VaNews
February 13, 2021

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Maritime Association
------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the Virginia Maritime Association ([link removed]) begins a new century promoting, protecting, and encouraging commerce through Virginia’s ports; poised for the next 100 years of growth.
* Read Online ([link removed])
* 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])
* Refer a Friend ([link removed])

Top of the News


** New state system designed to help overwhelmed health districts ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Trying to schedule everyone eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine has “clearly overwhelmed” local health districts, according to Virginia’s vaccine czar. To help with that pressure, the Virginia Department of Health will roll out a centralized system on Tuesday that will send everyone to the same website form to register, said Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccination coordinator.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Since vaccinations began, fewer health care workers in Richmond have tested positive ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Hospitals in greater Richmond are reporting a drop in coronavirus cases among health care workers since vaccines were made available to them in mid-December. Since the pandemic’s start, nearly 23,000 health care workers in Virginia have tested positive. At Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, employee infections spiked in December.
------------------------------------------------------------


** House and Senate pass competing state budget plans ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LAURA VOZZELLA AND GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The state House and Senate on Friday passed competing budget plans that reflect Virginia's ongoing battle with a pandemic but boast better-than-expected tax revenue and the promise of federal help. Both chambers call for pouring tens of millions into summer school and other forms of remediation intended to make up for lost learning time over the past year as many K-12 public schools have been shuttered, offering only in-person learning.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia (almost definitely) won’t get census data in time to redraw maps for 2021 elections ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

Whatever faint hope there was that Virginia would be able to accomplish the 2021 redistricting on schedule disappeared Friday when the U.S. Census Bureau announced all states should expect to get their redistricting data by Sept. 30. That’s not even close to the timeline Virginia officials said would be necessary to have new House of Delegates district lines in place for summertime primaries and general elections in November. “It’s just going to be impossible,” said Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, one of eight lawmakers serving on the newly created Virginia Redistricting Commission.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Estimated $40 million in unemployment paid by VEC on claims filed in the names of ineligible prison inmates ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Virginia Employment Commission believes it paid out more than $40 million in unemployment funds to persons who submitted claims on behalf of prison inmates, according to federal authorities. In a complaint filed against two former inmates involving $51,198 in unemployment claims, an agent wrote, "This investigation involves an unemployment insurance fraud scheme wherein unemployment benefits in the millions of dollars were paid ... to applicants who were actually inmates being housed at correctional facilities."
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia high court will take up appeals in Lee statue case ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

The Supreme Court of Virginia said Friday it will take up appeals in two lawsuits that seek to prevent Gov. Ralph Northam from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond. The court granted a petition of appeal from a group of Richmond residents and from a descendant of signatories to a 1890 deed that transferred the statue, pedestal and ground they sit on to the state. It was not immediately clear how soon the court might take the matters up.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Old Dominion University names its first Black president ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

For the first time in its 91-year history, Old Dominion University has named a Black president. Brian O. Hemphill, president of Radford University, will be ODU’s ninth president when he starts over the summer, the university announced in a news release Friday. Hemphill, who is married with four children and has degrees in organizational communication, journalism and higher education administration, will succeed the university’s longest serving president, John R. Broderick.
The Full Report
52 articles, 27 publications
* Read Online ([link removed])
* 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])
* Refer a Friend ([link removed])


** FROM VPAP
------------------------------------------------------------


** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

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
------------------------------------------------------------


** Supreme Court of Virginia agrees to hear Lee statue appeals ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

After more than eight months of protests and legal wrangling, the fate of the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue will be decided by the Supreme Court of Virginia. The court on Friday agreed to hear appeals made on behalf of two lawsuits trying to keep the statue in place, but a date has not been set. Both suits were struck down in 2020 by a Richmond Circuit Court judge.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Supreme Court agrees to hear appeals in cases seeking to block removal of Richmond’s Robert E. Lee statue ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Supreme Court of Virginia on Friday agreed to hear appeals from two groups seeking to block Gov. Ralph Northam's efforts to remove the enormous statue of Robert E. Lee on the city's Monument Avenue. Both groups lost their cases last year before a Richmond Circuit Court judge, but the judge imposed an injunction keeping the state from taking down the statue until they had a chance to appeal to the high court.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
------------------------------------------------------------


** 'Miles to go' - House and Senate face off after adopting budgets ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Competing budgets glided to approval in the House of Delegates and the Senate on Friday, setting the stage for negotiations over the third two-year spending plan the General Assembly has adopted in less than a year under the shadow of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Senate voted 31-8 to adopt the budget recommended by the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, while the House passed the spending plan advanced by the House Appropriations Committee on a vote of 68-30.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Coronavirus relief funds heading to state coffers ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MEAGAN FLYNN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

More than $14 billion in direct coronavirus relief funding may be pouring into government coffers in the District, Maryland and Virginia in coming months — and for D.C., that could include the $755 million it was denied in the first relief package nearly a year ago. The proposed infusion of funding would allow significantly more flexibility for state and local governments, which could use the money for purposes including school infrastructure projects, grants for struggling businesses and covering severe revenue losses caused by the pandemic.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Lawmakers trying to reach compromise on criminal record expungement ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Shawn Weneta is a CPR instructor who was convicted in Arlington County of embezzlement in 2004. He pleaded guilty to three counts. One-hundred fifty counts of computer fraud were dropped in a plea agreement. Those 150 counts still showed up on background checks, however, and he wanted them removed. Doing so wasn't easy. Weneta said he spent $15,000 in attorney fees and other fees to have them expunged from his record. Finding an attorney who knew the process was challenging.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Would ‘super drunk’ drivers in Va. be empowered by repealing mandatory minimum sentences? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By NEAL AUGENSTEIN, WTOP

As lawmakers in Virginia’s General Assembly advance bills to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for all but the most serious crimes, anti-drunk driving advocates fear a new law would empower the worst of the commonwealth’s serial drunken drivers. “It’s obviously part of a larger, sweeping criminal justice reform effort, and we don’t want to step in the way of that,” said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program. “We’re not opposing the bill in its entirety — we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** Inaction on a criminal justice reform bill in a House subcommittee surprises supporters ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By BRANDON JARVIS, Virginia Scope

After spending the better part of a year on policies that would reduce the number of altercations between members of the public and police officers, advocates were shocked when a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate failed to receive a motion to advance out of a House subcommittee. Senator Emmett Hanger’s (R-Augusta) SB 1437 would eliminate the requirement that a defendant sign a ‘promise to appear’ when a summons for a misdemeanor offense or an administrative violation is issued. Hanger says he submitted this bill after the former sheriff from Waynesboro gave him the idea.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Tension over election integrity erupts in Virginia House of Delegates ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Partisan tension over election integrity finally erupted in the House of Delegates on Friday after simmering for weeks in the background. Del. Marcus Simon (D-Fairfax) touched it off with a simple but provocative message for Republicans who have raised questions about the security of Virginia’s elections laws: “Please cut it out.” The impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump was winding down in Washington as he spoke, and Simon reminded other House members of the chaos and bloodshed that wracked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 over false charges that the presidential election was “stolen.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** Efforts to repeal Virginia's gay marriage ban test state's progressive credibility ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DAN AVERY, NBCNews

Even though it’s been more than five years since the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have the right to marry “on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples,” dozens of states still have constitutional amendments on the books that ban gay marriage. Virginia is one of those states, and its first openly LGBTQ legislator is leading the charge to ax the outdated law. Democratic state Sen. Adam Ebbin is sponsoring SJ 270, which would replace language in the state Constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman with an affirmative statement that the right to marry is fundamental “regardless of the sex or gender of the parties to the marriage.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** Senators oppose temporary moratorium on gold mining in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Democratic senators on a powerful committee said no to a House proposal that would put a temporary moratorium on gold mining, opting to allow for study of whether it’s environmentally safe. The decision by senators to oppose the moratorium surprised one of the state’s big environmental groups, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, as well as people who live in Buckingham County and have shared concerns during state legislative hearings.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia considering letting bicyclists roll through stop signs, no stop required ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LUZ LAZO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia lawmakers are considering a proposal that would allow bicyclists to yield instead of pause at stop signs in some cases without getting ticketed. The measure before the Virginia General Assembly is in response to demands from an increasing number of bicyclists seeking protections and access to the road, particularly as their numbers rise amid the coronavirus pandemic. Supporters say it will make roads safer for bicyclists after increases in traffic injuries and deaths, while opponents argue it makes the movements of cyclists less predictable. The bill also would require drivers to change lanes when passing a bicyclist if three feet of distance isn’t possible and would allow two cyclists to stay side-by-side in a lane.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia is about to get a major California-style data privacy law ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KATE COX, Ars Technica

Virginia is poised to follow in California's footsteps any minute now and become the second state in the country to adopt a comprehensive online data protection law for consumers. If adopted, the Consumer Data Protection Act would apply to entities of a certain size that do business in Virginia or have users based in Virginia. The bill enjoys broad popular support among state lawmakers; it passed 89-9 in the Virginia House and unanimously (39-0) in the state Senate, and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam is widely expected to sign it into law without issue in the coming days.
------------------------------------------------------------


** How Long Should Police Be Able To Store License Plate Data? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By WHITTNEY EVANS, WCVE-FM

Virginia legislators are weighing how long law enforcement should be able to hold onto license plate data they collect using automatic license plate readers. Members of a House Public Safety Committee considered a bill Friday that would ban agencies from storing the information for more than 30 days, unless it’s being used to investigate a crime or violation. Democratic Sen. Chap Peterson, who introduced the bill, argued the government cannot collect and maintain data on its citizens for no known purpose.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Lawmakers reflect on General Assembly session ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Laws to abolish the death penalty, legalize marijuana and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to stir debate in Virginia’s General Assembly. Initially, the legislative session was supposed to wrap up this week because Republicans didn’t want to extend the session beyond 30 days. However, last week Gov. Ralph Northam signed a proclamation summoning lawmakers for a special session — effectively extending the length of this year’s session to its usual 46-day length. The special session began Wednesday.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Frederick supervisors pass resolution in support of LaRock ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Frederick County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday night urging Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn to reinstate 33rd District Del. Dave LaRock, R-Hamilton, to the House’s Transportation Committee. Last month, LaRock was stripped of his committee assignment for signing a letter urging former Vice President Mike Pence to nullify Virginia’s certified presidential election results. Two other delegates, Mark Cole and Ronnie Campbell, also signed the letter. Filler-Corn, a Democrat, then stripped each of a committee assignment.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Bill allowing Arlington to rename Lee Highway is halfway to final approval ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Sun Gazette

While passage may be likely, it could still be a few weeks until Arlington officials know whether they will gain the power to rename Lee Highway (U.S. Route 29) within the county’s boundaries. Arlington leaders object to the name because of its connection to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Legislation patroned by Del. Rip Sullivan (D-McLean-Arlington) to give the county government authority to change the name passed the House of Delegates 58-41. The state Senate will address the issue during the special session called by Gov. Ralph Northam.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Funding for Brooke Road declined at state capital ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

A funding request to help build an emergency access road around a frequently flooded stretch of Brooke Road in southern Stafford did not make it through the House Appropriations Committee in Richmond this week. County officials are preparing to build the road anyway, but were hoping they might get reimbursed by the state. “It’s unlikely it will be brought back by the Senate or the House when they meet to conform their budgets,” said Eric Sundberg, Del. Joshua Cole’s chief of staff.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Local leaders opposed to moving elections to November ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Legislation to require all Virginia localities to move elections from May to November is getting a chilly local reception. Senate Bill 1157 would require any city or town that currently conducts mayoral, governing body or school board elections in May to hold them during the November general election. Some cities and towns already conduct local elections in November, but Bristol, Virginia doesn’t.


** STATE ELECTIONS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Republicans look to profit from Biden schools struggle ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KERRY PICKET AND DAVID M. DRUCKER, Washington Examiner

The suburban revolt against shuttered public schools is becoming a massive headache for President Biden, with Republicans seizing a fresh opportunity to turn the coronavirus into a political liability for the White House and put Democrats on their heels in future elections....Republicans are moving to make the Democrats pay in a crucial gubernatorial election this year in Virginia...


** STATE GOVERNMENT
------------------------------------------------------------


** Records: Virginia paid $40M in inmate unemployment scams ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SARAH RANKIN AND DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

The state agency that handles unemployment insurance in Virginia estimates it has paid out more than $40 million in benefits to individuals who submitted claims on behalf of inmates, according to a federal court filing. The disclosure, which was first reported Friday by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, was made in a criminal complaint filed in federal court last month against two former Virginia inmates.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Parents of high school sideline cheerleaders call for change in Virginia ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By TOM DEMPSEY, WUSA-TV

Parents of sideline cheerleaders are pushing for their children to be allowed back for football games after an executive order from Governor Ralph Northam classified cheer squads as spectators and meant they will be required to be ticketed in order to gather. After being signed by Governor Northam, Executive Order 72 classifies anyone not participating in the sport being played as a spectator, which includes sideline cheerleaders and members of a marching band.


** TRANSPORTATION
------------------------------------------------------------


** White’s Ferry purchased by Loudoun County businessman and landowner ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JEFF CLABAUGH, WTOP

Chuck Kuhn, one of the largest landowners in Loudoun County, Virginia, and his wife, Stacy Kuhn, have reached an agreement to purchase White’s Ferry, with plans to revive the Potomac River commuter crossing. The ferry ceased operation in December over a legal dispute between White’s Ferry Inc. and Rockland Farm LLC, where the ferry docks on the Virginia side of the river. Chuck Kuhn said that he will be working with Peter Brown, the majority owner of Rockland Farm, to get the ferry reopened.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Kuhn, wife purchase Historic White’s Ferry after December closure ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Chuck Kuhn, founder and CEO of JK Moving Services, and his wife, Stacy, have finalized the terms of purchasing historic White’s Ferry. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The purchase could restart the ferry operations between Montgomery County, Maryland, and White’s Ferry Road in Loudoun County, which closed in December due to a land dispute.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Kuhn Family Announces Purchase of White’s Ferry ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Loudoun Now

Chuck Kuhn, founder and CEO ofJK Moving Services, and his wife Stacy Kuhn, have come to terms on a purchase of White’s Ferry, the family announced Friday afternoon. Established in 1786, the ferry across the Potomac River near Leesburg ceased operation in December following a years-long legal battle over the operator’s rights to use the Loudoun County landing at Rockland Farm.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia colleges are loosening quarantine requirements, but they don't agree on how long ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colleges in Virginia are relaxing their approach to quarantining students who may have been exposed to the coronavirus. Last semester, colleges asked exposed students to stay home or move into quarantine housing for 14 days, following federal guidance at the time. Receiving a negative test result didn’t change the length of quarantine. It turns out, people quarantined more than necessary, Dr. Noelle Bissell, director of the New River Health District, said in a virtual town hall recently.
------------------------------------------------------------


** U.Va. extends six-person gathering limit, confirms presence of UK variant in community ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By EVA SUROVELL, Cavalier Daily

The University extended its six-person gathering limit, confirmed the presence of the B.1.1.7. U.K. variant of the virus in the community and acknowledged rising University COVID-19 case numbers in a Return to Grounds update Friday afternoon. “These are concerning developments, but we believe we are capable of managing them as an institution and as individual members of this community,” the update said. The gathering limit was originally put in place Jan. 19, and University officials said that the restriction would continue through at least the first two weeks of the semester.
------------------------------------------------------------


** EMU Sees Uptick In COVID-19 Cases ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MEGAN WILLIAMS, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The spring semester is in full swing for area college and university students. Extra precautions are being taken and extra testing is keeping track of COVID-19 cases. However, one area school has seen its first uptick in coronavirus cases since the pandemic began last year. Eastern Mennonite University has seen 69 positive cases in the last three weeks, according to EMU officials.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Radford University's Brian Hemphill leaving to become ODU's president ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Radford University President Brian Hemphill announced Friday that he’ll be leaving the school to lead Old Dominion University. Hemphill will remain in his role at Radford until the end of the fiscal year, June 30, before officially taking over as the ninth president of the Norfolk school this summer. He will be Old Dominion University's first African American president.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Radford University adjusts budget, shares early enrollment numbers ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Radford University finalized its budget for the current fiscal year at board of visitors meetings held Thursday and Friday. The budget needed to be tweaked due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the state legislature not passing its budget until mid October, according to university officials.
------------------------------------------------------------


** President of CNU announces 6-month sabbatical to be with wife facing rare health condition ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By STAFF REPORT, WAVY-TV

Christopher Newport University (CNU) President Paul Trible announced Friday he will be taking a six-month sabbatical to help his wife who is facing a rare health condition. The CNU Board of Visitors granted the off time from Feb. 16 until Aug. 16.


** CORONAVIRUS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia pauses vaccine registrations to prepare for launch of new statewide system ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LOLA FADULU AND ANTONIO OLIVO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia health officials on Friday suspended registrations for coronavirus vaccinations over the holiday weekend as the state prepares to launch a statewide registration system meant to ease weeks of confusion and frustration. Under the new system, which will launch Tuesday, vaccine appointment waitlists compiled by the state’s local health districts will be combined into one master list, with the exception of Fairfax County, which announced Friday it will continue to use its own registration system. Fairfax officials said residents already on the waitlist should not register again on the new system statewide.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia will launch a statewide registration system for vaccines, but first it will disable local forms for three days ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A statewide portal for Virginians to register for the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to launch Tuesday morning, but first, the state is disabling the registration forms on the websites of the state’s 35 local health districts. The shutdown began at 5 p.m. on Friday, meaning that no Virginian will be able to register online for a state-provided COVID-19 vaccine into the weekend and through Monday. The Virginia Department of Health announced the transition Friday morning, following weeks of planning for a statewide tool that they hope will connect Virginians to available vaccine doses. The form will be available in English and Spanish.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Pre-registration for Virginia coronavirus vaccines will begin going through a statewide system ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ROBYN SIDERSKY AND ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Starting Tuesday, Virginians will be able to pre-register for the coronavirus vaccine with a state-provided standard form that they can access either through the state’s website or any local health district website. In order to transition to the new system, existing local pre-registration forms will go down over the long weekend, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. Virginia Department of Health officials said the temporary hold will allow them to integrate the data and avoid multiple platforms adding new data at the same time.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Va. to institute statewide COVID-19 vaccine preregistration system, but Fairfax Co. to sit out ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By RICK MASSIMO, WTOP

Virginia is beginning a statewide COVID-19 vaccination signup program, and that means local systems will shut down Friday evening. The Virginia Department of Health said in a statement that local vaccination registration systems will shut down at 5 p.m. Friday, and the new statewide system will start up Tuesday, Feb. 16. . . . There’s one major exception: Fairfax County. “The Fairfax Health District will not be using the new system at this time,” the Fairfax County Health Department said Friday. They said residents should not sign up at the state site but keep using the county system.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia could reach 7,000 COVID deaths this weekend -- with nearly a third reported in 2021 alone ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

On March 14, Virginia will have marked one year since its first COVID-19 death. Since then, 6,966 residents have died from the virus. Almost 2,000 were reported in 2021. More than half were in the last four months. The number of people who didn't survive could surpass 7,000 this weekend, as Virginia averages more than 33 deaths per day over a seven-day period. The state would become the 22nd to reach the high toll.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Roanoke area prepares to finish big vaccination week ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The first teachers and elderly people living in the Roanoke Valley to get the COVID-19 vaccines were scheduled to get their second doses as dicey winter weather made sweeps through the region. Dr. Cynthia Morrow, director of the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts, said Friday that the teacher clinic went off as scheduled, and people were advised that if they had an early appointment and needed to wait until temperatures warmed and melted ice, it was OK to come late.
------------------------------------------------------------


** GRTC employees won't be vaccinated until next month at the earliest ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Most GRTC Transit System bus drivers and employees will need to wait at least a month or longer for a COVID-19 vaccine as a limited supply of doses continues to hamper local health officials’ vaccination efforts. After anticipating that shots would be available for transit workers in January, GRTC CEO Julie Timm recently told employees that the company is not sure when exactly they will be available for employees under 65 years old.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Norfolk offering in-person help for those struggling to pre-register for COVID vaccine ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOANNE KIMBERLIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Norfolk is holding help sessions for residents having trouble getting pre-registered for COVID-19 vaccines. Seniors, in particular, have struggled with a system that relies heavily on online sign-ups. Residents without internet access who are eligible under the current 1b vaccination phase can now visit a rec center for in-person assistance. No need to call ahead.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Loudoun Switching to New Vaccine Pre-screen Survey ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Loudoun Now

Loudoun County will switch to using the Virginia Department of Health’s statewide COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration system at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, following direction from the state that came earlier that day. In launching the new statewide system, the Virginia Department of Health directed all local health districts to close their pre-registration forms and surveys at 5 p.m. Friday to allow for existing registration data to be transferred to the new system.
------------------------------------------------------------


** New COVID-19 vaccination site to open at Manassas Mall, county transitions to statewide waiting list ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times

The Prince William Health District will open a new COVID-19 vaccination site at the Manassas Mall Tuesday and will merge its local waiting list -- which now contains nearly 49,000 names -- with a new statewide system. The move to a new location will close smaller and less functional vaccination sites at Beacon Hall, on George Mason University's Manassas Campus, and at the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center, officials announced on Friday. The new vaccination site will be located “next to the Autobahn store,” according to a press release issued by the Prince William Health District Friday, Feb. 12.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia man ordered jailed until trial on charges of planning for Jan. 6 attack ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By TOM JACKMAN, SPENCER S. HSU AND RACHEL WEINER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A Virginia man accused of being a coordinator in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was ordered held in jail until his trial, with a federal judge finding Friday that his messages to others discussing bringing weapons to Washington and future attacks on state capitols made him a danger “not just to the community but actually to the fundamental fabric of democracy we also cherish.” Thomas E. Caldwell, 66, of Berryville, is charged with conspiring with two Ohio members of the conservative Oath Keepers to obstruct the electoral vote count, destroy government property and enter a restricted area, though prosecutors acknowledge he didn’t enter the Capitol building. Caldwell spoke up three times as U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta in the District explained his reasons for detaining the retired Navy commander and former FBI employee.


** LOCAL
------------------------------------------------------------


** Immigration Activists Call on Arlington Law Enforcement to Stop Collaborating with ICE ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JO DEVOE, ArlNow

Virginia-based immigrant rights organization La ColectiVA is calling on Arlington County officials to put a stop to information-sharing between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. La ColectiVA said the effort comes after learning of multiple cases in which migrant community members have been arrested in Arlington and then transferred to ICE for deportation proceedings. Through public records requests, La ColectiVA found that the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office handed those in local law enforcement custody over to ICE more than 100 times in 22 months. “This collaboration between violent state agencies violates the dignity of our loved ones and endangers our neighbors and families who are at risk,” the organization said in a statement.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Feds investigate Fairfax Co. Public Schools over lack of in-person instruction for students with disabilities ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KRISTI KING, WTOP

The Fairfax County Public Schools system is under investigation by federal education officials amid accusations that the school district unfairly limited access for children with disabilities. Emphasizing that the investigation in no way indicates a violation exists, a letter sent to Fairfax County Public Schools superintendent Scott Brabrand says that the district declined to provide in-person instruction to students with disabilities, while opening schools to in-person child care for general education students.
------------------------------------------------------------


** County proposes flat real-estate tax rate, new cigarette tax, data center hike ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DANIEL BERTI, Prince William Times

Taxes may be going up in Prince William County after July 1, with a proposed boost in real estate tax bills, a new cigarette tax and an increase in the rate on computer equipment, a tax mostly paid by data centers. A new 4% meals tax is under discussion but would not be considered until next spring. Under County Executive’s Chris Martino’s proposed $1.35 billion budget, the 2022 real estate tax rate remains at $1.125 per $100. But an increase in real estate assessments would add $306 to the average annual residential tax bill, bringing it to $4,675.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Richmond region records largest single-year spike in homelessness with 50% increase ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The number of people experiencing homelessness in the Richmond area rose more than 50% over the past year, according to preliminary figures from an annual census of the region’s homeless population. The increase — from 549 to 838 people — is the largest single-year spike since the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care began tracking the number in the 1990s.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Newport News Fire Department piloting an online dashboard to reduce risks in the community ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JESSICA NOLTE, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

The Newport News Fire Department was selected to pilot a tool that Fire Chief Jeffrey S. Johnson believes will be essential for fire departments within the next 10 years. It’s a digital community risk-assessment dashboard that catalogs incidents to which the department responds, along with details about the nature and cause of the incident. The dashboard, created by the National Fire Protection Association, also tracks the steps the department takes to help prevent them from happening again. . . . Newport News is one of 250 departments across the country — and one of four in Virginia — to have free access to the dashboard in exchange for their feedback to refine the tool.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Some officials question equity as Albemarle schools prepare for more students in-person ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

As Albemarle County Schools prepare to increase the number of students learning in person next month, some School Board members are worried about how the county will make learning equitable between students who are taking all of their classes online and those who are attending in-person.
------------------------------------------------------------


** School superintendent: Four-day in-person school will require relaxed physical distancing ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ROBIN EARL, Fauquier Times

When school buildings open back up on March 15 for four-day-a-week, in-person learning, students in pre-kindergarten to second grade will probably be sharing bus rides with more of their classmates -- two to a seat instead of one to a seat -- and social distancing rules may be reduced from 6 feet to 3. The changes in COVID-19 mitigation strategies are necessary because there will be more students on the buses and in school seats. The expected changes were announced by Superintendent of Schools David Jeck in a video address Thursday evening.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Supervisors approve speed cameras in school zones ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By COY FERRELL, Fauquier Times

On Thursday, Fauquier County supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance to allow speed cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones. While the sheriff’s office has already agreed to a payment schedule with a private company to install and maintain the cameras, spokesman Sgt. Steven Lewis said Friday the timeline for rolling out the program has yet to be finalized. The problem that led to the decision is significant, county officials said this week. County Attorney Tracy Gallehr told supervisors that, in a recent trial run of the speed camera equipment in front of P.B. Smith Elementary School on Dumfries Road, more than 650 vehicles were detected traveling at least 10 miles per hour over the school-zone speed limit in the course of just one hour.
------------------------------------------------------------


** WEA exploring possibility of collective bargaining ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ANNA MEROD, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

As of May 1, Virginia teachers and staff will have the ability to establish unions in their school districts. Public educators will be able to do so as a result of the General Assembly overturning a prohibition in 2020 that prevented collective bargaining in schools.

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Maritime Association
------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the Virginia Maritime Association ([link removed]) begins a new century promoting, protecting, and encouraging commerce through Virginia’s ports; poised for the next 100 years of growth.


** COLUMNISTS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Schapiro: For GOP, practicalities take back seat to personalities ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Sheets of plywood where windows were at the Richmond headquarters of the Republican Party of Virginia make it difficult for a passerby to peek inside. The plywood, installed after the windows were destroyed by vandals during this past year’s long season of unrest, also makes it harder for Republicans to gaze on the fast-changing world outside the former Baptist bookstore. It’s that impaired view that, since December, has contributed to a deadlock within the party’s governing body over how to choose its 2021 ticket.


** Invite Friends to read VaNews
------------------------------------------------------------
Invite two friends to read VaNews and you'll receive VaViews, a weekly compilation of commentary from a variety of viewpoints.
b96c18c0-73d7-4f80-ba25-a96795413390.png
You don't have any referrals yet.
Share VaNews with a friend ([link removed])

Or use your personal referral link:
[link removed]

For questions email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
Participation in the VaNews Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the VPAP Terms and Conditions of Use ([link removed]) .
------------------------------------------------------------
Donate ([link removed]) Subscribe ([link removed]) Content Policy ([link removed]) Privacy ([link removed])

============================================================

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
Virginia Public Access Project . P.O. Box 1472 . Richmond, VA 23218 . USA