VaNews
February 4, 2021

Today's Sponsor:


** Greehan, Taves & Pandak
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Representing and advising Virginia localities, officials and public entities to achieve the public interest.
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Top of the News


** Senate vote moves Virginia closer to abolishing death penalty ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA AND GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia's Senate voted Wednesday in favor of abolishing the death penalty as a similar bill advanced in the House, putting the onetime capital of the Confederacy on track to become the first Southern state to eliminate capital punishment. All 21 Senate Democrats voted for the ban after nearly two hours of sometimes emotional debate, with 17 Republicans opposed and one abstaining.
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** Va. House leaders block Lee Carter’s effort to force vote on right-to-work repeal ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

With his proposal to repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law bottled up in committee for the third year in a row, Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas, tried unsuccessfully to force his Democratic colleagues to bring it to a floor vote Wednesday. Carter, a self-described socialist running an anti-corporate, pro-worker campaign for governor, asked the Democratic-led House to allow his bill to be released from the House Labor and Commerce Committee and brought to the floor for a vote, initiating a direct confrontation with party leaders who seem content to allow the bill to die another silent death.
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** Senator shocked by DOC estimate of $23 million to end solitary confinement in prisons ([link removed])
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By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

State agencies put price tags on lawmakers’ bills, but Sen. Joe Morrissey had never seen one like this. The Virginia Department of Corrections projected that it would cost $23 million a year to enact his bill to end most uses of solitary confinement in state prisons. “They must be confused with the bill that I’m introducing next year to build an Olympic-sized pool in every DOC facility,” said Morrissey, D-Richmond.
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** Virginia’s largest school systems vow to reopen classrooms for all by March ([link removed])
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By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Two of Virginia’s largest school systems have vowed to reopen classrooms for all students by mid-March, as pressure mounts from elected officials and irate parents — many facing their 11th month of virtual learning during the coronavirus pandemic — and evidence suggests that schools can offer in-person instruction safely. The school boards of Fairfax County Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools voted Tuesday evening to approve timelines that start with returning vulnerable children, including students with disabilities and English language learners, on Feb. 16. Both plans also call for all students who select hybrid learning to begin heading into classrooms next month.
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** After a rocky vaccine rollout, Chesterfield Health District works to balance high expectations with short supply ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

They made their way across the expansive parking lot at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds, bundled up against the cold morning air. Some needed a little help, holding arms and walkers, but if it weren’t for the masks, you’d likely see the joy on their faces. “We jumped up and down. We did,” said Danny Baker, 76, approaching the fairgrounds’ main exhibition hall just after 8 a.m. last Saturday for a COVID-19 vaccination event
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** Spotsylvania restaurant's license suspended for pandemic violations ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

A Spotsylvania County restaurant is operating without a license after health inspectors suspended its food service permit because the owner won’t comply with the governor’s orders regarding the pandemic. Matt Strickland, owner of Gourmeltz in Cosner’s Corner, told customers in a YouTube video on Friday, the day after he was told to “close down immediately,” that he would do no such thing. “I haven’t complied, and I will continue not to comply,” he said in the recording, made while sitting in his vehicle.
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** “There is no blueprint for how to start football in the middle of winter.” ([link removed])
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By TIM HAYES, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

As he officially begins his eighth season as the head football coach at Chilhowie High School this afternoon, Jeff Robinson isn’t exactly sure how the coming weeks will unfold and he’s far from alone in that regard. “ This is new territory for every coach in the state,” Robinson said. “There is no blueprint for how to start football in the middle of winter.” Thursday marks the opening day of practice for the most radical gridiron season in the history of the Virginia High School League ...
The Full Report
64 articles, 27 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual Hot Topics 2021 ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

The number of bills introduced this year during the pandemic-shortened General Assembly fell by half. The drop off left no easy way to measure which topics are drawing more proposals this year. VPAP identified six topics that produced more (or the same number of) bills as last year.
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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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** Northam elected co-chair of Appalachian Regional Commission ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Fellow governors have elected Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam the new co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission. Northam will serve a one-year term and will work closely with the commission’s federally designated co-chair. The commission approves funds for grants for wide-ranging projects in the region every year for things like highway and sewer system improvement projects, technical education, and community health initiatives. For Southwest Virginia, these grants help push it toward diversifying its regional economy hurt by the sharp downtown in coal.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Virginia Senate passes death penalty abolition bill ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

The Virginia Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would abolish the death penalty, a measure that if passed into law would mark a major policy change for a state that over its centuries-long history has led the nation in the number of executions it has carried out. The Democrat-controlled chamber approved the bill in a 21-17 vote that split along party lines and was seen as a key hurdle for the measure. Advocates now expect the House version of the bill to easily clear that chamber, and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has said he supports the legislation.
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** Senate backs bill to abolish the death penalty ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

After more than two hours of passionate debate Wednesday from more than a dozen members, the Virginia Senate, in a narrow vote along party lines, approved a bill to abolish the death penalty in Virginia. Gov. Ralph Northam supports Senate Bill 1165 as well as its companion in the House, House Bill 2263, which may come up on the House floor Friday. If the House passes it as well, it appears Virginia could soon be the first Southern state to abandon the death penalty.
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** Virginia Senate votes to abolish death penalty after centuries of executions ([link removed])
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By PETER DUJARDIN, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

After about two hours of impassioned debate, the state Senate on Wednesday voted to end death penalty in Virginia after a 400-year history of executions in the Old Dominion. The senators voted on a 21-17 party line vote, with Democrats voting to end the practice and Republicans voting to keep it alive. Doing away with the death penalty would mark another in a series of shifts to Virginia’s criminal justice system following the new Democrat control of state government: The bill is advancing quickly in the House of Delegates, and Gov. Ralph Northam has promised to sign it.
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** Bill to repeal right-to-work law had a moment on the House floor ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

One of Virginia’s left-most Democrats in the legislature, Del. Lee Carter of Manassas, sought Wednesday to salvage a discarded proposal to repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law by forcing a vote on the House floor. Carter’s bill, which would allow workers to decline union membership or to pay dues, was assigned to the chamber’s labor and commerce panel, which wrapped up its work without ever considering the bill.
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** Virginia Senate votes to abolish death penalty ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Lawmakers in the Virginia Senate voted Wednesday to abolish the death penalty, setting the state on a course to become the first in the South to end capital punishment. “If we look back 50 years from now, the electric chair, the lethal injection table — they’re going to be sitting in a museum,” said Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, who sponsored the bill. “This thing is going to be a museum piece and people are going to look back and wonder how it ever was we used these things.” The legislation passed on a party-line vote, with all 21 of the Democrats in the chamber supporting it. One Republican, Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, abstained.
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** Former Norfolk inmate helps push amended solitary confinement bill to Virginia Senate ([link removed])
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By NOAH FLEISCHMAN, VCU Capital News Service

David Smith remembers dancing to music in his head and having conversations with television shows during 16 months in solitary confinement at Norfolk City Jail. “Your mind plays tricks on you,” Smith said. “There was a slow disconnect with reality. I didn’t recognize the pain that was happening in me, nor did I have the emotional strength to fight back, institutionally.” Smith is no longer an inmate, but his goal is to end the torture that he said Virginia inmates have endured while sitting in solitary confinement. Smith served a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to 10 counts of possession of child poronography in 2013. Now Smith works with the Virginia Coalition on Solitary Confinement to lead the charge for legislative change.
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** Virginia House advances bill to weigh impact of justice changes on people of color ([link removed])
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By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

Legislation that would require a state panel to prepare racial and ethnic impact statements on criminal-justice proposals is on its way to the state Senate after clearing the House of Delegates Monday night with bipartisan support. The bill from Del. Lashrecse D. Aird, D-Petersburg, would allow, upon request of the chairs of the House and Senate justice committees, the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission to study legislative proposals to determine the potential for adverse effects upon communities of color.
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** Senate and House moving toward compromise on tax relief for stricken businesses ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The General Assembly is moving toward compromise on tax relief for businesses that received emergency loans and grants to survive the COVID-19 pandemic without laying off employees. The Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee voted 10-4, with one abstention, on Wednesday to approve a compromise. It would allow individual and business taxpayers to deduct up to $50,000 from their state income taxes, even though they received tax-exempt federal loans that were converted to grants if they continued to pay employees during the pandemic.
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** House votes to tighten privacy protections for undocumented residents ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

In a splintered 54-44 party-line vote on Wednesday, the Virginia House of Delegates approved a bill to tighten privacy protections for undocumented immigrants seeking driver’s privilege cards. It would effectively limit federal agencies from accessing a warehouse of data that exists within the Department of Motor Vehicles.
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** Lynchburg senator's bill advances to limit any health department outreach to teens on health matters ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Flyers started showing up at homes last summer that bothered Republican lawmakers. The flyer depicted cartoons of teenagers using their phones. Text included, “Get answers about relationships, contraception, sex, pregnancy, STIs, sexuality + more!” It listed a number and encouraged teenagers to use the anonymous textline. The Virginia Department of Health launched the BrdsNBz program in October 2019, but the postcards didn’t hit mailboxes until a year later.
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** Rebates are key to Democrats’ transportation electrification package ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Democrats pushing to create incentives for drivers to buy electric vehicles as part of a broader goal of weaning Virginia’s transportation sector off fossil fuels are running into a roadblock: too little state money in a budget constrained by the COVID-19 pandemic. . . . Slowing climate change through decarbonization has been a major priority of Virginia Democrats since they won majorities in both chambers of the legislature in 2019, handing them control of state government. Last year they passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a marquee environmental law that committed the state’s electric grid to being carbon-free by 2050. This year they are focusing on transportation, which according to federal calculations is responsible for nearly half of Virginia’s carbon emissions.
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** Two per train? Why legislation mandating train crew size keeps getting filed. ([link removed])
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By WYATT GORDON, Virginia Mercury

Every year over the past three years, lawmakers in Virginia’s General Assembly have introduced legislation that would require railroads moving freight through the commonwealth “to operate with a crew of at least two individuals.” This year, it’s being pushed by Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, in a bill that’s been referred to the House Labor and Commerce Committee. With the exception of a handful of short, local lines, that crew size is already standard across the industry. Freight crew size requirements may not seem especially relevant to the present; however, the dogged, state-by-state fight over their adoption says a lot more about the future of American rail, the economy, and the climate.
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** Bill would require stricter vehicle emissions standards in Virginia by 2025 ([link removed])
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By CONNER EVANS, VCU Capital News Service

A bill to implement stricter vehicle emissions standards by 2025 will head to the Senate this week. The bill, HB 1965 is one part of a trio of legislation this session that aims at lowering Virginia’s carbon emissions. This bill, introduced by Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, sets standards to make Virginia’s transportation, largely made up of cars and trucks, more environmentally friendly since transportation accounted for nearly half of Virginia’s carbon emissions as of 2017, according to studies from the Energy Information Administration.
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** Carbon monoxide detectors aren’t required in Virginia schools, day cares ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE HAFNER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Nikki Zellner’s crusade for carbon monoxide detectors began almost a year ago at her children’s Virginia Beach day care center. The colorless, odorless and dangerous gas had been leaking for an unknown amount of time at Kids Town Learning Center. It was found when a teacher’s husband brought in a detector to check after some people there started feeling nauseated and having headaches. The Virginia Beach incident set off a year of intense research and advocacy for Zellner, who, despite two jobs and the coronavirus pandemic, has spent much of it trying to raise awareness about the unseen dangers of carbon monoxide exposure. Her efforts are starting to pay off.
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** Va. House votes to double minimum fine for littering from $250 to $500 ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

As someone who’s adopted a stretch of road, Del. James Edmunds says Virginia’s littering problems have never been worse. His theory is that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many restaurants closed for indoor dining, more people are eating in their cars and tossing trash out the window. . . . In an effort to prod Virginians to clean up their act, Edmunds filed a bill that would double the minimum fine for littering, taking it from $250 to $500.
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** Loudoun Mayors Oppose Moving Town Elections to November ([link removed])
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By PATRICK SZABO, Loudoun Now

Municipal elections in the towns of Hamilton, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville and Round Hill could switch to November depending on an upcoming vote in the Virginia legislature. Senate Bill 1157 proposes to shift all municipal elections in the commonwealth to November. While Leesburg and Hillsboro have already chosen to hold their elections then, the county’s five other towns continue to hold theirs the first Tuesday of May in even-numbered years. Lovettsville Mayor Nate Fontaine pointed out last month that 44% of cities and 57% of towns in Virginia hold their local elections in May.
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** Senate bill would create public defender’s office in Chesterfield ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee approved legislation Wednesday morning that would create a public defender’s office in Chesterfield County and replace the county’s existing court-appointed attorney system, in which private attorneys are assigned by judges to represent defendants who can’t afford to hire counsel. By a 16-0 vote, Sen. Joe Morrissey’s bill now goes before the full Senate
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** Senate says Isle of Wight can vote on sales tax to fund school construction ([link removed])
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By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Isle of Wight could be the next county to raise its local sales tax to fund school construction as legislators continue to spar over how to fund desperately needed school projects. The Virginia Senate approved a bill Wednesday afternoon in a 31-8 vote to allow the county to raise the tax, if county voters approve it in a referendum. It was the second vote on the bill this week — the Senate defeated the measure in an unexpected move Tuesday before deciding to reconsider.
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** Senate backs U.S. Capitol statue for Barbara Johns ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia Senate on Wednesday joined the House of Delegates in backing a resolution to erect a statue of teenage civil rights pioneer Barbara Johns at the U.S. Capitol. On a voice vote, the Senate supported a resolution sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, to put a statue of Johns in the U.S. Capitol as the replacement for Virginia’s statue of Robert E. Lee, which is now in storage at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.


** REDISTRICTING
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** Bill Adding More Transparency to New Redistricting Commission Advances ([link removed])
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By JAHD KHALIL, WVTF

Last year was a census year. That means this year Virginia is redrawing legislative districts. And a piece of legislation seeks to add transparency, and accessibility, to the process. With House Bill 2082, Virginia’s new Redistricting Commission can meet virtually, as many organizations are this year. The bill makes sure they’ll be open to the public, too. If you’re interested in a virtual meeting, but can’t log on, this bill would also make sure you have a video recording of the proceedings posted online. The data members use to draw new district lines would have to be posted, too.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Va. House candidates want to collect signatures online and by mail because of pandemic ([link removed])
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By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Six Democratic candidates for the House of Delegates filed a lawsuit Tuesday asking that they be allowed to collect ballot signatures electronically or by mail because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Candidates who want to appear on the June 8 primary ballot need to collect 125 signatures from qualified voters in their districts by March 25.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Big jackpots, online gambling lift Virginia Lottery revenue 37% in late 2020 ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL PHILLIPS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The launch of mobile lottery gambling lifted the Virginia Lottery to a strong finish in 2020, with sales and profits substantially up from the previous year. During a board meeting Wednesday, lottery officials chalked up the strong results to two major factors - big jackpots in the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries, and the launch of the lottery's mobile apps. The financial results do not include revenue from sports betting in the state, which launched in late January.
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** Lung Association gives Virginia failing grades on smoking prevention ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia should adopt a licensing system for retailers to sell tobacco products, similar to the current licensing system for selling alcoholic beverages, say the American Lung Association and several other public health groups. The American Lung Association made that recommendation last week in its annual report on the “state of tobacco control” in the U.S.
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** Feds: Rockbridge jail head delivered ice cream to inmate, upgraded TV at inmate request ([link removed])
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By BRAD ZINN, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

The former superintendent of the Rockbridge County Regional Jail has been convicted on multiple civil rights violations and public corruption, according to the United States Department of Justice. John Marshall Higgins, 62, is also a former county supervisor in Rockbridge County.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Lawsuit seeks to stop proposed wind farm in Botetourt County ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Rocky Forge Wind is approaching another bump in the long road to becoming the first onshore wind farm in Virginia. An April 21 hearing has been scheduled in a lawsuit filed by opponents, who argue that the state Department of Environmental Quality and Apex Clean Energy cut corners in a permitting process, ignoring the adverse impacts of building wind turbines 624 feet tall atop a Botetourt County ridgeline.
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** BGF Industries slated to close at end of March ([link removed])
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South Boston News & Record

Employees of BGF Industries in South Hill have been told they will be out of a job at the end of March once the local plant closes permanently. In a letter to employees issued shortly before Christmas, company officials broke the news that the South Hill manufacturing plant would be closed permanently as of March 31 and operations consolidated at an older facility located in Altavista.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Bill to form Fredericksburg regional transportation committee crashes in Richmond ([link removed])
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By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Stafford County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose a bill that would have created a regional transportation committee to set the stage for a tax-levying regional transportation authority. But the bill sponsored by Del. Joshua Cole, D–Fredericksburg, had already failed to get through the House Transportation Committee Monday.
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** White’s Ferry owner offers $400,000 to end dispute amid negotiations to restore service, he says ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN WM. MOYER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The owner of a centuries-old ferry service that provided a route between Maryland and Virginia said he has offered $400,000 to resolve the land dispute that led to its closure in December. White’s Ferry, a crucial link for commuters between Loudoun and Montgomery counties, had shuttled travelers across the Potomac River since the 18th century. It closed after a property dispute with a former wedding venue whose owner argued that the service trespassed on its Virginia farmland.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virginia Tech, Radford University finding fewer COVID-19 cases after more testing ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU AND SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Last fall, at least 98 COVID-19 cases cropped up within the first two weeks of classes at Radford University. Now, two weeks into the spring semester, Radford is reporting 16 new cases among students and staff. Virginia Tech and Radford are finding far fewer coronavirus cases compared to the same point in time last fall, and that comes as testing capacity is increasing, according to a Roanoke Times analysis of data.
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** Parties ramp up COVID-19 concerns ([link removed])
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By KATHARINE DEROSA AND SAGAL AHMED, Commonwealth Times

To avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19, sophomore mass communications major Julia Pasette chose to cancel her housing contract for the spring semester. While Pasette isn’t directly aware of any partying, she said she remembers seeing girls in “fancy outfits” walking down Main Street on the weekends while she drove around campus in the fall. “They clearly went somewhere, but where — who knows?” Pasette said. Twenty-four VCU students and 10 employees were reported to have COVID-19 within the first week of the spring semester, according to the VCU dashboard. Classes began Jan. 25. VCU has 40 active student cases as of Tuesday and none among employees.
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** UVa. fraternities, sororities reverse ban on in-person gatherings, prepare for virtual and in-person recruitment ([link removed])
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By SIERRA MARTIN, Cavalier Daily

The Inter-Sorority Council and the Inter-Fraternity Council announced Jan. 26 that Greek chapters will be able to hold in-person gatherings as long as they follow University, city and state public health guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19. Their announcement permits chapters to hold in-person recruitment events, which begin Friday — while the ISC will only allow chapters to have in-person meetings on bid day, IFC chapters are permitted to host in-person recruitment rounds before bid day. In a joint statement announcing the reversal of its ban on in-person gatherings — which was originally implemented in August — both organizations emphasized that that the reversal does not permit chapters to host parties, mixers, date functions or formals and emphasized that failure to comply with the policy may result in sanctions up to and including chapter suspension for the rest of the academic year.
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** Roanoke College still recovering from December cyberattack ([link removed])
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By LUKE WEIR, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

While most computer systems are now restored at Roanoke College, authorities continue to investigate an attack on the school’s network. What was previously described as a cyber incident — one that disabled the Roanoke College computer network and played into a decision to delay the start of spring semester — might have nefarious origins, said an email from the school’s public relations director, Teresa Gereaux.
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** Norfolk State, Hampton among HBCUs to receive combined $10M from beer and spirits maker Diageo ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, WAVY-TV

British-based beer and spirits maker Diageo is giving a combined $10 million to 25 historically Black colleges and universities across the United States, and on that list are two local schools. Both Hampton University and Norfolk State University will be recipients of the award which the company says will be available for HBCU students across different disciplines and majors. The funds will be distributed according to each institution’s financial aid process.
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** GameStop mania makes JMU students tens of thousands ([link removed])
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By JILLIAN LYNCH, The Breeze

Four JMU students joined a massive internet collective and made tens of thousands of dollars on two seemingly undesirable stocks — an outdated video game store and a movie theater franchise. . . . Aadesh Malla, a junior computer information systems major, found WallStreetBets last September while scrolling through Reddit before the page ballooned from 1 million members at the start of the year to 6 million. He saw investors posting screenshots of massive investing gains and losses, often including the word “yolo” — slang for “you only live once.” That inspired Malla to join millions and invest $19,836 in stocks like GameStop and AMC on Monday, Jan. 25 with money he got from his dad and earned from previous trades. Two days later, the 20-year-old was over $56,000 richer.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Four Richmond ZIP codes with most Black, Latino residents are farthest from clinics ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

In the weeks since vaccinations began, one ZIP code in Richmond has had eight times more COVID-19 cases than another less than 5 miles away. What separates them is the James River and resources. Of the four ZIP codes harboring 60% of the city’s 7,470 cases since Dec. 14, the date the first vaccine shot was given at VCU Medical Center, three are in South Richmond.
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** Essential workers in Norfolk and Newport News get COVID-19 vaccinations at clinics ([link removed])
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By SALEEN MARTIN AND JESSICA NOLTE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The empty Macy’s store at Military Circle Mall in Norfolk was full again Wednesday afternoon, but there was only one product in stock. The former department store was used as a clinic to administer COVID-19 vaccines to Norfolk Public School employees and other people in Phase 1b of the state’s vaccine rollout plan.
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** Cheer every vaccine given even if it is not in your own arm, New River health director says ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

While new cases of COVID-19 in the New River Valley are on a downward trajectory, tempers are rising as people become frustrated by waits for vaccines. “We are going to ask that everyone cheer every vaccine that’s given even if it is not in your arm, because every dose is a shot against this pandemic. Every dose is a dose closer to herd immunity, and that’s what’s going to get us out,” Dr. Noelle Bissell, director of the New River Health District, said during a media briefing Wednesday.
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** Virginia's fourth case of UK COVID variant is northwest Virginia resident ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Following international travel, a resident of northwest Virginia has become the fourth known case in the state of the fast-spreading COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom called B.1.1.7. The first was on Jan. 25. Public health experts suspect undetected variants could be widespread across the country, fueling the urgency for residents to wear masks, continue social distancing and stay home if infected.
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** Fredericksburg-area pharmacies, Walmarts join vaccination push ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Here’s the vaccine question of the week: Now that pharmacies are getting some doses, should people who have already registered with their local health district try to snag an appointment at the drugstore? Or should they wait, thinking that the more registrations there are, the more clogged the system will become? The answer isn’t clear, but then, what else is new when it comes to the vaccine rollout?
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** Prince William has more than 13,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week ([link removed])
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By JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times

A total of 13,185 doses of COVID-19 vaccine are available in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park this week, and the goal is to administer at least 90% of them. Whether that will happen, however, remains a bit of a mystery. Prince William County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Misner detailed for the first time Tuesday where the vaccine doses are being allocated, offering the most complete public accounting so far of the vaccine doses coming into the Prince William Health District and how they are being distributed.
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** Petersburg teachers start getting COVID shots Saturday ([link removed])
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By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

The city health department is setting up vaccination clinics for the next three Saturdays to get teachers and other school staff their COVID-19 vaccinations, a Petersburg official said Tuesday. The clinics at Petersburg High School are one of several initiatives the health department is launching to help speed up the pace of getting the shots into residents' arms.
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** Some Hampton Roads jail inmates are getting vaccinated ([link removed])
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By MARGARET MATRAY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A few dozen inmates at one local jail have gotten the coronavirus vaccine, but health officials haven’t told most sheriffs or superintendents in Hampton Roads when to expect doses for the region’s thousands of other incarcerated men and women. Other challenges remain, too: Many inmates have said they don’t want the vaccine, and those who do might have trouble getting their second doses scheduled if they’re released from jail sometime after getting the first.
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** Salem VA offers COVID-19 vaccines to veterans ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Salem VA Health Care System is scheduling appointments for veterans who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. To enroll, call 540-982-2463 and press 2 to set up an appointment for the week of Feb. 8-12. The VA said in a news release that it has about 2,000 doses.
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** COVID-19 vaccine availability improving for Martinsville and Henry County ([link removed])
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By BILL WYATT, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

CVS, Walmart and the Salem VA Medical Center indicated in separate announcements that the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine is about to improve in the region. On Tuesday, CVS Pharmacy announced it would begin on Feb. 11 to offer COVID-19 vaccinations at its store in Martinsville and 27 other locations across Virginia that would share 26,000 total doses.
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** A Valley minister was set to get her vaccine. Instead, she says, hospital security escorted her out. ([link removed])
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By BRIDGET MANLEY, Harrisonburg Citizen

Christina Rivera, part of the senior lead ministry team at the Church of the Larger Fellowship, spends her days ministering to those in the Valley, including pastoral care for those suffering from COVID-19 and their families. Because of her work, she was eager to register with the Virginia Department of Health’s website to alert her when the vaccine was available for her group. . . . She was excited when she received an email telling her she had been approved for the vaccine and asked to make an appointment with Sentara RMH. When she arrived for her scheduled vaccine appointment, Rivera, who is Latina, said she was denied the vaccine by the person working the vaccination check-in, who also refused to check her appointment confirmations, and eventually had Rivera escorted out of the hospital by security.
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** County Tries to Quell Suspicions of Line-Jumping Opportunists and Wasted Doses Amid Vaccine Rollout ([link removed])
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By JO DEVOE, ArlNow

Officials with Arlington County Public Health Division say they are not wasting coronavirus vaccine doses, but they also do not condone people getting vaccinated out of turn. During a COVID-19 work session on Tuesday, County Board members told health division staff that their constituents frequently express concerns about line-jumping by those who do not currently qualify for vaccinations under Virginia Dept. of Health’s Phase 1b guidelines. “Everyone knows someone who isn’t in the 75-plus category or the personnel identified yet but got vaccinated because their eye doctor, brother or psychiatrist,” Board member Katie Cristol said, listing the kinds of connections that people are allegedly using.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Two efforts for police accountability have failed; one in the courts and one in the legislature ([link removed])
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By ALI ROCKETT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A Richmond Circuit Court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Virginia on behalf of student organizers alleging their constitutional rights were violated last summer when police used chemical irritants, flash bangs and rubber bullets to disperse their sit-in at City Hall. The suit sought an injunction preventing police — Richmond, Virginia State and Capitol police were all listed as defendants, as well as each department’s respective chief or superintendent — from using what the ACLU called “excessive force” when responding to future demonstrations.


** LOCAL
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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 virtual classes across the board, 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 School Board voted 8-1 on the measure during its Tuesday meeting, with Denise Corbo (At-Large) the sole opponent. 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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** Loudoun School Board Finalizes $1.5B Budget with Lower Enrollment Expectations ([link removed])
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Loudoun Now

The Loudoun County School Board early Wednesday morning adopted a $1.5 billion fiscal year 2022 operating budget that envisions a post-COVID return to normalcy and requires a $97 million increase in local tax funding. The $1,492,724,899 budget includes 12,735.8 full time equivalent positions. The largest portion of the increase, $63.3 million, is earmarked for pay raises, including step increases, 3.5% market adjustments and classification changes.
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** Virginia Beach schools’ proposed budget calls for raises for teachers ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Amid a pandemic that upended public school funding last year, Virginia Beach Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence proposed an $828.8 million operating budget that focuses on the same bread-and-butter issues listed as priorities in previous years. The proposal, which was presented to the school board Tuesday and will be voted on in March, is an increase of roughly $10 million from Spence’s first proposal last year before the pandemic led to cuts in school funding.
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** Suffolk council votes against allowing new councilman to bid on $157,000 city landscaping contract ([link removed])
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By ANDY FOX AND SARAH FEARING, WAVY-TV

A newly-elected Suffolk Councilman cannot submit a sealed bid to win back a $157,000 lawn maintenance contract he previously had with the city. As 10 On Your Side reported last week, when Councilman LeOtis Williams won his seat, the Suffolk city purchasing department sent him a notice in January that the contract would not be renewed due to potential conflicts of interest in awarding a city contract to a sitting councilman. Williams reached out to the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council, which advised that for Williams to be able to bid for the contract, the council must pass a resolution supporting it. That resolution would need to say that Williams having the contract would be in the best interest of the city taxpayers.
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** Full day, in-person learning option being recommended in Montgomery County ([link removed])
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By YANN RANAIVO, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Montgomery County Public Schools administration is recommending the district move to a level of instruction that would allow students to return to full day, in-person classes. The recommendation was presented to the county School Board during a virtual meeting Tuesday night. Superintendent Mark Miear asked that board members submit questions and that details on how logistics would be handled will be provided during a meeting on Feb. 16.
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** Warren County supervisors hear opposition to 'sanctuary' proposal on masks ([link removed])
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By ALEX BRIDGES, Northern Virginia Daily

Nearly 20 Warren County residents urged the Board of Supervisors not to defy state-ordered restrictions meant to stop the spread of COVID-19. Supervisors received 18 email messages from residents in response to comments made by people asking the board members at a Jan. 19 meeting to adopt a resolution to designate Warren County as a “constitutional sanctuary.”
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** Supervisors keep orbiting solar ordinance, but can’t land on agreement amid accusations ([link removed])
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By RANDY ARRINGTON, Page Valley News

Last night’s work session was not one of the finer moments of the Page County Board of Supervisors. The evening was filled with confusion, misunderstanding, accusations, perceived deception and borderline incompetence. After more than two years of discussion, public hearings, approval by the planning commission, $50,000 spent on a consultant, and seemingly overwhelming support from a vocal group of citizens closely following the process … only two supervisors supported the culmination of that work. A motion by District 1 Supervisor Keith Guzy to approve the proposed solar ordinance, as submitted by the Page County Planning Commission, failed by a 2-to-4 vote.

Today's Sponsor:


** Greehan, Taves & Pandak
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Representing and advising Virginia localities, officials and public entities to achieve the public interest.


** EDITORIALS
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** What's behind Virginia's meteoric rise in the vaccine rankings? ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

In 1990, the Minnesota Twins finished in dead last in their division. The next year they won the World Series, becoming the first baseball team to go from worst-to-first in a single year. The Miracle Mets of 1969 came close; they finished next-to-last the previous year. Being in New York, they get a more glamorous tale than a team in Minneapolis does. We now segue from sports to vaccines, but the worst-to-first analogy carries over. Virginia's not there — yet. And, realistically, may not get to first. But we were once worst in the nation, at least statistically, and now we're not. This is worth some attention.
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** A broad debate over tax structure looms in Virginia ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Word came out of Richmond recently that leading members of the General Assembly may initiate reform of Virginia’s tax structure next year, following the November state elections. Good on both counts. Good to get reform going; good to get a mandate first. Without an electoral push, it could be challenging — and it may still be after the vote. Expect much wailing and complaining.
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** Census data delay serves as a reminder — put people before politics ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

This past May, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) warned that a 2020 census data delay would disrupt states’ redistricting procedures. In a letter to then-U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham, New Jersey and Virginia were top of mind, with November 2021 legislative elections on the docket and a need for new maps to be drawn. “With delays, these states face constitutional dilemmas,” NCSL Executive Director Tim Storey said.
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** Why Rep. Morgan Griffith was right about pandemic relief bill ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, and certain other Republicans have been catching grief for voting to overturn the results of the presidential election — and deservedly so. He also has been catching grief from some letter-writers for opposing the pandemic relief package that the last Congress passed on its waning days. Whether Griffith’s vote is right or wrong is a matter of political taste, but his reasons for voting against the measure rests on solid ground that both liberals and conservatives ought to support if they want Congress to operate in a more accountable fashion.
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** As community institutions step in, vaccine efforts grow by leaps and bounds ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

After early moments of frustration, Virginians should take solace that help is on the way with the COVID-19 vaccine. On Tuesday, the White House announced the first phase of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. Beginning Feb. 11, the public-private partnership will mobilize 21 national pharmacy partners and independent pharmacy networks representing 40,000-plus locations. In Virginia, CVS is among the large chains, with 28 pharmacies set to participate, including some in Richmond. Registration is set to open Feb. 9.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Schapiro: Virginia's Prohibition repeal redux ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The last time Virginia legalized a controlled substance — booze, in 1933 — an Eastern Shore Democrat had a big say in the scheme under which the purchase and possession of beer, wine and whiskey was decriminalized and the state started making a pile of dough allowing adults to wet their whistle. State Sen. Walter Mapp of Accomack County — home of another Eastern Shore Democrat, Gov. Ralph Northam, who, nearly 90 years later, wants Virginia to legalize marijuana — was a member of the study commission that recommended creation of a state monopoly to control sales of liquor to consumers and, years later, restaurants and bars.


** OP-ED
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** Distaso and Riggleman: Virginians deserve more medical marijuana options ([link removed])
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By DOUG DISTASO AND DENVER RIGGLEMAN, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia’s medical cannabis processors came online in 2020, a monumental step for patient access to cannabis treatment. From children with pediatric epilepsy, to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression and other conditions, this treatment is invaluable health care for many. We regularly hear first-hand accounts from our fellow veterans that medical cannabis is the first and often only effective treatment for these myriad issues.

Distaso is executive director of the Veterans Cannabis Project. Riggleman is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and former representative for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District


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