VaNews
December 15, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia's Redistricting Commission Citizen Member Selection Committee
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Now accepting applications from Virginia citizens with diverse backgrounds to serve as one of eight citizen commissioners. Application deadline December 28th. Apply today! ([link removed])
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Top of the News


** The first batch of coronavirus vaccines have arrived in Virginia ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The first batch of coronavirus vaccines has arrived in Virginia. On Monday, Sentara Healthcare — a Norfolk-based organization with 21 hospital sites across the state — received its first shipment of 11,700 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Approximately 20,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine are set to arrive in a week. In the Richmond area, a Bon Secours hospital also received its allotment of doses. VCU Medical Center expects its supply on Tuesday.
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** National Guard launches week of COVID-19 testing in Southwest Virginia ([link removed])
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By SARAH WADE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

On Monday morning, the Virginia National Guard launched a week of mass COVID-19 testing in Southwest Virginia’s Mount Rogers Health District, where the respiratory illness continues to spread with a wildfire-like ferocity. A huge train of cars and pickups inched through steady rain along the road leading to Abingdon High School’s lower parking lot, one of the testing sites, at around 9 a.m.
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** ‘Devastating’ new report finds major problems with special education in Virginia ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Shortcomings in both the quality and oversight of special education in Virginia put the commonwealth at odds with federal law and make it difficult — if not impossible — to determine how well students with disabilities are supported by their local school systems. Those findings by the state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, presented at a meeting Monday, buttress long-held concerns from parents and special education advocates across Virginia. The lengthy report also mirrors many of the failures outlined in a June letter from the U.S. Department of Education, which found serious deficiencies in how the Virginia Department of Education monitored and responded to special education complaints.
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** GOP Supervisors Walk Out on Presentation about Unconscious Bias ([link removed])
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By STACY SHAW, Bristow Beat

The community is responding strongly to an incident in which the three Republican members of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors walked out on a joint meeting with the school board, rather than watch an informational presentation on Unconscious Bias. Before the presentation entitled “Raising Awareness of Unconscious Bias to Foster Inclusivity and Equity,” Supervisors Pete Candland (Gainesville), Jeanine Lawson (Brentsville) and Yesli Vega (Coles) walked out of Tuesday’s joint meeting in protest.
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** Hampton University President William Harvey to step down in 2022 ([link removed])
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By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Hampton University President William R. Harvey will step down June 30, 2022, after more than four decades at the school’s helm. Harvey, 79, is one of the longest-serving college presidents in the country with over 42 years under his belt so far. Under his leadership, one of the nation’s most storied historically Black colleges and universities has transformed from the Hampton Institute to Hampton University.
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** Behind Unsigned Editorials, a Columnist With Ties to Dominion ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE-FM

The Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press published a handful of unsigned editorials related to Dominion Energy this year written by a columnist who also works as a part-time speechwriter for the company. The pieces carry the distinctive style of Gordon “G.C.” Morse, a longtime columnist for the Hampton Roads newspapers. Morse started an ongoing, part-time speechwriting contract with Dominion Energy in 2006, according to a spokesperson for that company.
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** UVa's Howard reflects on revision of state constitution he led 50 years ago ([link removed])
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By TYLER HAMMEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Fifty years ago, Virginians voted to revise the state’s Jim Crow-era constitution, a colossal effort led by University of Virginia law professor A.E. Dick Howard. As executive director of the Commission on Constitutional Revision, Howard led the successful referendum campaign for the new constitution’s ultimate ratification in 1971.
The Full Report
58 articles, 28 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual Chesapeake: One Step Ahead ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

The City of Chesapeake appears to be the only Virginia locality that recorded for posterity results of the 2020 presidential election at the precinct level. Record-setting early voting in November made it impossible to know how well candidates did in each neighborhood. That's because localities tabluate early ballots in a 'central absentee precinct' -- not the precinct where the voter lives. But as you can see in this interactive visual, Chesapeake set up its ballots in a way that enabled it to assign early votes back to the proper precincts.
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** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

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


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Northam to spend $100 million to reduce teacher retirement liabilities ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam is proposing a new way to help local school divisions in Virginia by using $100 million in state cash to reduce retirement and health care liabilities for teachers. In the revised budget he will present to General Assembly money committees on Wednesday, Northam will propose to pay off a $61.3 million debt that the state incurred 10 years ago when it deferred contributions to the teacher pension plan to help balance the state budget after the Great Recession.
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** Protestors crowd steps of Campbell courthouse at midnight to oppose Northam's COVID-19 rules ([link removed])
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By SARAH HONOSKY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Flag-draped and lined with Christmas lights, the steps to the historic courthouse in Campbell County were crowded with more than 100 people as Monday night tipped over into Tuesday morning. It was midnight in Campbell County when residents flooded the courtyard of the building to protest Gov. Ralph Northam's most recent executive order that went into effect early Monday morning.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Lawsuit To Open Legislative Offices Moved to Federal Court ([link removed])
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By WHITTNEY EVANS, WCVE-FM

A lawsuit to force Democratic legislative leaders to open member offices to the public during the General Assembly session will now be heard in federal court. A hearing in the case was scheduled for Monday morning in the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond but was moved to U.S. District Court. House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Senate Rules Committee Chair Mamie Locke announced earlier this month that the Pocahontas Building, where legislative offices are located, would be open only to credentialed legislative employees and current legislators. The decision followed advice from the Virginia Department of Health.
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** Local legislators educated on virus safety precautions ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN FAULCONER, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

A month before the Virginia General Assembly's 2021 session, three local legislators observed Monday how Amherst County Public Schools is operating in the gauntlet of daily challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg; Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg; and Del. Ronnie Campbell, R-Rockbridge County, joined school officials in a tour of Central Elementary School before a virtual conversation with the Amherst County School Board.
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** Mamye BaCote, influential former Newport News delegate, dies at 81 ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS AND JESSICA NOLTE, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Former Del. Mamye BaCote, a soft-spoken legislative powerhouse who represented Newport News in the House of Delegates, has died. She was 81. A member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, she was elected to the House in 2003 and served through the 2015 session. She was a member of the Newport News City Council from 1996 to 2003 and was an educator with the city schools.
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** Robert Bloxom Sr., longtime state delegate for Virginia's Eastern Shore, dies ([link removed])
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By KEITH DEMKO, Salisbury Daily Times

Robert "Bob" Bloxom Sr., who served the Eastern Shore in the Virginia House of Delegates for more than two decades, died Sunday at his home in Mappsville at age 83. His son, Robert "Rob" Bloxom Jr., is the current state delate from the 100th District, following in his father's footsteps.
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** Arlington Asks Richmond for Authority to Install Speed Cameras and Lower Speed Limits ([link removed])
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By JAMES CULLUM, ArlNow

Arlington wants to deploy speed cameras and to lower speed limits in residential and business districts below 25 miles per hour. Those are among a list of state legislative priorities the Arlington County Board unanimously approved on Saturday before the upcoming session of the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** All Democrats running for governor in Virginia say they support ending the death penalty ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

All four Democrats running for governor in Virginia say they support abolishing the death penalty, including one candidate, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who allowed several executions to proceed during his term. While in office, McAuliffe said he personally opposed capital punishment, but felt obligated to uphold state law. The three executions that took place in McAuliffe’s term included William Morva, who was put to death in July 2017 for a double-murder despite pleas for clemency from advocates who said Morva suffered from mental illness.
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** Virginia budget chairs back McAuliffe ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe continues to roll out endorsements of his gubernatorial bid by high-profile Democrats, including the chairs of the General Assembly money committees, both of whom support his plan for rebuilding Virginia’s economy from damage inflicted by the COVID-19 crisis. House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, the first African American to lead his committee, and Senate Finance Chairwoman Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, the first woman to run hers, are announcing their public support for the former governor on Tuesday.
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** Nominees set for special election to fill Virginia state House seat ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A Democratic newcomer will face off against a former senior aide to Republican firebrand Corey Stewart in a Jan. 5 special election, when they will compete to fill the state House of Delegates seat vacated by Jennifer D. Carroll Foy. Carroll Foy, a Democrat from Prince William County, stepped down over the weekend to focus on her 2021 bid for governor.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Virginia's Electoral College votes are formally cast for Joe Biden ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia's 13 Electoral College votes were officially cast for President-elect Joe Biden on Monday, a formality that marks the end of the 2020 presidential contest in the state. Virginia, long thought of as a swing state, went decisively for Biden this election. Biden claimed an early victory in Virginia on Nov. 3, attracting 54% of the vote.
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** Virginia’s 13 Electoral College members officially vote to make Biden president ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia’s 13 electors voted officially Monday to make Joe Biden the next president of the United States and Kamala Harris the vice president. “It’s really an exciting day,” elector Susan R. Swecker said as each signed their names on eight certificates during a ceremony at the state capitol in Richmond.
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** Cline's Support For Election Lawsuit Draws Support, Opposition ([link removed])
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By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Support from U.S. Rep. Ben Cline for a lawsuit to bar Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden has drawn support and opposition in the Valley. Texas v. Pennsylvania, et al., was filed to block Electoral College votes from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin to be lodged for the Democrat in the 2020 presidential election.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** VDOE Found Inadequate in Addressing Special Education Disparities ([link removed])
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By ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA, WCVE-FM

A new report by the state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found the Virginia Department of Education is not doing enough to meet the needs of students enrolled in special education, whose achievement rates lag behind those of students without disabilities. The report found that because local school districts determine their own eligibility requirements for special education enrollment, the proportion of students with certain disabilities enrolled in special education varies widely from one district to another.


** CONGRESS
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** Nurses and doctors tell Sen. TIm Kaine they need help ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Nurses and doctors who care for Virginia’s critically ill and dying COVID-19 patients on Monday told Sen. Tim Kaine they support his efforts to bring mental health reform to the nation’s health care workforce. Kaine invited them to a Zoom meeting before heading into a week of congressional negotiations to push for passage of both a COVID relief bill and passage of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.
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** Va. Sen. Tim Kaine proposes measure to prevent suicide, burnout among health care workers ([link removed])
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By KRISTI KING, WTOP

Even before the pandemic, the rate of suicide among nurses and doctors was twice that of the general public. Now, due to the strain of the coronavirus pandemic, 50% report feeling burned out. As a result, one Virginia lawmaker is proposing a way to provide long-term help. “It’s not easy to pronounce three people [dead] on a 12-hour shift, and having those end-of-life conversations,” said Dr. Amit Vashist of the Johnson Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia, during a virtual discussion Monday.
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** Warner, Senate coalition file bills for emergency COVID-19 relief ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

On the same day that Americans began receiving vaccines against COVID-19, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and a bipartisan Senate coalition introduced legislation to bring up to $908 billion in new federal relief to people who have lost their jobs, families facing eviction, and small businesses trying to survive a public health and economic emergency until spring arrives.
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** Rep.-elect Bob Good calls the pandemic ‘phony.’ Covid-19 has killed more than 300 in his district. ([link removed])
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By MEAGAN FLYNN AND LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Rep.-elect Bob Good took the stage at Freedom Plaza on Saturday afternoon and looked out at a sea of masklessness. Thousands had come to march for President Trump — some carrying signs declaring the novel coronavirus a hoax. They were just the kind of group, Good told the crowd, who “gets that this is a phony pandemic.” . . . Good’s denial of the existence of a pandemic flies in the face of an unprecedented surge in coronavirus infections, which have claimed the lives of nearly 300,000 Americans — including more than 300 in Good’s congressional district, according to a Washington Post analysis of coronavirus data.
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** Wexton provisions included in defense bill ([link removed])
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By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The National Defense Authorization Act, passed this week by the House of Representatives and the Senate, includes five provisions authored by Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10, who voted in favor of the bill’s passage. “This year’s defense authorization is an important bipartisan measure to strengthen our security and meet the needs of those serving our country, including key priorities for Virginia and constituents of the 10th District,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton in a press release.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Northern Virginia marijuana dispensary booked up, looking to expand ([link removed])
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By JARED FORETEK, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)

Just a few weeks after opening, Northern Virginia’s first medical marijuana dispensary is fully booked and looking to expand. Beyond/Hello, operated by husband-and-wife team Gregory and Farzana Kennedy, opened in late November at 8100 Albertstone Circle in the Manassas area of Prince William County. The outlet can not only fill cannabis prescriptions but also grows the marijuana itself on site. So far, Gregory Kennedy told InsideNoVa, the appointment-only dispensary has been almost fully booked.
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** Crystal City Staple Americana Hotel is Permanently Closed ([link removed])
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By JAMES CULLUM, ArlNow

After nearly 50 years in business, the Americana Hotel in Crystal City permanently closed this month. The hotel at 1400 Richmond Highway opened in 1963, and was one of the first hotels in Crystal City. As the area became a major employment hub, its retro sign remained visible to all driving past on Route 1. It was even featured in a Russell Crowe movie.
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** Virginia kilt maker 'disgusted' to see men in Proud Boys gear wearing his product at MAGA march ([link removed])
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By JESS ARNOLD, WUSA

As pro-Trump supporters descended on D.C. for the second MAGA march Saturday, some men wearing Proud Boys gear were seen sporting yellow kilts...to the shock of the kilts' maker. The owner of Verillas in Fredericksburg, Allister Greenbrier, said his business produced the yellow kilts seen in the photo snapped by NPR reporter Hannah Allam. . . . He said he spoke with his marketing director about the best way to respond, and they tweeted out this statement, "Disgusted to see members of a fascist terrorist organization wearing our products. We're a LGBTQIA+ owned, operated, designed, and lived. We're against everything they stand for. I see $750 of our gear in that picture, and I just gave $1,000 to the NAACP to redirect hate to love."


** TRANSPORTATION
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** 2 Metro stations, entire Blue Line, will be closed for over 3 months in 2021 ([link removed])
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By DAN FRIEDELL, WTOP

A pair of Metro stations — one in Arlington, Virginia, and another in Prince George’s County, Maryland — will be closed for over three months in early 2021. The rail service will provide shuttle buses during that period. The Arlington National Cemetery (Blue Line) and the Addison Road (Blue and Silver) stations will be closed starting on Feb. 13, 2021 and stay closed for platform reconstruction work, the transit agency said in a statement released Monday.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** John Tyler Community College will get a new name ([link removed])
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By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

There will be no question that John Tyler Community College will get a new name next year. The only question now is, what will that name be? Last month, a special task force unanimously recommended that not only the name of the 10th president of the United States be stripped from the campus because of his ties to the Confederacy, but it also wants streets on both the Chester and Midlothian campuses that commemorate him also get renamed.
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** Hampton University president to retire in 2022 after four-decade tenure ([link removed])
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By NICK ANDERSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Hampton University announced Monday that its president, William R. Harvey, plans to retire in June 2022 after more than four decades at the helm of the private and historically Black institution in southeast Virginia. By the time he steps down, Harvey will have served nearly 44 years as Hampton president.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** COVID hospitalizations peak, 3,240 new cases reported as vaccines arrive in Virginia ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

On the first day vaccine doses arrive in Virginia and Gov. Ralph Northam's midnight curfew takes effect, the Health Department reported 3,240 new COVID-19 cases — the lowest daily case count recorded in the last 10 days. On Saturday, the state saw 4,177 new cases, which is the second-highest daily case peak Virginia has seen. The first was on Wednesday, which had nearly 4,400 new cases.
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** First batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrives in Hampton Roads at Sentara ([link removed])
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By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Sentara Healthcare received its first batch of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines Monday morning, and the first batch of Moderna vaccines should be in on Dec. 21. The health care system’s pharmacy team was unloading the vaccines around 8:30 Monday morning at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, spokesman Dale Gauding said.
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** D.C. region rolls out coronavirus vaccine ([link removed])
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By REBECCA TAN, MICHAEL BRICE-SADDLER AND LOLA FADULU, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The first doses of a coronavirus vaccine were administered Monday in the Washington region, marking the start of a logistically massive undertaking that officials hope will halt a virus that has infected more than 540,000 residents and killed more than 10,000 in the area. Governments and hospitals are hosting events this week to show residents getting vaccinated as part of an effort to foster public trust in the vaccine. D.C., Maryland and Virginia are reserving the first shipments for health-care workers, first responders and nursing home residents.
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** Some health systems in Virginia get initial vaccine doses ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

At least two Virginia health systems on Monday received initial doses of the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine, which will be administered to their workers. Gov. Ralph Northam visited a Bon Secours hospital in Richmond that he said had received one of the state’s first shipments of the vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech. Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare also announced it had received 11,700 doses that arrived early Monday morning by FedEx.
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** Elks Home announces new campus operator, expected Pfizer vaccinations ([link removed])
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By SHANNON KELLY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The Elks Home in Bedford revealed Monday that it expects to receive a shipment of the Pfizer vaccine this month, as English Meadows turns the facility over to a new management company. The Elks Home campus is expected to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by the end of December, said Angela Colquhoun, administrator of the Elks Home facility.
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** Martha Jefferson Hospital gets COVID vaccine; UVa expects doses Tuesday ([link removed])
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By BRYAN MCKENZIE, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

After months of caution, constraint, worry and wait, vaccine for COVID-19 has made its way to Central Virginia. Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital received its allotment of the corporation’s first 11,700 doses of vaccine Monday afternoon, about seven hours after they arrived at corporate headquarters in Norfolk. University of Virginia Medical Center officials say they expect the first doses Tuesday morning.
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** Virginia to send DC 8,000 extra COVID-19 vaccine doses for front-line workers ([link removed])
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By WILL VITKA, WTOP

Virginia is sending 8,000 additional COVID-19 vaccine doses to District hospitals as early as next week, D.C. Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said at a news conference Monday — more than the 6,825 vaccine doses the federal government has allotted for the nation’s capital. The extra doses are meant to cover Northern Virginia residents who work on the front lines fighting the pandemic in D.C.
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** COVID-19 outbreak strikes Danville's Adult Detention Center ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

Seven inmates at Danville's Adult Detention Center tested positive last week for COVID-19. This is the first reported outbreak at the facility, which is located off South Boston Road, next to Danville Public Works. The first person tested positive on Dec. 7 after experiencing mild symptoms. Subsequent testing of inmates resulted in six more positives, Frank Mardavich, the facility's director, said.
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** Sentara to begin administering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday ([link removed])
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By DANIEL BERTI, Prince William Times

Sentara Healthcare received its first shipment of 11,700 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Monday morning, which will be available to the healthcare system’s frontline workers in the coming days. The shipment arrived at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital early Monday morning and will be distributed to the healthcare system’s 10 other Virginia hospitals, including Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge.
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** Mary Washington Healthcare plans to roll out virus vaccine Tuesday ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

As those on the front lines of COVID-19 wait for the newly approved vaccine, the Rappahannock Area Health District topped the 10,000-mark in virus cases on Monday. Another 220 people tested positive in Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford, as of Monday’s report from the Virginia Department of Health.
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** Fauquier Hospital sees increase in COVID-19 patients over last few days ([link removed])
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By ROBIN EARL, Fauquier Times

The number of patients hospitalized at Fauquier Hospital as a result of COVID-19 increased to 14 over the weekend, according to Fauquier Health CEO Chad Melton. Last week, on Dec. 8, he said the hospital had been treating six to eight COVID patients consistently. He said Monday that the recent increase in COVID-related hospitalizations was one of the reasons that the hospital decided Friday to further restrict visitations in the hospital.
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** Virginia High School League won't require masks during practices or games ([link removed])
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WTKR-TV

The Virginia High School League announced Monday that it will not require masks for students during practices or games. On December 10, the VHSL announced that it “is requiring each school to follow the recommendations of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)” that students and coaches wear masks while participating in sports.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Richmond Will Rename Jefferson Davis Highway ([link removed])
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By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE-FM

Jefferson Davis Highway will soon be renamed, as Richmond continues to remove public honors for Confederate leaders. Richmond City Council voted unanimously Monday night to change the name of U.S. Route 1 to Richmond Highway. The decision applies only to the portion of the road within city limits. The city also voted to permanently remove a statue to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, from Monument Avenue after protesters toppled it back in June.
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** Here’s what might replace America’s disappearing Confederate monuments ([link removed])
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By PHILLIP MORRIS, National Geographic

TWO EQUESTRIAN STATUES were thrust back into news headlines this past weekend following Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s announcement that he plans to repurpose a stretch of valuable public space in Richmond, the state’s capital. One statue is a tribute to Confederate General Robert E. Lee, whose image is the last remaining piece of Confederate iconography left standing on Richmond’s famous Monument Avenue. The Lee statue was erected in 1890. The other statue features an unidentified Black man in modern urban attire astride a muscular horse. Entitled Rumors of War, it’s the work of artist Kehinde Wiley and was erected in 2019 in front of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), about two miles from the Lee statue.


** LOCAL
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** More Northern Virginia school systems revert to online-only learning ([link removed])
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By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

More Northern Virginia school systems are sending children back to fully online learning, citing unacceptable levels of community transmission of the novel coronavirus, as cases and deaths continue to rise in the Washington region and nationally. Over the weekend, Fairfax County Public Schools — whose 186,000 students make it the largest school system in the state — announced that it was returning thousands of children to virtual learning on Monday. Likewise, Fauquier County Public Schools, a neighboring district of roughly 10,000 students, said last week that it would return to remote schooling starting Monday.
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** Alexandria, Arlington earn perfect scores for LGBTQ protections from Human Rights Campaign ([link removed])
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By ANNA GAWEL, WTOP

Alexandria and Arlington in Virginia both received perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 Municipal Equality Index, which rates how inclusive cities are toward the LGBTQ people who live and work there. The score card, now in its ninth year, rated 506 U.S. cities, including 11 in Virginia, on 49 criteria. Rankings were based on nondiscrimination laws, benefits and protections for municipal employees, law enforcement and services and policies geared to ensure gender equality.
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** Fairfax County RISE Program Awards Over $52 Million to Small Businesses ([link removed])
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By FATIMAH WASEEM, Reston Now

Fairfax County’s relief fund for small businesses and nonprofits affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has come to an end, the county announced on Dec. 11. Established by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in May, the Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (RISE) assisted 4,809 local businesses and nonprofits by awarding $52.57 million in grants.
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** D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham Gets Mixed Reception In Prince William County ([link removed])
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By DANIELLA CHESLOW, WAMU

Standing between a Starbucks and a shoe store, two Prince William County Police officers staffed a booth last week recruiting for “Northern Virginia’s Finest.” Most mall shoppers walked past them, but 24-year-old Tamani Truelove stopped to learn about entry requirements. “You got to do like 13 pushups in one minute, a 12-inch vertical jump from a standing position. Seems pretty easy stuff,” said Truelove, of Lorton, Va. If he joins, Truelove, who is African American, will help solve a problem that has faced the Prince William County Police Department for years: Fewer than 10% of its officers are African American, even though 22% of county residents are.
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** Council approves plan guiding development, growth for next two decades ([link removed])
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By CHRIS SUAREZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The city of Richmond has a new master plan. After more than three years of development, the City Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt the Richmond 300 plan, which outlines the city’s vision for development and growth over the next two decades. Council members praised the work of the city’s planners and those involved in the process, but said they still have some concerns, including whether there are enough protections for public housing properties and low-income neighborhoods at risk of gentrification.
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** Chesapeake schools will shift to virtual learning for two weeks after winter break ([link removed])
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By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Chesapeake School Board members voted to accept superintendent Jared Cotton’s recommendation that students learning in person shift to online learning for two weeks. The shift starts Jan. 4, after the winter break. Cotton’s recommendation comes as the city saw the highest positivity rate in Hampton Roads. He recommended the shift to start after the winter break, beginning Jan. 4.
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** Wise County is first to receive Starlink internet in Va. ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Virginia Business

Wise County Public Schools announced Monday it is the first school district in Virginia to use SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet constellation for high-speed internet. Founded by Elon Musk, aerospace company SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches spacecraft and is working to deploy its Starlink system, a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit that will delivers high-speed internet to “locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable.”

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia's Redistricting Commission Citizen Member Selection Committee
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Now accepting applications from Virginia citizens with diverse backgrounds to serve as one of eight citizen commissioners. Application deadline December 28th. Apply today! ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
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** Objective thinking necessary ([link removed])
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Daily Progress Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Kudos to Rep. Denver Riggleman for his farewell statement to Congress. “People are more important than party,” he said. And: “Pandering is a political sickness.” And: “Unbiased, fact-based information sustains our republic.” The latter echoes the famous quote from Thomas Jefferson, chiseled over a doorway at New Cabell Hall: “[T]his institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind.
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** 5 lessons from the startup report ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Why do some communities thrive in the new economy and others don’t? The answer’s not all that hard. The winners have the things that the new economies want – among them, a tech-savvy workforce, a quality of life that makes that tech-savvy workforce want to live there as opposed to someplace else, venture capital to help fund new companies.
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** Time to put the dang cellphone down ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

In 1917, Finnish inventor Eric Tigerstedt got a patent for a “pocket-size folding telephone with a very thin carbon microphone.” Three days later, Tigerstedt crashed his Model-T into a reindeer while driving distracted. Just kidding about the reindeer. However, the cellphone and the automobile have had a troubled history.
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** U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman disappoints by backing lawsuit that sought to overturn election results ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The U.S. Supreme Court made quick work of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s audacious attempt to overturn the election results in four states, dismissing the suit unanimously Friday night. That the action earned the backing of attorneys general from 17 states and 127 Republican members of Congress cannot be so easily brushed aside. Among them was U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, who represents Virginia’s 1st District and who leveraged the power and privilege of his office to undo a fairly decided and, by all accounts, secure election because he doesn’t agree with the outcome.
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** Maggie L. Walker or Barbara Johns should replace Robert E. Lee in U.S. Capitol ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

On Wednesday, a panel charged with selecting a replacement for Virginia’s statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee at the U.S. Capitol is expected to vote on its recommendation to the General Assembly. At issue is which Virginian should join the bronze figure of George Washington in the National Statuary Hall collection, with each state entitled to two statues.


** OP-ED
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** Fisher: The State of the Guardian Ad Litem System in Virginia ([link removed])
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By MAURICE FISHER, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

How are Guardian Ad Litems and prostitutes alike? They receive payment upfront; the outcome is not satisfactory to the client. Having worked as a mental health therapist in Virginia, I have had the opportunity to be involved in at least 600 legal court cases where a GAL has been appointed by various judges, I feel confident to critique the role of the GAL in Virginia based on my involvements, and observations.

Fisher is a retired mental health therapist. He lives in Roanoke.
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** Meagher: Consider rescheduling Virginia legislative elections ([link removed])
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By RICHARD MEAGHER, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Amendment 1, which passed this year by a large majority, creates a bipartisan commission of citizens and legislators to redraw Virginia’s legislative districts. Unfortunately, 2021 will be a particularly bad year to start a new process. District lines require data from the federal Census Bureau, and officials with that agency have already signaled that the data will be delivered months later than usual.

Meagher is an associate professor of political science at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland
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** Webber: Could city planning be a solution to fighting climate change? ([link removed])
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By STEPHEN WEBBER, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Most Virginians believe that a top-down government approach is the only way to address climate change; however, this notion overlooks the simple alterations at a local level that can have large impacts on reducing the effects of climate change. Virginia is split between North and South — commonly referred to as NOVA and SOVA — large cities and rural areas, and red counties and blue counties, but across the board suffers from the same issue preventing climate action: city planning.

Webber is a Virginia Tech graduate student studying public administration with focuses on public transportation systems and city planning.
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** Edwards and Wilayto: Governor's Shockoe Bottom proposal misses mark ([link removed])
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By ANA EDWARDS AND PHIL WILAYTO, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

For three decades before the emancipation that came with the end of the Civil War, Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom was the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade. Second only in size to the slave-trading district of New Orleans, the Bottom’s more important significance was its role as the fountainhead of that trade, the wholesale district that supplied hundreds of thousands of human beings to the retail markets further South.

Edwards chairs the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. Wilayto is editor of The Virginia Defender newspaper.
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** Wegbreit: Virginia offers new eviction protection for tenants behind on rent ([link removed])
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By MARTIN WEGBREIT, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Keeping tenants housed during a global pandemic will slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect both public health and the economy. However, for many tenants, months of rent will come due at the end of this month. At the same time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium ends, and many tenants might see their unemployment benefits expire.

Wegbreit is director of litigation at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society in Richmond


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