GERALD BALILES, VA. GOVERNOR FROM 1986-90, ENTERS PALLIATIVE CARE PROGRAM FOR CANCER

After a four-year battle with cancer, former Virginia Gov. Gerald Baliles has entered a palliative care program, a statement from his family says. Baliles, 79, had been getting treatment of renal cell carcinoma, including surgery in 2016 for removal of a tumorous kidney and targeted therapy of renal cancer cells that had migrated to the lungs, his family wrote in the statement.

REPUBLICAN LEADERS ACCUSE NORTHAM OF BREAKING DEAL ON MEDICAID WORK RULES

The political deal that allowed Virginia to expand its Medicaid program could be falling apart over a promised work requirement less than six weeks before voters decide control of the General Assembly. While expansion of Medicaid is not imperiled, Republican legislative leaders said Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, is breaking faith with the political bargain they made with him last year

STURTEVANT ADS FEATURE DOCTORED IMAGE OF HASHMI HOLDING RACIST PHOTO

Sen. Glen Sturtevant’s campaign website and mailers feature a doctored image of his Democratic opponent and Gov. Ralph Northam holding a racist yearbook photo. Sturtevant (R-Midlothian) has run TV spots, sent mailers, and Google ads attacking community college administrator Ghazala Hashmi for accepting $25,000 from Northam’s political action committee in June.

SEEKING THE SENATE SEAT

Candidates seeking the 24th District Senate seat took the stage last week, introducing themselves and answering questions at a forum sponsored by Rural Madison. Incumbent candidate Emmett Hanger and candidate Annette Hyde answered questions from moderator Ed Scott about everything from education to immigration.

ALCORN AND BELL FACE OFF

Candidates for the 58th District delegate seat faced off Monday at East Rockingham High School in forum sponsored by the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association. Students in the government classes crafted the questions for the candidates—incumbent Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, and democratic challenger Dr. Elizabeth Alcorn—ranging from rural broadband access to gun rights and from school funding to mental health care.

REPORTER GOES DOOR-TO-DOOR WITH SHEILA BYNUM-COLEMAN

As part of a series looking at the 66th District candidates, Capitol Bureau Reporter Sara McCloskey met up with Bynum-Coleman while she was meeting voters last week. ​​... ​​While knocking on doors in a Chesterfield neighborhood, Bynum-Coleman was a mom on a mission to meet as many people as she could before nightfall. Even a barking dog on a walk didn’t stop her from dropping off information to voters. ​​

CHALLENGING THE TROUBLEMAKER

No member of the Democratic minority is as politically combative as Del. Marcus Simon (D-53). During the last General Assembly session, for example, Simon made a parliamentary inquiry about whether a Republican member who was facing domestic violence charges should be voting on changes to the code outlining assault and battery. Republicans were furious, and the speaker quickly dispatched his inquiry then systematically delayed every Democratic bill on the docket for the rest of the day.

VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES’ ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT CARDS REVEAL PARTISAN DIVIDES

The Sierra Club recently endorsed a number of candidates running on environmentally friendly platforms after its legislative scorecards — which give incumbents grades on their past environmental performance — presented a stark contrast between the priorities of the Democrat and Republican parties. Del. Dawn Adams, D-Richmond, said that while she can’t know what drives the legislative decision making of others, she thinks environmental issues end up being addressed as partisan issues.

VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND DEMOCRATS TEAM UP ON PAC

Democratic and union operatives in Virginia and Maryland have teamed up to create a political action committee to help political candidates on both sides of the Potomac River. But for now, their focus is on Virginia, where all 140 seats in the General Assembly will go up for reelection in just over a month and organizers plan to send busloads of volunteers into the state — likely low voter-turnout districts in the Richmond area — to help Democratic candidates.

UMW SURVEY SHOWS DEMOCRATIC HOPEFULS HOLD BIG LEADS OVER TRUMP IN VIRGINIA

The four leading Democratic candidates for president each hold double-digit leads over President Donald Trump in Virginia with more than a year to go before the election, according to a University of Mary Washington poll released Thursday.

CONGRESSMAN RIGGLEMAN MAY FACE GOP CHALLENGE FOR HIS SEAT NEXT YEAR

Following a push by Rappahannock County Republicans, a potential opposition candidate has emerged to challenge 5th-District Congressman Denver Riggleman for his seat in next year’s election. The Hill.com reported on Tuesday that Campbell County Board of Supervisor member Bob Good, who serves as the Director of Athletic Development at Liberty University, may challenge the first-term congressman who has ruffled the Rapp unit over his voting record and lack of support of the Freedom Caucus.

SPANBERGER WARNS AGAINST IMPEACHMENT OVERREACH

While U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger feels strongly about claims that President Donald Trump urged Ukraine’s president to investigate the Biden family, she is taking care not to get ahead of the facts. In a mid-Wednesday interview, the Virginia Democrat drew a sharp line between the Ukraine matter and earlier allegations of misdeeds by Trump.

VIRGINIA'S INCLUSION SOUGHT IN CROP INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR INDUSTRIAL HEMP

A bipartisan group of Virginia’s congressional delegation is advocating for the state’s inclusion in a federal crop insurance program for industrial hemp.

OUT OF EXILE, GARRETT SEEKS NEW START

As the video comes up, a figure is walking through rubble, in the dark. “Is this the bed?” a voice asks from off-screen. Another voice answers yes in accented English. In a short-sleeve, plaid shirt and cargo pants, sporting a full beard and a sidearm, Tom Garrett, the former Louisa County commonwealth’s attorney and United States Congressman, pokes through the remains of a dilapidated structure.

YOUNG, AND READY TO WORK — FEDERAL DATA SHOW SPIKE IN 16-24 WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION

At the age of 15, Andrea Cardoso, of Rockingham County, was expected to work. And so she did. Now 17, the Spotswood High School senior and class president is a supervisor at Bruster’s Real Ice Cream in Harrisonburg, where she got her first job. ... She is part of the 16- to 24-year-old workforce, which in July had the largest workforce participation rate the population segment had seen in nine years, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

LOCAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACILITY TO OPEN BY YEAR’S END

Prince William County will soon be home to one of five new medical marijuana facilities opening in the state of Virginia following the passage of state laws allowing healthcare practitioners to issue medical cannabis “certifications” to patients in need. Dalitso LLC, a Virginia-based company that specializes in the production of medical cannabis, will open its doors in the Manassas area later this year.

TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA HOSPITALS FILE OPIOID LAWSUIT

A group of hospitals in Tennessee and Virginia have filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers, distributors and retailers of opioid-based drugs. Twenty-six hospitals in eastern Tennessee and seven hospitals in southwestern Virginia are involved in the civil suit. The complaint was filed in July, but it wasn't publicized until Thursday.

GOVERNOR NORTHAM ANNOUNCES NEW 153 NEW JOBS IN LAWRENCEVILLE

A new customer service center will bring 153 jobs to Brunswick County. Governor Northam announced Thursday that Echo World Communications, LLC, a newly formed company in Virginia, will invest $550,000 to open the center and receive funding from the Virginia Jobs Investment Program to hire and train the new employees. The Brunswick County Industrial Development Authority worked with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to secure the project for Virginia.

CONTRADICTING EARLIER ACCOUNT, LIBERTY'S ACCREDITOR SAYS IT HAS NOT CONTACTED UNIVERSITY OVER MEDIA REPORTS

Liberty University’s accrediting body has had no formal communication with the college since a flurry of recent media reports have alleged misconduct under President Jerry Falwell Jr.’s leadership, the organization’s president said Thursday, contradicting an earlier account. “We have not yet written a letter to Liberty,” said Belle Wheelan, the president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

CORRECTION: LIBERTY UNIVERSITY-FALWELL STORY

In a story Sept. 25 about Liberty University, The Associated Press, relying on information from the school's accreditor, reported erroneously that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges sent a letter asking for more information about recent news reports about Jerry Falwell Jr. A spokeswoman for the commission says that no letter has been sent but that the news reports are under review.

U.VA. HEALTH SYSTEM’S COLLECTION PRACTICES PLACE HOLDS ON STUDENT ACCOUNTS

Fourth-year College student Michael Marrow went to the University Medical Center Emergency Department Feb. 27 with chest pains. According to medical records provided by Marrow, he left with $636.25 in medical debt, and his insurance footed an additional $2,299.75. In a recent interview with The Cavalier Daily, Marrow said that at the time, he had no idea he owed anything.

WITH ECONOMY UP, ENROLLMENT IS DOWN

Enrollment at Tidewater Community College for the semester that began a few weeks ago is down 8.1% from last fall. As of last week, the college had enrolled the equivalent of 10,961 full-time students, nearly a thousand under fall 2018. The figure is a calculation used for college funding.

4% OF MARRIAGES IN VA. HAVE BEEN SAME-SEX SINCE LEGALIZATION

Same-sex couples have made up 1 of every 26 new marriages in Virginia since such unions were legalized in the commonwealth in 2014. In a half-dozen localities — ranging from cities such as Richmond and Norfolk to rural communities like Buena Vista — same-sex couples represent approximately 1 of every 15 marriages. Norfolk, for example, recorded about 12,400 marriages from 2014 through 2018, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

TWITTER SCANDAL LEADS TO PUBLIC APOLOGY IN PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY RACE

John Gray, the embattled GOP candidate for chairman of the Board of County Supervisors in Prince William County, issued a public apology Thursday for since-deleted tweets that opponents have called racist, sexist and homophobic.

PR. WILLIAM TWEET FLAP INTENSIFIES

The partisan backlash over inflammatory tweets that Virginia Republican John Gray tried to hide intensified Thursday, with Democrats calling on him to drop his candidacy for chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. At a news conference with several other Democrats who either represent the area or are seeking office, state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) said the GOP “has nominated a misogynistic, bigoted racist to lead the county government. "

BOARD CHAIRMAN’S FORUM IGNORES GRAY’S OFFENSIVE TWEETS AS CANDIDATES SPAR ON RURAL CRESCENT

Four candidates vying for at-large chair of the Prince William Board of Supervisors discussed their visions for the county’s future Wednesday during a forum in Manassas. The event occurred just two days after GOP candidate John Gray faced a backlash from his Democratic rival Ann Wheeler over several racist, homophobic and misogynistic tweets recently deleted from his Twitter account, but the issue was not mentioned during the event.

NEW $9.1M LAWSUIT DELVES FURTHER INTO ALLEGED PURCELLVILLE CONSPIRACY

The Town of Purcellville and some of the people involved in the months of scandal and investigations that plagued the town hall and police department in 2017 and 2018 have been hit with yet another lawsuit, as police officer Kristopher Fraley has filed a $9.1 million civil claim. Fraley is the second law enforcement professional to sue the town, followed by Police Chief Cynthia McAlister, who was briefly out a job after a shakeup in Town Hall and an internal investigation that has since been itself investigated. McAlister has sued for $16 million.

STATE SUPERINTENDENT HEARS ABOUT FREDERICKSBURG SCHOOL'S IMPROVEMENTS, NEEDS

A miniature robot was chirping loudly as state Superintendent James Lane tried his hand at building one out of Cubelets in Lafayette Upper Elementary School’s library. Three fifth-graders helping to give him a tour of the Fredericksburg school Thursday had demonstrated how the Cubelets, which are used to teach coding, snap together.

VAGUE SEPTIC GUIDELINES

A new school in the Amish community revealed that Richmond County has vague septic system regulations. At this month’s board of supervisors meeting, chairman F. Lee Sanders told fellow board members that he was approached by individuals with questions about the Amish being allowed to build a school without bathrooms.

VIRGINIA’S UGLY PAST REARS ITS HEAD AGAIN

Attorney General Mark Herring acted swiftly, and correctly, when presented with a lawsuit challenging Virginia law that requires couples to state their race on their marriage licenses. His directive suspending that legal hurdle helps remove one more vestige of the commonwealth’s embarrassing record on race.

POLITICAL THREATS, INTERFERENCE ARE INIQUITOUS

Under this country’s legal system, anyone accused of a crime is innocent until proved guilty. That rule is intended to safeguard individual civil rights and prevent miscarriages of justice. It is wise, it is fitting, it is foundational to our American liberties. But with that truth always in mind, it also remains necessary to condemn those in this nation who would dishonor our democracy, thwart our liberties and endanger our persons through racist threats and violence.

BALILES WAS A VISIONARY GOVERNOR

The family of Gerald Baliles has circulated the news that the 79-year-old former governor has “enrolled in a palliative care program” after several years of battling kidney cancer. Elected in 1985, Baliles was one of the least glamorous and most important governors in Virginia history.

SNAP FINES TARNISH STATE’S REPUTATION

Virginia has won awards in the past for being the best managed state in the nation, but mismanagement in the Virginia Department of Social Services has now tarnished the commonwealth’s sterling reputation. VDSS has been fined $3.8 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for making errors in processing nearly a tenth (9.62 percent) of its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applications in 2018.

RAABERG: CONGRESS MUST FUND PROGRAMS THAT HELP VIRGINIA CHILDREN AIM HIGH

If there’s one overarching lesson I learned from more than 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, especially as leader of the most advanced air, space and cyber operations, it’s that the strength of our military depends on the quality of its people.

Douglas Raaberg is a retired U.S. Air Force major general and former director of air and space operations, Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY IS FILLED WITH HOLES

It was agony enough that their 19-year-old daughter died of a heroin overdose. After all, Brian and Caroline Folker had always thought Fauquier County was a safe place to raise their two daughters. ... But it seemed like unnecessary cruelty to have Kathrine die not long after a stint in an addiction recovery center, after being buoyed by so much relief and hope. Through their terrible ordeal, the couple learned one of the awful realities of addiction. Most addicts relapse. Multiple times. Even after they receive treatment.