VaNews
December 23, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Hellebush Consulting, LLC
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During this year of constant change, adaptation and innovation, we look forward to VaNews each and every day; Happy Holidays!
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Top of the News


** Health officials brace for COVID-19 surge after holidays ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

With Virginia’s percentage of positive COVID-19 tests climbing toward 12% and more than 4 million travelers passing through U.S. security checkpoints since Friday, health officials say the surge post-Christmas could bring hospitals to a breaking point. “That is a huge area of concern for us, even more so than any other holidays of this past year,” said Dr. David Lanning, interim chief medical officer at VCU Medical Center.
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** On a Trump-loving island in the Chesapeake, a virus outbreak unites instead of divides ([link removed])
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By PETER JAMISON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The news at the dock was bad. As a handful of masked passengers stepped off the Courtney Thomas, one of the only boats still traveling to and from this remote island in the Chesapeake Bay, Susan Parks looked for the oxygen machine that was scheduled to arrive for her patients. The home-health aide could see it was not among the packages and mail being unloaded. The boat’s captain, Brett Thomas, had another reason to look somber as he stepped off his boat beneath a clear December sky.
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** Carter, Goldman File Lawsuit to Change Primary Signature Requirements ([link removed])
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By BRIAN CARLTON, Dogwood

To be part of June’s Democratic primary races in Virginia, you need 10,000 signatures. That’s something two Democratic candidates want to change. On Tuesday, Del. Lee Carter and former Democratic Party Chairman Paul Goldman filed a lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court. They asked for the signature requirements to be reduced at least for the 2021 statewide primary campaigns. That means dropping the number of needed signatures from 10,000 to 2,000 in the race for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
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** Va. judge rules Black defendant can’t get a fair trial in courtroom largely featuring portraits of White judges ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN JOUVENAL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A Fairfax County judge has ruled that a Black defendant can’t get a fair trial in a courtroom decorated overwhelmingly with portraits of White judges and has ordered the paintings to be removed for the man’s upcoming legal proceeding. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Bernhard wrote in an opinion issued late Monday that the portraits of past judges from the Fairfax County Circuit Court could create the impression that the court is biased. Bernhard wrote that he won’t allow any portraits to be on display for any trial he presides over.
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** Removed from U.S. Capitol, Lee statue will be put in context at Va. museum ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The old general is flat on his back now, in the museum equivalent of the Island of Misfit Toys. Robert E. Lee’s 700-pound likeness left the grandeur of the U.S. Capitol and landed here Tuesday morning, as workers rolled the statue off a truck and left it supine, on a wooden pallet, in storage space at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The life-size bronze will be shown again, but not in a way that glorifies the Confederate hero.
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** Michele Bachmann to lead Regent University’s school of government, wants to expand ‘biblical worldview’ ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Tea Party firebrand and 2012 presidential contender Michele Bachmann will soon lead Regent University’s school of government, where she said she plans to expand the Virginia Beach-based Christian university’s “biblical worldview.” She begins as dean of the Robertson School of Government Jan. 1.
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** Kitchen fire starts at Chesterfield firehouse after crew dashes off to emergency call with stove on ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Firefighters at Chesterfield County’s Courthouse Road Fire Station forgot to heed one of the golden rules of fire prevention: Don’t leave unattended food cooking on a stove. A fire started in the station’s kitchen about 7:30 p.m. Monday after a crew dashed off to help someone with a medical emergency. It wasn’t until the crew was returning about 30 minutes later that they learned of the fire.
The Full Report
48 articles, 24 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** From VPAP The Fall and Rise of General Assembly Building ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

In this 25-second time lapse video, watch the demolition of the old General Assembly Building and the rise of a new one in the northwest corner of Capitol Square. The new building is expected to be completed late next year. (Footage courtesy of the state's construction webcam)
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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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** Virginia policy change offers employers $200M tax relief ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

State officials announced a temporary policy change Tuesday that will provide about $200 million in payroll tax relief next year to Virginia businesses that laid off workers amid the pandemic. Under an executive order from Gov. Ralph Northam, the Virginia Employment Commission won’t be counting layoffs that took place in April, May or June against businesses when calculating unemployment insurance tax rates for 2021, Northam’s office announced.
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** Virginia avoids higher unemployment insurance taxes for businesses ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday took steps to prevent Virginia businesses hit hardest by the pandemic from having to pay extra taxes to help shore up the state’s depleted unemployment insurance trust fund, which has been drained because of jobless benefits paid to hundreds of thousands of Virginians who lost their jobs. Northam issued an executive order that requires the Virginia Employment Commission to freeze potential increases in unemployment insurance tax rates in 2021 for businesses by holding them harmless for layoffs that occurred during the pandemic.
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** Virginia businesses that laid off, furloughed workers during pandemic won’t face tax penalty ([link removed])
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By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Businesses that laid off or furloughed employees in the beginning of the pandemic won’t see their unemployment insurance tax rate go up for having done so, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. Business advocates cheered the change in Northam’s executive order seventy-four.
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** CARES Act money used to improve broadband access in Virginia ([link removed])
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By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

Whenever Lynn Manweiler or anyone in her family needs to upload a video for work or school, they have to drive to a place with public wifi and sit in the parking lot. If her daughter has a Zoom call with her college professor, everyone else in the house needs to get offline. And at least a couple of times each week, they get knocked off the internet. For many families in Virginia, not having high-speed internet has always been inconvenient. During the COVID-19 pandemic, with many people working at home and students doing virtual schooling, it’s been downright difficult.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Wilt Bill Targeting Best Management Practices Gets Second Chance ([link removed])
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By JESSICA WETZLER, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A bill to create an enhanced income tax credit for the implementation of certain best management practices is getting a second chance in Virginia’s General Assembly. After the proposal was left in a House committee earlier this year, Del. Tony Wilt, R-Broadway, filed legislation Monday that would create a new incentive for farmers to do projects if they’re not interested in participating in grant funding.
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** Judge Hicks recuses self from Morrissey's criminal case ([link removed])
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By ALI ROCKETT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A Richmond judge recused himself from a criminal case involving state Sen. Joe Morrissey after the lawmaker’s support of the judge’s reappointment raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest in Virginia’s system for appointing judges. Judge David Hicks serves as chief of Richmond’s General District Court overseeing the Marsh courthouse in Manchester, and is up for reappointment to a second six-year term. On Tuesday, he said he has recused himself and the entire Richmond bench from Morrissey’s case and has asked the Virginia Supreme Court to appoint another judge for the upcoming Jan. 8 hearing.
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** Virginia Democrats are backing off a ban on the new sale of assault weapons, at least for now ([link removed])
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By JACKIE DEFUSCO, WJHL

Virginia Democrats appear to be backing off a ban on the new sale of assault weapons — at least for now — but that won’t stop Second Amendment supporters from rallying in Richmond come January. At the beginning of 2020, a slew of gun control bills brought thousands to the State Capitol in protest, drawing national attention and criticism from President Donald Trump. The ban was arguably the most controversial in a package of eight proposals pushed by Gov. Ralph Northam in response to a mass shooting in Virginia Beach in 2019.
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** Advocates, Lawmakers Set To Introduce Vehicle Emissions Reforms ([link removed])
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By PATRICK LARSEN, WCVE-FM

Transportation emissions accounted for nearly half of Virginia’s carbon pollution in 2017, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Now, some lawmakers and advocacy groups in Virginia are looking for ways to reduce vehicle emissions. But there’s a catch: California is the only state in the nation that may craft stricter standards than federal ones, thanks to a provision of the federal Clean Air Act. But other states, like Virginia, are allowed to sign on to California’s rules.
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** Senator pushing to end a “prison for profit” in Virginia ([link removed])
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By KERRI O'BRIEN, WFXR-TV

The Lawrenceville Correctional Center in Brunswick County is the only privately run prison in Virginia; however, a state lawmaker wants to prohibit privately run prisons in the Commonwealth. State Senator Adam Ebbin, a Democrat from Alexandria, said they have one motive and that’s to make money, so they cut corners. Ebbin says that puts all of us in danger and does little to help offenders reenter society.
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** Virginia lawmaker introduces bill to repeal private-sector right-to-work protections ([link removed])
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By TYLER ARNOLD, Center Square

A Virginia lawmaker has introduced legislation that would repeal the state’s right-to-work protections for private-sector employees. Virginia law prohibits labor union agreements with an employer that would require a person to join a union as a condition of employment. The law prohibits a union from having a monopoly on employment for any enterprise and prohibits agreements that would bar nonunion members from working at any enterprise. Legislation to be considered during the 2021 legislation session would repeal these protections for private-sector employees.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Judge won’t try Black man in courtroom with white portraits ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

A Black defendant’s right to a fair trial would be harmed if the jury heard the case in a courtroom lined with portraits of white jurists, a northern Virginia judge has ruled. The upcoming trial of Terrance Shipp on charges of eluding police will be held in a courtroom that has no portraits on the wall, said Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Bernhard.
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** Chesterfield man among first to be convicted under new Va. law that boosts penalty for leaving gun near child ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A Chesterfield County man who had his gun rights restored in June has been convicted of leaving a loaded firearm near his young son, who accidentally shot himself in the hand, in one of the first cases to be prosecuted under a new Virginia law that boosts the penalty for “recklessly” leaving guns near children. Radell J. Bolden, 36, was found guilty in Chesterfield General District Court and was sentenced to 12 months in jail with all 12 months suspended. Bolden also was ordered to complete 24 hours of community service, forfeit his gun and complete a firearm safety class.
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** Land acquired for Virginia’s 40th state park ([link removed])
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Associated Press

State officials say a land acquisition in Gloucester County has brought Virginia one step closer to opening its 40th state park. The Conservation Fund transferred 643 acres known as Timberneck Farm to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, according to a news release the department issued Tuesday. The land will be part of a state park situated along the York River named Machicomoco that’s expected to open in early 2021.


** CONGRESS
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** What's in the mammoth covid-19 relief and spending bill? ([link removed])
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By MEAGAN FLYNN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

From broadband expansion to vaccine distribution, the mammoth economic relief and spending package passed by Congress late Monday will infuse hundreds of millions of dollars into the Washington region, addressing both short-term pandemic needs and some major long-term investments. The bill, which includes $900 billion in economic relief, still must be approved by President Trump, who criticized it Tuesday night for being full of “wasteful spending.” It is expected to stave off Metro’s budget crisis with more than $800 million in public transit funding.
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** Rep. Morgan Griffith only member from Virginia to vote against part of COVID-19 relief bill ([link removed])
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By LUKE WEIR, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Southwest Virginia’s congressional delegation reacted Tuesday to the passage of a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package, with some criticizing the manner in which the bill was put to vote. The pandemic relief bill, which includes a $600 direct payment to most taxpayers, was packaged for vote Monday night alongside a $1.4 trillion spending bill to keep the federal government operational through the end of September. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, was the only person in Virginia's 11-member congressional delegation to vote against part of the relief package. The House passed both parts of the package by overwhelming margins. The Senate then approved it late Monday.
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** Appropriations omnibus increases Chesapeake Bay Program funding by $2.5 million ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

The Chesapeake Bay Program is set to get an extra $2.5 million next year, despite a request by President Donald Trump that its current $85 million budget be slashed to $7.3 million. The bump in funding comes as the program’s six states — Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Delaware — and Washington, D.C. enter the final stretch of a decade-long push initiated under President Barack Obama’s administration to clean up the nation’s largest estuary.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Inova plans major new hospital, offices at Alexandria’s Landmark Mall site ([link removed])
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By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Inova Health System will build a $1 billion medical campus on the site of the vacant Landmark Mall on Alexandria’s West End, the hospital and city announced Tuesday. The hospital system plans to anchor a walkable, 4 million-square-foot medical, retail and residential community in place of the soon-to-be-demolished mall site. The hospital will include a larger emergency room than the one at its current location on Seminary Road and will become the third Level II trauma center in Northern Virginia, employing 2,000 people overall, officials said.
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** Environmental groups make another legal attack on Mountain Valley Pipeline ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

In the latest legal strike at the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a coalition of environmental groups is contesting a federal agency’s decision to allow the troubled project to move forward. At issue is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Oct. 9 order that allowed stalled construction of the natural gas pipeline to resume, and extended for another two years its deadline for completion.
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** What a catch: Seeing success, Virginia Beach shrimp season is extended ([link removed])
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By REGINA MOBLEY, WAVY-TV

The ship is coming in for Virginia Beach watermen who ply the Atlantic Ocean in search of sweet green-tail shrimp all the way to the North Carolina line. The experimental shrimp season, scheduled to end on New Year’s Eve, has been extended to Jan. 31 for Virginia Beach-based watermen. “There’s a lot of shrimp still around. No one has been to January yet but I have a feeling if the weather stays like this, I have the feeling there’s going to be a lot of shrimp throughout most of January,” said Captain Pat Foster, who operates the Alanna Kay out of Rudee Inlet.
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** What will the Biden administration do about Navy shipbuilding? ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

It may be a while before anyone in Hampton Roads knows what the incoming Biden Administration thinks about Navy shipbuilding. While the law says the Pentagon is required to release its 30-year plan for Navy shipbuilding with its annual budget request, usually in February, that doesn’t always happen.
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** Construction begins on $25.5M Danville manufacturing center ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Virginia Business

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) announced Tuesday it has broken ground on a $25.5 million, 51,250-square-foot manufacturing center on its Danville campus. The Center for Manufacturing Advancement (CMA) will offer space for manufacturing companies establishing or expanding their presence in Southern Virginia. The project is funded by the commonwealth of Virginia and the Danville Regional Foundation and is being built in cooperation with Virginia’s Division of Engineering and Buildings.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** COVID-19 forces VRE to downsize budgets ([link removed])
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By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The Virginia Railway Express, like other mass transit businesses, continues to weather the COVID-19 storm. The pandemic impacts were clear last week as the VRE Operations Board approved an amended fiscal 2021 budget or $90.4 million and approved the recommended fiscal 2022 budget of $89.7 million.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** COVID-19 vaccinations continue as health officials warn of 'extremely high' case numbers ([link removed])
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By ALICIA PETSKA, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Coronavirus cases across the region remain “extremely high” as communities head into another major holiday week and health officials urge people to stay put at home. “We’re continuing to see high levels of COVID activity as this pandemic continues to hurt our community,” said Dr. Cynthia Morrow, noting that the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts saw nearly 1,500 new cases over the past week as well as 55 new hospitalizations.
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** Large-scale study will track virus spread, vaccination rates in Washington region ([link removed])
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By LOLA FADULU, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A massive study announced Tuesday may help local health officials better track the spread of the novel coronavirus in the region and identify pockets of vaccine hesitancy. The two-year study, led by researchers at MedStar Health and sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, appears to be one of the largest of its kind, health officials said. Researchers aim to recruit 60,000 participants, including those who haven’t contracted the virus or received the vaccine.
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** Virginia to receive 140K doses of Moderna vaccine this week, health department officials say ([link removed])
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By NOOR ADATIA, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia is slated to receive 140,000 doses of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine by Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Health said in a news release. The newly approved vaccine, in addition to the 50,000 Pfizer vaccines sent this week, will be distributed to various health care facilities across the state. A total of 96 sites across “geographically diverse locations” will be receiving these vaccine shipments, according to the release.
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** Next week, Virginia will start giving coronavirus vaccines at long-term care facilities ([link removed])
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By JEFF WILLIAMSON, WSLS-TV

Virginia is starting to ramp up its COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Starting next week, long-term care facility residents and staff will begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Both the Pfizer vaccine and Moderna vaccines are already being distributed to 96 sites this week at geographically diverse locations, according to VDH.
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** Lawyers group urges speedy vaccination of Virginia prisoners, staff ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

The National Lawyers Guild is urging Virginia officials to prioritize vaccination efforts in Virginia prisons, where COVID-19 cases are at their highest numbers since the pandemic began. “The detained population, whether in our jails, prisons, ICE detention centers or those held in the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation, have no control over their own health care or safety,” wrote Alan Graf, president of the organization’s Southwest Virginia Chapter in a letter to Northam’s administration Tuesday.
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** 450 COVID-19 tests conducted at Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, WAVY-TV

On Tuesday, staff and inmates at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail went for another round of COVID-19 testings. The latest comes after VPRJ received confirmation that an inmate had tested positive for COVID-19 the previous week. Additionally, a number of VPRJ staff have tested positive over the last two weeks.
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** With 80% of its ICU beds filled, VCU Health plans to change visitor policy and reschedule elective surgeries ([link removed])
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WDVM

With about 80% of its ICU beds filled, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System will implement tighter restrictions on patient visitation Tuesday by limiting visits for adults without COVID-19 from noon to 8 p.m. only. The current policy at VCU Health’s hospital in Richmond allows for only one person to visit a non-COVID-19 patient between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The impending change on Tuesday will cut that window by four hours, VCU Health spokeswoman Laura Rossacher told 8News’ Kerri O’Brien.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Virginia museum says Lee statue, formerly at U.S. Capitol, will tell story of 'change over time' ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia’s statue of Robert E. Lee that stood in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has arrived in Richmond, where the Confederate general is no longer put on a pedestal — literally. Workers peeled protective blankets and plastic wrapping from sculptor Edward Valentine’s 700-pound bronze statue of Lee, which reclined Tuesday morning on foam and wood pallets in a former exhibit gallery at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
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** Conservation groups purchase land to preserve views from McAfee Knob ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The purchase of nearly 600 acres of land around McAfee Knob will further protect the scenic vistas of one of the most popular spots on the Appalachian Trail, conservation groups said Tuesday. Aided in large part by a contribution from Mountain Valley Pipeline — which will cross the trail about 60 miles to the west — the groups spent more than $1 million on three private parcels of land.


** LOCAL
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** Virginia Beach postpones decision on winter sports, hopes VHSL changes calendar ([link removed])
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By GREG GIESEN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia Beach City Public Schools has postponed its decision Tuesday on whether to hold a high school sports winter season in the hope that either health metrics will improve within a week or the Virginia High School League changes its sports calendar. Superintendent Aaron Spence told parents in the letter that since last week’s school board meeting, his staff has monitored health metrics, talked with colleagues in the region and local health officials. On Monday, Spence talked with Virginia High School League executive director Billly Haun as well as other school division superintendents.
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** Hampton Roads Planning District Commission offers relief funds for past-due utility bills ([link removed])
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By MAGGIE MORE, Virginia Gazette (Metered Paywall - 4 Articles per Month)

Hampton Roads residents and business owners with past-due utility bills can now apply for assistance in funding, according to a news release from the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. Through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and a statewide Municipal Utility Relief Program, there are already utility relief funds available in Chesapeake, Hampton, James City, Newport News, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and York.
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** Stafford announces gift-card program to help restaurants, struggling families in county ([link removed])
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By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Stafford County will use nearly $800,000 in federal funds to provide meals to families in need through locally owned restaurants. “This is a most exciting win–win for our community,” said Supervisor Meg Bohmke. “These residents have struggled since March, and hopefully this will bring them some joy.” Stafford is using a Community Developments Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide $200 restaurant vouchers to each of the county’s 3,900 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipient families.
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** Libraries return to curbside-only service ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORTS, Fauquier Times

Beginning Dec. 28, the three branches of the Fauquier Public Library system will return to curbside-only service. (Libraries are already closed through Dec. 27 for Christmas.) The library buildings in Warrenton, Marshall and Bealeton had been open to the public since August after being closed from March through June. Residents wishing to check out books or other materials may call ahead to reserve the materials and pick them up from a staging area outside each branch.
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** Council allocates unspent relief funds before they'd have to be returned to U.S. ([link removed])
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By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Charlottesville is using leftover money from the first federal coronavirus relief stimulus package to give wiggle room in covering city expenses. The City Council approved using close to $1 million to reimburse public safety payroll costs during its meeting Monday. The city received about $8.25 million in two rounds of stimulus funding. Any money unused by Dec. 31 must be returned to the federal government.
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** COVID-19 concerns cause several Nelson government offices to close to public ([link removed])
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By NICK CROPPER, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the temporary closure of several county government offices to the public. According to a notice posted on the county’s website, Nelson County departmental offices are closed as of Dec. 17 and will remain closed to the public until further notice. The notice goes on to say the temporary closing is a “precautionary measure to ensure the safety and well-being of the public and County staff.”
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** Courthouse closed due to COVID-19 case ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

The Danville courthouse is closed due to a COVID-19 exposure. Officials closed the building after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, said Danville Sheriff Mike Mondul. The building had just re-opened Monday after being closed Friday due to a COVID-19 case. The center received a deep cleaning before it opened again.
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** Danville gets additional $450,000 for utility help ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

It looks like the city of Danville will use all of the $7 million in federal relief money it received to help cover its costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. About $500,000 of that was set aside to help residents and businesses affected by the virus and its economic impact pay their utility bills. In addition, the city received another $456,727 last week from the state to provide 100% help for delinquent utility bills.
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** Plans to convert golf course to solar farm denied ([link removed])
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By BILL WYATT, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Beaver Hills Golf Course in Collinsville will not be transformed into a solar farm. That was the final word from the Henry County Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday when its members unanimously denied a special-use permit requested by the owners and prospective developers who were seeking to convert the 75-year-old golf course into a 120-acre solar facility that would have produced enough power to supply 4,000 homes.

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** Hellebush Consulting, LLC
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During this year of constant change, adaptation and innovation, we look forward to VaNews each and every day; Happy Holidays!


** EDITORIALS
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** Good news on jobless benefits ([link removed])
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Daily Progress Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Word is that Virginia has finally begun paying some unemployment benefits that had been on hold while awaiting staff review. For the beleaguered Virginians who have been waiting for help, that news — along with passage of the new stimulus bill at the federal level — serves as a welcome Christmas gift. The state’s decision is especially noteworthy because the Virginia Employment Commission, recognizing the hardships faced by residents, decided to go ahead and pay some benefits even before the cases were resolved.
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** Imagine if Congress adopted a front-line mindset to handle the pandemic ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

For months, we wondered: What would it take for Congress to move on COVID-19 relief? What would be the moment that finally tipped the balance? On Monday, The Associated Press reported the awful details: 2020 was on pace to be the U.S.’ deadliest year, with fatalities topping 3 million. While deaths typically rise each year, an expected 15% jump from 2019 would be the largest single-year increase since the 1918 combination of World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic.


** OP-ED
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** Obenshain: We need more people from Southwest to apply for redistricting commission ([link removed])
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By ELIZABETH OBENSHAIN, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia citizens won an important victory this fall when they approved a constitutional amendment placing the power of drawing new congressional and legislative boundaries in the hands of the citizen-led Virginia Redistricting Commission. The power one party has had for political mischief making by manipulating political boundaries has for too long fueled voter alienation and distrust in our democracy.

Obenshain is president of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.
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** Limpert: Influx of pipeline workers will drive virus surge ([link removed])
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By WILLIAM LIMPERT, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

On Dec. 11, CDC director Robert Redfield stated that during each of the following 60 to 90 days our country could experience more COVID-19 deaths than from the terrorist attack of 9/11, or the attack on Pearl Harbor. This could bring our nation’s death toll from COVID-19 to a staggering 600,000 by March.

Limpert is a retired environmental regulator who formerly lived in Bath County along the route of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. He now lives in Maryland.
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** Crozier: Pot legalization will create a multitude of problems for Virginia ([link removed])
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By MARY CROZIER, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Let’s take advantage of the last few weeks of our 2020 vision and keep an open mind regarding new data, research and comparisons about marijuana for Virginians. Although some think marijuana is the same as it was in the 1960s, in reality marijuana remains a Schedule 1 drug with no definitive medical benefit, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. Currently, marijuana is intentionally grown with triple and often quadruple levels of the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that dwarf the low levels from decades ago.

Crozier has been in the field of substance abuse prevention, education and early intervention for more than 40 years
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** Parnell: Democracy is not just 'one person, one vote' ([link removed])
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By SEAN PARNELL, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A bill that would strip Virginians of the ability to decide who our state’s presidential electors vote for when the Electoral College meets almost is certain to be reintroduced in 2021 after passing the House of Delegates but failing earlier this year in the state Senate. If passed, the National Popular Vote interstate compact (NPV) would require our state’s 13 electors to support the candidate deemed to have received the most votes nationally, even if that candidate lost Virginia or wasn’t even on the ballot here.

Parnell of Alexandria is senior legislative director for Save Our States, an organization dedicated to defending the Electoral College


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