VaNews
December 22, 2020

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** Ali Mislowsky
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Top of the News


** Hundreds of thousands of doses of virus vaccine headed to Virginia, Maryland, D.C. this week ([link removed])
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By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, JULIE ZAUZMER AND LOLA FADULU, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Hundreds of thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccines are beginning to come into the greater Washington area as the number of infections and death continues to build. The District expects to receive more than 30,000 doses this week, substantially increasing the city’s ability to vaccinate front-line workers as the arrival of the newly approved Moderna vaccine helps offset reductions in the number of Pfizer vaccine doses being distributed this week.
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** Fredericksburg area sets record for new daily virus cases; tests getting harder to find ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Another COVID-19 record was set on Monday—the highest number of new cases reported in the Rappahannock Area Health District in a single day. An additional 313 people had tested positive for the virus, as of Monday’s report, eclipsing the previous record of 231 new cases in a single day set on Dec. 7.
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** Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam: Robert E. Lee statue removed from U.S. Capitol ([link removed])
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By EMILY ZANTOW, Washington Times

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday said the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee has been removed from the U.S. Capitol. The monument is set to be moved to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond after residing for 111 years in Washington.
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** Online sports betting in Virginia nearing its debut ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

Virginians have long been sidelined when it comes to gambling, but it’s a safe proposition that sometime before the upcoming Super Bowl they will be able to wager from the comfort of their couches as Virginia joins a growing list of states that allow sports wagering. The Virginia Lottery is expected to give the go-ahead next month to what will likely be more than a dozen betting sites to take wagers from Virginians on numerous types of sports. Officials predict Virginians will respond by betting as much as $400 million in 2021, and steadily increasing amounts thereafter.
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** Fairfax County prosecutor formally ends cash bail, joining a growing movement ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN JOUVENAL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Fairfax County’s top prosecutor formally announced Monday that his office would no longer seek cash bail, saying it exacerbates inequalities between the rich and poor in the criminal justice system. The announcement codifies what had been the general practice of Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve T. Descano (D) since he took office in January after running on a platform of bringing major changes in Virginia’s largest county.
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** Group says Fairfax County teachers violated Virginia's anti-striking law with 'sick out' ([link removed])
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By TYLER ARNOLD, Center Square

A nonprofit organization that advocates for families is accusing Fairfax County teachers union officials of violating Virginia law that prohibits public-sector strikes when the union organized with hundreds of teachers to take a mental health sick day in October. . . . Attorneys for the Liberty Justice Center (LJC), which is representing Fairfax County parents, wrote a letter to the union and Fairfax County Public Schools arguing the “sick out” violated state law and urging school board members to fire union leaders if the union tries again to organize a similar demonstration.
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** A Black VMI cadet was threatened with a lynching, then with expulsion ([link removed])
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By IAN SHAPIRA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The intercom boomed in the predawn hour of Hell Week at the Virginia Military Institute, and a group of upperclassmen slammed open the doors to the freshman barracks rooms. It was time for a morning run. Rafael Jenkins, a prized VMI basketball recruit, said he threw on his gym clothes and hydration pack, then grabbed his “Rat Bible,” a booklet of campus rules, rituals and history. As the 19-year-old cadet waited in the hallway to use the bathroom that August day in 2018, the group of upperclassmen shouted more orders.
The Full Report
37 articles, 20 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.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** In interview, Northam reflects on pivotal year in Virginia politics ([link removed])
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By JACKIE DEFUSCO, WRIC-TV

Gov. Ralph Northam sat down with 8News Capitol Bureau Reporter Jackie DeFusco to reflect on all of the things that made 2020 a memorable and challenging year. Northam recounted governing the Commonwealth during the unprecedented global pandemic, the economic fallout caused by it, tensions over gun control and a reckoning with racial justice. With the new year quickly approaching Northam is not ready to rule out stricter coronavirus restrictions including school closures or tighter customer caps for businesses.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Virginia Democrat Aims to Undo ‘Stain’ of Same-Sex Marriage Ban ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE-FM

It’s been fourteen years since Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and six since a U.S. district court judge rendered it toothless. Now advocates are pressing for a new constitutional amendment in Virginia that would replace the current language with an affirmation of the rights for adults to marry, regardless of their gender identity. Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), who is sponsoring the change, calls the existing wording “a stain on our Constitution.”
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** Citizen applicants for Virginia redistricting commission skew white, male, over age 50 ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Aweek from the Dec. 28 deadline to apply, citizen applicants for Virginia’s new Redistricting Commission are skewing white, male, older and comparatively well off. Of 214 applicant profiles that the Virginia Public Access Project had received from the Virginia Division of Legislative Services as of Friday, 161 were men and 53 were women.
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** Area's legislative delegation are in virtual agreement about upcoming session ([link removed])
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By BILL WYATT, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The General Assembly convenes for the upcoming session on Jan. 13, but the decision was announced last month by House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn that House members would not be meeting in Richmond. Just as the annual Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce pre-legislative session was conducted virtually, so will the business of the commonwealth. “The nature of virtual governing doesn’t work, quite frankly,” State Del. Charles Poindexter (R-Franklin) said. “The people’s representation is just not there.”
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** Judicial reelection: Community split over Chesterfield judge’s future ([link removed])
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By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)

Richmond-area lawyers spoke up this month in support of a Chesterfield County general district judge fighting to win another term despite low performance scores and vocal community opposition. Judge Pamela O’Berry’s bid for a third six-year term led to more than an hour of pro and con statements from lawyers and members of the public Dec. 11. As legislators listened, several citizens described a judge with a rude and dismissive demeanor. Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, said he had received 35 complaints about the judge from anonymous attorneys who feared to speak publicly.
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** Gavel, mace and Shepherd Stadium: Official Cox speaker portrait is unveiled Monday ([link removed])
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By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

Sometime next year, Kirk Cox will formally become a part of the Virginia House of Delegates' history. And so will Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights. On Monday, the former House speaker and current GOP gubernatorial candidate had his official portrait unveiled by his campaign. The House clerk's office will set a date for its hanging in the House chamber.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Levine, D-Alexandria, becomes the 12th candidate for lieutenant governor ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria, has become the 12th candidate to announce for lieutenant governor, noting Monday that he would be Virginia’s first openly gay person in statewide office. “Injustice really gets under my skin,” Levine said in a statement.
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** Clemente Announces Campaign for 10th District Delegate ([link removed])
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By KARA CLARK RODRIGUEZ, Loudoun Now

A 32-year-old Leesburg resident has his eyes set on the 10th District House of Delegates seat on the ballot in the November 2021 elections. Nick Clemente has announced he will run as a Republican, challenging two-term incumbent Democrat Wendy Gooditis. The 10th district covers portions of Loudoun, Clarke and Frederick counties.
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** Dale City resident Idris O’Connor announces bid for 31st District House of Delegates seat ([link removed])
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By COY FERRELL, Prince William Times

Idris O’Connor, 25, of Dale City, announced Monday he will seek the Democratic nomination for the 31st District House of Delegates seat next year. O'Connor is the third person to seek the his party’s nomination after two-term incumbent Del. Elizabeth Guzman (D), announced she will run for lieutenant governor in 2021 and not seek reelection in the General Assembly.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Virginia isn’t quite ready to put a ring on the Transportation and Climate Initiative ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Virginia isn’t committing just yet to join the Transportation and Climate Initiative, a regional proposal that aims to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector using a cap-and-invest model already in use for power plants. On Monday, TCI leaders unveiled a long-awaited final framework for the program and announced Washington, D.C. and three New England states — Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island — had formally signed a memorandum of understanding committing to decrease transportation emissions by 30 percent by 2032.
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** Banned in Virginia starting Jan. 1: Holding a phone while driving ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Put your phone down and focus on driving. Starting Jan. 1, that will be the law in Virginia. The law will prohibit people from holding a handheld communications device while driving. It’s a primary offense, which means police can pull a driver over for that alone. First-time offenders face a fine of $125, and additional offenses are a fine of $250.
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** Jury trials approved for counties around Lynchburg, but courts in no rush amid record COVID-19 numbers ([link removed])
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By RACHEL MAHONEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

County circuit courts around Lynchburg — but not Lynchburg Circuit Court — now have the go-ahead from the Virginia Supreme Court to restart jury trials. But with the holidays around the corner, the logistics of bringing in jurors and significant regional spread of the coronavirus, those trials likely won’t start for another couple months. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Lemons wrote letters Dec. 11 approving jury trial plans in the counties of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell and Nelson.


** CONGRESS
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** Spanberger says stimulus package will provide key assistance to families and businesses ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package Congress is poised to pass is coming eight months late, but it will provide key assistance to people who are struggling and businesses that are trying to survive, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, said Monday. The bill’s many provisions include direct payments to most adults of up to $600, plus $600 per child; an extended unemployment benefit of $300 per week; $25 billion in rental assistance; $284 billion for forgivable business loans; $20 billion for targeted grants to help small businesses; and $13 billion to help families with food security.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Virginia shouldn’t expect economic recovery until 2022, ODU economists say ([link removed])
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By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Yes, Virginia, it’s going to take a while to recover from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. In their annual State of the Commonwealth report, Old Dominion University economists say they don’t expect Virginia to be back where it was in February 2019 as far as jobs and economic activity are concerned until at least 2022, “although we would be happy to be proven wrong on this point.”
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** Navy spending accounts for 15% of Hampton Roads economy, feds say ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

The Navy’s spending in Hampton Roads dipped a bit last year but still exceeded $15.4 billion, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic reported. That accounts for a large chunk of the region’s economy. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which tracks regional economies, says the total value of goods and services produced in the region was $103 billion last year. That means 15 cents of every dollar spent in Hampton Roads is spent by the Navy.
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** $500,000 in grants and zero-interest loans to COVID-impacted businesses ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A total of $500,000 in grants and zero-interest loans are being given to small companies in the cities of Richmond and Petersburg that are struggling to stay in business because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The money is being disbursed through Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Virginia from a program started by Wells Fargo & Co. called the Open for Business Fund, a roughly $400 million initiative designed to help small-business recovery efforts across the United States.
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** Harrisonburg businesses shaken by explosion ignite support ([link removed])
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By FILIP DE MOTT, The Breeze

Harrisonburg made national news this fall when a shopping center abruptly exploded, consuming property and injuring five. The ill-fated strip mall, located at Miller Circle, erupted into a scene of fire and smoke on Oct. 17. Though unclear at the time, subsequent investigation determined the cause as a natural gas leak. Beyond hospitalizations, no fatalities occurred — a result of the blast’s early morning timing. But, spared of such tragedy, the explosion cost the city something else: local shops.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Federal relief bill likely to save Metro from proposed ‘doomsday’ service cuts ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN GEORGE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The stimulus bill brokered by Congress should eliminate or significantly reduce Metro’s need to cut weekend rail service, lay off one-third of its workforce, close stations and cut Metrobus service in half. It is still unclear how much Metro would get from the $900 billion federal stimulus bill working through Congress, but a chunk of the $14 billion apportioned for public transportation has been earmarked for the Washington metropolitan area. The transit agency should receive “more than enough” to stave off drastic proposed cuts, Metro board member Michael Goldman said Monday.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virus, cyber incident delay Roanoke College semester ([link removed])
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By LUKE WEIR, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Roanoke College announced Monday a delayed start to its spring semester, citing two ongoing outbreaks: COVID-19 and a cyber incident that has disabled school computer systems. Roanoke College President Michael Maxey announced the delay on the school’s website. The spring semester, originally slated to begin Jan. 19, is now delayed to start Feb. 8, with final exams beginning May 17.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Virginia reports 4,042 new COVID-19 cases, third-highest daily increase during the pandemic ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported 4,042 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, taking the state’s total number of cases since the pandemic started to 310,890. That’s the third-highest number reported on a single day, behind only 4,177 on Dec. 12 and 4,398 on Dec. 9. Virginia has averaged 3,677 new cases per day over the last seven days.
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** Number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia prisons highest since the beginning of the pandemic ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Corrections said the number of inmates and staff with active COVID-19 cases is the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. As of Sunday evening, there were 1,364 inmates with active cases out of 24,681 inmates in department facilities and 323 active staff cases out of 11,255 full-time and 472 hourly employees, said Gregory Carter, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, on Monday.
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** Vaccinations At Long-Term Care Sites Slated To Begin Dec. 28 ([link removed])
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By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Vaccine clinics at Virginia long-term care facilities are slated to begin Dec. 28, according to Matt Blanchette, a spokesman for CVS. Vaccination of residents at retirement and nursing homes is being handled by a federal contract with CVS/Walgreens, according to Robert Parker, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Health.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Virginia removes Lee statue from U.S. Capitol overnight ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia removed its statue of Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol overnight, the latest move in the state’s purge of Confederate iconography in a year of reckoning on racial injustice. Each state gets two statues in the Statuary Hall collection. Since 1909, Virginia’s statues have depicted Lee and George Washington. A state panel last week recommended to the General Assembly that Virginia replace its Lee statue with a statue of teenage civil rights pioneer Barbara Johns.
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** Virginia’s statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee removed from U.S. Capitol ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Workers have removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol, laboring in the wee hours of Monday morning to take the figure out of Statuary Hall. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) had requested the removal over the summer after a commission chartered by the General Assembly decided that a man who fought to uphold slavery was not a fitting symbol for a diverse and modern state.
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** Robert E. Lee Statue Is Removed From U.S. Capitol ([link removed])
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By BRYAN PIETSCH, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

Virginia’s statue of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee was removed from its post in the U.S. Capitol on Monday morning, closing a year that saw Confederate statues toppled as the nation reckoned with racism in its history and institutions. In April, the month before the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis would set off worldwide protests against racism and police brutality, Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia signed legislation directing the creation of a commission to study the removal and replacement of the statue.
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** Cory Johnson, who is facing execution on Jan. 14, asks Trump for commutation ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Cory Johnson, who is set to be executed by the federal government on Jan. 14 for his involvement in Richmond’s deadly “Newtowne Gang,” is asking President Trump to commute his sentence to life without parole. Last week, lawyers for Johnson, 52, asked authorities to withdraw his execution date in light of Johnson contracting COVID-19. He is now experiencing “debilitating symptoms.” In a clemency petition filed Sunday, they asked Trump to spare his life citing what they contend is an intellectual disability that bars his execution.


** LOCAL
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** Implementing ranked-choice voting in Arlington elections may not be simple ([link removed])
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By SCOTT MCCAFFREY, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)

It seems like the progressive thing for a self-professed progressive community to do: Switch Arlington County Board elections from winner-take-all to ranked-choice (or “instant-runoff”) formats. But there are some hiccups. “There’s a lot of pieces involved,” said county elections chief Gretchen Reinemeyer, who aims to convene a summit of involved parties – county staff, Virginia Department of Elections, equipment vendors – early in the new year to “hash out all the details.”
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** City Council grilled over Brackney press conference ([link removed])
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By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Charlottesville City Council was in the hot seat Monday over the conduct of Police Chief RaShall Brackney and ongoing leadership turnover at City Hall. During public comment, several speakers denounced the chief’s actions at her recent press conference where she refuted claims of racial profiling made by leaders of the Unitarian Universalists of Charlottesville Church following an October incident.
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** Roanoke alters city code to allow party bikes to roll ([link removed])
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By RALPH BERRIER JR., Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Party bikes, pedal pubs, beer bikes … whatever you call them, they could soon be rolling through downtown Roanoke, hauling partying pedalers from watering hole to watering hole. The Roanoke City Council approved changes to city code that will allow multiperson party bikes to hit the streets. The council approved the changes 7-0, but not without first discussing concerns that included the hazards of drinking and pedaling, and whether or not the vehicles would be as pervasive as all those motorized scooters.

Today's Sponsor:


** Ali Mislowsky
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In recognition of this year's VaNews day sponsors. Thank you!


** EDITORIALS
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** Big changes for Hampton Roads’ HBCUs ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Hampton Roads is fortunate to be the home of two historically Black universities, schools which last week made announcements that promise to change the landscape of higher education in the Tidewater. At Hampton University, Dr. William Harvey announced he would step down as president in June 2022, completing a remarkable 44 years at the helm of that school at the time of his retirement. Since he stepped into that role, it’s not hyperbole to say that Harvey transformed the university, the region and the commonwealth.
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** Respect the COVID-19 reality that front-line workers are facing ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

On Monday, Virginians woke up to the first day of winter with signs of progress in the long fight against COVID-19. Promising health care solutions are moving forward. One week after issuing a Dec. 11 emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the Food and Drug Administration did the same for the Moderna treatment this past Friday.
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** The reappraisal of John Tyler ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

How many presidents did the Confederacy have? That’s a trick question, or at least a trick answer: The secessionist slave-holding confederacy elected just one president, Jefferson Davis. But it can lay claim to another president – former U.S. President John Tyler, who later abandoned the country he once led to become a member of the rebel Congress.


** COLUMNISTS
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** PolitiFact: Yes, COVID-19 Is a Pandemic ([link removed])
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By WARREN FISKE, WCVE-FM

Virginia Rep.-elect Bob Good got cheers at a rally for President Donald Trump when he told the crowd the novel coronavirus pandemic is a farce. “This looks like a group of people that gets this is a phony pandemic,” Good, R-5th Congressional District, said Dec. 12 at a Women for America First rally in Washington. “It’s a serious virus, but it’s a virus; it’s not a pandemic.” COVID-19 is not a pandemic? Let’s check.


** OP-ED
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** McNab: The commonwealth endures ([link removed])
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By ROBERT M. MCNAB, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The sixth annual State of the Commonwealth Report examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Virginia and probes whether Virginians continue to share a common destiny. The ongoing public health crisis, economic shock and political uncertainty have exposed fractures in Virginia’s body politic, and present new challenges to invigorating growth in 2021 and beyond.

McNab is professor of economics and director of Old Dominion University’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, which produces the annual State of the Commonwealth Report.
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** Descano: The time is now to ban mandatory minimums ([link removed])
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By STEVE DESCANO, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

When I glance out the window of my Fairfax County Courthouse office, I still can hear the calls of the racial justice protesters who gathered outside of the county jail next door shortly after I was sworn into office earlier this year. They — and their counterparts across Virginia — pushed local and state elected officials to do more to counteract mass incarceration, which has become the guiding principle of our state’s approach to criminal justice over the past several decades.

Descano is the commonwealth’s attorney for Fairfax County and the city of Fairfax.
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** Wittman: Election challenge stood up for the Constitution ([link removed])
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By ROBERT WITTMAN, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

It remains, and always has been, crucial to me to ensure that every person I represent in Virginia’s 1st District has their voice heard in Washington. Over the past several years, many Americans have questioned the transparency and accuracy of our electoral system. In 2005, Congressional Democrats challenged the electoral votes of Ohio during the 2004 presidential election; in 2016, many believed bad actors from outside of the United States worked to undermine our election processes; and following the 2020 election, I heard from many constituents whose confidence in the election has been shaken because of perceived examples of irregularities and potential fraud in the voting process.

Wittman represents the 1st Congressional District of Virginia.


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