VaNews
February 2, 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 has sped up its vaccine distribution ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Reporting lags, complicated logistics and data entry errors frustrated Virginia officials six weeks in to distributing COVID-19 vaccines aimed at beating back a virus that's killed almost 6,500 state residents. On Monday, Virginia Department of Health data showed a prominent shift that has launched the state past most of the U.S. for supply used: nearly 64% of its available vaccines have been administered. This translates to 843,230 total shots given and 11 times the number reported a month ago.
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** House budget panel backs sick leave proposal but not hazard pay ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The House budget committee endorsed legislation on Monday to require paid sick leave for essential workers, including those providing home health care under Virginia’s Medicaid program. But the powerful panel drew the line at a separate bill to require hazard pay for essential workers during public health emergencies that could have cost the state an estimated $46 million a month, according to its staff.
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** Bills to lift veil from Virginia Parole Board receiving bipartisan support in General Assembly ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Legislation to bring more transparency and accountability to the secretive Virginia Parole Board is moving through the General Assembly with bipartisan support. The board has been under scrutiny for the past several months following controversies involving the release of several inmates from prison. Gov. Ralph Northam has put money toward improving the notification system so that victims and other appropriate people are made aware of the board’s decisions to release people.
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** Virginia Sen. Amanda Chase sues over being censured ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN AND DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

A firebrand conservative Virginia state senator seeking the Republican nomination for governor filed a federal lawsuit Monday that seeks to undo her legislative colleagues’ recent decision to censure her for an alleged “pattern of unacceptable conduct.” In a bipartisan vote last week, the Virginia Senate approved a measure rebuking Sen. Amanda Chase over a series of incendiary incidents during her tenure, including remarks in which she seemed to voice support for those who participated in storming the U.S. Capitol last month. The decision to pass the censure resolution followed a long debate that featured scathing criticisms of Chase from both Democrats and Republicans.
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** Norfolk suddenly won’t answer questions about massive St. Paul’s redevelopment project ([link removed])
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By RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The city of Norfolk is starting a massive overhaul of the St. Paul’s area that will ultimately mean moving thousands of residents and demolishing about 1,700 public housing units. But city officials now say they won’t answer questions from the press about any of it — indefinitely. City spokeswoman Lori Crouch abruptly called off a scheduled interview with The Virginian-Pilot last week, saying staff would not answer questions from the media related to the billion-dollar redevelopment.
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** Virginia State University will offer free tuition to 300 local students this fall ([link removed])
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By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia State University will give free tuition to about 300 local students who enroll this fall, the university announced Monday. The grant stems from the Virginia College Affordability Network, an initiative funded by the state with the intention of increasing access to undergraduate education for students with high financial need.
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** Attorney general backs legislation aimed at Dominion Energy's excess profits ([link removed])
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By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A consumer advocate in the state Attorney General’s office asked lawmakers to support proposals to strengthen oversight of the state’s largest electric utility after years of utility-friendly laws tied regulators’ hands. Meade Browder, a senior assistant attorney general, made his comments Monday during a House of Delegates subcommittee meeting where lawmakers advanced a group of bills aimed at Dominion Energy’s over-earnings.
The Full Report
48 articles, 21 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual A Record 7 House Democrats Face Primary ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

A record number of Democrats in the House of Delegates face a challenge from within their own party this year. There could be more, depending on what happens to six additional delegates if they fall short of their bids to move up to statewide office. This visual shows the number of House incumbents from both parties who have been "primaried" in general election cycles since 1999.
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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 to 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.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Virginia lawmakers unanimously pass legislation to expand the state’s pool of COVID-19 vaccinators ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

They didn’t quite get it done in a week. But Virginia lawmakers still mobilized quickly to pass emergency legislation aimed at expanding the state’s pool of COVID-19 vaccinators — a bipartisan priority as health officials prepare to ramp up large-scale vaccination events over the next few months. Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, said building a qualified workforce has been a limiting factor as local health districts work to expand their immunization efforts to a broader swath of Virginians. A practicing OB-GYN, Dunnavant was the lead patron on the Senate version of a bill that allows any qualified health care provider in Virginia to volunteer as a vaccinator.
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** Virginia House passes bill ending coal tax credits ([link removed])
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Associated Press

The Virginia House passed a bill Monday that would phase out two costly coal tax credits that a state investigation recently found generate economic losses for the state. On a 54-45 vote, the chamber approved the measure from Del. Sally Hudson. The bill still must pass the Senate before it can go to the governor. A similar measure in the Senate hasn’t yet received a vote.
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** After stripping prohibition on stun weapons, Va. House passes Capitol area gun ban ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

Legislation to ban firearms in and around the Virginia Capitol cleared the House of Delegates Monday on a 51-45 vote, just weeks after heavily armed demonstrators rallied near the building for the second time in two years. Supporters called the proposal a common-sense way to secure the seat of state government and ensure Virginians can exercise their rights to democratic participation without having to worry about the presence of guns. . . . Similar legislation is pending in the state Senate and could come up for a final vote Tuesday.
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** House of Delegates advances Voting Rights Act of Virginia ([link removed])
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By CIERRA PARKS, VCU Capital News Service

On the first day of Black History Month, legislators advanced a bill to help ensure voter protection for Virginia citizens. House Bill 1890, also known as the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, cleared the House in a 55-45 vote. Del. Marcia Price, D-Newport News, modeled the bill after the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. Price’s bill aims to eliminate voter suppression, intimidation and discrimination through changes in voting laws and practices by election officials.
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** Military families often must waive federal protections to rent. State lawmakers want to change that ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Lt. j.g Stephanie Fisher knew where her next posting would be — Hampton Roads — but couldn’t get time for house-hunting. She handled it all online, came into town on a Saturday, stopped by the rental office to pick up keys, and was handed a paper all too familiar to people in the military: A waiver of her rights under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Fisher is a lawyer, and as she read through the vague wording while the rental agent kept pressing her to hurry because another appointment was coming, she tried to run a line through, to say she didn’t agree.
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** Virginia lawmakers split on criminal penalties as they work to legalize marijuana ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

With marijuana legalization on the horizon, a broad coalition of Democrats in the Senate say it would be wrong to continue penalizing Virginians for possessing small amounts of the drug — even if no legal market exists. That view is reflected in legislation that cleared the influential Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday on a 9-5-1 vote, which would legalize marijuana on July 1 and call for the creation of a regulated market by 2023.
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** Democrats Debate Scrubbing of Criminal Records ([link removed])
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By WHITTNEY EVANS, WCVE-FM

Virginia Democrats say they want to give people with criminal histories a second chance -- by scrubbing their records once they’ve completed their sentences. But legislators have been unable to agree on how it should be done, getting stuck on key details, including which offenses should be eligible for expungement and whether they should be scrubbed automatically. Lauren Penn was convicted of a felony in 2008. And she said she’s spent the last 12 years trying to make it right.
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** General Assembly again rejects proposals to repeal qualified immunity ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Lawmakers in the Virginia House and Senate have once again rejected legislation aimed at making it easier to pursue misconduct lawsuits against police officers, promising to study the issue and revisit it in future legislative sessions. A federal doctrine known as qualified immunity, which often protects police from civil rights claims, drew nationwide scrutiny last year after the death of George Floyd. Rolling back those protections became a top priority for some criminal justice reform advocates.
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** College aid for undocumented residents passes Va. House and Senate ([link removed])
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By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Both houses of the General Assembly approved bills on Monday that would allow undocumented residents of the state to apply for college financial aid. The bills build upon legislation signed into law last year that allows a student to receive in-state tuition regardless of his or her immigration status.
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** Former Richmond judge starts petition seeking Chesterfield judge's reappointment ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A former Richmond judge has launched a Change.org petition that seeks the reappointment of Chesterfield General District Judge Pamela O’Berry, who the General Assembly last week turned down for a third, six-year term on the bench. Attorney Birdie Jamison, who lost reappointment in 2015 as a judge in Richmond General District Court and now works as a community activist, is trying to rally support for O’Berry after the Virginia Senate on Jan. 26 did not include her on a list of 45 judges statewide to be elected for additional terms.
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** Censured legislator files suit against Virginia Senate ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A Republican state senator who was censured after she praised those who stormed the U.S. Capitol as "patriots" filed a federal lawsuit on Monday, contending the rebuke from her Virginia Senate colleagues violated her constitutional rights. The Senate voted last week to censure Sen. Amanda F. Chase (Chesterfield), a Trump-style populist seeking the GOP nomination for governor, for what it described as a pattern of “unacceptable conduct.”
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** Chase files suit against Va. Senate to remove censure ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, struck back on Monday against her censure by the Virginia Senate with a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn the public rebuke and restore her seniority in the 40-member chamber. Chase filed suit against the Senate and Clerk Susan Schaar in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia over alleged violations of her rights under the U.S. Constitution, including freedom of speech under the First Amendment and the right to due process under the 14th Amendment, as well as the Senate’s own rules.
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** Wason Center Poll highlights legislative priorities of Virginia voters ([link removed])
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WDBJ-TV

The newest poll from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Civic Leadership gives a glimpse of what is important to Virginia voters as the 2021 General Assembly debates new laws and the state budget. The poll showed Virginia voters strongly back legalizing marijuana, requiring employees to provide paid sick leave and repealing the death penalty. When it comes to priorities for increased state spending, voters ranked health care and K-12 education highest and tourism and prisons lowest.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Virginia Republicans' search for a standard-bearer is a key test of post-Trump GOP in upcoming governor's race ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL WARREN, CNN

As Republicans search for a path forward following Donald Trump's defeat and the party's loss of power in Washington, many are looking across the Potomac River to Virginia, where voters will select a new governor this November. Well before the 2022 midterms or 2024 presidential primaries, the Virginia governor's race will be a first real test for a post-Trump GOP -- not only of whether Republicans can start to win back a state they once reliably held, but in who the party picks as its nominee.
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** Arlington GOP sees school-reopening chaos as potentially winning issue ([link removed])
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By SCOTT MCCAFFREY, Sun Gazette

Whether the prime consideration is public policy, pure politics or (most likely) a combination of the two, Arlington Republicans appear to see an opening in forcefully questioning the county school system’s lackadaisical back-to-class efforts. Keeping students out of classrooms for months on end is “destroying the lives of our children – it’s just failing them miserably,” Arlington GOP chairman Andrew Loposser thundered at the party’s first meeting of the new year.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Regulators say Dominion’s long-range plan doesn’t meet statutory standards ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

The State Corporation Commission on Monday said it couldn’t conclude that Dominion Energy’s 15-year plan met statutory standards but did not ask the utility to refile the non-binding roadmap. Instead, regulators asked Dominion to make a series of changes to its long-range planning when it files required updates in 2021 and 2022.
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** Virginia board adopts final pandemic-long COVID workplace rules ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia’s first-in-the-nation mandatory workplace safety regulations governing COVID-19 are now “permanent” — at least until Gov. Ralph Northam ends the pandemic-related state of emergency. The rules, which were first adopted as temporary in July, govern everything from mask-wearing to social distancing and outbreaks among employees. They come with the penalty of fines for businesses who flaunt the regulations. The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s Safety and Health Codes Board voted to adopt the permanent standard on Jan. 13, and it became effective on Jan. 27.
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** Ex-jail warden convicted of fraud, denying inmates care ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

The former superintendent of a Virginia jail has been convicted on corruption charges for denying medical treatment to an inmate who suffered brutal attacks and giving preferential treatment to another inmate, including personally delivered ice cream, whose family made financial donations. John Marshall Higgins, 62, was superintendent of the Rockbridge Regional Jail near Lexington until 2017, when he resigned after state police began an investigation of the jail. He also served two terms on the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors.
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** Former Rockbridge jail superintendent found guilty in federal court ([link removed])
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By NEIL HARVEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The former superintendent of the Rockbridge Regional Jail has been found guilty in federal court of taking bribes in exchange for special treatment for one inmate, and for failing to provide adequate care for two others who were in custody. Those guilty verdicts, on five felony charges and one misdemeanor, followed John Marshall Higgins’ bench trial in August and were detailed in an opinion issued Sunday by U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon.


** CONGRESS
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** Elaine Luria pays off campaign debt using corporate PAC money she said she’d reject ([link removed])
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By KATE ACKLEY, Roll Call

Corporate political action committees gave Rep. Elaine Luria more than $30,000 in the final weeks of 2020, after the Virginia Democrat reversed her policy of refusing such donations. Luria, who ended her 2020 reelection race owing more than she had in her campaign account, used contributions from the PACs of Google, Altria, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Rolls Royce North America and others to pay off debt, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission. Luria was elected in 2018, and then reelected last year, while vowing to reject donations from the PACs of companies. She changed her mind late last year, as first reported by CQ Roll Call.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Wells Fargo to lay off 320 workers in Henrico ([link removed])
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By GREGORY J. GILLIGAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Wells Fargo & Co.’s investment management and financial brokerage business unit is letting go 320 employees from its offices in the Innsbrook Corporate Center in western Henrico County. The company’s wealth and investment management group, which includes Wells Fargo Advisors financial brokerage, plans to shift the work to its offices in Minneapolis and St. Louis, a company spokeswoman said. Affected employees may be able to keep their jobs by relocating.
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** Niche retail stores fighting through the pandemic ([link removed])
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By MATT WELCH, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The lack of post-holiday spending and the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have left some small business owners digging into their own pockets to keep their shops running. While communities in the region continue to do what they can to support small businesses, the reality for some of those with a niche clientele base is that day-to-day operations sometimes see zero dollars coming in.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** VMI committed to honor code but will review procedural aspects ([link removed])
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By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia Military Institute's interim superintendent said last week that he remains committed to the military college's honor code and its single-sanction system, but will consider changes to the oversight of the student-run justice system. In an email to the VMI community on Friday, retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins said that he is reviewing "the process by which we adjudicate honor violations to ensure that it allows for those accused to mount a legitimate defense and to ensure fairness to all those involved."
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** Virginia Law Review appoints first Black editor-in-chief ([link removed])
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Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The new editor-in-chief of the Virginia Law Review, Tiffany Mickel, is the first Black person to hold the position, according to a news release from the University of Virginia. Mickel, a second-year student at the UVa School of Law, and the managing board were chosen by the outgoing board after an application and interview process. The 30 second-year law students began their new roles on Jan. 25, according to the release.
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** Virginia Tech to rebate student transit fee after Blacksburg CARES Act credit ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia Tech students will receive a nearly $100 rebate this semester after Blacksburg directed federal coronavirus relief funds to the university. The town of Blacksburg will credit the university $4 million in funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act earmarked for public transit, Tech announced Monday. “When we learned that there would be a surplus in Blacksburg Transit’s budget due to the CARES Act funding, we felt that it was appropriate to provide this credit back to the university, which has been the town’s long-time partner in providing Blacksburg Transit service,” Town Manager Marc Verniel said in a Tech news release.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Virginia reports 2,861 new COVID-19 cases ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia on Monday reported 2,861 new COVID-19 cases, the second day in a row with an unusually low count. The new cases bring the state’s cumulative total since the beginning of the pandemic to 504,779, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
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** From 50th to 14th: Virginia's epic turnaround after ranking dead last in vaccine administration last week ([link removed])
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By ELIAS WEISS, Chatham Star Tribune

Last Monday, Virginia ranked dead last of the 50 states in percentage of vaccines administered of those distributed, barely clearing 40 percent. One week later, health officials have turned things around in the commonwealth. Following Gov. Ralph Northam taking the public podium to admit personal responsibility for the Virginia's plaintive performance in December and January, the commonwealth has been elevated 36 spots in just seven days and now stakes claim to an administration rate far over the national average.
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** Virginia health officials say COVID-19 vaccines aren’t being wasted, but won’t release data backing it up ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

State officials say they’re confident that no COVID-19 vaccines are going to waste in Virginia. But seven weeks into the state’s vaccine rollout, the Virginia Department of Health won’t release data on wastage, which vaccinators are required to report under a provider agreement distributed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The document, which providers must fill out in order to administer vaccines, requires them to report the number of doses that were “unused, spoiled, expired, or wasted as required by the relevant jurisdiction.” In practice, that means hospitals, pharmacies and other administrators should be reporting the data to VDH, which then passes the information onto the CDC.
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** VDH: Sentara Prioritizing Its Patients Not State's 'Intent' On Vaccine ([link removed])
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By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

State Vaccine Coordinator Danny Avula said it was not the Virginia Department of Health’s intention for hospitals to prioritize vaccinations of their own eligible patients over eligible members of the public. “It was clearly the intent to make sure hospitals had what they needed to vaccinate their front-line health care workers. In some cases that went beyond and that was not our intent,” Avula said during a media call Friday. He said most hospital systems across the state got the “message and have handled that really responsibly,” he said.
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** Loudoun to get $1M FEMA Funding for Vaccination Effort ([link removed])
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Loudoun Now

Loudoun County will receive $1.02 million to assist in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the county’s representatives in Congress announce Monday. The money will be used to support efforts to store, handle, transport, distribute and administer the vaccine against COVID-19, according to a press release from Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA). Loudoun is the second locality in Virginia to win that funding, after Arlington County. Under Gov. Ralph Northam’s Major Disaster Declaration, localities may apply for funding to support vaccine distribution from FEMA.
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** Vaccine clinic continues as planned in Fredericksburg ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

While the weekend’s wintry weather continues to close some operations, Rappahannock Area Health District is holding its vaccination clinic this Tuesday as planned. Fredericksburg residents who have been contacted by the health district for appointments will be vaccinated, part of the district’s effort to host a clinic in each locality it serves.
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** COVID-19 vaccine begins to arrive at Roanoke-area jails ([link removed])
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By ALICIA PETSKA, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Vaccines are slowly starting to roll out to inmates in jails around the Roanoke Valley. The vulnerable jail population, which has virtually no options for distancing, became eligible for vaccination last month with the launch of Phase 1b in Virginia, but it wasn’t immediately known when the first doses would be shipped.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Felony charge added against former Rocky Mount officers who were at Capitol ([link removed])
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By MIKE ALLEN, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A federal grand jury has added a felony to the charges faced by two former Rocky Mount police officers who posed for a selfie inside the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riot. A new federal indictment charges Jacob Fracker, 29, of Rocky Mount and Thomas “T.J.” Robertson, 47, of Ferrum with one count each of obstruction of an official proceeding as well as aiding and abetting, entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, and disorderly conduct in the Capitol.
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** Nonprofit to spend $8 million turning farmland back to wetlands near Great Dismal Swamp ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE HAFNER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Your view driving along Route 17 in southern Chesapeake could start to look different in the coming years. A conservation group is buying about 1,300 acres next to the Great Dismal Swamp in hopes of turning much of it back into historic wetlands that were originally part of the swamp. Ducks Unlimited, a national nonprofit that focuses on conserving waterfowl habitat, is embarking on a three-phased acquisition of the land it expects to ultimately cost about $8 million, said Emily Purcell, the organization’s director of conservation programs for the South Atlantic.


** LOCAL
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** Richmond Electoral Board votes to remove city's top election official after tense public hearing ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

After a heated public hearing Monday evening, the Richmond Electoral Board voted to remove Kirk Showalter as the city’s general registrar, an action she said last week could lead to a legal challenge. “Not only will we file suit, but we are now in planning stage to ask for injunctive relief,” Linda Woods, an attorney representing Showalter, said in a brief phone interview minutes after the board vote around 8:45 p.m. Monday. “They did not follow due process.”
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** Richmond now accepting applications for tax amnesty program ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Richmond property owners and businesses may now apply for the city to waive penalties and interest on their delinquent real estate, lodging, meals or admissions tax payments. The new tax amnesty program adopted by the Richmond City Council last month is intended to help residents and businesses struggling financially due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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** Richmonders split on year-round school proposal ([link removed])
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By KENYA HUNTER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Richmonders who had their first chance to weigh in on Superintendent Jason Kamras’ $341 million budget proposal on Monday sounded off on plans to shift the school system to a year-round calendar. The move is expected to cost an extra $8 million and would see students shift to a calendar with four two-week breaks, during which time high-needs students would keep attending classes in hopes of bridging learning gaps from the pandemic.
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** First group of Virginia Beach students to return — again — for in-person classes Tuesday ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Thousands of young Virginia Beach students will return to brick-and-mortar classrooms Tuesday for the first time in roughly two months, marking the latest “first day” in a year where public schooling has been severely disrupted by the pandemic. The return of some students comes despite coronavirus transmission rates remaining elevated throughout the region — though the area’s number of new cases and positivity rate has been declining in recent weeks.
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** Hampton schools push return to classrooms back two weeks ([link removed])
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By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Students won’t return to Hampton classrooms until later this month, the school district announced Monday. Some students, including pre-K, kindergarten and certain students with disabilities, had been set to return next week. The district has been all-virtual since before winter break.
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** New e-commerce tax creates windfall for Roanoke County ([link removed])
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By LUKE WEIR, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A new internet sales tax is making up the difference for Roanoke County’s government during a year operating on slim margins. Internet sales tax is for the first time being collected in Virginia during the government's 2021 fiscal year, which began July 1 and ends June 30. The tax is charged through any out-of-state retailer who remotely sells to more than 200 Virginians or who nets more than $100,000 of business in Virginia. Businesses, or the companies like Amazon and eBay that facilitate a large number of online sales, must now register with Virginia to charge internet sales tax.
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** Rural broadband availability comes into sharper relief with pandemic ([link removed])
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By MIKE STILL, Kingsport Times News

While a recent award of grant funding to extend broadband service to underserved parts of Lee County came as good news to Southwest Virginia, some area officials still see broader problems to expanding what they see as a utility as important as water, sewer and electricity. Last week’s announcement by Gov. Ralph Northam of a $1.23 million Virginia Telecom-munications Initiative grant to install 73 miles of “last-mile” fiber to connect 679 potential residential and business customers in unserved parts of Lee County marks the second such grant since 2020 to a partnership between the LENOWISCO Planning District Commission and Scott County Telephone Cooperative.

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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** Why Kaine's censure resolution might be better than impeachment ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, says he plans to introduce a resolution that censures former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrectionist mob that stormed the Capitol. Judging from the reaction we’ve seen on social media, this is not popular with many on the left — who think a censure lets Trump off too easy. They want nothing less than a conviction in his upcoming impeachment trial.
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** The public interest again appears at risk ([link removed])
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Daily Progress Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Now, let’s see if we got this right: Members of the public cannot use the Virginia Public Records Act — even though the records ultimately should belong to the public? Briefly summarized: The City of Charlottesville has argued in court that a plaintiff has no right to challenge city actions under the PRA. And if the city’s right, then the statute is wrong — morally wrong.
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** The ideal COVID-19 vaccine infrastructure already exists ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Entering February, Virginia’s quest to administer COVID-19 vaccines appears to be improving. Look at Bloomberg’s “Vaccine Tracker” and the commonwealth no longer is near the bottom of some key metrics officials are using to gauge success. As of Monday morning, Virginia ranked 11th in doses administered (833,221), fifth in the daily rate of doses administered (51,177) and 17th in the percentage of supply used (67.6%).


** OP-ED
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** Romanello: Henrico, state poised to become international leader in renewable energy ([link removed])
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By ANTHONY J. ROMANELLO, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Henrico County and the Greater Richmond region are earning their place as a globally respected economic force. Our area is home to some of the most exciting, innovative economic development projects on the East Coast. The vision behind this growth — bold planning rooted in social equity and environmental sustainability — didn’t suddenly come about. It has been years in the making.

Romanello is executive director of the Henrico Economic Development Authority.
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** McCartney: Vaccine rollout gets ‘below an F’ grade ([link removed])
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By ROBERT MCCARTNEY, published in Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Canceled appointments. Insufficient doses. Contradictory eligibility rules. Infuriating websites. Multiple mishaps have mangled the region’s rollout of vaccine doses that an exhausted citizenry expects will end the pandemic. The problems, also evident nationwide, add to the list of failures that the world’s richest country has compiled in a year of battling the coronavirus.

McCartney is a retired Washington Post reporter who now writes columns for the newspaper.


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