VaNews
January 28, 2021

Today's Sponsor:


** Tim Sullivan
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With gratitude to my friend and mentor, Governor Charles S. Robb, and with thanks for his contributions to Virginia.
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Top of the News


** Northam acknowledges frustration over vaccine rollout ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Facing escalating criticism over the state’s rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam outlined a series of policy changes and initiatives Wednesday that he said would make the process smoother and more transparent. While the latest federal data show Virginia has made improvements in getting more shots into arms, Northam acknowledged there’s still much work to be done.
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** Vaccine supply remains major issue for region ([link removed])
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By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Northeast Tennessee residents are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at more than twice the rate of Southwest Virginians, but Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday the state will be able to order more doses starting today. In addition, a Ballad Health official said the health system is “concerned” about the supplies coming into this entire region at a time when the number of cases and hospitalizations is finally declining.
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** Virginia senator who called U.S. Capitol rioters ‘patriots’ is censured ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Virginia Senate voted Wednesday to censure state Sen. Amanda F. Chase (R-Chesterfield) over a long pattern of behavior that includes referring to the insurrectionists who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as “patriots” and making insulting comments toward the Virginia Capitol Police and the clerk of the Senate. The rare censure resolution was entered by Sen. John Bell (D-Loudoun) but also received support from Republicans. It passed 24-9 after lengthy debate. “The need to protect the honor of this body compelled me to proceed,” Bell said.
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** House approves vaccine reporting by race, ethnicity ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

An emergency bill targeting a sluggish vaccine rollout rife with inequities by mandating data collection of race and ethnicity, expanding the definition of health care workers eligible to administer doses and creating vaccination sites unanimously passed the House of Delegates on Tuesday. Proposed by Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, HB 2333 would allow any person licensed by the Virginia Department of Health in the last 10 years who's in good standing to volunteer as a vaccinator. This includes medical and nursing students enrolled in accredited programs within the state who've been properly trained in doling out vaccines.
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** Portsmouth’s top public defender named a judge, months after police charged her in Confederate monument case ([link removed])
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By MARGARET MATRAY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Portsmouth’s longtime chief public defender, Brenda Spry, will become the city’s newest Circuit Court judge after the General Assembly voted Tuesday night to appoint her to the bench. Spry has been a public defender in the city for three decades, leading the office for nearly 13 of those years. Along with state Sen. Louise Lucas, a School Board member and NAACP leadership, Spry was one of 19 people charged last year in the June protest and vandalism at Portsmouth’s Confederate monument. At the request of the city’s top prosecutor, who said she’d found insufficient evidence to take any of the defendants to trial, a judge dismissed all charges in the case in November.
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** Hampton Roads, Middle Peninsula partners awarded $2.9 million to fight sea level rise, grow economy ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

A multi-region project to turn sea level rise into a job creation machine now has financial support from a statewide economic development agency. GO Virginia recently awarded more than $2.9 million in state funding to a host of Hampton Roads and Middle Peninsula organizations for the Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Economy project — a plan to create high-paying jobs in the regions through combating the effects of climate change. The project is a collaboration between Old Dominion University, Hampton University, the nonprofit RISE, the Virginia Sea Grant university coalition and the Middle Peninsula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority — a governing body for public access to Middle Peninsula waterways.
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** How Norfolk became segregated: the century-long roots of the city’s ‘Dividing Lines’ ([link removed])
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By SARA GREGORY AND RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A mob marched on Norfolk in 1923. A new family had moved onto Corprew Avenue, a “white block” as far as city ordinance was concerned, the northernmost boundary of the well-to-do enclave of Brambleton, which was then on the city’s outskirts. The family moving in considered themselves white, but the armed crowd, which included a sitting City Council member, saw no place on the block for what whites thought were light-skinned Black people. “Brambleton is in Eruption Again,” the Norfolk Journal and Guide newspaper reported after the mob descended on the home, intimidating its occupants and trying to force them to move.
The Full Report
69 articles, 27 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Our COVID-19 dashboard makes it easy to track the latest available data for tests performed, infections, deaths and hospital capacity. 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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** 'I feel the frustration': Ralph Northam says Virginia working on vaccine data transparency ([link removed])
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By GABRIELLA MUÑOZ, Washington Times

Gov. Ralph Northam addressed frustrations over Virginia’s vaccine rollout Wednesday and announced a new system to improve data transparency from the state. Mr. Northam said during a press conference that the issue is rooted in the lack of supply from the federal government. He explained that the Trump administration told states to increase vaccine eligibility, despite not having enough doses to allocate.
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** Northam: Help is on the way to get people registered for vaccinations ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday he feels the frustration of Virginians who cannot get a clear answer on how to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. Northam said he told the Virginia Department of Health to launch a central website and phone center for people to register, but that it is not yet ready.
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** Virginia officials will exert more control over the state’s vaccination process ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday that he feels “the frustration out there” regarding the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and he indicated his administration will play a larger role in coordinating vaccine acquisition and delivery to “get more shots in more arms faster.” During a briefing with reporters, Northam laid out a series of steps to increase the number of first doses available to Virginians by 100,000 this week.
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** Northam says improved vaccine registration in the works ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Facing criticism over Virginia’s coronavirus vaccination efforts, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday the state is trying to make it easier for people to know when and how they can get a shot. “I understand your frustration,” Northam said during a press conference aired live via Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. “I know you’re out of patience, and I am as well.” The governor said a single statewide phone number and website will be set up “soon” where people can call to sign up to receive a dose. The state intends to increase the size of a call center that has been created to help people register.
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** Virginia, D.C. make vaccine distribution changes ([link removed])
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By JENNA PORTNOY, JULIE ZAUZMER, ERIN COX AND RACHEL CHASON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday announced a flurry of coronavirus vaccine distribution and data reporting changes in the state, which has ranked among the worst-performing for getting doses out, while the District streamlined its registration system for seniors trying to book appointments. Responding to criticism that Virginia has not moved fast enough in identifying hundreds of thousands of seemingly unused doses, Northam (D) urged hospitals not to hold on to second doses and advised health districts how to more fairly distribute the vaccine among eligible populations.
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** Chesterfield presses governor to provide more COVID-19 shots ([link removed])
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By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

As the Chesterfield Health District works to vaccinate as many eligible essential workers and older residents as possible, county elected officials are becoming frustrated with the slow rollout. In a letter Tuesday to Gov. Ralph Northam, the county Board of Supervisors stated: “Simply put, Virginia’s campaign to vaccinate the masses is totally defective.” It also said the county wants to help with COVID-19 vaccination efforts, including identifying sites for mass vaccination events.
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** Gov. Northam extends COVID-19 restrictions through the end of February ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Gov. Ralph Northam issued an executive order on Wednesday extending the state’s December restrictions through the end of February. The current restrictions, which closed bars and limited restaurant capacity as well as social gatherings, was set to expire this week. “We are ramping up vaccinations,” Northam said. “This is no time to let down our guard.”


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Advocates for keeping death penalty point to the many lives taken by Virginia's killers ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Advocates for keeping the death penalty in Virginia for the worst-of-the-worst killers need not look far back in history for examples to illustrate their argument. There is Robert Charles Gleason Jr., who was executed in 2013, was sentenced to life without parole for a drug-related murder imposed in 2008. Gleason was not done killing even after he was sent to a high-security prison. After tying up, beating and strangling his 63-year-old cellmate to death at Wallens Ridge State Prison in 2009, he left for breakfast. Hours later he ate both his and his victim’s lunch in their cell with the as-yet-undiscovered body.
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** Virginia could force Chesapeake, Norfolk and others to move May elections to November ([link removed])
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By GORDON RAGO AND ALISSA SKELTON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Sen. Lionel Spruill Sr. ticked off the stats on the Virginia Senate floor. Twenty-two percent voter turnout in his hometown of Chesapeake last May. Around 21% in Danville. Down around 19% in the city of Fairfax. And 18% over in Hampton. He pointed to Governing magazine, which in 2015 noted the smaller subset of voters who turn out for standalone municipal elections typically are whiter, wealthier and older. Spruill says it’s time to make a change.
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** Effort to scrap coal tax credits advancing in Virginia General Assembly ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

RICHMOND — On the heels of a critical report showing that Virginia’s controversial coal mine tax credits is generating economic losses for the commonwealth, Democrats in the General Assembly are advancing legislation to eliminate the program. Sen. Jeremy McPike of Prince William and Del. Sally Hudson of Charlottesville are carrying legislation to scrap the tax credits next January, and before that happens, a workgroup will convene to figure out how the coalfield region can effectively transition its economy away from its reliance on fossil fuels. “It seems these coal tax credits have outlived their purpose, and there are better ways to invest in the communities that have relied on them,” Hudson said.
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** Senate work group to look at tax options for helping Va. businesses ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Senate’s tax committee is directing a new panel to consider ways to help Virginia businesses hurt by the COVID-19 — without opening a billion-dollar revenue hole in the state budget — by giving them a tax windfall under the new federal emergency relief bill. Senate Finance Chairwoman Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, will join five of her colleagues on a work panel she created to consider options Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne presented Wednesday.
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** Senate panel rejects proposal to return more utility overearnings to customers ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

A five-person Senate subcommittee devoted to energy issues on Wednesday rejected the chamber’s single proposal for major utility regulation reform, with Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, saying it was time to pause the “legislative assault” on the state’s monopoly electric utilities. . . . The subcommittee voted down Senate Bill 1292 from Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, which states that if Virginia’s two largest electric utilities, Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company, earn more than 0.7 percent above their allowed profit margin, they are required to credit customers with 100 percent of those excess earnings. Under current law, the utilities only have to return 70 percent of excess earnings and are allowed to keep the remainder.
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** Law Enforcement Support Body Cams, But Leery Of Funding Proposal ([link removed])
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By PETE DELEA, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

As a Dayton police officer patrolled a town park last year, he came upon a woman sleeping in a car during the overnight hours, a violation of town code. The officer woke the woman up and offered help finding her a place to stay for the night. Within a few days, the woman filed a complaint with Chief Jason Trout, claiming the officer was rude. Instead of a battle of he said/she said, Trout went straight to the officer’s body-worn camera — a tool he says officers should have.
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** General Assembly proposals aim to protect LGBTQ Virginians from hate crimes ([link removed])
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By ANYA SCZERZENIE, Commonwealth Times

Del. Danica Roem, the first openly transgender person in the Virginia General Assembly, was a freshman at Paul IV Catholic High School in Fairfax when she heard of the death of Matthew Shepard on the news. Shepard, an openly gay University of Wyoming student, was severely beaten in 1998 and later died of his injuries. His death ignited nationwide conversation about hate crimes and was one of the most famous anti-LGBTQ attacks in U.S. history. Roem, who knew at the time that she was transgender, was deeply affected. House Bill 2132, introduced this year by Roem, D-Manassas, would outlaw the defense used by a lawyer of one of Shepard’s attackers. Known as the “gay panic defense,” it is used to argue that a revelation about a victim’s gender or sexual identity caused a perpetrator to lose control and assault, injure or kill them.
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** Bill calls for background checks for renting guns at ranges ([link removed])
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By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

Last July, five days apart, two young men walked into the Green Top Shooting Range in Hanover, Virginia, and fatally shot themselves. Both were in their 20s and had a history of mental health issues, but neither man was subjected to a background check before he was allowed to rent a gun and turn the weapon on himself. State lawmakers are now considering legislation that would require a state background check for anyone who wants to rent a gun. Currently, neither federal nor state law requires background checks for gun rentals at shooting ranges.
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** Virginia House votes to remove statue of segregationist Harry Byrd Sr. from Capitol Square ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

In the reckoning over Confederate statues in Virginia, memorials to more contemporary champions of racism initially escaped scrutiny. That changed last year when a freshman Republican lawmaker in the House of Delegates proposed removing a Capitol Square statue of Harry Flood Byrd Sr., who was the architect of the state’s campaign of massive resistance against school desegregation. The legislation turned out to be an ill-conceived attempt by the GOP to put Democrats on the spot by suggesting the removal of a memorial to one of their own. . . . But Democrats in the majority seized on the idea.
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** Bill that would have made college athletic fees optional fails to gain approval ([link removed])
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By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A bill that would have made college athletics fees optional for students in Virginia failed to gain approval Monday in the senate higher education subcommittee. A college’s athletics fee typically pays for a student’s admission to intercollegiate sporting events and ranges from $326 annually at Virginia Tech to $3,650 at Virginia Military Institute. Students are required to pay whether they attend games or not.
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** Virginia Senate censures Amanda Chase for 'conduct unbecoming' of a senator ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia Senate censured Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, on Wednesday for "conduct unbecoming" of a senator, citing a history of public clashes that began with her berating a Virginia Capitol Police officer over a parking spot two years ago and culminated with her support for political rallies that preceded an assault on the U.S. Capitol three weeks ago that left five dead.
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** ‘A badge of shame’: Virginia Senate votes to censure Amanda Chase ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

After stinging personal critiques from Republicans and Democrats alike, Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, was censured by the Virginia Senate Wednesday, a formal rebuke that came after she repeated baseless election fraud claims and spoke in support of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol. Several senators said they wished the censure vote, the first since 1987, didn’t have to happen. But they said it became unavoidable due to Chase’s loose grip on the truth, lack of respect for her colleagues and the institution and a pattern of inflammatory behavior.
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** Virginia Senate approves measure rebuking Amanda Chase ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN AND DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

The Virginia Senate on Wednesday approved a measure rebuking one of its most far-right members for a “pattern of unacceptable conduct,” including an allegation that she voiced support for those who participated in storming the U.S. Capitol. On a vote of 24-9, the Democrat-controlled chamber advanced a resolution censuring Amanda Chase, a senator from suburban Richmond who is seeking the GOP nomination for governor. The vote followed a long debate that featured scathing rebukes from Chase’s colleagues on both sides of the political aisle.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** He previously led a $230 billion investment firm. Now he wants to lead Virginia. ([link removed])
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Associated Press

A former executive of a global investment firm, Glenn Youngkin, announced he will join Virginia’s race for governor, casting himself in a video as a conservative political outsider who worked his way up to amass his estimated $265 million of wealth. Youngkin joins the race for the Republican nomination after retiring as co-chief executive of The Carlyle Group, a Washington-based private equity giant.
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** Former private equity executive launches bid for Virginia governor ([link removed])
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By MAX GREENWOOD, The Hill

Glenn Youngkin, a wealthy former private equity CEO, joined the increasingly crowded field of candidates for Virginia governor on Wednesday. In an announcement video posted online, Youngkin, a first-time candidate, cast himself as a political outsider with modest roots. “I’m not a politician. I’ve spent the last 30 years building business and creating jobs, leading a team of nearly 2,000 people who trusted me to get things done,” Youngkin, 54, said in the video.
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** Cox leads gubernatorial candidates in donated dollars from Petersburg and surrounding area ([link removed])
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By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

In a city traditionally Democratic, a local Republican leads the slate of Virginia's candidates for governor for campaign donations, according to an early-in-the-game analysis by a non-partisan government watchdog group. Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, is enjoying the lion's share of contributions across the Appomattox River in Petersburg, Virginia Public Access Project said Tuesday in a report on donations across the state according to ZIP codes. Roughly two-thirds of the donations in ZIP codes 23803, 23804 and 23805 have gone to the former House of Delegates speaker as of Tuesday.
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** Local businesswoman to run for House of Delegates ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

Chesterfield County businesswoman Kim Taylor announced last week that she is challenging Democratic incumbent Del. Lashrecse Aird in November for the 63rd District’s seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Taylor and her husband, Butch, own two Titan Auto & Tire locations in Chesterfield. They’ve also acquired a 10.2-acre property along Hull Street Road in the Skinquarter area, where they have plans to build a rural “farm brewery” known as Hidden Wit.
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** Democrat Paul Siker mounts challenge for 33rd District seat held by Republican Dave LaRock ([link removed])
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By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Small business owner Paul Siker of Loudoun County is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for the Virginia House of Delegates' 33rd District seat in the Nov. 2 election. The district, which includes western Loudoun County as well as parts of Frederick and Clarke counties, has been represented since 2014 by Republican Dave LaRock of Hamilton, who is seeking another two-year term. Siker, 59, said he running for the seat because he believes the district's residents “deserve significantly better representation in the General Assembly.”


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Voter fraud case ends in district court ([link removed])
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By MELANY SLAUGHTER, Gazette-Journal

A Hayes resident was convicted in Gloucester General District Court earlier this month on a misdemeanor charge of obtaining services by false pretense after being charged with attempting to vote twice in the 2020 presidential election. Jonathan Meade West Sr. was originally arrested on a felony charge of attempting to cast more than one ballot in the election. According to a probable cause statement filed in the case, West is alleged to have said that he was “testing the process.”


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Virginia makes its COVID-19 workplace safety regulations permanent ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration says it’s approved a permanent version of its COVID-19 workplace safety rules, which mandates employers implement pandemic precautions like social distancing and masks. Virginia was the first state in the country to implement emergency workplace regulations addressing COVID-19, which went into effect in July and were set to expire at the end of the month.
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** Page County To Launch Drug Court ([link removed])
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By PETE DELEA, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

After success in multiple cities and counties in the Shenandoah Valley, Page County plans to unveil its new drug court this spring. Drug courts are used to divert low-level, nonviolent drug offenders from incarceration. The court allows judges, prosecutors and mental health professionals to work with offenders to establish a treatment program....Page County worked with James Madison University political science professors Amanda Teye and Lili Peaslee and their students to secure a $500,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance grant to start the program.
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** 20th anniversary of Earl Washington's freedom nears as abolition of Va. death penalty is considered ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Earl Washington Jr. arrived at the former Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond in handcuffs and leg shackles. The 25-year-old intellectually disabled farmhand from Fauquier County had his belongings, but he did not have a lawyer. It was Aug. 19, 1985. His execution was set for Sept. 5. Washington could hear the electric chair being tested from his cell in the basement of A Building.


** CONGRESS
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** Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine floats Trump censure, an alternative to impeachment, as conviction grows unlikely ([link removed])
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By MARY CLARE JALONICK AND LISA MASCARO, Associated Press

Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said Wednesday that he’s discussing with colleagues whether a censure resolution to condemn former President Donald Trump for his role in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol could be an alternative to impeachment, even as the Senate proceeds with a trial. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said the impeachment trial will move forward. But talk of finding a punishment that more senators could rally around flared a day after just five Republicans joined Democrats in a Senate test vote over the legitimacy of Trump’s trial, suggesting that conviction is unlikely.
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** Virginia Sen. Mark Warner in quarantine after COVID-19 exposure ([link removed])
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By SCOTT GELMAN, WTOP

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is now in quarantine after being exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement, a spokeswoman said Warner has tested negative for the coronavirus but will continue to work remotely during his quarantine period.
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** McEachin pushes for Mid-Atlantic offshore drilling ban — again ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

He tried last year and the year before, but Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, thinks 2021 will be the year his proposals to crack down on offshore drilling will make it into law. McEachin, whose district stretches from Chesapeake to Richmond, is introducing a measure that bars the Department of the Interior from issuing leases for exploration or production of oil or gas off the coast of Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Delaware.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Four sportsbooks are now active in Va. ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL PHILLIPS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia now has four active sportsbook operators, a gold rush of gaming that has led to an intense competition for customers. Wednesday saw the launch of BetMGM and BetRivers, one a national brand and another that will soon become a familiar name in the state. They join FanDuel and DraftKings as companies authorized by the Virginia Lottery to take sports bets inside the commonwealth’s borders.
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** Electric automobile maker Tesla considering opening three more locations in Virginia ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Electric automobile maker Tesla Inc. is looking to expand its presence in Virginia by opening three new stores to sell its cars in Arlington, Norfolk and Charlottesville. Tesla sent a letter in late December to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles saying the company is “interested in opening dealerships” in those locations, which would add to its present store locations in Henrico County and Northern Virginia. The letter to DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb formally requested that the DMV schedule a hearing on whether Tesla can obtain a dealer license for the new stores.
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** Southwest Virginia farmers growing barley for craft brewers ([link removed])
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By ROBERT SORRELL, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Officials are celebrating the development of Southwest Virginia becoming a significant player in the craft beverage industry. On Wednesday, InvestSWVA hosted a virtual celebration featuring partners of Project Calypso. Working with small, family farms to grow malting quality barley for the first time in the region, Invest SWVA is marketing the “Appalachian Grains” brand to breweries and distilleries across the state and surrounding states.
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** Tie Dye Dan faces backlash for attending demonstration at US Capitol Building ([link removed])
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By ASHLYN CAMPBELL, The Breeze

A Snapchat video pans over crowds of people from the branches of a tree with the Capitol building looming in the distance. The camera flips to reveal Dan Lambert, JMU alumnus (’19) and owner of a local clothing brand Dye Happy, clad in a red tie-dye hoodie and sporting an open-mouthed smile. Harrisonburg business owners are facing backlash on social media after attending or being associated with those who traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 in support of former President Donald Trump.
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** Roanoke Times office building listed for sale ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The downtown Roanoke office building that’s been home to The Roanoke Times for more than a century is for sale. The $6.07 million listing by Waldvogel Commercial Properties includes the main office at 201 Campbell Ave. S.W. and the connected distribution center building across Salem Avenue directly to the north, encompassing 121,319 square feet of space on 2.48 acres of two full city blocks.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Entry Pass: VCU using digital tool to enforce on-campus COVID-19 rules ([link removed])
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By KATHARINE DEROSA AND SAGAL AHMED, Commonwealth Times

In order to access some VCU facilities this semester, students and employees will have to present a mobile or printed pass that indicates they are keeping up with university COVID-19 regulations. VCU established Entry Pass on the first day of classes to serve as a daily reminder to all on-campus students and employees to complete mandatory daily health checks and asymptomatic testing if applicable, according to Director of Communications Carolyn Conlon. “Now, more than ever, it is important to strictly follow all public health measures and limit the spread of COVID-19,” Conlon said in an email.
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** Students return as UVa prepares for Monday opening ([link removed])
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By BRYAN MCKENZIE, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

University of Virginia students are returning to Grounds over the next few days, just in time for classes to kick off on Monday. Students began showing up Wednesday but most will have access to dormitories on Thursday and Friday with the majority of students expected to return over the weekend, UVa officials said.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Virginia’s coronavirus vaccination numbers aren’t as bad as they seem, coordinator says ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The gulf between doses distributed and shots put into Virginians’ arms is getting smaller, as public health officials sort out problems vaccinators have had recording data, said Dr. Danny Avula, state vaccine coordinator. In an interview with The Virginian-Pilot on Tuesday evening, Avula said fixing reporting problems has improved Virginia’s coronavirus vaccination rate considerably within the past few days, now putting its ranking somewhere in the middle of the pack of states’ vaccine programs. A few days ago, it ranked as one of the worst in the country, according to The New York Times’ vaccine tracker.
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** State vaccine dashboard updates; specific data hard to parse ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

State officials are providing more data about where exactly the state’s 1,166,600 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have gone — six weeks since the first shipments of the vaccine arrived in the Commonwealth. About 60,400 of those doses have gone to hospitals, health departments and other health providers in Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson, which comprise the Blue Ridge Health District.
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** Analysis: Most Virginia residents at "extremely high risk" for virus ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The risk of Virginians contracting COVID-19 is “extremely high” in all but three counties even as cases fall from record highs seen last week. The risk for localities not placed in this category was classified as “very high,” according to a Wednesday analysis of case and testing data from The New York Times and public health experts from Johns Hopkins University. Data from September shows most of the state at medium to high risk, then worsening in the days before Christmas Eve.
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** Peninsula phase 1b vaccine rollout for seniors challenged by short supply ([link removed])
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By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

The phase 1b COVID-19 vaccination launch broadly included those 65 and older, essential front-line workers, teachers, people with certain medical conditions and those residing in grouped settings. But the Peninsula Health District, which began mass vaccinations Monday, is targeting its efforts on residents 75 years and older. Its website says seniors 65 and older may register, but the health district is only making appointments for those 75 and older, at least for now. With more than 60,000 seniors 65 and older residing on the Peninsula and limited vaccine supply from the state, officials said, there isn’t enough to meet demand.
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** Westminster Canterbury in uproar after CVS cancels vaccination clinics for independent seniors ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

ARichmond-area retirement community is seething over an abrupt decision by CVS pharmacy to cancel scheduled clinics to give the COVID-19 vaccine to more than 500 elderly residents living independently on its campus. Westminster Canterbury, a continuing care retirement community in Henrico County on the north side of Richmond, says it hasn't received any explanation from the national pharmacy chain about why it has canceled the clinics scheduled for mid-February. CVS is still supposed to administer the second dose then to assisted living residents and staff who already have received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
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** Health department says those waiting for second shots will get appointments ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

With vaccine appointments filling up in the Blue Ridge Health District, area residents are worried about securing a slot for the required second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. But the health district has set aside appointments for those individuals waiting for their second dose and will call to schedule an appointment, local and state health officials said last week.
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** VCU reverses decision to delay thousands of second-dose vaccinations as Virginia unrolls new allocation strategy ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Thousands of employees at Virginia Commonwealth University were notified Wednesday that the system was delaying their second-dose appointments for COVID-19 vaccine — a move that would have affected VCU Health workers along with some university staff, faculty and students. Hours later, after the Mercury asked state and university leaders to explain the decision, VCU abruptly reversed course. “We are immediately making a change and will administer second doses as we originally planned to all those due to receive them,” wrote Dr. Arthur Kellermann, the CEO of VCU Health System and senior vice president of the university’s health sciences department, in a statement Wednesday night.
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** Safety-net provider begins to vaccinate Richmond's homeless population ([link removed])
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By MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A push is underway to ensure the COVID-19 vaccine reaches the arms of Richmond’s most vulnerable residents. The Daily Planet Health Services, a safety net healthcare provider, kicked off a series of on-site vaccination events at homeless shelters around the city this week. People living in congregate settings, like shelters and group homes, are eligible for immunization in Phase 1b in Virginia.
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** Lynchburg-area COVID-19 hospitalizations ease, cautions persist ([link removed])
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By RACHEL MAHONEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Coronavirus-wrought pressure on Lynchburg General Hospital has been easing somewhat, and Centra Health officials are crossing their fingers in hopes the trend will continue as vaccinations trickle out to the community. Centra CEO Dr. Andy Mueller and Vice President of Medical Affairs Dr. Chris Lewis said at a Wednesday news conference that LGH, the area’s hub for treating COVID-19 patients, is continuing to ride a downward trend of patient load since being “extremely challenged” from the spread of the virus around Thanksgiving.
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** U.Va. Health requires staff to pick up extra shifts due to surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations ([link removed])
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By MARYANN XUE, Cavalier Daily

In an effort to manage increasing COVID-19 hospitalizations, U.Va. Health instituted a new policy mandating that all registered nurses, certified nursing assistants and patient care technicians in inpatient units pick up an additional 12-hour red shift — one that has a high need for additional staffing — every three weeks. The policy went into effect Jan. 10. U.Va. Health saw a surge in hospitalizations following Thanksgiving break, and the number is anticipated to continue rising over the course of the next six weeks. As of Tuesday, there were 55 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at U.Va. Health.
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** Mary Washington Healthcare gets 6,000 more vaccine doses ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Mary Washington Healthcare has gotten 6,000 more doses of COVID-19 vaccine, part of the state’s effort to move more shots from the freezer into peoples’ arms. The doses will be given out through Sunday, and the hospital is contacting older residents, health care workers and school staff members to make appointments, said Lisa Henry, MWHC’s marketing director.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** AG asks Supreme Court to reject appeal in Lee statue case ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Attorney General Mark Herring has asked the Supreme Court of Virginia to reject an appeal from a group of Richmond residents seeking to stop the governor from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. In a brief filed Wednesday afternoon, Herring urged the court to decline the plaintiffs’ petition for an appeal outright or expedite the proceedings if the court decides to hear the case.


** LOCAL
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** Percent of Drug-Free FCPS Students Takes a Hit Due to Spike in Vaping Rates ([link removed])
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By JO DEVOE, Reston Now

Vaping has reversed years of incremental progress in Fairfax County Public Schools in the number of students who report being drug-free, according to a report from the school system. “The slow improvement FCPS had shown over the last several years on the drug-free youth metric ended during SY 2019-20 due to increased numbers of students who reported vaping,” the report said. Over the last couple of years, vaping has emerged as the drug of choice among students in schools across the United States.
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** Prince William schools set to vaccinate 2,400 more teachers and staff this weekend ([link removed])
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By JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times

About 2,400 Prince William County teachers and staff will receive COVID-19 vaccinations this weekend at Unity Reed High School, according to School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef. The vaccinations will be split between Saturday and Sunday with 1,200 doses administered each day. The event will mark the largest “mass vaccination” clinic so far in Prince William County and will rely heavily on school nurses to perform the vaccinations, Lateef said Wednesday.
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** Richmond mayor tests positive for COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has tested positive for COVID-19. The mayor’s office said Stoney was informed of the positive result Wednesday morning after taking a PCR test earlier this week. A news release said he began feeling mild symptoms Monday. “While I do not feel 100 percent, I am thankful that my symptoms are currently manageable and will continue to work from my home to ensure the continuity of city government,” Stoney said in a statement.
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** Chesterfield schools to begin vaccinating more staff Thursday ([link removed])
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By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

After delaying a rollout of coronavirus vaccines for Chesterfield County Public Schools teachers last week due to limited doses, the school system will begin vaccinating elementary and career and technical teachers Thursday. The school system received 1,290 doses this week and expects to receive 1,230 next week, schools Superintendent Merv Daugherty told staff in an email Wednesday afternoon.
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** Newport News City Council denies School Board’s request for ground-mounted solar panels ([link removed])
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By JESSICA NOLTE, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

The Newport News School Board asked City Council for conditional use permits to install solar arrays at Saunders Elementary School and Hines Middle School. The panels and installation would be free, and using solar would reduce each school’s power bill. The City Council said no. The School Board’s request was denied Tuesday night on a 3-4 vote. Council members David Jenkins, Marcellus Harris III and Tina Vick voted in support of the solar panels.
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** Spotsylvania supervisors approve rezoning to allow apartments at mall ([link removed])
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By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning for the Spotsylvania Towne Centre, paving the way for an apartment complex to be built on the site once occupied by Sears. Towne Centre owner Anthony Cafaro said the mall must evolve to survive, and sees the addition of the apartment complex as a way to keep the mall viable.
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** Roanoke County leaders see broadband increasingly essential for economic growth ([link removed])
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By LUKE WEIR, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Widespread access to broadband internet is essential for the present and future economy of Roanoke County, county leaders say. With a large number of home-based businesses and several county-owned locations primed for development, high-speed internet access is an expectation for professionals in Roanoke County, said Jill Loope, county director of economic development.

Today's Sponsor:


** Tim Sullivan
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With gratitude to my friend and mentor, Governor Charles S. Robb, and with thanks for his contributions to Virginia.


** EDITORIALS
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** What Southwest Va. should demand in return for abolishing the coal tax credit ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Earlier this week we wrote about how two legislators from some of the most affluent parts of Virginia want to do away with the coal tax credits that prop up the signature industry in the poorest part of the state. Often our editorials discomfit those on the right. That particular editorial discomfited some on the left. Today we’re going to write more about that effort to do away with coal tax credits and we suspect those on the left will be even unhappier, although we don’t think they should be.
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** Portsmouth poised for huge mistake with Meeks hire ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

We regret to inform you that Portsmouth officials are at it again. Charged with the important decision to come before the City Council — the hiring of a new city manager — members appear bullishly determined to set aside all reason, and do something so wrong-headed that it defies comprehension. The council’s consideration of Danny Meeks, former council member and recently defeated candidate for mayor, should have citizens outraged.
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** Virginia is on the verge of abolishing the death penalty. Other states should follow suit. ([link removed])
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Washington Post Editorial (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Commonwealth of Virginia has carried out more executions in its history than any other state. Now, a bill to end capital punishment in Virginia is making its way through the state legislature and toward the governor’s desk. The prospects for passage are good: Though the measure is being championed by Democrats, who hold slim majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, it has attracted bipartisan support.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Schapiro: Virginia's redistricting panel finding its way — kinda ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

It was a tail-wagging-the-dog moment. Watching online this past Friday the inaugural session of Virginia’s redistricting commission, you might have gotten the impression the people who aren’t supposed to be in charge of drawing legislative and congressional seats ultimately will be. None of the eight politicians on the 16-member commission — four Democrats, four Republicans — is a chair or co-chair, denying them a procedural advantage that might ensure an upper hand, however slight, on tough questions about this line or that.
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** PolitiFact: How Does the U.S. Stack Up For Paid Family Leave? ([link removed])
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By WARREN FISKE, WCVE-FM

Sweeping legislation that would have established a paid family leave program for Virginia employees was recently killed in the state Senate. The bill, introduced by Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) would have established a wage tax in 2024 to finance up to 12 weeks of annual paid leave time for workers at 80% of their regular earnings. . . . Boysko, during a Jan. 18 hearing of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, said the bill would make Virginia a national leader on the issue. “The United States is the only industrialized, modernized country that does not already have a paid family medical leave program in place,” she said.


** OP-ED
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** Hiltz: Why parents must demand school choice ([link removed])
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By KAREN HILTZ, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Imagine your child’s learning environment is a place where they don’t feel safe. They are harassed and bullied by other students. The facilities heating and air conditioning only work 50% of the time. Only one entrance is open, and each student must pass through a magnetometer. Some teachers call them stupid and embarrass them in front of their classmates.

Hiltz is a former member of the Franklin County School Board.
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** Hincker: Don't punish the successful ([link removed])
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By LARRY HINCKER, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Hurry up and wait. Any American veteran knows the feeling. Drill, drill, drill, and then wait for the bigwigs to figure out the next steps. I suspect leaders in the New River Valley Health District know that drill. The NRV Public Health Task force, a venture of NRV Health District, municipalities, the local planning commission, and huge chunks of the business communities is the very definition of interjurisdictional cooperative planning.

Hincker is a retired public relations professional and serves on the board of a local hospital.
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** Mogensen: Animal rights groups want to shut down zoos ([link removed])
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By KARL MOGENSEN, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

In response to the recent article published by The Roanoke Times regarding Natural Bridge Zoological Park (“Natural Bridge Zoo fined for animal welfare violations,” January 15.) Since the park’s opening in 1972, Natural Bridge Zoo has been fortunate to successfully have many rare and endangered species reproduce viable offspring which can participate in breeding programs with other zoological facilities to help further ensure the species survival worldwide.

Mogensen is owner of the Natural Bridge Zoo.
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** Kleinman: Newport News man’s Nazi shirt should remind us of Holocaust’s horror ([link removed])
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By DAVID PAUL KLEINMAN, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

It was a typical day. I woke up to my toddler discussing skid steers in the baby monitor. I played tech support for my Zooming kindergartener and read a half dozen Richard Scarry books. At noon I headed to my writing shed and spent several hours adding paragraphs, deleting paragraphs, and sighing. Then I logged onto Twitter, saw a picture of a man in a Camp Auschwitz shirt, and burst into tears.

Kleinman lives in Newport News and is at work on his second novel.
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** Wright: We must make our nursing homes safer ([link removed])
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By JIM WRIGHT, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The toll is staggering: more than 2,900 residents and staff dead from COVID-19 in Virginia’s nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other congregate care settings. As a physician who has weathered multiple COVID-19 outbreaks, I personally am acquainted with far too many of these deaths. I have sat at the bedside of patients as they have gasped their last breath with nothing to offer except morphine and a hand to hold.

Wright is founder of Homecoming, a group dedicated to bringing the nation’s first memory village to the Richmond area and medical director of Our Lady of Hope Health Center in Richmond.


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