VaNews
February 3, 2021

Today's Sponsor:


** Rebecca Anderson
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In support of an informed Virginia electorate.
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Top of the News


** Virginia will focus on vaccinating seniors over next few months, state coordinator says ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Seniors and elderly Virginians will be prioritized for coronavirus vaccines as local health departments work through their limited supplies, according to Dr. Danny Avula, state vaccination coordinator. All cities and counties expanded into Phase 1b by the start of last week. That means residents who are ages 65 and older, front-line essential workers and adults with high-risk medical conditions are now eligible for immunizations statewide. Without enough doses to meet the demand, Virginia is directing local health leaders to commit about half of their rationed doses each week to vaccinating the older population.
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** A week after ranking last in the country for vaccine supply used, Virginia nears the top 10 ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A week after ranking last in the country for vaccine supply used, Virginia is nearly among the top 10. North Dakota and West Virginia have steadily reigned over every other state since December when it comes to the percentage of shots given and on Tuesday, both had injected more than 80% of available doses. Virginia is creeping up with at least 64% and sitting at the No. 12 spot.
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** Senate passes bill requiring in-person learning ([link removed])
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By KENYA HUNTER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia state Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would require schools to offer in-person instruction beginning next fall. Senate Bill 1303, sponsored by Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, passed on a vote of 26-13. Eight Democrats joined 18 Republicans to support the bill, with 13 Democrats in opposition.
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** Bill that would abolish death penalty in Virginia heads to final Senate vote ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

A bill that would abolish the death penalty in Virginia cleared a hurdle in the state Senate on Tuesday and is poised for a final vote later this week. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted to advance a bill from Sen. Scott Surovell to a third and final reading after rejecting a Republican senator’s proposed changes that would have significantly altered it.
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** Marijuana legalization advances in Virginia, but lawmakers push start date to 2024 ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Landmark legislation that would make Virginia the first state in the South to legalize marijuana is heading toward its first full votes before the House and Senate this week. And while the proposal has garnered consistent — and in some cases bi-partisan — support, significant debate remains on key details of the proposal, including when and how criminal penalties should be rolled back as the state begins working to establish a legal marketplace for the drug.
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** Amazon unveils Helix building as heart of campus in Arlington ([link removed])
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By FREDRICK KUNKLE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Amazon unveiled plans Tuesday to build a futuristic building modeled after a double helix to serve as the centerpiece of its Arlington, Va., headquarters. In artists’ renderings, the 350-foot-tall building — designed by the architectural firm NBBJ to reflect nature’s fondness for the helix in areas from DNA to the Milky Way galaxy — climbs above its National Landing neighborhood like the swirl on an ice cream cone or the tip of a giant screw that has punched through the Earth’s surface. On social media, some likened the design to a Christmas tree. Others were reminded of Pieter Bruegel’s painting “The Tower of Babel.”
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** Suffolk councilman trades $157,000 city landscaping contract for a $15,000 City Council seat ([link removed])
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WAVY-TV

A newly-elected Suffolk City Councilman just lost a $157,000 lucrative landscaping contract with the City of Suffolk. Councilman LeOtis Williams wants the council to allow him to keep the contract — but he also wants to continue serving on council. The rest of City Council may not be going down that path. Suffolk taxpayer dollars are used to pay Williams’ business, LW’s Lawn Service, $157,000 to landscape several city-owned properties, including Suffolk City Hall, the grounds of Riddicks Folley, next door at the Suffolk Visitors Center and Pavilion. The business also cares for 12 other city properties and a few cemeteries.
The Full Report
55 articles, 29 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual How Each Legislator Would Amend State Budget ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

State legislators returned to Richmond last month with hundreds of suggestions for amending the 2020-22 state budget. Some budget amendments are big ideas with large price tags. Others are modest ways to direct some state funds back home or affect policy. VPAP calculates the net cost of each legislators' amendments and includes a link to their proposals.
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** VPAP Visual Lobbying Newcomers ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

This year's pandemic-shortened General Assembly session has seen fewer companies and other groups that for the first time hired lobbyists to represent their interests. VPAP groups the 111 new lobbying clients by topic area, and the visual includes links to each client's list of lobbyists and its description of matters it intended to lobby.
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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.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Court dismisses Chincoteague church’s lawsuit against Gov. Northam ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, WAVY-TV

A lawsuit against Gov. Ralph Northam filed by a Chincoteague church over the governor’s COVID-19 executive orders has been dismissed. Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Chincoteague initially filed the lawsuit back in April of 2020 asking a federal court to prevent Northam and “his designees” from “unconstitutionally enforcing and applying the various” executive orders against the church.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Virginia Senate passes bill requiring in-person school ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

After a lengthy and impassioned floor debate, the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would require every local school division to make both virtual and in-person learning available to students. The measure was sponsored by Republican Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, who is a doctor.
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** 'We're not doing anything': Virginia General Assembly puts off fixing crumbling schools ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

After another year of state legislators talking about how important it is to help localities repair and replace crumbling public schools, they aren’t headed toward putting money toward the problem. For the past few years, school leaders have been appealing to the General Assembly to become more involved in updating or replacing schools. While a few lawmakers have proposed various measures, most of them don’t come with any method of generating funding.
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** Virginia set to pass historic bill giving students time off to protest ([link removed])
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By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

When Virginia’s largest school district began allowing students time off to protest in 2019, the backlash was swift and partisan: Conservative critics denounced Fairfax County Public Schools for coddling its too-liberal, too-sensitive youth and predicted kids would abuse the policy to play hooky. But a year later, the Virginia General Assembly is poised to pass legislation that will take Fairfax’s policy statewide, permitting more than 680,000 middle and high school students across 130-plus school systems one excused absence every year to “engage in a civic event.”
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** Virginia's Democrat-led Senate debates abolishing death penalty ([link removed])
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By GABRIELLA MUÑOZ, Washington Times

The Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate opened debate Tuesday evening on legislation that would abolish the death penalty, after a new poll emerged showing that most Virginians disapprove of capital punishment. Senators proposed several substitute amendments to the legislation introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell, Fairfax Democrat, and a vote on the bill was scheduled for Wednesday. If enacted, the legislation would make the commonwealth the first Southern state to ban the death penalty.
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** Senate set to debate bill abolishing death penalty ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A Senate bill to abolish the death penalty in Virginia survived three significant amendment attempts Tuesday and is set to be considered by the full body Wednesday. Senate Bill 1165 would change the more than one dozen types of capital murder — such as murder in the commission of a rape or the murder of a police officer, now punishable by death or life in prison — to aggravated murders, punishable by life without parole.
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** Bill To Abolish Death Penalty Irks Elected Leaders ([link removed])
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By PETE DELEA, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Local political leaders balked at Gov. Ralph Northam’s push to abolish the death penalty in Virginia, saying it would take proper punishment away from the state’s most heinous killers and scrap a valuable tool for police and prosecutors. Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson said he opposes getting rid of the death penalty. “At some point, you cross the level of brutality,” he said. “I don’t think they should abolish it. It just makes no sense.”
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** Senate seeking tax deal to give businesses a break ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Travis Croxton wouldn’t normally pin his hopes on the U.S. Congress for his business to survive. Croxton also said he wouldn’t have expected Virginia to dash those hopes for the business that he and his cousin, Ryan Croxton, built from a family oyster farm on the Rappahannock River in Middlesex County almost 20 years ago.
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** Senate Passes Parole Board Legislation ([link removed])
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By JESSICA WETZLER, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

It was truly Groundhog Day for state Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, who watched his Virginia Parole Board bill pass the Senate unanimously Tuesday. The day before, Obenshain’s second Parole Board bill also passed the Senate unanimously. The same outcome happened in the recent special session, but the legislation made no progress in the House. Whether history repeats itself remains to be seen.
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** Virginia Senate unanimously passes McClellan measure for stronger foreclosure protections ([link removed])
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By MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Homeowners who face foreclosure would have more time to save their homes under a bill that cleared the Virginia Senate on Tuesday. The chamber unanimously backed Senate Bill 1327, sponsored by Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond. McClellan, also a Democratic candidate for governor, said it would give homeowners who have missed mortgage payments an opportunity to seek legal or financial recourse that could help avoid a worst-case scenario outcome.
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** As health insurance market reopens, Virginia moves to reduce premiums, but who will pay for it? ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia is moving toward a new way of insuring people with the highest medical costs as a way to bring down health insurance premiums, especially for residents who don't receive federal subsidies to offset costs that averaged almost $650 a month last year. House Bill 2332, proposed by Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, would direct the State Corporation Commission to seek a federal waiver that would cover more than 80% of the cost of creating a reinsurance program for insuring the most expensive consumers, while assessing a 1% fee on all insurance policies to pay the state's share - over the objection of insurers.
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** Virginia Senate Committee Rejects Hate Crime Expansion Bill ([link removed])
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By CIERRA PARKS, VCU Capital News Service

Legislators attempted to pass a bill that would expand the definition of a hate crime to include crimes against people based on perception, but opponents said the bill was too broad and could be misused. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill by for the year late last month. Four Democrats strayed from party lines to vote against the bill after much debate.
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** Virginia is for stoners? Democrats press legalization in new territory ([link removed])
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By MONA ZHANG, Politico

The growing movement to legalize marijuana is eyeing its first real foothold in the Old South. Once a deeply conservative state where Republicans dominated elected office just a decade ago, Virginia has seen a more liberal crop of politicians come to power, with Democrats now holding every statewide office and controlling both chambers of the Legislature. Its pivot on marijuana is even more abrupt. In the past year, the state has ended criminal penalties for minor marijuana offenses and established a medical marijuana program. Now, Virginia lawmakers are scrambling to pass full legalization before their 30-day legislative session wraps up in less than two weeks.
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** Va. House panel rejects proposal to give governor power over regulatory licensing decisions ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

Should Virginia governors be able to overrule licensing decisions made by state boards that regulate a wide variety of professions, including dentists, contractors, cosmetologists, nurses, architects, body piercers and accountants? A Democratic lawmaker pitched the idea Tuesday morning to a House of Delegates subcommittee, characterizing it as a social justice issue that would allow governors to help people of color who have been unfairly denied licenses.
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** Va. House committee advances bill giving FOIA exemption to new Northam cabinet officials ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

Two recently created cabinet-level positions in Gov. Ralph Northam’s office would gain a broad exemption from Virginia’s public-records laws under a bill advanced Tuesday by a House of Delegates committee. The legislation would extend the Virginia Freedom of Information Act’s working papers and correspondence exemption, often criticized by open-government advocates as creating a vaguely defined shield of secrecy around the actions of top officials, to the positions of chief workforce development adviser and director of diversity, equity and inclusion.
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** Proposal would force doctors to talk with lawyers ([link removed])
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By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)

A measure to require doctors to confer on request with their patients’ lawyers won a narrow vote of approval from a Senate committee, despite criticism from medical providers that the plan is “heavy handed.” Trial lawyers have complained about an increase in stonewalling doctors in recent years, with some physicians refusing to even return phone calls from lawyers. Bill sponsor Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, said behind-the-scenes arm twisting and an August meeting of the stakeholders have brought no relief for frustrated attorneys.
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** Trial bar scores three: Reforms would change Virginia auto liability picture ([link removed])
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By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)

Trial lawyers scored early wins on three General Assembly proposals to change the rules for auto insurance in Virginia. Under measures advanced in the Senate, minimum coverage limits would double from $25,000 to $50,000, underinsured coverage would stack instead of being offset by another’s liability coverage and UM/UIM carriers could be tagged for bad faith. All three measures face opposition from representatives of the insurance industry.
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** Bicycling safety bill passes Virginia House, rolls on to Senate ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Virginia House of Delegates passed the Bicycle Safety Act, which advocates say could make Virginia among the safest states in the country for bicyclists. The bill from Del. Chris Hurst, D-Montgomery, has three main components: drivers are required to fully change lanes to pass bicyclists; cyclists can ride two abreast in a lane; and bicyclists can treat stop signs as yield signs.
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** Spurred on by Pandemic, Lawmakers Seek to Address Hunger, Nutrition ([link removed])
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By CONNOR SCRIBNER, WCVE-FM

Roughly one in ten Virginians live in food insecurity, often skipping meals or unsure where their next meal will come from. At least that was the case before the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the nation, driving the state economy into a recession that has disproportionately impacted the poor. It’s too early to say exactly how many Virginians went hungry during the pandemic, but research from Northwestern University estimates the rate more than doubled, with 22.5% suffering from food insecurity. . . . But some Virginians may soon be getting long-awaited relief, with a bill from Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax) seeking to reform the state’s eligibility criteria for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** $10M to be disbursed among mine land reclamation projects ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

A $10 million round of federal Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Pilot Program funding is available for Southwest Virginia projects focused on reclaiming abandoned mine land and promoting regional economic diversity, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. This is the fourth round of AML funding, which is administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. Projects must reclaim historic mining features and be focused on promoting renewable energy, agriculture and revitalizing “historically disadvantaged communities.”
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** VDOE Delays Guidance for Transgender Protections to Review Public Comments ([link removed])
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By ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA, WCVE-FM

New guidance from the Virginia Department of Education to help local school districts better protect their transgender and nonbinary students was set to go into effect Thursday, but the department says that likely won’t happen until later this month. The document is currently subject to public input and has received over 5,000 comments in the last month. VDOE says it will need to delay the document’s effective date until it has had a chance to review all the comments. The public comment period closes at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Amazon Unveils Outdoorsy New HQ2, Renewing Its Commitment to Offices ([link removed])
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By KONRAD PUTZIER, Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

Amazon. com Inc.’s plans for its new northern Virginia headquarters feature an outdoor theme, the latest sign that big tech companies are getting more creative with office space rather than abandoning it. Phase two of the company’s development in Arlington, Va., calls for three 22-story office buildings and smaller retail buildings surrounded by woodlands, an outdoor amphitheater, a dog run and parking for around 950 bicycles. The centerpiece will be the site’s fourth and tallest tower, a 350-foot structure dubbed the Helix because it will feature two spiraling outdoor walkways with trees and plants from Virginia that twist to the building’s top.
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** Headquarters helix: Amazon reveals eye-catching office tower ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

Amazon revealed plans Tuesday for the next phase of its headquarters redevelopment in Virginia, featuring a signature 350-foot (107-meter) helix-shaped office tower that can be climbed from the outside like a mountain hike. The head-turning helix building is the centerpiece of the proposal that also features multiple 22-story office buildings in addition to those already under construction as the company looks to accommodate 25,000 new workers over the coming years in the Arlington County neighborhoods across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital.
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** Bezos stepping down as Amazon CEO, transitioning to executive chair role ([link removed])
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By JAY GREENE AND TONY ROMM, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will step down as chief executive of the e-commerce giant, turning over the reins to the company’s longtime cloud-computing boss Andy Jassy. Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, will transition to the role of executive chair this summer, the company said Tuesday. The looming transition marks the most radical shake-up in Amazon’s corporate ranks in its nearly 30-year history.
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** Norfolk Southern faces environmental violations in train derailment, coal spill in Roanoke County ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Environmental regulators have issued a notice of violation to Norfolk Southern for a train derailment last fall that spilled tons of coal into the Roanoke River. After investigating the incident in western Roanoke County, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said it had “reason to believe” the railway might have violated water protection regulations.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Virginia will stop canceling E-ZPasses for 6 months as pandemic continues ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia will stop closing inactive E-ZPass accounts for the next six months to help drivers through the coronavirus pandemic, a change that came after questions from The Virginian-Pilot. Last week, the newspaper published a story warning motorists the state was deactivating accounts for people who had not used a toll road for a year. Virginia has done this for years, but because many are staying home more and avoiding travel during the pandemic, the number of people who received a notice about an inactive account nearly doubled: from 11,700 in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 22,100 in the same part of 2020.
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** House members introduce bill to stabilize Metro funding ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN GEORGE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Washington region’s congressional delegation is supporting a bill that would stabilize Metro capital funding for a decade, saying it also would strengthen accountability within the transit agency. The Metro Accountability and Investment Act would provide the transit agency with $1.73 billion between 2022 and 2031. It would reauthorize the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, which provided Metro with a decade’s worth of annual federal funding before it expired in 2018 and was not renewed.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Ineligible individuals signed up for vaccines turned away by U.Va. Health ([link removed])
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By MARYANN XUE, Cavalier Daily

U.Va. Health announced in a tweet Jan. 26 that some non-medical employees and students from the University had signed up to get vaccinated for COVID-19 despite being ineligible to receive the vaccine from the University. Currently, only U.Va. Health employees are eligible to get vaccinated at U.Va. Health.
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** Liberty University president apologizes after students ignore COVID-19 rules at snowball fight ([link removed])
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By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Liberty University Acting President Jerry Prevo on Tuesday apologized for hosting a campus snowball fight during which dozens of unmasked students and employees were accused of violating coronavirus precautions. “We made a mistake in not enforcing the guidelines that we have followed routinely and sincerely for these many months,” Prevo said in a statement.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Vaccines pick up pace with raceway clinics ([link removed])
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By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Since Jan. 18, nearly 16,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered at clinics at Richmond Raceway in Henrico County. However, if more doses were available, approximately 6,000 vaccines could be administered in a 12-hour period at the raceway site. Currently, the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts are receiving roughly 6,400 doses per week from the state, so after the health districts split up the vaccine, Henrico receives approximately 3,800 doses.
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** CVS to begin COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Virginia next week ([link removed])
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By ROBYN SIDERSKY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

CVS pharmacies will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines in Virginia, along with 10 other states, starting next week, according to a news release from the company. The vaccinations will begin Feb. 11, according to the release. The appointments will become available for booking as soon as Feb. 9 as stores receive shipments of the vaccine.
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** Fairfax, Montgomery say data shows inequities in distribution of coronavirus vaccine ([link removed])
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By REBECCA TAN, ANTONIO OLIVO AND JENNA PORTNOY, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Health officials in the Washington region’s two most populous jurisdictions grappled Tuesday with how to equitably distribute the coronavirus vaccine as they continue to receive too few doses to inoculate eligible seniors and essential workers. Fairfax and Montgomery county leaders said new data shows the difficulties both localities are having in reaching communities disproportionately affected by the virus. Meanwhile, government officials announced Tuesday that two Montgomery residents have tested positive for the South African variant of the coronavirus.
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** A flaw in Virginia’s coronavirus vaccine registration system allowed some to receive the vaccine early ([link removed])
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By ALEXUS DAVILA, WSLS-TV

In the Roanoke Valley, more than 25,000 people are currently on the waiting list for a coronavirus vaccine. Of that group, about 16,000 are over the age of 75. However, a handful of people found a way made it on the list when they were not supposed to, according to Dr. Cynthia Morrow with the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts. A flaw in the PrepMod vaccine management system allowed some to get a hold of a registration link, even though it was not meant to be shared.
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** Virginia Department of Health releases some information on vaccine wastage ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

After initially declining to provide the Mercury with data on COVID-19 vaccine wastage, the Virginia Department of Health responded to the inquiry on Tuesday morning. Spokeswoman Melissa Gordon wrote that the department did not establish a systematic way to collect reports on wastage until Jan. 29, when VDH posted a provider reporting form on its website. “At the time of [the] question, VDH had not yet established a systematic way to receive such reports,” Gordon wrote, “and therefore relied upon provider phone calls/emails to report such information.”
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** Portsmouth COVID-19 vaccine waitlist stretches into the thousands, phase 1b to last a few months ([link removed])
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By GEENA AREVALO, WAVY-TV

Portsmouth officials are asking the public to be patient as they work to get people scheduled for a COVID-19 vaccine. The Portsmouth Health Department said their waitlist stretches into the thousands. Since vaccine rollout began, the Portsmouth Health Department said 3,900 people in Portsmouth have received a shot.
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** 25,000 people on Roanoke Valley waitlist for health districts' vaccines; CVS to have some doses ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Every last drop of COVID-19 vaccine in the Roanoke Valley was gone this weekend, leaving the director of the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts to hope that Sunday’s snowfall wouldn’t delay the next shipments. Dr. Cynthia Morrow said during her media briefing Tuesday that the local health districts and their partner, Carilion Clinic, used not only all of their weekly supply of first doses but converted all of their second doses to first doses.
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** County stands up call center to help with vaccinations ([link removed])
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Fauquier Now

Fauquier County has opened a COVID-19 call center to help local residents register for the vaccine. The center can help people without computer access or who have trouble completing the appropriate survey on the Rappahannock Rapidan Health District website, County Administrator Paul McCulla said.
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** Rappahannock COVID-19 cases highest of pandemic ([link removed])
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By RACHEL NEEDHAM, Rappahannock News (Metered Paywall)

With Virginia’s public health officials announcing earlier this week that the first case of the United Kingdom variant of COVID-19 has been discovered in Northern Virginia, the urgency to administer vaccines has never been more pressing. Per capita, meanwhile, the test positivity rate of the coronavirus in Rappahannock County has reached the “extremely high” category, with 42 new confirmed cases in the past 7 days through Wednesday. When a test positivity rate is very high, there is a possibility that cases are actually being undercounted.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Trump Official’s Last-Day Deal With ICE Union Ties Biden’s Hands ([link removed])
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By ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS AND CHARLIE SAVAGE, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

A whistle-blower complaint filed on Monday said a top Trump homeland security official sought to constrain the Biden administration’s immigration agenda by agreeing to hand policy controls to the pro-Trump union representing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The complaint accuses Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II of “gross mismanagement, gross waste of government funds and abuse of authority” over the labor agreements he signed with the immigration agents’ union the day before President Biden’s inauguration.


** LOCAL
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** Fairfax County students to return to classroom ([link removed])
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Associated Press

The school board in Virginia’s largest county has approved a return-to-school plan that phases in limited in-person learning in all grades over the next six weeks. Fairfax County Public Schools, the nation’s 10th biggest school district, has been almost exclusively virtual since March. At a worksession Tuesday, the school board voted unanimously to endorse a plan that returns kindergartners to in-person learning on Feb. 23 and all grades by March 16. Some special student populations can return before Feb. 23.
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** Judge declines to halt elite school’s admissions changes ([link removed])
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Associated Press

A judge on Tuesday refused to issue an injunction to stop an elite northern Virginia high school from changing its admissions policies. Fairfax County Public Schools is overhauling the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which has been ranked as the top public high school in the country.
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** Loudoun School Board Approves Return to Classrooms ([link removed])
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Loudoun Now

The School Board on Tuesday night approved a plan to relaunch hybrid in-person learning, bringing back elementary school students by Feb. 16 and expanding the program to middle and high school students by March 3. The action came after state and federal authorities in recent weeks promoted new strategies that focus on controlling on-campus transmission rather than the rate of community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
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** Loudoun County Public Schools to resume hybrid learning Feb. 16 ([link removed])
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By JOHN BATTISTON, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

After two months of fully virtual classes, Loudoun County Public Schools will resume the implementation of its hybrid in-person learning model no later than Feb. 16, with all grade levels set to be back in the classroom part-time by March 3. The Loudoun County School Board voted 8-1 on the measure during its Tuesday meeting, with Denise Corbo (At-Large) the sole opponent. Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge District) made the motion. Roughly three hours of public comment preceded the vote, with many participants lamenting the difficulties they and their families have encountered during distance learning.
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** Isle of Wight schools agree to boost transparency ([link removed])
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By NATE DELESLINE III, Smithfield Times (Paywall)

Isle of Wight’s School Board has agreed to a legal consent order that ends two civil lawsuits alleging violations of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
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** Muslim association pushes ahead on lawsuit over Stafford cemetery ordinance ([link removed])
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By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Stafford County Supervisor Crystal Vanuch has cited water quality as the reason for her opposition to a proposed Muslim cemetery on Garrisonville Road, but a fellow supervisor has accused her of making an anti-Muslim remark, according to a deposition filed in a federal discrimination lawsuit against the county. The All Muslim Association of America filed the brief Jan. 19 in opposition to the county’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
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** Broadband authority expands wireless to 3,000 homes ([link removed])
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By ALLISON WRABEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

More than 3,000 underserved Albemarle County residents now have access to broadband internet through a partnership between the Albemarle County Broadband Authority and Shentel. Using Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Coronavirus Relief Fund money, the authority worked with Shentel to bring its Beam Internet fixed wireless service to the county.
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** Board approves younger students’ return to school as early as March ([link removed])
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By RANDI B. HAGI, Harrisonburg Citizen

Preschoolers through 2nd grade students — as well as 6th graders — could be back in classrooms as soon as March 22, as the Harrisonburg School Board voted unanimously in Tuesday’s meeting to approve a revised reopening plan. Superintendent Michael Richards told the school board that the updated plan is based on new guidance from the Virginia Department of Health. In addition to taking into consideration rates of new COVID-19 cases in an area and the percentage of positive tests, the new guidance accounts for how well schools have mitigated the virus’s impact on staff and students who are already back in classrooms.

Today's Sponsor:


** Rebecca Anderson
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In support of an informed Virginia electorate.


** EDITORIALS
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** Norfolk’s silence over development effort won’t work ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The St. Paul’s redevelopment demands more information from Norfolk officials, not less, and it’s absurd that key city leaders have chosen this pivotal moment to withdraw from the public discourse. Norfolk Communications Director Lori Crouch told The Virginian-Pilot last week that due to a lawsuit over the project, city officials would no longer talk about the redevelopment effort. Never mind that the lawsuit was filed more than a year ago and that officials have, until now, been willing to talk about the specifics.


** OP-ED
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** Southwest legislators: Gubernatorial candidates should pledge to debate in SWVA ([link removed])
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By JEFF CAMPBELL, CHRIS HURST, TERRY KILGORE, WILL MOREFIELD, ISRAEL O’QUINN, TODD PILLION, SAM RASOUL, NICK RUSH, WILL WAMPLER, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Editorial Board of the Roanoke Times recently advocated for a 2021 gubernatorial debate in Southwest Virginia. The editorial pointed out that very few such debates have taken place in this oft-neglected corner of the commonwealth. We agree and offer this additional reason why there should be a debate in this region and, in particular, at its only law school. Modern political candidate debates often serve as a platform for the candidates to repeat predictable riffs carefully crafted to reach their core constituencies.

The writers are all state legislators from Southwest Virginia.
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** Martelle: Can Virginia reject its racist past and ban the death penalty? ([link removed])
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By SCOTT MARTELLE, published in Los Angeles Times

Since the earliest days of European settlement of North America, Virginia — first as a colony, then as a state — has executed more people than any other jurisdiction in the United States. But in recent years it has moved away from capital punishment, with only two people currently on its death row, no executions since two in 2017 and no new death sentences since 2011. And now Virginia may be on the verge of banning the practice altogether, which would make it the first of the secessionist Civil War states to formally end a practice inextricably tied to slavery and its legacy of racism. Here’s hoping it won’t be the last.

Martelle, a veteran journalist and author of six history books, is a member of the Los Angeles Times editorial board.
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** Meier and Clapperton: Cutting-edge USS Ford cruising toward certification ([link removed])
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By REAR. ADM. JOHN MEIER AND REAR ADM. CRAIG CLAPPERTON, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

As the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) steamed off the coast of Virginia last week — qualifying naval aviators from fleet replacement squadrons — The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press published a Jan. 28 editorial offering a dated and inaccurate assessment of the aircraft carrier’s performance and operational accomplishments over the last several months. Ford is in month 16 of its Post-Delivery Test and Trials (PD&T) period, testing a host of combat systems, while serving as the primary East Coast carrier qualification platform for fleet naval aviators.

Meier is the commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic. Clapperton is the commander of Carrier Strike Group Twelve.
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** Treacy and Rao: Investing in higher education benefits all Virginians ([link removed])
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By DENNIS H. TREACY AND MICHAEL RAO, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

These are challenging times for all Virginians. But times of trial also are opportunities to take bold action to create a stronger, more equitable future. The General Assembly has that opportunity in its current session. It can take significant further steps to break the cycle of comparatively low state support for higher education and correspondingly high tuition for Virginia students and families. Here, two points are pivotal.

Treacy chairs the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. Rao chairs the Council of Presidents of Virginia’s public colleges and universities.


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