VaNews
January 22, 2021

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Association of Community Banks
------------------------------------------------------------

On behalf of the great people at our 56 member banks, we offer our gratitude to the members and staff of the 2021 General Assembly.
* Read Online ([link removed])
* 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])
* Refer a Friend ([link removed])

Top of the News


** Emergency legislation aims to speed up vaccine rollout in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A bipartisan group of legislators are sponsoring a piece of emergency legislation intended to accelerate the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine in Virginia. Virginia lags behind most other states in the percentage of its residents who have been vaccinated. The reason for that delay, said senator Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico), who is a medical doctor, is the inability to mobilize a vast army of volunteer workers to put shots in people’s arms. . . . Dunnavant and 13 other co-sponsors introduced Senate Bill 1445 on Thursday in an effort to make hundreds of thousands of Virginians eligible to serve as volunteer distributors.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia health official says no vaccines have gone to waste ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

A top health official said Thursday that he’s confident no COVID-19 vaccine doses have gone to waste in Virginia, despite mounting criticism over the state’s sluggish inoculation rate and questions about where shots have been distributed. Dr. Danny Avula, who was recently tapped by the governor to lead the vaccine distribution effort, said the state health department is working urgently to close the six-figure gap between the number of shots the state has received and the number that has gone into arms. But he said he has no concerns that any of the temperature-sensitive vaccines have been lost or misplaced.
------------------------------------------------------------


** More companies offering vaccine-based bonuses, incentives ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Hospitals and health care systems are doing it for their workers. So are groceries and bargain stores. Even the Virginia Department of Corrections is offering incentives to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by giving inmates phone credits, email stamps and snack packs from the commissary. Chancellor’s Village has put its own twist on the situation by making the vaccine the reward.
------------------------------------------------------------


** FanDuel launches Virginia sports betting in partnership with Washington Football Team ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MICHAEL PHILLIPS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia's highly lucrative sports gambling market officially opened Thursday afternoon, when shortly after 2 p.m. a cell phone user placed a $25 bet on the Golden State Warriors to beat the New York Knicks. Sports betting was approved by the General Assembly in 2020, and the Virginia Lottery was tasked with vetting companies who want to enter the market. That law included a provision that stirred controversy this week, though, as FanDuel was able to beat the other interested companies to market by affiliating with the Washington Football Team.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Senate passes bill to move all municipal elections from May to November ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Virginia Senate narrowly passed a measure Thursday to move any municipal elections still held in the spring to November. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a Democrat, broke a 19-19 tie on the bill by Sen. Lionell Spruill, D-Chesapeake, following a lengthy debate. Advocates said November elections allow more voter participation, while opponents worried about national partisan politics tainting local races. “I put this bill in for the people,” Spruill said.
------------------------------------------------------------


** General Assembly Rejects Limits to Corporate Money ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE-FM

Virginia lawmakers rejected legislation this week that would have placed limits on corporate political donations and several other campaign finance proposals. Their actions mean Virginia will remain one of five states with no restrictions on corporate contributions. Gov. Ralph Northam will likely leave office making relatively minor changes to a system that he called a “boondoggle that alienates its citizens and makes them lose faith in government” as a candidate in 2017.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Chase could escape censure by ‘clarifying’ remarks about U.S. Capitol rioters ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A Republican state senator and candidate for Virginia governor who called rioters at the U.S. Capitol "patriots" struck a deal on Thursday that could spare her from a formal censure by the state Senate over her remarks. If state Sen. Amanda F. Chase (R-Chesterfield) stands up on the floor of the Senate on Friday to “clarify” her remark about patriots and offer a general apology for insults she lobbed at Democrats, Sen. John Bell (D-Loudoun) will withdraw the resolution he introduced Jan. 13 to censure her, according to three people with direct knowledge of the deal.
The Full Report
56 articles, 29 publications
* Read Online ([link removed])
* 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])
* Refer a Friend ([link removed])


** FROM VPAP
------------------------------------------------------------


** VPAP Visual State-by-State Fundraising ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

The Virginia Public Access Project

This visual shows which candidate for Governor has raised the most money from individual donors in each state. There's also an option to see which candidate has the most donors in each state. (There's at least one donor in all but four states, one of which borders Virginia.)
------------------------------------------------------------


** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

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. We've added a link the VDH vaccination data. There's also 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
------------------------------------------------------------


** Sperryville pastor files lawsuit against Gov. Northam ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Rappahannock News (Metered Paywall)

Reverend Jon C. Heddleston, pastor of Reynolds Memorial Baptist Church in Sperryville, is one of two plaintiffs to file suit against Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in Rappahannock County Circuit Court, according to a press release. The suit claims that the Governor’s Executive Order 72, which requires churches to adhere to strict physical distancing and sanitation practices in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, “reflects the Governor’s bias and belief that employers and educational leaders are to be trusted and church leaders are not.”


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
------------------------------------------------------------


** Emergency legislation aims to expand the pool of COVID-19 vaccinators in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Assembling a large pool of vaccinators is key to widely administering COVID-19 vaccines. But in Virginia, it’s been a challenge — mostly because of stringent requirements for many would-be volunteers. It’s an issue that a bipartisan group of state legislators is working to address. Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico (a practicing OB-GYN), is the lead patron on an emergency bill that would allow any qualified health care provider in Virginia to volunteer as a vaccinator.
------------------------------------------------------------


** After tiebreaker, Senate passes bill moving local elections to November ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

The Virginia Senate passed legislation Thursday to move all May local elections to November, with Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax casting a tiebreaking vote to put it over the top. Many cities and counties already hold local elections in November, and all localities currently have the option to switch from May to November. But 16 cities and roughly 100 towns still hold elections in May. Supporters of the bill say low-turnout May elections are undemocratic, with fewer voters involved in important contests for local school board positions, council seats and mayorships.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Democrats seek to remove member of state’s new redistricting commission as it convenes for first meeting ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia Democrats took aim at a member of the state's new bipartisan redistricting commission as it prepared for its first meeting Thursday evening, with one lawmaker promising legislation to enable the panel to remove a Republican appointee who made comments on social media that used crude language and disparaged women. Del. Vivian E. Watts (D-Fairfax) said she was filing a bill to allow the commissioners to vote to remove a member for “neglect of duty or gross misconduct.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** Va. Redistricting Commission starts on bipartisan note, but census delays add uncertainty ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

Out of an abundance of bipartisanship, members of the newly created Virginia Redistricting Commission didn’t want to pick just one chairperson at its first meeting Thursday. They picked two citizen chairwomen, Democrat Greta Harris and Republican Mackenzie Babichenko, with an agreement to have them alternate running the meetings. “I think that way we’ll have a balanced approach moving forward,” said Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax, one of the architects of the 16-member commission that will be redrawing Virginia’s congressional and legislative maps for the first time.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Va. House budget leader pushes mandatory retirement savings plans for private businesses ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, wants employees to have the option of contributing part of their paychecks to a retirement plan, so he proposes to require their employers to give them the opportunity. Torian, leader of the powerful House budget committee, proposed House Bill 2174 to require businesses with five or more employees to give workers the ability to save for retirement through a Roth individual retirement account if they don’t have the option now.
------------------------------------------------------------


** State Lawmakers Push Tax Credits For Affordable Housing ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE-FM

Virginia lawmakers want to make it easier for developers to secure financing for affordable housing projects by providing tax credits. The bill, sponsored Delegate Jeff Bourne (D-Richmond) and Sen. Mamie Locke (D-Hampton), would create a housing opportunity tax credit program for new apartment or single-family home developments that serve low-income residents. Any development that qualifies for federal low-income housing tax credits would also qualify for the state-level credit.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Del. Josh Cole proposes changing Jefferson Davis Highway to Emancipation Highway ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By TAFT COGHILL JR., Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

A bill to change the name of Jefferson Davis Highway throughout Virginia was introduced by Del. Joshua Cole last week and has advanced through a House subcommittee after a 6–4 vote Thursday morning. Cole, a Democrat who represents parts of Fredericksburg and Stafford County, introduced a bill that would remove the name of the president of the Confederacy from any stretch of U.S. 1 in Virginia that bears it, and replace it with Emancipation Highway.
------------------------------------------------------------


** New bike bill hopes to make streets safer for cyclists ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By WYATT GORDON, Virginia Mercury

Last year cyclists in the commonwealth scored a big win in the General Assembly as part of a coalition backing a hands-free law to prevent distracted driving. This year the state’s bike lobby is backing a bill they say will make Virginia one of the safest states in the nation for bicycles. The Bicycle Safety Act (HB2262 / SB1263) would require drivers to fully change lanes to pass people biking, allow cyclists to ride two abreast in a lane, and permit people on bicycles to treat stop signs as yield signs. The Senate version advanced out of the Transportation committee Thursday on an 11-4 vote.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Bill would limit mining for gold ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By TITUS MOHLER, Farmville Herald (Paywall)

Friends of Buckingham has a bill in the Virginia House of Delegates that calls for a study evaluating the impacts of gold mining on public health, safety and welfare in the state while also setting a temporary limit on gold mine operations. The bill also asks for a recommendation as to whether the issuance of any permit to operate a gold mine should be prohibited. House Bill 2213 is being carried by Del. Elizabeth Guzman.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia farmers, lawmakers support amendment calling for increased ag research spending ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Chatham Star Tribune

A proposed amendment to the Virginia state budget requesting additional funding for critical agricultural research has gained bipartisan support in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly. Sponsored by Del. David L. Bulova, D-Fairfax, and Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr., R-Mount Solon, the proposal would allocate $1.92 million to improve technological systems and employee retention across all Agency 229 bodies.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Bill would let Greene out of RSA ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By TERRY BEIGIE, Greene County Record

The Virginia General Assembly is looking at whether to allow Greene County to withdraw from the Rapidan Service Authority (RSA). Senate Bill 1355, introduced by Sen. Emmett Hanger Jr., R-24th, would make it possible for a locality to withdraw from RSA. The bill was reported out of the senate Committee on Local Government on Monday, Jan. 18, with a vote of 14-0 with one abstention.


** STATE ELECTIONS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Hackworth wins Republican primary for 38th District state Senate seat ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Travis Hackworth beat five other candidates in a firehouse primary Thursday to secure the Republican nomination for the vacant state Senate seat in the 38th District. The seat was opened after Republican Sen. Ben Chafin, 60, died from complications related to COVID-19 on Jan. 1. Hackworth, a member of the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors and owner of several businesses, has said Chafin was a mentor.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Hackworth wins GOP nomination to replace late Virginia state Sen. Chafin ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Travis Hackworth, a 45-year-old business owner and member of the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors, claimed victory late Thursday, emerging from a six-person race for the GOP nomination for the 38th District state Senate seat.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Radford woman to carry Democrat hopes in 38th district senate race ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Richlands News-Press

Laurie Buchwald will carry the torch for the Democrats in the special election. Buchwald is a Women’s Health and Family Nurse Practitioner at Lewis Gale Hospital in Blacksburg and lives in Radford. She describes herself as a Navy Brat who has lived all over the world. She originally wanted to be a firefighter and after attending school in Vermont she worked for the forest service before entering the medical field.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Special prosecutor examining ‘allegations of campaign irregularities’ against Virginia state Senate candidate ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By STAFF REPORT, WJHL-TV

A special prosecutor is examining “allegations of campaign irregularities” surrounding Virginia state Senate candidate Chad Dotson. Dotson was one of six candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the 38th District seat, which is currently vacant due to the death of Sen. Ben Chafin. The Tazewell County clerk of courts confirmed that Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Brian Holohan has been named special prosecutor in the matter.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Winsome E. Sears, once a local Republican on the rise, announces bid for lieutenant governor ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Long ago considered a Black Republican on the rise, Jamaica native Winsome E. Sears has decided to make another run for office — as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. “I am running because there are adult decisions that need to be made,” said Sears, 56. “I am convinced there are some politicians that benefit when the citizens are at each other’s throats.” Sears, who unseated Norfolk Del. Billy Robinson Jr. in her first run for office about 20 years ago, is vying for her party’s nomination in the lieutenant governor’s race this year with business consultant Puneet Ahluwalia, security company executive Lance Allen, former state delegate Tim Hugo and Del. Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Winsome Sears launches GOP bid for lieutenant governor ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Winsome Sears, who in 2001 became the first Black Republican woman elected to the General Assembly, formally launched her GOP bid for lieutenant governor Thursday, saying she is running because “we’ve got to have adults making decisions.” Sears, 56, immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica at age 6. She served in the Marines, where she was an electrician and diesel mechanic. She now lives in Winchester and owns a plumbing, electrical and appliance repair business.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Stephenson resident seeking GOP nomination in lieutenant governor's race ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Stephenson resident and former House of Delegates member Winsome Sears announced Thursday that she is seeking the Republican nomination to run for Virginia lieutenant governor in the Nov. 2 election. Sears, who is president and owner of Shenandoah Appliance Plumbing & Electric in Winchester, joins four other candidates seeking the GOP nod: security company executive Lance Allen, business consultant Puneet Ahluwalia, former state delegate Tim Hugo and 84th District Del. Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
------------------------------------------------------------


** Sports betting launches in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

Sports betting in Virginia is now a reality after the state lottery approved an online sportsbook operated by FanDuel through a partnership with the Washington Football Team. Meanwhile, two dozen other would-be competitors are still waiting to see if they will receive one of what is expected to be a dozen additional permits to operate online sportsbooks.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Sports betting kicks off in Virginia after state awards permit to FanDuel ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MATT BONESTEEL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia residents began making their first legal sports wagers Thursday when FanDuel’s online sportsbook went live sometime around 2 p.m. The Virginia Lottery, which is handing out sports gambling licenses in the state, approved FanDuel’s permit Wednesday. The Virginia General Assembly approved sports gambling last March, setting in motion the process for companies to receive licenses from the state. The Virginia Lottery said in November that 25 companies had applied for mobile sports-betting permits, though the number that can receive a license has been capped at 12.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Sports betting comes to Virginia, with FanDuel first to win permit ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Like a quarterback sneak into the end zone, online sports betting platform FanDuel began taking wagers from Virginians Thursday afternoon. It’s the first time gambling on athletic events has been allowed inside the Commonwealth, which, until recently, had long been averse to wagers that didn’t involve the state lottery or horses.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Feel like officially switching political parties? In Virginia, you can’t get no satisfaction. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOANNE KIMBERLIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

So you’re fed up? Had it with your political party of choice? Rarin’ to officially switch — the voter’s version of divorce? You’ll find no satisfaction in Virginia, where you were never tied down in the first place. Virginia is one of 19 states where residents don’t align themselves with a particular party when they register to vote — a reality at least some have forgotten. Upset by the election and aftermath, they’ve been contacting local registrars requesting to make a formal change.


** CONGRESS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Washington-area Republicans Bob Good, Andy Harris skip inauguration ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MEAGAN FLYNN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Reps. Bob Good (R-Va.) and Andy Harris (R-Md.) were among more than a dozen lawmakers who did not attend President Biden’s inauguration Wednesday. Both are strong allies of former president Donald Trump, who was the first outgoing president to skip an inauguration since Andrew Johnson. But each has said they stayed away from the swearing-in because they wanted to remain outside the nation’s capital, rather than for partisan reasons.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Businesses are offering employees bonuses to get a COVID-19 vaccine ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

If grocery workers were on the fence about getting a COVID-19 vaccine, some bosses are offering an incentive: a couple hours of pay, time off to get the shots or, in the case of the Lidl grocery chain, $200 extra in their paycheck. Much like the hazard pay bonuses offered early on in the pandemic to those willing to work in environments heavy with person-to-person interaction, some companies again appear to be one-upping each other to ensure their workers keep working amid a pandemic.
------------------------------------------------------------


** New jobless claims in Virginia dropped 25%, but pandemic-related relief jumps ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The number of new claims seeking traditional unemployment benefits in Virginia last week dropped 25% from the week prior to 21,073, according to the latest data from the Virginia Employment Commission. The number of continued claims remained virtually unchanged at 63,839. During the same time in 2020, before the pandemic, the number was 22,218. The state agency attributed the still elevated figures to post-holiday layoffs and people re-applying for benefits after federal legislation signed in late December authorized an extra $300 a week in benefits.
------------------------------------------------------------


** New pharmaceutical plant planned for Petersburg, creating 180-plus new jobs ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A new pharmaceutical manufacturing plant being planned in Petersburg is expected to create about 186 jobs and make drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 and other diseases for which generic drug supplies have sometimes been in shortage. Civica Inc., a nonprofit organization formed by various U.S. health care providers to address chronic, generic drug shortages, plans to invest $124.5 million to establish its first in-house pharmaceutical manufacturing operation on Normandy Drive in Petersburg, state officials announced Thursday.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Suit could stymie broadband expansion ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DAVID HOLTZMAN, Central Virginian

A lawsuit filed in October against Rappahannock Electric Cooperative could hamstring efforts to expand broadband access in Louisa County. A Culpeper landowner challenged the cooperative’s right to use an electric easement on his property to install broadband services, as permitted by a law the Virginia General Assembly passed in 2020.


** TRANSPORTATION
------------------------------------------------------------


** 13 area transportation projects recommended for Smart Scale funding ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ALLISON WRABEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Almost all of the transportation projects in Albemarle County and Charlottesville that were submitted to the state’s Smart Scale program have been recommended for funding. The scores from the fourth round of the funding prioritization process and the staff-recommended funding scenario were presented to the Commonwealth Transportation Board at its meeting earlier this week.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Business College receives state’s approval ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Virginia Business College has received state approval to begin operations and classes are expected to begin Feb. 1. On Wednesday, the State Council on Higher Education for Virginia granted a certificate to operate to the startup private school, culminating a years-long process to rejuvenate the former Virginia Intermont College campus on Moore Street.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Student loan repayment options offered by Tobacco Commission ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JAMI SNEAD, South Hill Enterprise

The Virginia Tobacco Commission is now accepting applications for the Talent Attraction Program (TAP), whose purpose is to “encourage recent graduates to live in the tobacco region and work in targeted, hard-to-fill occupations in the tobacco region by providing up to $12,000 annually in student loan repayment with a two-year commitment”. The program requires applicants to have a desire to serve their communities through “civic engagement” and to work in a particular occupation in which there is now a shortage of in the workforce.


** CORONAVIRUS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia scrambles to solve problems with gaps in COVID vaccination data ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SABRINA MORENO AND JESSICA NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia’s vaccine data dashboard shows about 42% of its nearly 960,000 doses have been administered. State officials say that number is incomplete and misleading. “There’s a data gap. Either we need to do manual entry in those cases or ensure that the systems that those patients were registered on and that the vaccine was given to has an appropriate link to our state database, which is where we pull out all of the data,” said Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine distribution coordination, in a media briefing Thursday.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia is offering prisoners incentives to get the COVID-19 vaccine ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KATHERINE HAFNER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

State officials are now offering incentives to prisoners in Virginia who receive the vaccine that protects against the coronavirus. “We want all staff and inmates who want the COVID-19 vaccine to get their inoculations as soon as possible,” Virginia Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke said in a statement Thursday.
------------------------------------------------------------


** COVID-19 vaccination for state prison inmates encouraged with 'incentive packs' ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

With 52 deaths and almost 500 active COVID-19 cases, the Virginia Department of Corrections is offering inmates who get vaccinated free email stamps and telephone credits and a care package filled with snacks and other commissary items. In a release on Thursday, Harold Clarke, director of the DOC, said the incentives are part of an effort to protect the inmates, the staff and the public. Thus far, more than 8,100 of the department’s roughly 25,000 inmates have tested positive since the pandemic began.
------------------------------------------------------------


** CVRJ inmates, staff contract COVID-19 ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GRACIE HART BROOKS, Orange County Review

After months of mostly negative test results, COVID-19 has hit the Central Virginia Regional Jail (CVRJ). “It seems our luck has run out,” CVRJ Superintendent Frank Dyer said. As of early September, there had only been 12 positive COVID-19 cases at the jail, far less than similar facilities in surrounding areas.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Peninsula district to move into Phase 1b of COVID-19 vaccinations ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ROBYN SIDERSKY, SIERRA JENKINS AND ALISSA SKELTON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Peninsula Health District will begin vaccinating individuals in the next phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution on Friday, followed by Virginia Beach and Norfolk on Monday. Front-line workers, people living in congregated settings, and individuals age 75 and older are included in the subgroups for Phase 1b vaccinations in the Peninsula. The second group in Virginia Beach that will become eligible for the vaccine then includes front-line essential workers, anyone age 65 and older and anyone between the ages of 16 and 64 with high-risk medical conditions.
------------------------------------------------------------


** State Sen. DeSteph questions governor on vaccine rollout for Virginia Beach ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By STAFF REPORT, WTKR-TV

State Sen. Bill DeSteph wrote a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam Wednesday expressing his displeasure that Virginia Beach has not yet moved on to the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. DeSteph represents Virginia's 8th Senate District, which includes Virginia Beach. The state senator noted that the Resort City is the largest and most populous city in the Commonwealth and that Hampton Roads is the only region in the state that is still in Phase 1A.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Credit Union says it will not offer Richmond-area employees vaccines until they're eligible ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Following public criticism of its plan to vaccinate nearly 800 employees who aren’t qualified to receive the vaccine, Virginia Credit Union has reversed course. In a Thursday morning email to credit union employees, Chris Shockley, president of the Virginia Credit Union, said he takes responsibility for not informing employees of the efforts to support Buford Road Pharmacy in its vaccination clinics for 100-plus businesses by offering the credit union’s space at its corporate offices in Chesterfield County.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Despite new location, Prince William Health District still delivering fewer than 400 shots a day ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times

The Prince William Health District’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic at George Mason University was up and running smoothly Wednesday morning, its second day in operation, with inoculations taking about 35 minutes from start to finish, officials said. Two challenges remain, however: Not enough shots and not enough space.
------------------------------------------------------------


** A shot at normalcy: COVID-19 vaccines administered at Manassas assisted living facility ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times

These are the things Walter Howell has missed the most since the pandemic turned life at his Manassas assisted living facility upside-down last March: visits with family, getting out “to see what the world looks like” and playing bingo. That’s why Howell, 99, said he wanted to be first in line to get a COVID-19 vaccination when they were offered to residents of Novant Health UVA Health System’s Caton Merchant House last week. “I feel I’m the oldest, and if I could take it, anybody could take it,” Howell said.
------------------------------------------------------------


** COVID-19 inoculation effort expanding with vaccination clinics in Fauquier County ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ROBIN EARL, Fauquier Times

Fauquier Health CEO Chad Melton described the local effort to get COVID-19 vaccines to all the people who want to be vaccinated: “It’s like having a football team with three quarterbacks… But coordination is coming together this week so we can streamline the process.” Fauquier County and Town of Warrenton officials, as well as officials at Lord Fairfax Community College, are working with the hospital to expand access to COVID-19 vaccinations, said Melton on Thursday. So far, the burden has been on the hospital, he said, “but Paul McCulla [county administrator] and Brandie Schaeffer [Warrenton town manager] have been very gracious in offering help.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** New COVID cases decline 31.4% over past 10 days for NE Tenn., SW Va. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

New cases of COVID-19 decreased 31.4% across the region between Jan. 11-20, compared to the first 10 days of 2021, but deaths continue to match December’s record pace. Ten Northeast Tennessee counties reported a 34.7 percent decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases diagnosed between Jan. 11-20, compared to the Jan. 1-10 period, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. The reduction was more modest in Southwest Virginia, where cases declined 24.1%
------------------------------------------------------------


** The watch, the vaccine and the pharmacist ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By WILL SCHICK, Alexandria Times

At around 9 a.m. on Jan. 15, Yodit Gulelat, the owner of Van Dorn Pharmacy, found herself facing down a growing line of elderly patients eager to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. The pharmacy had just received its first batch of Moderna vaccine doses from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the line outside her door was ballooning. Gulelat, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia in 1986, worked non-stop to process the winding line of patients.


** LOCAL
------------------------------------------------------------


** Richmond extends deadline for utility bill relief through next week ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Richmond utility customers experiencing economic hardship due to COVID-19 can continue seeking relief on past-due bills through the rest of the month. The deadline for a COVID-19 utility relief program expired last Sunday, but the city’s Department of Public Utilities announced Thursday it has extended the application period to Jan. 31.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Pilot series to explore 'Dividing Lines' in deeply segregated Norfolk ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SARA GREGORY AND RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The city of Norfolk is segregated. Across the city, there are dividing lines that starkly separate Black neighborhoods from white neighborhoods. Some are obvious and visible to the naked eye, cutting across the face of the city like deep scars. A street. A fence. A river. Others are more subtle, but no less effective at keeping Norfolk divided. College campuses. Industrial parks. School zones.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Dozens of Virginia Beach police officers helped secure Biden inauguration ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JANE HARPER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Tens of thousands of National Guard members and police officers from across the country descended on the nation’s capital this week to help secure the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Among them were 47 members of Virginia Beach’s police department.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Hampton schools approve raises as districts cautiously optimistic about budgets ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

School districts are starting to loosen some of the tight budget restraints they adopted in response to the pandemic last year as they start planning for the next budget cycle. State revenues in December turned out better than expected, allowing some schools to reconsider restrictions. The Hampton School Board voted Wednesday evening to restore a 2% raise for most employees along with a $750 bonus in February.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Petition seeks to dissolve Claremont ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Smithfield Times (Paywall)

An online petition signed by 61 Surry County residents seeks to dissolve the town of Claremont. Incorporated in 1886, the roughly 2-1/2-square-mile riverfront town located at Surry’s border with Prince George County had just over 350 residents in 2019, according to U.S. Census data. Were the town to give up its charter, Claremont would cease to have its own elected government separate from the county. “It’s about who can do the job better,” said Howell Godfrey Jr., one of the petition’s organizers.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Developers reapply for Maroon Solar power plant in southern Culpeper ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ALLISON BROPHY CHAMPION, Culpeper Star Exponent (Metered Paywall - 20 articles a month)

Less than two months after abruptly pulling its application for a 1,000-acre solar power plant in rural southern Culpeper County, North Carolina-based Strata Solar is back with a resubmittal of the same-sized project, but split into three phases of construction over three years. Despite facing strong community opposition to the original proposal, developers of the 149-megawatt Maroon Solar facility near Raccoon Ford resubmitted the revised conditional use application to Culpeper County on Wednesday.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Delay of equity lesson draws backlash from educators ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JUSTIN FAULCONER, Amherst New Era Progress

A group of educators criticized the Amherst County School Board’s recent direction to schools administration staff in postponing a lesson plan on equity and social justice, blasting the move during the public comments session of the board’s Jan. 14 meeting. Hollie Jennings, Amherst County Public Schools’ supervisor of discipline and compliance, said the lesson was set to roll out beginning the week of Jan. 11 at the county’s high school and two schools.

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Association of Community Banks
------------------------------------------------------------

On behalf of the great people at our 56 member banks, we offer our gratitude to the members and staff of the 2021 General Assembly.


** EDITORIALS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Are we a Zoom town? Not yet ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Today we introduce a new phrase to your vocabulary: Zoom town. From the beginning of the internet, rural communities were tantalized by its prospects. Some predicted “the death of distance” – that it no longer mattered where people were as long as they could connect via technology. Socially, that’s certainly been the case: We can now share cat pictures – or argue politics – with people anywhere there’s a wifi connection. Economically, though, the internet hasn’t lived up to its promises.
------------------------------------------------------------


** As investigation stalls, VMI making progress on racial tolerance ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

If you’ve lost track of the great “VMI Investigation,” you’re forgiven. If this whole enterprise were to get lost, gone and forgotten, it might be just as well. That will not happen, however. The investigation of Virginia Military Institute will proceed, but it’s already thrown a wheel and the previously announced schedule may now be regarded as “non-operative.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** For Amanda Chase, there are two paths: shape up or resign ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Roughly one week ago, we condemned three state delegates — Dave LaRock, R-Loudoun, Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania, and Ronnie Campbell, R-Rockbridge — for prodding then-Vice President Mike Pence to nullify Virginia’s election results. LaRock, Cole and Campbell are entitled to their right to free speech and to their personal beliefs, but a majority of Virginians and Americans voted to elect Joe Biden as president.


** THE FRIDAY READ
------------------------------------------------------------


** His bike was stolen in Virginia. His response was to collect bikes to fix and give away to people in need. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KYLE MELNICK, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Someone stole Robbie Pruitt’s mountain bike off the rack of his Honda Odyssey in September. Pruitt visited a local bicycle store in Ashburn, Va., the next day only to find there were very few bikes in stock available to buy. That’s when an idea hit him — the thief might have stolen the bike because they’re in short supply during the coronavirus pandemic. What if the thief needed the bike to get to work? Pruitt, 44, wanted to help people who might be in such a predicament.


** Invite Friends to read VaNews
------------------------------------------------------------
Invite two friends to read VaNews and you'll receive VaViews, a weekly compilation of commentary from a variety of viewpoints.
b96c18c0-73d7-4f80-ba25-a96795413390.png
You don't have any referrals yet.
Share VaNews with a friend ([link removed])

Or use your personal referral link:
[link removed]

For questions email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
Participation in the VaNews Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the VPAP Terms and Conditions of Use ([link removed]) .
------------------------------------------------------------
Donate ([link removed]) Subscribe ([link removed]) Content Policy ([link removed]) Privacy ([link removed])

============================================================

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
Virginia Public Access Project . P.O. Box 1472 . Richmond, VA 23218 . USA