VaNews
December 10, 2020
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Top of the News


** Northam to announce new COVID-19 restrictions Thursday ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam will announce new COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday at a 2 p.m. news conference, but specifics on what those efforts will look like was unclear as of Wednesday. On Monday, Northam alluded to considering further restrictions this week as the state saw nearly 11,500 new cases over the weekend.
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** Post-holiday surge has arrived ([link removed])
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By ROBYN SIDERSKY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The coronavirus’ Thanksgiving surge — as predicted by public health officials — has arrived. On Wednesday morning, Virginia reported 4,398 new cases, the largest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic. It puts the number of cases in the commonwealth just past 267,000, a rise of about 50,000 new cases since Friday. The number of new cases reported each day has continued to increase, with more than 3,000 reported day after day.
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** COVID-19 tightens its grasp on region ([link removed])
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By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Aimee Light has worked on the frontlines of COVID-19 since March, but last month she watched her own mother succumb to the disease. Light, the director of cardiovascular services at Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, worked in the same COVID ward where her mother — Alicia Bledsoe Deal of Kingsport — was treated and ultimately died. Light shared that experience Wednesday during Ballad Health’s weekly news briefing.
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** Terry McAuliffe is running for governor again. Can anyone beat him? ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

He’s baaaaack. On Wednesday, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe officially announced he’s running for a second term, launching a rare comeback bid pundits and political strategists say will be difficult, but not impossible, for other gubernatorial hopefuls to stop. “Certainly he comes into the race in a very formidable position,” said veteran political commentator Bob Holsworth.
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** Virginia parents question schools' policy on sports, in-person classes ([link removed])
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By EMILY ZANTOW, Washington Times

Some parents of students attending Fairfax County Public Schools are demanding more answers as to why high school sports are allowed to be played while most students cannot be taught in-person because of the coronavirus pandemic. High school athletes began winter sports practices this week after the school system had paused its plan to return thousands of students to classrooms over COVID-19 worries.
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** Prince William Co. buys more than 4,000 new internet hot spots for virtual learning ([link removed])
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By SCOTT GELMAN, WTOP

Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia will receive more than 4,000 new Wi-Fi hot spots for students participating in virtual learning. The Board of County Supervisors used $1.2 million in CARES Act funding to buy 4,061 hot spots for students lacking reliable internet service. The newest supply will supplement the nearly 3,000 hot spots the school system has already purchased.
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** As Amazon develops HQ2, even it doesn't know how it will use its office space post-Covid ([link removed])
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By JONATHAN CAPRIEL, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

Despite a deadly pandemic, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) appears on track to meet hiring goals for its Arlington second headquarters and is rapidly becoming a major employer in Greater Washington. But many of those who interview for an HQ2 role are wondering just how, and where, they'll do the job.
The Full Report
54 articles, 27 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.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Circuit Court Clerks Press for More Money and More Positions ([link removed])
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By MALLORY NOE-PAYNE, WVTF

Virginia’s circuit courts handle everything from murder trials to marriage certificates. And the workforce making it all happen are deputy court clerks. Amidst the pandemic, their workload has only gotten heavier. Despite that, many circuit courts in the state are understaffed and the clerks underpaid. Now advocates are hoping lawmakers can find money in the budget to help.
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** Even at large employers, few frontline service workers in Virginia have access to paid sick leave ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Only a third of workers at the largest service industry employers in Virginia have access to paid sick leave, according to a report by researchers at Harvard’s Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy and the University of California San Francisco. Advocacy groups, who hope the finding will propel the General Assembly to pass long-debated paid time off legislation, called the report particularly notable because it contradicts arguments made by business groups, who have told lawmakers most large employers already provide the benefit.
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** Martinsville City Council talks marijuana and the recognition of indigenous people ([link removed])
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By BILL WYATT, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Martinsville City Council has never been far from a controversial discussion, and Tuesday night proved nothing has changed. While discussing the city’s proposed 2021 Legislative Agenda, council member Danny Turner said he had spoken to state Del. Danny Marshall (R-Danville) and was told the legalization of marijuana in Virginia is on the fast-track in Richmond.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe enters governor’s race ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has formally announced his candidacy for next year’s gubernatorial contest in a race that will serve as a barometer of voter sentiment during President-elect Joe Biden’s first year in office. McAuliffe held a news conference Wednesday outside an elementary school in Richmond, promising that increased education spending would be his top priority if elected. Once best known as a top Democratic money man and close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton, McAuliffe served as governor from 2014 to 2018.
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** McAuliffe focuses on education while nodding to Democrats’ leftward shift ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Democrat Terry McAuliffe launched his long-teased comeback bid for governor Wednesday, casting himself as a "bold" but tested leader who can address stubborn social inequities as he rebuilds a post-pandemic Virginia. “I am running for governor again to think big, and to be bold, and to take the commonwealth of Virginia to the next level — and to lift up all Virginians,” he said at a Richmond elementary school, a location meant to signal a commitment to education.
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** McAuliffe launches campaign for governor, pledges $2B per year for education ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Outside Richmond’s Miles Jerome Jones Elementary School during a chilly fall morning, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced he would seek another term, promising “big, bold” plans to rescue the state from its pandemic perils. The first of those plans is anchored on education and McAuliffe announced it at a Richmond public school. He pledged to champion a $2 billion per year investment in education if elected governor, to boost teacher pay and address inequities.
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** Terry McAuliffe Faces All-Black Democratic Primary in Virginia Governor’s Race ([link removed])
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By REID J. EPSTEIN, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

Terry McAuliffe, the former governor of Virginia, on Wednesday entered the contest for his old job, simultaneously offering himself as both a trusted steward during an economic and public health crisis and someone prepared to fight against “the old way of doing things.” . . . Mr. McAuliffe, 63, formally began his campaign surrounded by four senior elected officials, all of whom are Black. The setup was a nod both to the relationships he nurtured during his governorship from 2014 to 2018 and the complex nature of the state’s 2021 primary, in which three Black candidates have already announced their candidacies for the Democratic nomination.
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** Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announces he is running again ([link removed])
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By SETH MCLAUGHLIN, Washington Times

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe officially returned to the political fray Wednesday, announcing he was seeking another term in the governor’s mansion in Richmond. “I am running for governor again to think big and be bold and to take the Commonwealth of Virginia to the next level and lift up all Virginians,” Mr. McAuliffe said. The Democrat said his campaign would focus on the state making an “unprecedented investment” in education. He vowed to funnel $2 billion a year into schools to bolster teacher pay and expand access to preschool.
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** Carrico won't run for governor, backs Cox ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Bill Carrico, a former state senator from Grayson County in Southwest Virginia, said Wednesday he will not run for governor and is backing former Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights. Carrico, a former Virginia State Police trooper, announced his endorsement along with an intent to rally support for Cox’s plan he rolled out focused on public safety, which includes raises for law enforcement.
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** Virginia lawmaker, a self-proclaimed socialist, files paperwork for gubernatorial bid ([link removed])
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By ANTONIO OLIVO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia Del. Lee J. Carter has filed paperwork to raise money for a bid for governor, a move that means a self-proclaimed socialist could join an already crowded field of Democrats that now includes former governor Terry McAuliffe. On Wednesday, Carter (D-Manassas) said he has not yet decided whether to run but chose to file the paperwork to keep that option open if he feels the other candidates are not strong-enough advocates for workers’ rights and other liberal issues.
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** Del. Lee Carter files for Virginia governor, but says he's 'keeping his options open' ([link removed])
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By DANIEL BERTI, Prince William Times

Del. Lee Carter of Manassas has filed a statement of organization to run for Virginia governor in 2021 but says he’s still deciding whether he’ll launch a gubernatorial campaign and is “keeping his options open.” “I’m still in the decision phase of whether or not to run for governor. But I did file some paperwork because, at this point, it is a prerequisite to keep that option open,” Carter, 33, said in an interview Wednesday.
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** Del. Lee Carter, the General Assembly’s lone Democratic Socialist, preps potential gubernatorial campaign ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, filed paperwork this week establishing a fundraising committee for a gubernatorial campaign, but says he’s not yet decided whether he’ll enter the race. “I’ve still not 100-percent made a decision as to where or not I’m running, but I did go ahead and file that paperwork — just because we need to keep that option open,” Carter said, citing the looming General Assembly session and a ban on fundraising by members while the body is meeting. “If I don’t do it now, a lot of admin stuff would have to wait until after the legislative session.”
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** 4 announce bids for special election to fill 2nd District House of Delegates seat ([link removed])
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By DANIEL BERTI AND JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times

Four Woodbridge residents – Democrats Rozia Henson, Candi King and Pamela Montgomery and Republican Heather Mitchell – have announced bids to fill the 2nd District House of Delegates seat soon to be left vacant by Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, who is resigning to focus on her run for governor. Meanwhile, both political parties were still scrambling Wednesday to finalize plans for their nominating contests in the wake of Foy’s Monday announcement.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** State’s Rebuild VA program allocated $100M to Va. small businesses ([link removed])
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By KATE ANDREWS, Va Business Magazine

The state has awarded $100 million in grants to 2,500 Virginia businesses and nonprofits through its Rebuild VA economic recovery fund, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. All available funds have now been fully committed, the governor said in a news release. Approximately $50 million went to women, minority and veteran-owned businesses, and 997 small businesses and nonprofit organizations in low-income and economically disadvantaged areas received funding.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Panel again hears environmental concerns about Mountain Valley Pipeline ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

On a Saturday in November, a single-engine airplane followed the 303-mile route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline as it wound through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Aerial photographs taken from the plane, commissioned by a citizen’s watch group, showed long strips of bare earth along a 125-foot-wide right of way for the pipeline, and streams running brown with sediment.
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** Dominion, Smithfield complete first renewable gas project in Utah ([link removed])
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By KATE ANDREWS, Va Business Magazine

Dominion Energy Inc. and Smithfield Foods Inc., both based in Virginia, completed their first renewable natural gas (RNG) project in southwestern Utah, Smithfield announced Wednesday. In 2018, the Richmond-headquartered utility and Smithfield-based food company partnered in the $500 million Align Renewable Natural Gas joint venture to convert methane from Smithfield’s contracted hog farms into renewable natural gas.
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** Fredericksburg Nationals will maintain relationship with Nats ([link removed])
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By DAVE JOHNSON, WTOP

The baseball team once known as the Potomac Nationals has a new home in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with a brand new ballpark — and now there has been confirmation that an old relationship will continue with the Washington Nationals. The Fredericksburg Nationals, who have been part of the Nats’ farm system since the team arrived in D.C. in 2005, made the cut and have been included in Major League Baseball’s restructuring of its minor league system. MLB is reducing the number of minor league teams for its clubs from 160 to 120.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Dulles Toll Road to Permanently Go Cashless in 2021 ([link removed])
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By FATIMAH WASEEM, Reston Now

Cash will no longer be accepted at the Dulles Toll Road beginning next year. The decision, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, was made in response to customers’ preferences for electronic toll payments, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
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** Amtrak to pay compensation for ADA noncompliance at Clifton Forge ([link removed])
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By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Teresa Weikle of Clifton Forge was out of luck when she planned a cross-country train trip and then found out that her local Amtrak station could not accommodate people in wheelchairs. Out of luck until now. People who were harmed or disadvantaged by significant barriers to access at the Clifton Forge Amtrak station can seek compensation from a $2.25 million fund established by Amtrak, federal officials said last week.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** In search for next superintendent, VMI committee reaffirms commitment to change ([link removed])
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By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Committee members for the Virginia Military Institute superintendent search on Wednesday emphasized their commitment to substantive change as they discussed qualities they wish to see in the next superintendent. During their meeting with search firm consultants from WittKieffer, committee members spent a portion of time answering questions about how consultants should frame the ongoing scrutiny facing the military college.
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** No. 18 Virginia men’s basketball pauses season due to COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By JUDE NANAW, Cavalier Daily

After preparing to take on Michigan State for a matchup that was originally scheduled for 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, Virginia men’s basketball has announced that its team activities have been put on pause. The announcement was made as the team deals with COVID-19 issues within its program. It is unclear the extent to which coronavirus has made players and staff unable as Virginia Athletics did not provide information about positive test results.
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** Mason's COVID-19 Case Numbers Remain Low ([link removed])
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By HAILEY BULLIS, Fourth Estate

With only days left in the fall semester, Mason has continued to have one of the lowest COVID-19 case numbers of any university in Virginia. Mason recently announced new developments in testing plans for the spring semester, including an increase in testing and plans for Mason faculty members to lead testing operations. Currently, Mason has 73 active cases with 49 being students and 24 faculty. Since Aug. 17, Mason has only had 284 reported cases.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Virginia National Guard to conduct mass testing events in Mount Rogers Health District ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

The Virginia National Guard will conduct mass COVID-19 testing events in the Mount Rogers Health District next week as a result of high regional positivity rates. These events, being held Dec. 14-19, are free, open to the public and don’t require an appointment or advance registration, according to a statement from the Health District. Testing will begin at 8 a.m. at each location and continue until test supplies are exhausted or there’s no one waiting to be tested.
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** Virginia tops 2,000 hospitalizations, while daily case count nears 4,400 ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia on Wednesday reported COVID-19 hospitalizations had pushed beyond 2,000 for the first time, while the daily case count soared to nearly 4,400. Daily cases had just broken the 3,000 mark on Saturday. Gov. Ralph Northam plans to address the spread of the virus during a press briefing at 2 p.m. Thursday. Last month, he added restrictions, but since Thanksgiving the numbers have surged across the state.
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** Record 4,398 new COVID cases reported in Virginia ([link removed])
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Fauquier Now

Virginia set a record with 4,398 new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday morning. By 510, that exceeds the previous peak of 3,880 new infections reported Sunday and confirms health officials’ fears that gatherings over Thanksgiving would accelerate spread of the virus.
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** Virginia Sets New Daily Record for COVID-19 Cases, Ballad Health Hits 97% ICU Capacity ([link removed])
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By DAVID SEIDEL, WVTF

Virginia added 4,398 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. That is the highest daily case count recorded since the pandemic’s onset, according to the state's Department of Health. Virginia's positivity rate hit 10.9%. In nearly all of the state's local health districts, the 7-day average of new cases is higher now than in any other point during the pandemic.
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** MWHC considers postponing elective surgeries, not a 'complete shutdown' of them ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Mary Washington Healthcare may have to postpone elective surgeries for a day—or even a week—if COVID-19 cases continue to climb, but it doesn’t plan to stop doing them as it did during the early days of the pandemic. “I think the community is anticipating a complete shutdown,” said Lisa Henry, marketing director, “but we want to reassure them that we are carefully working through this. We do not want to outright cancel scheduled procedures for the patient’s safety.”
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** Sheriff’s office, inmates at Arlington jail to be tested for coronavirus after potential exposure ([link removed])
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By ABIGAIL CONSTANTINO, WTOP

All sheriff’s office staff and inmates at the Arlington jail in Virginia will be tested for the coronavirus after possibly being exposed. The state’s National Guard will conduct the testing Thursday and Friday, Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur said in a news release. “The Sheriff’s Office has worked closely with Public Health officials to conduct contact tracing and identify possibly exposed individuals after an inmate tested positive for COVID-19 last week,” the county said.
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** Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office reports additional reductions in COVID-19 cases ([link removed])
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By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office announced another reduction in COVID-19 cases Wednesday. The office worked with the Virginia Department of Health to test 1,518 inmates, deputies, civilian staff and contractors for COVID-19 on Dec. 4, according to a news release.
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** Liberty University reports 40 active COVID-19 cases as health district's numbers soar ([link removed])
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By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Liberty University on Wednesday reported 40 active COVID-19 cases among its students and employees, an increase from the 28 cases reported a week earlier. According to the university’s online COVID-19 dashboard, which debuted Sept. 16 and is updated weekly, 21 students and 19 employees currently are sick with the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Last week, 13 students and 15 employees were sick. In the Central Virginia Health District, which includes Lynchburg and neighboring counties, the rate of new infections has ballooned in recent weeks.
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** Arlington Prepares for First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine ([link removed])
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By JAMES CULLUM, ArlNow

Arlington could have the COVID-19 vaccine as early as the end of this month, but the first shipment of doses won’t be available to the general public. Nearly a half million healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents across Virginia at risk of being infected will get the first doses from the Virginia Department of Health, and it is not yet known when the rest of the public will get the vaccine.
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** Portsmouth Naval Medical Center on Pentagon’s short list for COVID-19 vaccine ([link removed])
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By ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press

The Pentagon’s initial allotment of coronavirus vaccine will be administered at 16 defense sites in the United States and abroad, with health care workers, emergency service personnel and residents of military retirement homes getting top priority, officials said Wednesday. Among the sites is the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in Virginia, which will distribute to the Coast Guard Base Clinic in Portsmouth.
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** Funeral homes adapted to the pandemic. The changes made grieving harder. ([link removed])
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By FREDRICK KUNKLE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

When retired Rear Adm. Paul H. Engel died of covid-related causes in May, his family hoped that the pandemic would be under control by the time his military funeral could take place at Arlington National Cemetery. Instead, with the potentially lethal disease surging again, Engel’s family had to contend with last-minute directives by Virginia’s governor that reduced the size of public gatherings and resign themselves to a scaled-down ceremony that, though still moving, seemed insufficient for the officer and man they loved.
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** Five RVA area restaurants had permits suspended for violating Northam’s latest COVID restrictions ([link removed])
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By BEN DENNIS, WAVY-TV

At least five restaurants in the greater Richmond area have been subject to permit suspensions for violating Governor Ralph Northam’s new COVID-19 restrictions, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Plaza Mexico, a bar and grill along S. Crater Road in Petersburg, was cited for exceeding the building’s occupancy limits, violating social distancing restrictions, patrons seated at the bar and “very few face coverings” were worn, according to VDH spokesperson, Cheryle Rodriguez, Tuesday.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Falls Church removes Mason, Jefferson school names ([link removed])
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Associated Press

A school board in a northern Virginia city has voted unanimously to change the names of a high school and elementary school named for founding fathers George Mason and Thomas Jefferson. The vote Tuesday by the school board in Falls Church came despite a community survey that showed broad support for keeping the names of George Mason High School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary.
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** Cover of National Geographic's 'The Year in Pictures' features image of Richmond's Lee monument ([link removed])
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By ZACH JOACHIM, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

An image of the Robert E. Lee monument is featured on National Geographic's "The Year in Pictures" special issue. In social media posts promoting the January issue, the magazine said: "In our 133 years, National Geographic has never singled out one year for a retrospective like this. But if ever a year demanded that, 2020 does."


** LOCAL
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** Manassas City School Board won't discuss return to classrooms until January ([link removed])
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By JARED FORETEK, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)

The Manassas City School Board once again declined to set any dates for a return to in-person learning for most students Tuesday night, citing concerns over increasing COVID-19 cases in the region and across the country. At its last meeting in November, division staff presented a detailed plan for a phased return of most kindergarten and 12th grade students without any potential dates attached. On Tuesday night, staff provided the school board two plans with dates attached, but the board chose to wait and reassess the situation at their next meeting in January.
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** Hanover County Supervisors approve plan to increase broadband connection ([link removed])
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By ABBY CHURCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Hanover County’s Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously approved a blueprint created by the Broadband Advisory Committee to increase broadband internet access across the county, including adopting a public or private partnership with a third-party internet provider. For years, access to internet across Hanover has continued to be a problem.
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** Hanover County students and parents ask school board to allow winter sports ([link removed])
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By ABBY CHURCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

One after another, they took the lectern: the swimmers, the basketball players, the wrestler, the parents. At Tuesday evening’s Hanover County School Board meeting, they praised the school system for giving them a choice to return in person. Hanover was one of only a handful of state school divisions to offer five-day, in-person learning this school year.
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** Newport News City Council makes Juneteenth a city holiday ([link removed])
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By JESSICA NOLTE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Newport News City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for city employees. The holiday will be observed June 19 annually, unless it falls on a Saturday or Sunday. When it does, the holiday will be observed Friday. The city council’s decision comes after Gov. Ralph Northam issued an executive order declaring Juneteenth — a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States — a holiday for state employees. His announcement left Virginia localities scrambling to decide whether to offer it as a holiday to their employees as well.
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** City Council votes to give police officers $3,500 raises ([link removed])
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By TAFT COGHILL JR., Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

aft Coghill Since late spring, a group of Fredericksburg protesters have requested the city “defund the police,” or redirect resources to crime prevention rather than law enforcement. City Council has taken the opposite approach. Members voted unanimously Tuesday night to amend the budget to provide additional resources to law enforcement and court security personnel.
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** School division will provide added support in 1st- and 2nd-grade classrooms ([link removed])
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By ROBIN EARL, Fauquier Times

In a video address last night, Superintendent of Schools David Jeck pledged to provide added in-classroom support for first- and second-grade teachers. He said that teachers have been asking to have “another person in the classroom to help them with the little guys and girls.” Teachers are currently providing in-classroom lessons for two separate cohorts of children four days a week, while at the same time managing students who are logging in from home for remote learning.
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** School Board at odds over appropriate time to revert to virtual learning ([link removed])
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By PARKER COTTON, Danville Register & Bee

After a lengthy discussion on the matter Tuesday evening, the Pittsylvania County School Board voted on and rejected a proposal to have students return from winter break in a virtual learning environment spanning the first two or three weeks of January.


** EDITORIALS
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** Why do some Democrats want to tax the poor? ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia is headed down the path of legalizing marijuana. How should the state use the tax revenue it collects from legal weed? Studies estimate those revenues could be $31 million to $62 million the first year of marijuana sales — with the take rising to $154 million to $308 million by the fifth year. Whether the first year or the fifth year, both of those might still be a ways off.
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** Good intentions, but a turkey of a parade ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

File this one under “No good deed goes unpunished.” A reverse Christmas parade, where the floats are stationary and the viewers drive past, seemed like just the thing in this benighted pandemic year. There would be no crowds standing shoulder-to-shoulder, turning one of Fredericksburg’s most delightful annual events into a COVID-19 super-spreader.
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** Apply to serve on Virginia’s new redistricting commission ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Redistricting stands as one of the most important — and arguably least publicly known and appreciated — aspects of ensuring fair and accurate representation in state and federal government. Now, following an election in which Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment creating a redistricting commission, the commonwealth needs people willing to serve and ensure the process runs smoothly.
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** Virginia must reposition its economic approaches ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Roughly nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the coronavirus’ fervor is reaching new peaks. On Wednesday, Virginia recorded 4,398 new cases, marking the commonwealth’s highest daily increase yet. Nearly two weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday, hospitalizations also surpassed 2,000 in a single day for the first time. The disconcerting public health data comes amid an unacceptable unemployment backlog.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Schapiro: The go-to money guy for Va. governors ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

When it came to briefing the legislature’s money committees, no one quite rivaled Stuart Connock in telling them what they wanted to hear — without telling them too much. He would use a lot of technical jargon, allude to “taxpayer behavior” and cite economic data, which he pronounced “dater.” Connock, as Virginia’s de facto and actual finance chief in the 1970s and 1980s, was not trying to mislead delegates and senators. Rather, he was intent on preserving his flexibility — and that of the governors, Republican and Democratic, for whom he worked.
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** PolitiFact: Chase Falsely Claims Chesterfield Voter Fraud ([link removed])
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By WARREN FISKE, WCVE-FM

State Sen. Amanda Chase, who calls herself “Donald Trump in heels,” recently failed to prove her claim that Virginia’s fall elections were rigged. Chase, R-Chesterfield County, is running for governor in 2021 as an Independent, having recently abandoned her Republican candidacy in the wake of feuds with state GOP leaders.


** OP-ED
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** Fishwick: It's time for the carrot ([link removed])
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By JOHN FISHWICK, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

If you rob a bank you may go to jail. If you run a stoplight and cause an accident, you may be sued by the injured party. And if you advise your children that they will each get the toy of their choice if they behave during Sunday dinner at grandmother’s house, you may find yourself buying your children the toys of their dreams. This is how the Carrot and the Stick theory works.

Fishwick is owner of the Roanoke-based law firm, Fishwick & Associates PLC and former United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.
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** Long: Do we really want to legalize marijuana? ([link removed])
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By JOHN LONG, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

I’ve likened the move to legalize marijuana in Virginia to a runaway train — full of momentum and tough to stop. One reason for this is that the passengers on the train — legalization proponents — have no interest in stopping it. In fact, they seem to consider anyone who suggests slowing the train long enough to consider the destination a hopelessly antediluvian killjoy.

Long is a historian, writer and educator from Salem.
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** Blackburn: Support for the Recovering America's Wildlife Act helps everyone ([link removed])
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By TOM BLACKBURN, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia’s outdoor heritage is vitally important. Our Virginia congressional delegation joined a bipartisan majority in recently enacting legislation to shore up our nation’s threatened natural resources by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund. We urge them to take the additional step of joining U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, in co-sponsoring the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 3742). Support for this legislation is vitally important to protecting and supporting wildlife.

Blackburn is president of the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia.
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** Keeney: Virginia’s nonprofits need liability protection ([link removed])
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By TAYLOR KEENEY, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

There is no doubt the holidays look different this year. Too many of us have lost loved ones too soon, experienced layoffs or pay cuts, and watched local establishments close for good in the wake of 2020’s unprecedented global pandemic. Nonprofits are doing their best to continue the joy typically spread throughout the year, and especially during the holidays. However, they also are feeling the impacts of the pandemic particularly hard with closed doors, reduced attendance, fewer or no events and programs, and limited philanthropy.

Keeney is director of strategic communications and advocacy for Hunton Andrews Kurth’s Global Economic Development, Commerce & Government Relations group.


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