VaNews
January 26, 2021

Today's Sponsor:


** Clean Virginia
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Fighting to empower Virginians by promoting clean government and clean energy. Visit www.cleanvirginia.org ([link removed]) to learn more.
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Top of the News


** Virginia confirms first case of U.K. coronavirus variant ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

The first confirmed case of the United Kingdom coronavirus variant has been discovered in Virginia, according to a Monday announcement by the state’s Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services. DCLS spokeswoman Dena Potter said the case was reported in an adult resident of Northern Virginia with no reported travel history. The agency, which oversees the state laboratory in Richmond, has been sequencing COVID-19 samples since the early months of the pandemic. That’s allowed the lab to detect 68 lineages of the virus since Virginia’s first confirmed case in March.
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** Virginia wants to speed up vaccine shots in long-term care centers ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Less than one-third of vaccine doses set aside for those hardest hit by COVID-19—residents of long-term care facilities—have been administered in Virginia, according to state and pharmacy data. As part of a federal contract with CVS Health and Walgreens, Virginia received 226,000 vaccine doses for residents and staff members at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, according to Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s vaccine coordinator. According to the pharmacies’ websites, which list a daily tally of doses and clinics, 70,834 vaccines had been dispensed as of Monday.
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** Mandatory-minimum bill wins committee approval ([link removed])
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By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

A proposal to eliminate most mandatory minimum sentences in Virginia won approval from a key legislative committee Monday. The legislation cleared by the Senate Judiciary Committee would end mandatory minimum jail and prison terms for more than 200 crimes, including drunken driving, gun violations, drug distribution, and possession or distribution of child pornography.
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** Bill to add Virginia appeals court judges draws GOP protests ([link removed])
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By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

A proposal to add four to six new judges to Virginia’s Court of Appeals is drawing protests and charges of “court packing” from some Republicans. Democrats say the additional judges are needed to expand the intermediate court’s jurisdiction and give criminal defendants and civil litigants an automatic right of appeal, something every other state in the country now provides. Republicans, however, say adding four to six new judges at once is a blatant attempt to appoint Democrats to change the political makeup of the court and push a liberal agenda.
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** With vaccine scarce and assembly in session, who's essential? ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ AND MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Senate Clerk Susan Clarke Schaar is waiting for her chance to be vaccinated against COVID-19 because she knows the Virginia Senate may depend on it during a tightly condensed General Assembly session conducted under the shadow of contagion. Unlike the House of Delegates, the Senate is meeting in person every weekday at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, where Schaar and her staff at the front of the makeshift chamber represent a thin line between the smooth operation of the legislative branch of government and something none of them wants to think about.
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** Businessman Pete Snyder joins race for Virginia governor ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Pete Snyder, a social media pioneer, investor and former Fox News contributor, will seek the GOP nomination in this year's race for Virginia governor, promising to be a disrupting force in state politics. After flirting with a bid for months, Snyder, 48, will release a campaign video on Tuesday that touts his business savvy while slamming outgoing Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat trying to reclaim the office he held from 2014 to 2018.
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** Out of alignment ([link removed])
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By TOM MCLAUGHLIN, South Boston News & Record

As Virginia’s first-ever bipartisan redistricting commission begins the work of drawing new election maps for the Commonwealth, one of the panel’s many challenges will be to smooth out population differences in legislative districts, giving each roughly the same number of people. That process, say rural lawmakers, is likely to produce an outcome they have long feared: greater political power for growing urban areas at the expense of regions where populations have stagnated or even declined. Southside Virginia, they say, is one of the areas of the Commonwealth that figures to get the bad end of the bargain.
The Full Report
49 articles, 20 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual Gubernatorial Fundraising by Zip Code ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

This interactive map makes it easy to see which candidate for Governor raised the most money in each postal zone last year. You can click on each Zip Code to get a list of donors for each candidate. The transactions are cash donations reported in 2020.
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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. 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
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** Northam takes another stab at free community college ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Asignature campaign proposal from Gov. Ralph Northam to make community college free for students pursuing degrees in high-demand fields is moving ahead in the legislature. The measure would cover tuition, fees and textbooks for low- and middle-income Virginians willing to fill jobs in fields with the most dire shortages. Renewed interest in the program comes amid a critical shortage in health care workers statewide and a skyrocketing unemployment rate in the industries hardest hit by the pandemic. The list of high-demand fields now includes jobs in nursing, manufacturing and technology, but will evolve with the state’s needs.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Va. House panel expands felon rights proposal to allow voting after release ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

A Virginia House of Delegates panel on Monday expanded a felon voting rights proposal to allow former inmates to vote when they’re released from incarceration, a change potentially allowing their rights to be restored years earlier than envisioned under the plan’s prior rules. As originally drafted, the proposed constitutional amendment would have automatically restored felons’ civil rights after they had completed their sentence and any period of supervised probation. But some Democratic lawmakers said they preferred a simpler solution, one that wouldn’t complicate the rights restoration process by tying it to a probation period or an ex-offender’s ability to pay fines and fees after their release.
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** Franklin County senator's bill to repeal rest of habitual offender law moves to House ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Bill Stanley said he often encounters unfair aspects of the criminal justice system while helping people as their attorney. As a member of the Virginia Senate, he tries to fix those problems. The Franklin County Republican is currently pushing for Virginia to fully repeal a criminal statute put into the state code in 1968 intended to get bad drivers off the roadways.
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** Gun-range suicides lead to proposed legislation to require background checks for gun rentals in Virginia ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Jon-Christian Carroll was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps last year after showing signs of mental health issues. After he came home, he’d been committed to mental health hospitals, his father said. Carroll, 21, went to Green Top Shooting Range in Hanover County, rented a firearm, and killed himself at the range. That same month, a 27-year-old man took his life at the same range after renting a gun. Green Top didn’t violate any laws by allowing the men to rent a gun.
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** Legislators renew push to fully fund, update standards for public education ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The battle over Virginia’s obligation to fully fund the costs of public education has resumed in the General Assembly with the same price tag but a new intensity because of the potentially devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public schools. Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, and Del. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, have reintroduced legislation to require the state to meet the obligations that the State Board of Education formally prescribed 15 months ago for Virginia to provide a quality education for students K-12 and redress inequities arising from poverty across the state.
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** Private prison company donated money to Virginia senators who killed bill to end for-profit prisons in the state ([link removed])
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By DEAN MIRSHAHI, WRIC-TV

Nine of the 11 Virginia state senators who voted against a bill that would have abolished for-profit prison management by 2024 received campaign contributions ahead of this year’s General Assembly session from the company operating the state’s only privately run facility, according to campaign finance reports.
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** Law aiming to help schools and local governments access solar sails through House ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Legislation aiming to remove roadblocks that have prevented schools and local governments in Southwest Virginia from accessing solar energy through contracts with renewables companies has sailed through the House with no opposition and will come before a Senate panel this week. House Bill 2034 from Del. Chris Hurst, D-Montgomery, would clarify that nonjurisdictional utility customers — a term used to refer to entities like local governments and public schools that don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the State Corporation Commission — are allowed to participate in pilot programs enabling them to get solar power from companies other than the utility in whose territory they are located through power purchase agreements.
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** Lawmakers Seek Investment in Clean Energy, Broadband Access ([link removed])
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By PATRICK LARSEN, WCVE-FM

Lawmakers on a House Labor and Commerce subcommittee considered a slew of bills on electric utility regulation today, covering clean energy, broadband connectivity and transportation. Among the bills that were recommended is HB 1834 from Del. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Loudoun). It would give workers at fossil fuel facilities across the state advanced warning when their employers are preparing to close their workplaces.
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** Virginia auto dealers say they will support new vehicle emissions standards ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association will support proposed legislation in the General Assembly that would adopt vehicle emissions standards set by California no earlier than 2023 and no later than 2025. “After numerous discussions with legislators and various impacted parties, it is clear this legislation can proceed as we are comfortable with the understanding and commitment shown by legislators to address other major components of this issue,” wrote Don Hall, president and CEO of the association, in a memo to lawmakers and lobbyists sent Monday evening.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Settlement reduces signature requirement for state Democratic primary amid pandemic ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A Richmond judge has approved an agreement between two statewide candidates and state elections officials to reduce the ballot signature requirements for the June Democratic statewide primary amid COVID-19. The Democrats’ candidates will only have to secure the signatures of 2,000 qualified voters, including 50 in each of the state’s 11 congressional districts. Petition signers will be able to submit signatures to campaigns by mail or electronically.
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** Carroll Foy promises to seek increase in Virginia unemployment benefits ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, said Monday that if elected, she would seek to increase the state’s unemployment benefits to mirror those of surrounding states. The proposal was part of a broad economic plan focused on Virginia’s recovery from COVID-19, which she pitched as beneficial to workers and businesses. The four tenets of the plan are to “fix” the state’s unemployment insurance system, cushion small businesses, boost workforce training and promote job creation.
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** Republicans move forward with organizing a convention – but Chairman warns action must be taken ([link removed])
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By BRANDON JARVIS, Virginia Scope

Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Rich Anderson sent a letter on Monday to Republican State Central Committee members updating them on where the nomination process stands while also warning that an inability to reach a final decision will result in the committee members choosing the nominees themselves. “Without approved State Party Plan (SPP) amendments for an unassembled convention, we are now on a trajectory that will preclude an assembled convention, an unassembled convention, and a primary,” Anderson wrote in the letter. “That will require that our three statewide nominees be selected by the State Central Committee (SCC), which will take on the perception of party bosses huddled in a smoke-filled back room.
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** Paul Siker announces run for House of Delegates against Dave LaRock ([link removed])
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By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Business consultant Paul Siker announced Monday that he plans to seek the Democratic nomination for the 33rd District House of Delegates seat. Siker, who lives in Waterford, is vying for the seat currently held by Del. Dave LaRock (R-33rd), who has come under fire for questioning the recent presidential election and his response to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. LaRock has held the seat since January 2014.
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** Democrat Challenging Wilt In 26th ([link removed])
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By MEGAN WILLIAMS, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Patrick Fritz learned a lot during his time in the Navy. One of the many lessons that he’s carried with him is there is a difference between having a complaint and whining. “When you present problems with no solutions, you are whining,” Fritz said. But if you come at a problem from a solution-oriented standpoint, it’s not whining, he said. Fritz believes he has some answers to problems that exist in the 26th District, and is therefore throwing his hat in the ring for the House of Delegates this fall. Currently, the seat is held by Del. Tony Wilt, R-Broadway.


** CONGRESS
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** Hawley pushes ethics probe of U.S. Senate Democrats, including Kaine, who filed complaint against him ([link removed])
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By ARIANA FIGUEROA, Virginia Mercury

Seven U.S. Senate Democrats, including Virginia’s Tim Kaine, urged the chamber’s ethics panel to investigate Sen. Josh Hawley’s role in the pro-Trump assault on the Capitol, and the Missouri Republican is now asking the committee to do the same. In a Monday letter, Hawley argued that the seven Democrats filed an improper complaint last week against him and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Both Hawley and Cruz objected to Electoral College votes that solidified President Joe Biden’s win in the presidential election.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** On section of I-64, VDOT converting HOV lanes to express lanes ([link removed])
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By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Transportation is converting 8 miles of high-occupancy vehicle lanes into express lanes on Interstate 64 in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. The work will extend from the I-64/I-464 interchange in Chesapeake to the I-64/I-264 interchange in Norfolk, and is expected to be done by fall 2022, VDOT said in a news release Friday. The current HOV lane in each direction will be converted to an express lane, while the three general purpose lanes stay the same.
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** Regional rail vision aims to stitch Virginia, Maryland and D.C. closer together ([link removed])
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By WYATT GORDON, Virginia Mercury

Gov. Ralph Northam’s recent budget allocation of $50 million to extend intercity passenger rail service from Roanoke to the New River Valley is just the latest in a long line of sizable investments his administration has made into the future of rail in the commonwealth, including a $3.7 billion dollar track acquisition deal with CSX and the launch of the Long Bridge project. However, the Greater Washington Partnership — a business community think tank — says a new regional rail vision that includes Maryland, Washington and the federal government is crucial to maximizing Virginia’s investments.
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** The Virginia Breeze looks past pandemic doldrums ([link removed])
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By CALVIN PYNN, Harrisonburg Citizen

It’s a quiet January Tuesday at the public transit hub outside of James Madison University’s Godwin Hall, where in more normal times, students would be waiting with bags loaded for the Virginia Breeze to take them back home. These are not normal times, though; no one is waiting for the bus, and the only breeze around is the bitter winter sort. In addition to JMU’s class schedule postponed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the transit line, which runs all the way to Union Station in Washington, D.C., was suspended last week due to heightened security around the presidential inauguration. It’s been a year full of challenges for the Virginia Breeze, which runs from Blacksburg to D.C., and back, with Harrisonburg smack dab in the middle.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Some ODU students will return to in-person learning Feb. 1 ([link removed])
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By SIERRA JENKINS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Some Old Dominion University students will return to classrooms Feb. 1, the school said in a news release. The university said Monday the return to on-campus classes will be “gradual.” Selected courses require face-to-face learning and will be announced Tuesday on ODU’s Blueprint Website.
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** Facing deficits, College hosts public hearing on potential tuition raises ([link removed])
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By PHIL SCHUELER, Flat Hat

Thursday, Jan. 21, the College of William and Mary held a public hearing on potential tuition increases from 0 to 3% for students who entered during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years. The hearing was led by Chief Operating Officer Amy Sebring, who also provided an overview of the College’s fiscal state during the 2020 fiscal year. Board of Visitors member James Hixon J.D. ‘79 M.L.T. ‘80 opened the hearing by acknowledging the significance of potential tuition increases.
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** VMI commandant to retire at end of school year ([link removed])
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By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Col. William Wanovich, commandant of the Virginia Military Institute, will retire at the end of the 2020-21 academic year, the military college announced last week. Wanovich has served as commandant since 2014, where he oversees military training for the Corps of Cadets. His decision to retire is unrelated to the ongoing scrutiny facing VMI, according to spokesman Bill Wyatt.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** As COVID-19 cases approach 500,000 in Va., 1.1 million vaccine doses distributed ([link removed])
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By HOLLY PRESTIDGE, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Monday that the state's cumulative total of COVID-19 cases is 478,619, an increase of 14,868 from Friday. The 478,619 cases consist of 385,892 confirmed cases and 92,727 probable cases. There have been 6,081 COVID-19 deaths in Virginia - 5,363 confirmed and 718 probable. That's an increase of 79 from Friday.
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** Number of vaccinated Virginians nearly catches up to tally of those infected ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Sometime over the weekend, the dynamic shifted in how fast the coronavirus is infecting Virginians versus how quickly doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are going into arms. As of Monday morning, the Virginia Department of Health reported that 478,519 Virginians have had COVID-19. But it also reported that 522,853 doses of the vaccine to prevent infections had been given, with 458,472 Virginians getting at least the first of two shots.
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** Coronavirus vaccination appointments canceled in D.C. region amid scarce supply ([link removed])
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By JENNA PORTNOY, RACHEL CHASON, REBECCA TAN AND HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Prince George’s County closed coronavirus vaccination appointments to nonresidents on Monday, and Inova Health System canceled thousands of appointments for Fairfax County teachers as providers across the Washington region scrambled to compensate for a limited supply of vaccine doses.
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** First case of highly contagious UK COVID variant found in Virginia ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The race to get Virginians vaccinated gained additional urgency on Monday as the state confirmed its first case of a COVID-19 strain that’s more contagious and potentially deadlier. Virginia’s Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services said the case was found in a resident from Northern Virginia who had no recent travel history.
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** New virus strain identified in Northern Virginia ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Health officials who assumed the new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 was already in Virginia have been proven correct. Tests on Monday showed that a Northern Virginia adult, with no recent reported travel history, has the state’s first case of the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.1.7. It was first seen in the United Kingdom last month and is one of several strains of COVID-19 identified worldwide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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** Hampton General District Court delays traffic, criminal cases amid city’s COVID spike ([link removed])
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By PETER DUJARDIN, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

A judge at Hampton’s busiest court on Friday pushed this week’s traffic cases forward by three months and delayed most criminal hearings in light of a recent spike in the city’s COVID-19 rate. The new restrictions — similar to the limitations put in place after the pandemic began last year — are designed to curb the coronavirus’ spread in Hampton.
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** Community vaccine clinic administers 400 shots ([link removed])
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By LAWRENCE EMERSON, Fauquier Now

Fauquier Hospital’s Bistro on the Hill has a reputation for good, moderately-priced food, but Monday it also served up 405 doses of hope. Local government and the hospital partnered for the county’s most aggressive COVID-19 vaccination effort so far. By noon, Fauquier career medics and Lord Fairfax Community College nursing students had administered 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine — half the clinic’s supply for the day.
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** Pharmacy COVID vaccine supply quickly depleted ([link removed])
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By DON DEL ROSSO, Fauquier Now

The Sumerduck educator warily decided to get a COVID-19 vaccination. “Since Day One, there’s just been so much misinformation out there and such uncertainty about the virus itself,” said Carmen Fox, 66, who received the first of two Moderna shots Friday afternoon at Remington Drug Co.’s vaccination clinic at 204 E. Main St. “And then, on top of it, the vaccines coming through as quickly as they did, I was very apprehensive.” But Mrs. Fox, who qualified for the vaccination because of her age and job, set aside those fears — putting health considerations first.
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** 1,400 vaccinations given Friday as Page reports 85 COVID cases over weekend ([link removed])
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By RANDY ARRINGTON, Page Valley News

Over a span of six hours on Friday, more than 1,400 people received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Page County High School. As of Monday morning, the Virginia Department of Health’s vaccine dashboard showed that 2,152 people in Page County have received the first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and 125 people (mostly healthcare workers) have been fully vaccinated to include the “booster” or second dose.
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** 'Rural Virginia is not being cared for': Chatham residents fearful after problem with vaccine registration ([link removed])
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By ELIAS WEISS, Chatham Star Tribune

Over the weekend, the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District announced an online pre-registration portal for local residents to initiate the process of receiving the vaccine that immunizes against COVID-19. Since Friday, Chatham residents have voiced concern over a reported problem with the system that hinders certain elderly, medically vulnerable patients from receiving their dose. What local residents are calling an "error" in the Health District's methodology revolves around a patient survey that is prompted at pre-registration. The survey does not provide a field to express pre-existing medical conditions or other health-related urgencies that would help prioritize certain patients over the age of 65.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** State installs fence around Lee Monument to prepare for statue's future removal; appeal filed in suit ([link removed])
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By ALI ROCKETT AND FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A fence enclosing the circle around the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond was installed Monday as part of the Virginia Department of General Services’ plan to remove the statue. The department made clear that the statue would not be removed Monday, but it’s unclear how long the fence, or the statue, will remain standing.
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** Residents ask high court to block removal of Richmond’s Robert E. Lee statue as Virginia prepares to act ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A small group of residents seeking to keep the state's giant statue of Robert E. Lee standing on Monument Avenue filed an appeal Monday with the Supreme Court of Virginia, arguing that a lower-court judge erred in ruling that Gov. Ralph Northam (D) could remove the figure. The filing came hours after the Northam administration had workers erect metal fencing around the statue, saying it was preparing to take Lee down if the high court cleared the way.


** LOCAL
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** Richmond City Council approves tax amnesty program, delays vote on participatory budgeting plan ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Richmond residents and business owners behind on their local tax payments will be able to shake off penalties and interest they owe the city this spring, per an ordinance the City Council unanimously approved Monday. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the economy, city officials recently proposed an amnesty period to help property owners and businesses facing additional charges because of missed tax payments during and before the global health crisis.
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** Williamsburg, James City County open phone line for vaccine questions ([link removed])
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By MAGGIE MORE, Virginia Gazette (Metered Paywall - 4 Articles per Month)

The vaccine rollout process in Virginia has been confusing and at times frustrating for residents clamoring to protect themselves from the deadly COVID-19 virus, but Williamsburg and James City County residents now have a new number to call for information. To help field the “thousands of calls per day” that officials in each government have been getting, the city of Williamsburg and James City County have come together to establish “an information line for the community’s questions about the vaccination clinic that opened last week in the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center,” according to a news release from the city of Williamsburg.
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** Williamsburg city manager extends staff telework directive for two weeks ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Williamsburg City Manager Andrew Trivette has extended his staff telework directive until Friday, Feb. 5. Trivette previously announced staff would telework, to the extent possible, through Friday, Jan. 22. . . . Just like the original directive, with the understanding some business must be conducted in person, staff will continue to schedule in-person appointments as necessary.
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** Williamsburg Health Foundation announces $1M grant to prevent renter eviction in Historic Triangle ([link removed])
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By GABRIELLE RENTE, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

A new grant is coming to help out renters in the Greater Williamsburg area. The Williamsburg Health Foundation announced on Monday the City of Williamsburg, James City County and York County would receive a $1 million grant to help prevent Greater Williamsburg residents from rental evictions during the coronavirus pandemic. “There is a profound, multifaceted connection between one’s housing and one’s health,” Carol L. Sale, WHF president and CEO, said in a statement from a news release.
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** Chesapeake moving forward with high school football, other fall sports ([link removed])
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By GREG GIESEN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Chesapeake Public Schools’ school board decided Monday night to move forward with a fall sports season. “I am recommending that we proceed with the fall athletic season at the varsity level, but cancel sports at the junior-varsity level,” Jared Cotton, superintendent of Chesapeake Public Schools, said.
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** Stafford supervisors mull options to help fund road projects ([link removed])
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By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Stafford supervisors are weighing options to fund improvements to the county’s road network. “If we don’t do something about our transportation problems in Stafford County, there’s no reason we should even be here, frankly,” said Supervisor Cindy Shelton. “If I go to my constituents, I know my constituents are going to say they want to spend the money on the transportation projects.”
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** Pulaski Co. and Radford courts approved to restart jury trials after pandemic pause ([link removed])
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By MIKE GANGLOFF, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Radford and Pulaski County joined the list of Virginia court systems approved to relaunch jury trials after their halt last March in response to the pandemic. In letters dated Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court signed off on the two court systems’ plans for new procedures to keep jurors, court personnel, attorneys and defendants safe.
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** FAA finds no danger from latest plan for Botetourt County wind farm ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Federal Aviation Administration has found, once again, that wind turbines high above a Botetourt County mountaintop will not pose a hazard to air navigation. Issued last week, the finding was the latest in a string of approvals and reapprovals since 2015, when Apex Clean Energy announced plans for what will be the first onshore wind farm in Virginia.
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** Southwest Virginia's largest solar farm project approved in Pulaski County ([link removed])
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By TONIA MOXLEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Pulaski County will be the site of the largest solar energy farm in Southwest Virginia and one of the largest on the East Coast. On a 3-1 vote, the board of supervisors approved a special use permit that opens the way for Chicago-based Hecate Energy and its Virginia-based partner AgriSunPower to lease 2,700 acres of private farmland for the $400 Million project near the New River Valley Airport and NRV Commerce Park. Supervisor Charles Bopp voted no, saying he opposed the project and felt bound to represent those residents who also oppose it.

Today's Sponsor:


** Clean Virginia
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Fighting to empower Virginians by promoting clean government and clean energy. Visit www.cleanvirginia.org ([link removed]) to learn more.


** EDITORIALS
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** No mandatory COVID vaccinations ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Last September, Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver told ABC-8 in Richmond that he would make a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory whenever one is available. But his boss, Gov. Ralph Northam, quickly reeled him in, with administration officials insisting the governor had “taken no official policy position on whether or not a COVID-19 vaccine for adults should be mandatory.” Northam should now take a policy position on mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19, and that position should be “No.”
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** Chesapeake Bay cleanup still a work in progress ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The latest State of the Bay report gives the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay a D-plus grade that’s a slight drop. But the report also offers hope that efforts by Virginia and other states in the watershed are making a difference. And there’s reason for optimism that new support on the federal level will give the cleanup a needed boost. Efforts to clean the bay picked up steam more than 10 years ago when the six states and the District of Columbia in its watershed signed on to a Clean Water Blueprint.
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** A more approachable, accessible system to get vaccinated ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

On Monday morning, the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Districts launched a new Facebook Live series aimed at giving the public a better handle on issues associated with COVID-19 vaccines. Nurse Manager Amy Popovich, the local lead on vaccination efforts, was explicit about demand far exceeding supply. While more than 60,000 people in the health district have filled out interest forms to get a vaccine, Popovich said this week’s allotment of doses only is 6,400 between the city of Richmond and Henrico County.


** OP-ED
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** Warren: In defense of immunity ([link removed])
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By DARRELL WARREN, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The General Assembly is enacting a number of worthwhile changes to our system of criminal justice. Our lawmakers are to be commended for these reforms. However, there’s one possible change that — if enacted — would have a deeply harmful effect on both public safety and local tax rates: the proposal to eliminate limited immunity as a defense in lawsuits against law enforcement.

Warren is president of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and sheriff of Gloucester County.
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** Scott and Taylor-Beierl: Legalized marijuana would generate money for HBCUs ([link removed])
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By GERRON SCOTT AND ASH TAYLOR-BEIERL, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

This past month, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced gifts of $30 million to Virginia State University (VSU) and $40 million to Norfolk State University (NSU), two historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the commonwealth. These generous gifts will help the HBCUs address some of their immediate needs on campus and greatly are appreciated. But they do not solve the funding problems endemic to HBCUs in Virginia.

Scott and Taylor-Beierl are doctoral students in Virginia Commonwealth University’s educational leadership, policy and justice program.


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