VaNews
February 22, 2021

Today's Sponsor:


** The Gaston Group, LLC
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Missing friends and colleagues during this virtual GA session. Thanking DLAS staffs for keeping the train on the track! Be safe and stay healthy!
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Top of the News


** Pandemic highlighted broadband urgency; the General Assembly is investing ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, children did their schoolwork at McDonald’s and workers sat outside of libraries to check their emails. Internet was important before the pandemic, but the past year highlighted how essential it is. The urgency to get people access to broadband underscored not only how difficult it is to get some households connected, but how expensive reaching the goal of universal broadband is.
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** Plastic foam container ban one step closer in Virginia ([link removed])
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By DAVID TRAN, VCU Capital News Service

For a second year in a row, a bill that prohibits food vendors from using plastic foam containers is up in the air as the General Assembly hashes out a Senate amendment. Del. Betsy B. Carr, D-Richmond, introduced House Bill 1902 this year after her bill passed last year with a reenactment clause, which means it must pass two years in a row. The Senate passed the legislation Friday in a 21-15 vote. The passage came with an amendment proposed by Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, that would not exempt nonprofits, state and local government entities and schools from the ban.
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** Positive coronavirus tests fall back to pre-Christmas levels in Virginia ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

For the first time since mid-December, less than one out of every 10 nasal swab tests in Virginia is coming back positive for the coronavirus. The rate has dropped to 8%, according to Virginia Department of Health data, showing signs the pandemic is retreating — for now. The biggest obstacle to a continued decline in new cases remains the emergence of more aggressively spreading variants, according to analysts at The University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute. If Virginians relax their prevention methods, allowing the variants to take hold, another smaller peak could come toward the end of May.
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** Health officials consider changes to Virginia’s vaccine distribution strategy amid concerns over equity ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Fairfax County is ranked as one of the wealthiest communities in Virginia. It’s also one of the healthiest. As of 2020, Fairfax led the state in measures including length of life, access to exercise opportunities and low rates of poor health indicators such as smoking and adult obesity, according to annual rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. . . . Currently, Fairfax County is also leading Virginia in vaccine distribution. . . . As Virginia continues to struggle with limited weekly vaccine allocations and a slower-than-expected rollout, the state’s population-based distribution strategy has begun to raise questions from residents and lawmakers in smaller areas with worse health outcomes or a greater proportion of vulnerable workers.
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** Urban One teams with Colonial Downs owner on casino in Richmond ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A Black-owned Washington media company is teaming with the owner of a potential rival to propose a $517 million casino resort and live music theater in South Richmond on property now owned by Philip Morris USA, one of the city’s biggest employers. Urban One, owner of four radio stations targeting predominantly Black audiences in Richmond, will announce on Tuesday that it is partnering with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, the owner of Colonial Downs Group and a growing chain of gaming emporiums in Virginia, to operate the casino as part of the 300,000-square-foot complex, according to a source close to the project.
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** Pakistani woman says Northern Virginia housekeeping job was labor trafficking ([link removed])
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By RACHEL WEINER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Rehana Bibi thought her employment in America would begin with a trip to Disneyland and end with a well-paying job as a maid for the Virginia relatives of a prominent Pakistani family. She never went to California. Instead, she said, after arriving in 2013, she spent the next five years effectively trapped in a Loudoun County home, working constantly. She said she was paid a total of about $25,000. “I have not seen anybody in my life, not even in Pakistan . . . treat anyone like that,” she said in an interview through an Urdu translator. She recalled at one point telling her husband, who remained in Pakistan, that she was considering suicide: “I told him if I stay any longer, my dead body is going to come out.”
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** Crime and reverence: Keeping George Washington's remains at Mount Vernon proved no easy feat ([link removed])
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By STEPHEN DINAN, Washington Times

America was experiencing major growing pains in the early 19th century, with rapid expansion westward, Northern and Southern states battling over slavery and political factionalism rending the young nation. But even through competing agendas, George Washington, who died in 1799, remained a such a powerful symbol of unity that the Founding Father’s tomb at Mount Vernon became a site of pilgrimage for those committed to the American experiment in republicanism. Perhaps it was inevitable, then, that someone would try to steal the first president’s remains.
The Full Report
41 articles, 19 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual End of May Elections? ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

The General Assembly has approved legislation that would end the tradition of cities and towns holding even-year municipal elections in May. The legislation would shift all Virginia general elections to November, at the same time when congressional and presidential races are on the ballot. Governor Northam now must decide whether to sign the measure. This interactive map shows the 16 cities and 107 towns (with nearly 990,000 voters) that would be affected.
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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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** Professional sports seek shift from Virginia's attendance limit ([link removed])
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By JOHN O’CONNOR, WAYNE EPPS JR. AND RANDY HALLMAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam, as a resident of Richmond and a representative, may reasonably be considered an advocate of local sports. Richmond’s professional sports organizations want his help. Virginia COVID-19 restrictions currently limit attendance at sporting events, indoor or outdoor, to a maximum of 250. The Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball franchise, the Richmond Kickers soccer club and Richmond Raceway desire a relaxed policy that allows their operations to return to a model closer to normality
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** Pulaski Co. Public Schools speak out against Gov. Northam's spectator limit ([link removed])
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By CAROLINE KEALY, WSET-TV

Pulaski County Public Schools shared a post on their Facebook page Sunday morning in response to Gov. Northam's newly amended executive order. Gov. Northam held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the amendments to the existing executive order. As of Monday, Virginia will expand the limits on spectators permitted at outdoor events. Northam said his administration is considering a percentage capacity for sports and entertainment values.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Verdict still out on impact of jury sentencing change, but Southside prosecutors worried it'll tax judicial system ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

Southside prosecutors are worried an upcoming change that eliminates juries from sentencing a defendant will lead to an overwhelmed judicial system. The General Assembly passed a law in 2020 that will take away the requirement for sentencing by a jury starting July 1.
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** State NAACP seeks investigation of Senate committee process that did not reappoint Chesterfield judge ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The State Conference of the NAACP and the Baptist Ministers' Conference of Richmond & Vicinity are calling for an immediate independent investigation of the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee's judicial selection and reappointment process after the panel decided in late January not to certify for re-election longtime Chesterfield County Judge Pamela O'Berry, one of only two Black judges in Chesterfield.
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** Various bills from local legislators appear headed for governor's consideration ([link removed])
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By TYLER HAMMEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

As the Virginia General Assembly session nears the end, various bills from local legislators are primed to pass. Due to this year’s shorter session, legislators were forced to narrow the number of bills brought before their respective bodies. Del. Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, cited HB 2040 as one of the most important pieces of legislation she is shepherding this session. Aimed at fixing various unemployment insurance issues facing residents of the commonwealth, Hudson said the bill was a direct result of constituent feedback.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Virginia Republicans working out how to pick nominees ahead of looming deadline ([link removed])
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By GABRIELLA MUÑOZ, Washington Times

The Republican Party of Virginia has a crowded field of candidates seeking the gubernatorial nomination, but it hasn’t settled on how it will choose its nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, among others. With a looming Tuesday deadline for announcing a nomination process, the Virginia GOP has said it would like to hold a convention instead of a primary on May 1, even though coronavirus distancing protocols could hamper such a gathering.
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** Carroll Foy returns home to Petersburg for her gubernatorial campaign ([link removed])
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By BRANDON JARVIS, Virginia Scope

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jennifer Carroll Foy (Prince William) returned to her hometown of Petersburg on Saturday to rally support for her campaign. While she was in town, the mayor and vice-mayor announced their endorsement of the former state delegate as she seeks to become the first Black woman Governor in the United States. “Petersburg has made me who I am: a fighter,” Carroll Foy said on Saturday. “Growing up here, I was raised with a lot of support from members of the community, my family, and my church. But I also knew what it was like to struggle, making hard decisions solely based on lack of resources.”
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** Rasoul campaigns in Martinsville: 'I'm the only candidate running from the western half of the state' ([link removed])
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By BILL WYATT, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

State Del. Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) is one of eight candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, but no one is close to the $650,000 he already has raised. Rasoul officially announced his candidacy on Friday, one of eight Democrats who want the job, and then began his campaign Saturday morning in Martinsville meeting with a small group of leaders in what was dubbed as a listening session. “Del. Sam Rasoul represents part of the city of Roanoke, and as lieutenant governor he will represent everyone,” Martinsville Vice Mayor Jennifer Bowles said as she introduced Rasoul to the group. “I’m excited to support Sam.”


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Internet sales tax data is buried but accessible, official says ([link removed])
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By LUKE WEIR, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia tax officials will learn later this month from one of their own how to audit internet sales tax revenue, providing a method to help determine why sales tax collections are trending higher than expected across the state. Lynchburg Commissioner of the Revenue Mitch Nuckles said he will share with fellow elected tax officials what he knows about processing internet sales tax data during a Zoom conference later in February. “I know around the Roanoke area there’s a lot of interest in the sales tax piece now,” Nuckles said. “The sales and use tax money is increasing, and a lot of people are wanting to know why.”
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** Amherst Circuit Court extends suspension of jury trials through April 15 ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN FAULCONER, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Amherst Circuit Court resuming jury trials during the COVID-19 pandemic will have to wait at least until April 15. The court tentatively planned to hold its first jury trial in more than a year on March 1 and another was planned for March 29. However, the court extended the suspension of jury trials from March 1 through mid-April, according to a Feb. 17 order signed by Circuit Court Judge Michael Garrett.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Court rejects latest effort to stop Mountain Valley Pipeline ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

An appellate court has declined to stop work on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, dealing the latest blow to arguments that there is no public need for the natural gas that is to be transported by the line. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied a request Friday by a coalition of environmental organizations.
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** Busch Gardens: Water Country is opening in May ([link removed])
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By CHRIS SIX, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

The weather may be gray and chilly, but fun in the sun is less than 100 days away with Water Country USA scheduled to open for the season on May 22. “Virginia’s largest waterpark” boasts thrilling water rides, including Virginia’s first water coaster, which uses water jets to propel a 4-person raft over 850 feet of slide. . . . The park emphasizes its commitment to safety and plans to release full details on its COVID-19 safety precautions closer to opening day.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Virginia Highlands Airport runway expansion plans continue ([link removed])
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By JOE TENNIS, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

When it’s finally all complete, the extended runway at Virginia Highlands Airport will be a multi-million-dollar mile. That runway will also arrive after years of moving tons of dirt and rock plus rerouting both a road and creek. According to Airport Manager Mickey Hines, 79, that’s all part of the multi-year plan to enhance safety and bring bigger corporate jets into the small airport along Lee Highway south of Abingdon.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Meal deliveries, spreadsheets and 'all hands on deck:' Inside quarantine at VMI ([link removed])
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By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Swinging open the motel room door, the Virginia Military Institute cadet seemed surprised to find himself face-to-face with his college’s top leader. “Oh! Hey, how are you, sir?” he asked Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins. Wins, wearing a mask with the U.S. Army logo, asked the cadet and his roommate for their names, majors and hometowns before inquiring whether they needed anything. After a brief chat, VMI’s interim superintendent moved down the corridor to the next room.
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** U.Va. confirms COVID-19 violations are being brought against five fraternities ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORTS, Cavalier Daily

Dean of Students Allen Groves confirmed during a town hall Friday that the University has brought cases against a number of individual students and five fraternities for COVID-19 violations. Following increased restrictions Tuesday that further limited gatherings, many students took to social media to call out the Inter-Fraternity and Inter-Sorority Councils’ decision to allow in-person recruitment events as a leading contributor to massive spikes in cases. The University has stated that while Greek life is likely one factor, the rise in noncompliance and case counts is widespread across the student body.
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** Virginia Tech 'pleased' with settlement of 7 lawsuits in cadet blood-pinning saga ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia Tech doesn’t expect additional lawsuits after recently settling seven cases filed by former cadets who were suspended for participating in a 2019 blood-pinning ritual. The federal civil suits against the university alleged the cadets’ constitutional due process rights were denied when the university suspended a dozen students for at least one semester during a joint conduct hearing.
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** Virginia Tech breached confidentiality with cadet lawsuit statement, lawyers say ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Lawyers who sued Virginia Tech on behalf of former cadets blasted the university on Sunday, alleging that its statement about the cases violated the confidentiality provisions of the settlements. Tech said Friday that it was “pleased with the outcome” of the lawsuits, adding that the settlements affirmed that the policies and procedures of the Corps of Cadets and Student Conduct office were sound. “And again, given the outcome, we do not anticipate any further litigation because, again, our policies and procedures and how we manage these programs has been affirmed,” Mark Owczarski, a university spokesman, had said.
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** Three JMU buildings once named for Confederates now honor African Americans ([link removed])
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By NICK ANDERSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

James Madison University has renamed three prominent buildings for African Americans who made significant contributions to the public institution in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, culminating a process of historical reckoning that began last summer when officials removed the names of Confederate leaders from the halls.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Virginia reports 2,303 new COVID-19 cases ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The state reported 2,303 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the cumulative total during the pandemic to 564,115, the Virginia Department of Health reported. Statewide, the total number of people hospitalized Sunday was 23,481, an increase of 45 from Saturday, though the VDH website notes that hospitalizations are underrepresented.
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** Virginia getting more vaccines, but local efforts hampered by storm's aftermath ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s vaccine czar, cheerfully addressed the press on Friday with “exciting” news about more shots coming into the state and more locations where people could get them. The state is expecting almost 40 percent more doses this week—or about 213,000 shots—which will be administered through the 35 local health districts and more than a dozen pharmacies across the commonwealth. Virginia’s weekly allotment from the federal government is rising from 130,000 to 161,000 doses, and a federal partnership with pharmacies will result in twice the supply—or 52,000 doses a week—going to drug stores and groceries throughout the state, Avula said.
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** VDH: Boost in vaccines expected this week ([link removed])
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By JOSETTE KEELOR, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia could see an influx of COVID-19 vaccine doses this week after shipments were delayed during the winter weather affecting much of the country last week. “We have had big delays in vaccinations delivered,” said Dr. Danny TK Avula, state vaccine coordinator, who spoke in a Friday afternoon telephone media briefing. He said about 16,000 Moderna vaccinations weren’t delivered last week, so their estimated arrival early this week they could boost the availability of vaccination appointments through area health departments, small pharmacies and other providers that receive allocations through the Virginia Department of Health.
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** Seeking equity in vaccine distribution in the Roanoke region ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A month ago this weekend, vaccinators at the Berglund Center shot 4,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of mostly white Roanokers. The joy of vaccinating so many, so quickly and so seamlessly was tempered by the frustrations of those who felt shut out, and most especially by those who have carried the heaviest burden of the disease. “We need to do better,” Dr. Cynthia Morrow, director of the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts, said when asked about inequities in the days following the valley's first mass vaccination clinics of older residents.
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** A hard decision: sending kids back to school ([link removed])
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By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Mariah Scott walks into J.A. Chalkley Elementary each day wearing a mask tied to a lanyard so it won’t touch any surfaces, including her desk. She has a spare in her book bag, just to be safe. Her mother drives her to and from school each day so she doesn’t risk breathing in what other children might breathe out on the bus. Mariah, 7, enjoys packing her lunch nightly, especially her snack. When her mother, Chavonn Reed, picks her up, all the teachers know the first-grader because of her book bag — the one with names of Black leaders and the phrase “Because Of Them We Can.”
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** Your vaccine could stop you from getting coronavirus. But will it keep you from spreading it? ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginians vaccinated against the coronavirus may be ready to shed their masks and invite friends over to celebrate. Not so fast, public health experts say. While research for the two U.S.-authorized vaccines showed most people who get them won’t get sick from COVID-19, the jury is still out on whether they can stop the spreading of the virus without any symptoms.
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** Some doctor’s offices are charging a fee for the PPE they wear. Who’s picking up that tab? ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE HAFNER, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

The doctor wasn’t sure what to make of the line on her son’s medical bill. After his routine appointment in Norfolk, she’d received the statement in the mail, with one $15 charge labeled “PPE,” referring to personal protective equipment. Familiar with the murkiness of medical billing, she figured it was an error. Her son hadn’t received any equipment during the office visit. But Bayview Physicians Group said it wasn’t a mistake.


** LOCAL
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** Decades in the making, the effort to restore Batestown Road is nearly complete ([link removed])
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By AILEEN M. STRENG, Prince William Times

It’s a name change 20 years in the making. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is scheduled to vote April 1 to change the name of Mine Road back to Batestown Road. The Dumfries Town Council approved the change last month, as part of the road is within the town limits. The change is intended to help put Batestown, one of Prince William County’s historic African American communities, back on the map.
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** Private shooting preserve proposed for Albemarle raises concerns ([link removed])
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By ALLISON WRABEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Hunters soon could be allowed to hunt quail, chukar and pheasant at a private shooting preserve in Albemarle County. A manager of about 465 acres of property, dubbed Horseshoe Farm Shooting Preserve, between Earlysville and Free Union has applied to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources for a private shooting preserve permit. Because the shooting preserve is private and not commercial, the owners do not have to notify adjoining landowners. But some neighbors and community members are concerned about noise, safety and water quality issues related to the project.
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** Lynchburg-area school divisions look at increasing summer school options ([link removed])
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By JAMEY CROSS, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

School divisions in the Lynchburg area are exploring extended summer school opportunities for students who might be falling behind. With COVID-19 mitigation strategies in place, schools in the Lynchburg area have not been able to offer full-time in-person instruction to many students this school year.
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** Pittsylvania County officials apologize after reassessment letter sparks backlash ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Danville Register & Bee

A letter about 2022 reassessments sparked a backlash of confusion that led to Pittsylvania County issuing an apology to residents Saturday. The "miscommunication" and "poor editing," as the county calls it, refers to reassessment teams entering homes to perform their duties. In a departure from previous years, Brightminds — the contract company performing the reassessment — is asking property owners to provide details about the interior of homes along with and major renovations or damages since the 2018 reassessment.

Today's Sponsor:


** The Gaston Group, LLC
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Missing friends and colleagues during this virtual GA session. Thanking DLAS staffs for keeping the train on the track! Be safe and stay healthy!


** EDITORIALS
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** Biden should use 3/4s of energy fund on Appalachia ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Coal country, have we got a deal for you. If Appalachian counties grappling with the demise of their signature industry are serious about building a new economy, they have an unexpected opportunity. To explain that opportunity, we must first rewind 12 long years to 2009 when Congress was passing the $831 billion stimulus program known as the American Recovery and Reinvention Act that was intended to pull the country out of the recession caused by the 2008 financial collapse.
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** Plenty of blame to go around ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

It's a lot easier to armchair quarterback and analyze volatile situations after the fact. So the Police Executive Research Forum’s independent review of the Fredericksburg Police Department’s handling of the May–June protests over the death of George Floyd last year not surprisingly found fault with the department on a number of issues. In particular, PERF concluded that police officers did not give the protest crowd enough time to disperse after a city curfew was imposed, and were too quick to use tear gas and pepper spray against the demonstrators.
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** Brian Hemphill's legacy at Radford (and Roanoke) ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

When drivers get off Interstate 581 in downtown Roanoke and turn west on Elm Avenue, one of the first things they see is a sign outside Community Hospital proclaiming: “Radford University Carilion.” This is Brian Hemphill’s legacy — not the sign (although that, too) but the institution that the sign represents. Hemphill planted Radford University in the heart of Roanoke.
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** Signs of progress in Virginia’s battle against the virus ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

It can be difficult in this pandemic — when every day seems to bring new cause for frustration, stress and anxiety — to recognize the progress being made, especially when that progress may seem miniscule or insufficient to match the challenge before us. But progress, sure and steady, is being made in Virginia and there were several things to cheer this week.


** OP-ED
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** Hall: It’s Time for Citizens to Demand Public Safety ([link removed])
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By HOWARD HALL, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

For the past year, the governor and General Assembly have advanced what they promote as “criminal justice reform.” During 2020, the felony threshold for theft and property damage was increased to $1000, marijuana was decriminalized, and criminals may now earn up to 15 days of credit per month for good behavior. The jobs of our police officers have been made more difficult, or even more dangerous, by modifying use of force standards above Constitutional requirements, restricting stops for vehicle equipment violations, and restricting the service of search warrants.

Hall is chief of police for Roanoke County.
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** Krawitz and Amatucci: It's time to respect Virginia's cannabis heritage and look to its equitable future ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL KRAWITZ AND JASON AMATUCCI, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

To the objective observer Virginia seems to be moving very quickly with Cannabis policy reform. We would like to present four Virginian’s stories without which we would not be where we are now. Roy Scherer has dedicated decades of his life to Cannabis policy reform after serving in the United States Air Force. Starting in the early 1970’s with Virginians for the Study of Marijuana Laws he succeeded in bringing us out of the dark ages of marijuana policy.

Krawitz is the Executive Director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access, based in Virginia, a national voluntary Veterans service organization, a director of Virginians Against Drug Violence. Amatucci is the President of the Virginia Hemp Coalition.
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** Gibson: What kind of Republican can win Virginia? ([link removed])
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By BOB GIBSON, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia will have the nation’s first major test for voters to show what kinds of Republicans can survive and thrive in the post-Donald Trump presidential period. The state’s Republican and Democratic parties have never been farther apart than they are today, which is reflected in how they are going about picking their nominees for governor and in the sets of candidates running.

Gibson is communications director and senior researcher at the University of Virginia’s Cooper Center for Public Service. The opinions expressed here are his own
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** Morse: The race to lead Virginia gets bold, old and unsure ([link removed])
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By GORDON C. MORSE, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Does Terry McAuliffe love the word “bold” or what? He’s running to be elected governor again and it’s as if his folks ran a focus group and the first mention of the word “bold” lit up the room. “That’s the ticket,” someone screamed. “Be bold!” So, out goes a press release last week, heralding the former governor’s latest: “Terry McAuliffe Announces Bold New Plan to Invest in Virginia Workers & A More Equitable Post-COVID Economy.”

After writing editorials for the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot in the 1980s, Gordon C. Morse wrote speeches for Gov. Gerald L. Baliles.
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** Sequeira: Fix state Medicaid reimbursement policy to address inequality ([link removed])
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By DR. JORAN SEQUEIRA, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

As we’ve faced a deadly virus, the past year has reminded us of life’s fragility, the importance of appreciating medical science and health care providers, and the reality that we have much work to do in reckoning with this nation’s legacy of racial inequity. It’s also shown us there’s sometimes a gulf between good intentions and public policy solutions to address our most challenging issues.

Sequeira serves on the board of directors of the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians, representing emergency department physicians across the commonwealth.
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** Avula: Why you haven’t gotten your COVID-19 vaccine yet? ([link removed])
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By DANNY AVULA, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

As of the third week of February, Virginia has administered almost 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine throughout the commonwealth. With about 6.5 million adults, Virginia ranks in the top 10 among states in percent of available doses used. We have the infrastructure and partnerships in place to vaccinate more than 50,000 people a day, but we can’t consistently do this — not yet — because of national supply shortages. However, I want to make it clear that even without the level of supply we need, public health departments, hospitals, pharmacies and other providers are doing a phenomenal job of administering the vaccine.

Avula was appointed Virginia’s vaccination coordinator by Gov. Ralph Northam in January. When not on special assignment, he serves as the director of the Richmond and Henrico health districts.


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