By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday that he is considering further COVID-19 restrictions this week following upward trends since Thanksgiving and a weekend that saw the highest number of daily coronavirus cases ever recorded in Virginia, with 11,490 new infections coming in since Friday. “We took some aggressive measures prior to Thanksgiving, and we’re watching the data every day, but our numbers have trended up, especially over this past weekend,” Northam said in an interview with CNBC on Monday. “We’re actively discussing on how to mitigate the numbers, and we’ll take further measures if we need to this week.”
By SHANNON KELLY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Bedford County officials cited by the health department last week for violating the state’s pandemic restrictions said Monday they believe they are exempt from the rules. Bedford County administration and supervisors received a notice of violation of current state pandemic guidelines from the Bedford County Health Department — part of the Central Virginia Health District — in response to conduct at the Bedford County Board of Supervisors meeting Nov. 23. It is the first such notice of violation CVHD has sent to a local government body.
By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury
As COVID-19 infections continue to surge across Virginia, the state’s Department of Health released new guidelines to prioritize contact tracing for cases most likely to fuel transmission. Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver announced the recommendations in a letter to health care providers on Monday, writing that “substantial levels” of community transmission “have forced many local health departments to prioritize contact tracing efforts for key elements of the population.”
By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Family members of Breonna Taylor joined Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday to mark the enactment of Virginia's new law banning no-knock search warrants, called "Breonna's Law" in honor of the Kentucky woman killed by police officers who burst into her home during a late-night raid. “Today we’ve taken a step forward to make sure other families don’t suffer the same loss as your family,” Northam (D) said in a ceremonial bill-signing event.
By COURTNEY GUIRY, WHSV
In order to apply for a concealed handgun permit in Virginia, one must go through training. Currently, that training can be done in person or online. But that won’t be the case for long. “After the General Assembly session in 2020, beginning January 1st, the online training goes away and you can only take in person training,” Steve Landes, the Circuit Court Clerk for Augusta County, says. In his position, he works directly with the area’s permit applications.
By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press
The Virginia Military Institute removed a prominent statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson on Monday, a project initiated this fall after allegations of systemic racism roiled the public college. Around 9:45 a.m., a crane plucked the larger-than-life statue that freshmen were once required to salute off its base and slowly hoisted it to the ground. A small crowd gathered on the mostly empty campus in Lexington where Jackson taught, quietly looking on amid flurries of snow.
By TAFT COGHILL JR., Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
When organizers of the Fredericksburg Christmas Parade began planning for a reverse format in September, they took into account the number of attendees when the traditional version of the event is held downtown. Fredericksburg Parks & Recreation Director Jane Shelhorse said there are typically between 10,000 and 12,000 guests that line the downtown streets each year as bands, floats and other entries parade past.
The Full Report
44 articles, 20 publications
The Virginia Public Access Project
This data visualization takes a closer look at the $2.4 million raised by FairMapsVirginia, the group that led a successful effort to pass a statewide ballot measure that enshrines bipartisan redistricting in the state constitution.
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 DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press
Two of Breonna Taylor’s aunts watched Monday as Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ceremonially signed a statewide ban against the use of no-knock search warrants, a law named after Taylor, a Kentucky woman who was fatally shot when Louisville police broke down her door in the middle of the night. “Breonna’s Law” is the first such law enacted by a state since Taylor was killed in March, Northam said.
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Calls for justice and reform, originating in Louisville, Ky., upon the death of Breonna Taylor at the hands of police, have resounded in Virginia. On Monday, sitting next to two of Taylor’s aunts, Gov. Ralph Northam marked the passage of a law banning police from executing no-knock warrants, like the one Louisville police officers used on the night they fatally shot Breonna Taylor, during a botched raid in March.
By RALPH BERRIER JR., Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The Roanoke City Council found common ground with Roanoke Valley legislators on matters of expanding internet broadband access, holding the line on educational priorities and providing proper training for law enforcement. Other items, such as banning smoking in city parks and amending the city charter to include the new November election schedule, were not as enthusiastically received by Republican legislators when the council presented its legislative agenda Monday morning at city hall.
By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Del. Jennifer D. Carroll Foy will step down from her seat in the Virginia legislature on Friday to focus on the 2021 governor's race, according to two people with direct knowledge of the Democrat's plans. Carroll Foy (Prince William) started spreading the word to House colleagues Monday, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
By DEAN MIRSHAHI, WRIC-TV
Princess Blanding, an activist whose brother Marcus-David Peters was fatally shot by a Richmond police officer in 2018, has taken a step towards a possible run for Virginia governor next year after filing paperwork with the state Monday to establish a campaign committee. Blanding, who submitted a “statement of organization” with the state’s Department of Elections on Nov. 30, has been active politically since the death of Peters, a high school teacher who was shot as he charged at an officer during an apparent mental health crisis alongside Interstate-95.
By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Norfolk Democrats and Republicans have picked their candidates to face off next month for an open state delegate seat. In a “firehouse primary” on Saturday, Democrats chose Angelia Williams Graves to represent them in a Jan. 5 special election for the seat held since 2014 by Joe Lindsey, a Democrat and longtime lawyer who was recently appointed to a judgeship in Norfolk’s General District Court. . . . Republicans on Sunday held their own drive-through nominating contest and selected Sylvia Bryant, a political newcomer who works as an office administrator.
By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
For years, the call to “Legalize It” was widely regarded as a stoner’s pipedream. Now, Virginia leaders are not only seriously proposing to legalize marijuana, they are making elaborate plans for the industry that would result. Two state reports emerged in recent weeks, one from the General’s Assembly’s study commission and one from the governor’s administration. Both describe the peripheral issues that come with legalization, from how to regulate it as a business, how to handle past convictions and how to prevent abuse and public safety issues. The business implications are enormous, if figures from the governor’s’ office are any indication.
By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
State environmental regulators have cited the U.S. Forest Service for a leaking sewage treatment system at a campground in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Treated and partially treated sewage was released into Big Laurel Creek in 2019 and 2020, according to a consent order that details an agreement reached between the Forest Service and the Department of Environmental Quality.
By PARKER COTTON, Danville Register & Bee
With extensive lists of precautions in place, jury trials are scheduled to resume this week in Danville and Pittsylvania County after a 9-month ban brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with nearby Franklin County, Danville and Pittsylvania County received permission in late November from the Supreme Court of Virginia to proceed with courthouse operations.
By NEIL HARVEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
A Roanoke Valley judge is currently off the bench after testing positive for COVID-19. Judge David Carson said in an email Monday he began feeling ill last week, was tested for coronavirus on Thursday, and received a positive diagnosis on Sunday. Roanoke Valley courts got approval in October to resume holding jury trials, despite the ongoing judicial emergency, and Carson had expected to begin presiding Tuesday over the city’s first such trial since the pandemic started.
By DON DEL ROSSO, Fauquier Now
The Manassas-based lawyer views a judgeship as a natural “continuation” of her service to the community. Fauquier County General District Court J. Gregory Ashwell, 63, last month announced his retirement from the bench, effective Jan. 1. Jessica H. Foster, 39, who lives near Remington, hopes to succeed Judge Ashwell. So do attorneys Allison E. Coppage, 50, of Warrenton, and David J. Dischley, 42, of New Baltimore.
By SYDNEY LAKE, Virginia Business
Automotive components and systems supplier International Automotive Components Group (IAC Group) will invest $4.6 million to expand its Strasburg operations and add auto component lines and products to its existing facility, creating 47 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday. Headquartered in Luxembourg, IAC Group is a supplier of instrument panels, console systems, door panels, headliners and overhead systems for automakers.
By NEAL AUGENSTEIN, WTOP
While navigating budget-busting drops in ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia’s transit leaders expect changes in commuter behavior with the development of a vaccine and a greater ability to travel safely. In the annual legislative briefing held virtually by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, local transit officials shared their priorities with elected leaders.
By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
The GRTC Transit System advised passengers Monday to expect significant service disruptions this week after a series of positive COVID tests among its workforce. Shortly after announcing the anticipated delays, the transit company disclosed that two more employees have tested positive, making a total of eight who have tested positive and are on leave.
By IAN SHAPIRA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Facing a torrent of allegations of racism on its campus, the Virginia Military Institute on Monday removed its century-old bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson. The school said the statue will be relocated to the Virginia Museum of the Civil War at New Market Battlefield State Historic Park — owned and operated by the college — about 80 miles north of VMI’s campus in Lexington.
By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Virginia Military Institute’s statue of Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be relocated to the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, the military college announced in a statement Monday. The process of moving the statue, which started this week, is estimated to be finished by summer or fall 2021, VMI said.
By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The Virginia Department of Health is abandoning efforts to trace close contacts of every person testing positive for COVID-19 as because there are just too many. Cases grew by nearly 11,000 from Friday morning to Monday morning and are now surpassing more than 3,000 a day, or about double the rate of three weeks ago. Statewide, cases stood at 258,870 on Monday, an increase of 3,817 over the total reported Sunday, according to the VDH.
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
The latest surge of COVID-19 in Virginia has strained the state’s contact tracing efforts, which will now focus primarily on people at the highest risk of contracting or becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus. The Virginia Department of Health announced Monday that it would first try to reach people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the prior six days, people living or visiting congregate settings, people involved in outbreaks and people with pre-existing conditions.
By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Testing positivity, a primary indicator of COVID-19 community spread, established a new regional record Monday. This area’s seven-day testing positivity rate reached 24.6% Monday across the 21 East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia counties served by Ballad Health System. Essentially, one in four people tested over the past week was positive for the novel coronavirus.
By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
“Extremely challenging and depressing for myself and our entire staff to walk into work every morning and see not one, but multiple new COVID deaths that occurred overnight. I’ve worked here for 44 years and have never seen such a tragedy.“ — Sammy Oakey in a Friday tweet. Sammy Oakey didn’t have any idea his tweet would gain so much traction on Twitter and that it would be shared among Facebook friends who ask if it is true. Are that many people in the Roanoke Valley dying daily of COVID-19?
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
For almost eight months, Westminster Canterbury Richmond had avoided the deaths that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused among residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Henrico County and other parts of Virginia. But with the distribution of a vaccine against the disease potentially weeks away, the retirement community just north of the city is emerging from a COVID-19 outbreak that has killed seven residents of its nursing facility, while infecting 30 employees and 31 residents.
By RANDI B. HAGI, Harrisonburg Citizen
More than a third of Middle River Regional Jail inmates and dozens of its employees — several hundred people total — have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past few weeks, forcing the jail to apply a tiered system to try to limit the spread in different sections. The National Guard and the Virginia Department of Health both have stepped in to respond to the outbreak, which has been exacerbated by the jail’s crowded conditions. So far, one inmate who tested positive was hospitalized but has since been released.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Saturday’s record of new COVID-19 cases in the Fredericksburg area didn’t last long, as Monday’s high numbers shattered it. Another 231 people in the Rappahannock Area Health District tested positive for the virus, eclipsing the previous high of 187 reported Saturday, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The number of new cases being reported daily is 2.6 times higher than the area’s previous pandemic peak in May, said Dr. Denise Bonds, acting director of the local health district.
By MIKE STILL, Kingsport Times News
Virginia’s governor has called out Southwest Virginia for not doing it enough. State health officials have posted billboards asking people to do it. College leaders in the region are saying how important it is to do it. “It” is what health officials and government leaders have asked since the spring of 2020 — wear a face mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
By RANDY ARRINGTON, Page Valley News
The Virginia Department of Health reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 in Page County on Monday. That marks a third-straight day of double-digit case totals and 36 new cases reported in the last three days. Among Monday’s cases, eight surfaced in the Luray area (22835) and two in the Stanley area (22851), according to ZIP code data provided by VDH.
By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Signs across town will carry a message for one of the Virginia Beach resort area’s most beloved business owners. Preston Midgett, 61, fondly known as the “head ape” at Jungle Golf, is battling the coronavirus at a local hospital. B.J. Baumann, owner of Rockafeller’s Restaurant and the chairwoman of the Resort Advisory Commission, sent a letter to multiple business organizations asking them to “Feel the love for Preston” by displaying his name on signs outside their businesses.
By ALI ROCKETT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
Two Richmond police detectives are each facing two additional misdemeanor counts of assault and battery following an investigation into their actions during protests earlier this year. A grand jury indicted Mark Janowski and Christopher Brown on Monday. The detectives initially were indicted in October with one count each of misdemeanor assault and battery after that grand jury considered 18 charges referred by Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin.
By FATIMAH WASEEM, Reston Now
Fairfax County officials are in the early phases of considering the implementation of a five-cent tax on plastic bags. In March, the Virginia General Assembly passed a state bill that allows municipalities to collect taxes on disposable bags. Gov. Ralph Northam signed the bill on April 10.
By ANGELA WOOLSEY, Reston Now
As a tumultuous year of school closures and virtual learning inches toward a close, students in Fairfax County Public Schools say they are exhausted and feel forgotten by the administration and school board. Their frustrations bubbled over during a school board meeting on Dec. 3. Two students took issue with recent headlines about upticks in failing grades and the board’s focus on how to resume in-person classes over how to improve the distance-learning experience.
By DICK ULIANO, WTOP
Coronavirus safety teams have been established in Fairfax County, Virginia, to help public schools meet federal guidelines for reducing the spread of COVID-19. Teams made up of public school staff and retirees are undergoing training, and some have already conducted spot checks of school buildings, according to the Fairfax County Public School Department.
By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Loudoun County is hoping to join a pair of localities to administer its own health department. If the state legislation were to be approved, it would allow Loudoun officials to do additional proactive programming focused on community needs. No changes would be made to the state-mandated services.
By KENYA HUNTER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
The Richmond School Board on Monday voted 8-1 to remain virtual for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Board member Jonathan Young, who cast the lone ‘no’ vote, sought to allow educators who might wish to return to classrooms later in the semester and teach students with special needs to have that choice; the proposal failed.
By KATHERINE HAFNER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise after Thanksgiving, Virginia Beach public schools announced Monday that all students will return to virtual learning. The move comes less than a week after 1,200 students with special needs returned for in-person learning. Superintendent Aaron Spence had said those students were the most in need of in-person learning and that small class sizes allowed for more distancing.
By ALISSA SKELTON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The city wants to better compete for tourism dollars and some at City Hall think privatizing its tourism department would put Virginia Beach in the best position to do so. But the city wants the public to weigh in on it. Earlier this year, a consultant urged the council to turn the organization into a 501c3 or a 501c6 organization so it could recruit a qualified CEO and other staff with higher salaries than a city salary usually allows, and eliminate public bidding on contracts so marketing projects can get off the ground quicker.
By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Before the pandemic, Lavonne Pledger was a full-time recreation specialist at the city-run Tarrallton Community Center earning almost $40,000 a year. Pledger, 34, said it was the best job he had ever had, and it gave him his best chance to buy a home and move out of public housing in Norfolk’s St. Paul’s area.
By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
Virginia’s longest serving sheriff, B.J. Roberts, plans to retire Jan. 1, about 10 months before his term expires. With the pending vacancy, the Hampton City Council expects to vote Wednesday to request the Circuit Court not hold a special election to fill his unexpired seat. As per state law, the city can make that request if the vacancy of a constitutional officer occurs within 12 months to end of that term, which in Roberts’ case would be Nov. 2, 2021.
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The two most consequential events of Virginia’s 2021 governor’s race may have already happened. On Saturday, Republicans decided to choose their nominee in a convention rather than a primary — prompting state Sen. Amanda Chase of Chesterfield County to declare that she’ll run as an independent instead. Democrats are absolutely gleeful. Republican conventions tend to be dominated by the party’s most conservative activists — which often lead to nominees who can’t win elections.
Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
On Dec. 1, the Culpeper Board of Supervisors voted to spend $730,000—half coming from the county’s federal CARES Act funding and half from its general fund—on a COVID-19 Child Care Relief Program that will reimburse parents whose income has been negatively affected by the coronavirus lockdown of the county’s public and private schools.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The widespread death and immense tragedy throughout the pandemic have been difficult for most to absorb, much less fully comprehend. The United States lost thousands of people to the virus last week, and Virginia counted more than a hundred COVID-19 deaths in the week after Thanksgiving.
By MEREDITH WOO, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
One week before Thanksgiving, the students at Sweet Briar College departed from their dormitories, as smoothly as they had arrived nearly four months ago. Sweet Briar had been the first college in the commonwealth to announce that it would be open for in-person instruction in the fall. It was also the first to start the semester and the first to end it – in the nick of time as the pandemic’s spikes were spreading nationally. At the time, no student tested positive for COVID-19.
Woo is President of Sweet Briar College
By KARL MILLER, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
I read with great relief the Roanoke Times article written by Laurence Hammack titled: “SCC denies request to raise rates” (11/25/20). The fact that the State Corporation Commission bluntly and without compromise denied Appalachian Power Co.’s request to increase its base rate by an extra $10 per month is a great triumph for all Virginia residents.
Miller is the retired CEO of Lewis-Gale Medical Center. Following his retirement, he established a consulting company that served several national health organizations.
By BILL PIKE, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)
COVID-19 has turned lots of normal things upside down. In terms of everyday routines being disrupted, our public schools have been impacted. Schools had to quickly pivot from in-person learning to virtual learning. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see what we learn from this abrupt change in course.
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