana market could yield between $30 million to $60 million in tax revenue in the first year, according to a new report by the state’s legislative watchdog agency. The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission released a report this month that explores how the commonwealth could legalize marijuana. The agency, however, did not give its take on legalization.
By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Outgoing Rep. Denver Riggleman wants to be absolutely clear: He does not believe Bigfoot exists. And despite what you’ll find on the internet if you search “Denver Riggleman Bigfoot,” the Republican from Nelson County definitely is not into Bigfoot erotica. But Riggleman, who represents Virginia’s 5th District in the U.S. House for another month, is really into Bigfoot. He’s gone on hunts for the creature.
By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The new Shenandoah Valley Organic packaging plant in Harrisonburg will create 110 new jobs, according to a Tuesday press release from the office of Gov. Ralph Northam. “We chose Harrisonburg to expand because this community and city is a big part of our success to date,” said Corwin Heatwole, CEO of Shenandoah Valley Organic, in the release.
By JONATHAN CAPRIEL, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)
Amazon.com Inc. said it plans to open two delivery stations in Northern Virginia next year as part of an overall expansion in its last-mile delivery network. Both stations will sit in Prince William County.
By RICH GRISET, Va Business Magazine
On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that “Dopesick,” an eight-episode limited Hulu series, will film in Central Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley and Roanoke region through the spring. Based on the bestselling nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America,” by Roanoke journalist Beth Macy, the series will star Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosario Dawson and Kaitlyn Dever. It will be directed by Academy Award winner Barry Levinson
By CAROL HAZARD, Va Business Magazine
Some things just don’t work out as planned, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end. Roanoke developer Ed Walker purchased 16 properties in downtown Buena Vista for $1.3 million during 2017 and 2018, with a plan to revitalize the small city nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains just southeast of Lexington. Walker had planned to put 12 buildings and lots up for auction in October after all but a few failed to sell on the open market. However, four properties went under contract in October by local developers and investors — just as Walker had hoped.
By MELISSA HOWELL, WTOP
Canceling Thanksgiving travel plans isn’t an easy decision, and while many have chosen to heed official advice and stay home this holiday season, travelers still made their way to Reagan National Airport on Tuesday morning to catch flights. Mid-pandemic the airport looks different than travelers might recall: Check-in lines are socially distanced, safety screens separate passengers from airline employees and some have even opted for doubling up on masks.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Operations are normal at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport going into a busy time for holiday travel, airport officials said one day after the airport’s chief executive was placed on leave for an investigation. Travelers are unlikely to experience any change or disruptions due to the absence of Executive Director Timothy Bradshaw, officials said.
By JORDAN PASCALE, DCist
Twelve miles of Route 1 in Prince William County will officially be renamed from Jefferson Davis Highway to Richmond Highway, a change reflecting a renewed push to confront the Commonwealth’s Confederate past. The Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the name change during a meeting Tuesday.
By SCOTT MCCAFFREY, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)
The Arlington Transportation Commission is asking County Board members to seek legislative approval from Richmond to give the county government power to rename the highways and byways within its boundaries. Currently, some (thought not all) Virginia cities have broad power on street and highway naming, but counties are much more restricted, with power for naming major roadways within their borders retained by the General Assembly and Commonwealth Transportation Board.
By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
The Virginia Department of Health reported Tuesday that the state’s cumulative total for COVID-19 cases during the pandemic is now up to 223,582 — an increase of 2,544 from Monday. The 223,582 cases consist of 200,284 confirmed cases and 23,298 probable cases. There are 3,979 COVID-19 deaths in Virginia — 3,660 confirmed and 319 probable. That’s an increase of 37 from the 3,942 reported Monday.
By REBECCA TAN, PATRICIA SULLIVAN AND DANA HEDGPETH, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
A streak of rising coronavirus caseloads across the greater Washington region came to an end Tuesday after 20 consecutive days of increases. For the first time since Nov. 3, the rolling seven-day average number of new daily infections in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. dropped, from 4,824 to 4,796 — a still-elevated number that is more than double the peak recorded in the spring.
By STAFF REPORT, Danville Register & Bee
With COVID-19 cases continuously climbing, and hospitalizations reaching an all-time high across Virginia, Sovah Health leaders are worried of a potential overwhelmed system. The local health care system issued a stark statement this week — ahead of what many experts say will be a dark winter — imploring Danville and Martinsville residents to buckle down on wearing masks and avoiding group gatherings during the holiday season.
By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
How many people in the region have had COVID-19 and don’t know it? Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Department of Health are hoping to help answer that question through a $566,000 serology study that will check the blood of 5,250 willing residents. Dr. Paul Skolnik, chair of Carilion’s Department of Medicine, put out a call for volunteers from 22 localities in Southwest Virginia who are willing to answer a survey and undergo a blood test that looks for antibodies to the coronavirus.
By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Alexandria City Public Schools is switching back to online-only learning until January at the earliest, after the school board voted Monday night to approve Superintendent Gregory C. Hutchings Jr.’s recommendation to hit “pause.” So far, the Northern Virginia school system has returned just six students to school buildings. Officials were supposed to bring back a group of third- through fifth-graders with disabilities last week but did not go ahead with that plan because of a dearth of staffing and insufficient building space, according to spokeswoman Helen Lloyd.
By EMILY ZANTOW, Washington Times
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Braband announced Tuesday that select elementary students will not return to school in-person on Dec. 1 as planned. “As we see COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise in our community, we must continue to pause in-person return for students in Group 5,” Mr. Braband said in a message on the school district’s website.
By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now
County supervisors took steps toward enacting three new local taxes at their Nov. 17 meeting, including taxes on admissions, cigarettes, and single-use plastic bags. The county will seek to join the Northern Virginia Cigarette Tax Board, which would allow Loudoun to levy a tax of two cents per cigarette, or 40 cents a pack. The towns of Hillsboro, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville, and Round Hill are already members.
By ALI ROCKETT AND C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
A 38-member task force created by Mayor Levar Stoney in July after months of ongoing demonstrations calling for police accountability and a racial reckoning has delivered its final recommendations to “reimagine public safety.” The 15 recommendations include reallocating police budget dollars, developing a new dispatch system that reroutes noncriminal calls to agencies other than police, and forming a new city department for restorative justice and community programs.
By ANNIE GALLO, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)
Learning in the York County School Division will shift to all remote the weeks following holiday breaks. Temporarily. The decision was made during a York County School Board meeting Monday night — as the division has evaluated the potential spike following the holidays, a temporary shift to the remote learning for all students the week following Thanksgiving Nov. 30 to Dec. 4. and the week after the school’s winter break Jan. 4-8 is necessary.
By ALICIA PETSKA AND SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Radford City Public Schools is moving to all remote learning effective Tuesday and continuing until Dec. 7. The step, announced in a message Monday evening, is being taken out of an abundance of caution, officials wrote, citing an “increased likelihood of possible exposures to COVID-19 cases involving staff, students and the Radford community.” Superintendent Rob Graham said Tuesday that the precautions are in preparation for Thanksgiving, as it is unclear what many staff and students will be doing or where they’ll be traveling over the holiday weekend.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Virginia officials who want to deter the release of information to the public have a lot of arrows in their quiver to do so. They can delay, but only for so long. They can charge fees, but only so high. They can use exemptions in state law — there are about 180 in Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act — to avoid disclosure. Or they can heavily redact the information, effectively rendering it all but unusable.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
There was, and only ever will be, one dean of the Capitol press corps: Tyler Whitley. Virginia journalism lost one of its giants on Nov. 18 with the death of Mr. Whitley at age 83. Mr. Whitley’s remarkable career with Richmond newspapers — first with The Richmond News Leader, then the Richmond Times-Dispatch after they merged — spanned more than a half-century, from 1960 to 2011.
By MICHAEL PAUL WILLIAMS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
I’m sure we’re all shocked — shocked! — to find that Richmond general registrar Kirk Showalter is white. How else do we explain state and local Democrats waiting 25 years to go after her job? Showalter must have been hiding her whiteness in plain sight, not unlike Rachel Dolezal, the erstwhile Spokane, Wash., NAACP leader who passed as a Black woman until she was exposed.
By JON ATCHUE, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
School boards across the country are all faced with the no-win dilemma of two realities. On one hand, we have a global pandemic that doesn’t care where you live, whom you voted for or how much money you make—the coronavirus is simply seeking hosts, and it’s finding them in heartbreaking numbers prompting many districts to go all virtual. On the other hand, having schools go fully virtual hinders the education of our children, puts a strain on families and teachers, and exposes the most vulnerable among us. What is a school district to do?
Atchue is a member of the Franklin County School Board
By WYATT DURRETTE, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
I am a 1961 graduate of Virginia Military Institute (VMI). As president of my class, I knew all my Brother Rats personally, including Jonathan Daniels, our class valedictorian. Four years after graduation on Aug. 20, 1965, while in Alabama as part of the civil rights struggle, he stepped in front of a shotgun blast fired by a white store owner intended for 17-year-old Ruby Sales, a Black teenager, who dared to enter his premises. Jonathan died instantly.
Durrette is a 1961 graduate of VMI and is a lawyer in Richmond.
By L. SCOTT LINGAMFELTER, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
When the accounting of history falls victim to political correctness, we stand on dangerous ground. Here in Virginia, we have witnessed that with Gov. Ralph Northam’s contrived dismissal of the superintendent of Virginia Military Institute (VMI), retired Gen. J.H. Binford “Binnie” Peay III, and creation of a commission to examine purported racial injustice at one of the commonwealth’s most respected institutions.
Lingamfelter is a 1973 graduate of VMI, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates who served from 2002 to 2018.
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