VISUALIZATION: RECORD GENERAL ASSEMBLY TURNOUT

VPAP estimates 43 percent of Virginia voters cast ballots last week, turnout that looked more like a gubernatorial election than an off-off year election. In fact, turnout on Nov. 5 was more than one-third higher than it was in 2015, the last year all 140 legislative seats were on the ballot.

TO COMBAT TRADE WAR, NORTHAM ANNOUNCES STATE-LED PLAN

Citing an ongoing trade war at the federal level, Governor Northam says it’s time for states to take matters into their own hands. “We are prioritizing international trade and we aim to reach the 95-percent of the world’s consumers who live outside of the United States,” Northam said to a crowd at the Virginia Conference on World Trade.

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS WILL MOVE TO PASS IMMIGRATION BILLS, PREVIOUSLY BLOCKED BY THE GOP

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to throw out Obama-era protections for some young undocumented immigrants. Meanwhile, Virginia Democrats are moving forward with legislation to benefit the state’s growing immigrant community. The DACA program was created in 2012 to allow some undocumented immigrants, also called “dreamers” who were brought to the United States as children to remain in the country without fear of deportation.

DELEGATE WARD TO PUSH FOR SMALLER JUVENILE FACILITIES

Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, plans to introduce legislation that would limit the size of any new juvenile correctional center to 30 beds. It’s a proposal from the advocacy group Rise for Youth, which says Virginia needs to move away from incarcerating youth in large facilities. Smaller ones, located closer to where incarcerated youth live, would clear the way for better treatment for young offenders and less recidivism, the group says.

OBITUARY: FORMER SEN. KEVIN MILLER OF HARRISONBURG

From jostling for first place in stock car races in Winchester to navigating the halls of the General Assembly in Richmond as a delegate and state senator, Kevin Miller lived a varied life, his younger brother Clinton Miller said. Kevin Miller, a Harrisonburg resident who served as a state delegate, a 26th District state senator and James Madison University professor, died on Friday at 89,

GOP STRATEGIST SAYS NO REGRETS ON ADJOURNING GUN SPECIAL SESSION AFTER 90 MINUTES

Was the decision to adjourn a special session called to address gun violence legislation after only 90 minutes a fatal tactical error for state Republicans? Matt Moran, the former chief of staff to outgoing Republican House Speaker Kirk Cox, who won his race, says it’s the most asked question he’s gotten since his party lost majorities in the House and Senate. And during a post-election de-brief sponsored by the Virginia Public Access Project on Tuesday evening, he said he has no regrets.

TWO REPUBLICANS START CAMPAIGNS FOR U.S. SENATE IN VIRGINIA

The field of Republicans seeking to challenge Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in 2020 is growing. Omari Faulkner, 37, a former Navy reservist who was a basketball player at Georgetown University, announced a run on Wednesday. He lives in Loudoun County. Daniel Gade, 44, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Iraq War combat veteran, announced a run last month. He lives in Alexandria.

CAMPBELL CO. SUPERVISOR TO CHALLENGE RIGGLEMAN FOR THE FIFTH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL SEAT

Bob Good, Campbell County's Supervisor is running for the Fifth District Congressional seat, challenging Congressman Denver Riggleman.

VIRGINIA LOSES KEY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OFFICIAL AT CRITICAL TIME

With Virginia’s public mental hospitals in crisis, the state is losing a top behavioral health official who has been in charge of bolstering the overcrowded institutions. Daniel Herr resigned as deputy commissioner for facility services on Wednesday, taking state lawmakers and local mental health agencies by surprise and raising concerns about leadership of the struggling behavioral health system.

MORE STATE FINANCIAL GRAY HAIRS FROM THE GRAY MACHINES

The hit to state finances from slot-machine-like “games of skill" accelerated last month, with the continuing growth of these so-called gray machines causing the bulk of a 28% drop in Virginia Lottery sales. “The Lottery got hammered,” Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne said, after looking over the state’s revenue report for October.

SPOTSYLVANIA CASE LEADS TO FIRST ARREST IN STATE RAPE KIT TESTING INITIATIVE

A Spotsylvania County man is the first person charged as part of a state initiative to test hundreds of rape kits collected prior to 2014 that had previously gone untested. Dyron R. Williams Sr., 26, is charged with carnal knowledge of a child, a Class 4 felony

REPORT: DIGITIZING VA. STATE POLICE TICKETS COULD MAKE TRAFFIC STOPS LAST HALF AS LONG

No driver wants to sit on the side of the road upwards of 20 minutes waiting to get a speeding ticket. And with cars whooshing by a few feet away, state troopers don’t want to be stuck doing roadside paperwork any longer than they have to. But there may be a way to make traffic stops less of a hassle for everybody, according to the Virginia State Police.

A LOOK INSIDE THE NATION’S LARGEST TREATMENT-CENTERED PRISON, WHICH SITS IN CHESAPEAKE

The prison counselor had finished her group session a few minutes earlier, and now it was time for Indian Creek Correctional Center inmate Lonnie Crowder to step up. The six dozen men of Building 4, side B, incarcerated in what state officials believe is the largest treatment-oriented prison in the nation, lined up chairs as Crowder set up an easel on one of the unit’s game tables, and wrote down “Success and Achievement.”

IN UNUSUAL VIDEO, LURIA EXPLAINS HER SUPPORT FOR IMPEACHMENT, TAKES ON TRUMP

As the nation tunes into impeachment hearings into President Trump, U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria is circulating an unusual, cinematic video that lays out her support for the proceedings — a perilous position for a Democrat from a Virginia Beach district that Trump carried in 2016.

DONALD TRUMP JR. TALKS TO LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ABOUT BOOK, POLITICS

Donald Trump Jr. denounced the effort to impeach his father, U.S. President Donald Trump, as “nonsense” at Liberty University on Wednesday and suggested the whistleblower who helped spark the impeachment inquiry was politically motivated, just as the House of Representatives began the first in a series of high-profile impeachment hearings.

VIRGINIA IS GETTING $500,000 TO HELP CLOSE RACIAL GAPS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

In an effort to close racial inequities and help fill the talent pipeline, the state is getting $500,000 to put toward educational opportunities for people of color. At a press conference at Old Dominion University Wednesday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced the money would be coming from the Lumina Foundation, an organization that seeks to increase post-secondary educational and workforce achievement

HOW THE STATE PLANS TO GET MORE FINANCIAL AID TO COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO NEED IT MOST

New changes to the formula that determines how much financial aid money colleges get from the state will redirect money to low-income students. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia allocates aid money from the state to each public college and university, which is then responsible for awarding it to students.

VIRGINIA TECH TO ESTABLISH BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FACILITY WITH CHILDREN’S NATIONAL IN D.C.

Virginia Tech plans to launch a biomedical research facility in the District by early 2021, focused on pediatric health, in a venture with Children’s National Hospital that will expand the university’s presence in the capital region.

RADFORD DISCARDED SECURITY VIDEOS

Radford University chose not to keep video from some buildings where free student newspapers went missing in September without an explanation for who took them.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ARE EXPANDING IN COASTAL VIRGINIA, AND PROVIDERS ARE SPREADING THE WORD

Mental health officials from across the region gathered Tuesday night to send one message. They have resources for you. The event came from the National Alliance on Mental Illness Coastal Virginia, which in January expanded from Virginia Beach to serve the greater area. Courtney Boone, president of the organization, called the panel “unprecedented,” and said this is the first time representatives from these cities have all come together to discuss the services that are available.

STONEY ANNOUNCES NEW EVICTIONS TASK FORCE

Mayor Levar Stoney on Wednesday announced the formation of task force focused on curtailing evictions in the city. “I am counting on this group to explore steps the city can take to better understand, mitigate and prevent the conditions that make our most vulnerable residents, including our children, susceptible to housing insecurity,” Stoney said

HANOVER MOVING FORWARD WITH EMINENT DOMAIN CASES ALONG U.S. 360

Hanover County is moving forward with a plan to pursue eminent domain in Mechanicsville to accommodate a road-widening project as well as a project to adjust its boundary with Louisa County.

HANOVER SCHOOL BOARD TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE RESOLUTION OF NAACP LAWSUIT OVER CONFEDERATE SCHOOL NAMES

The Hanover County School Board is considering settling a lawsuit brought by the county’s chapter of the NAACP over public schools named for Confederate leaders. The board announced Tuesday night that it will meet behind closed doors next week to “discuss a possible resolution to the pending lawsuit” filed in August by the NAACP over the names of Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School.

AFTER DEFEATING MILES, DAVENPORT PLANS TO SCRAP REFORMS

In its highest-profile countywide race this year, Chesterfield sent a decisive message, largely rejecting current Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Miles and his criminal justice reforms in favor of Republican challenger Stacey Davenport. On election night, Davenport bested Miles by a wide margin, garnering 65,708 votes to Miles’ 55,457, according to unofficial results posted by the Chesterfield County registrar’s office on Nov. 8. An assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Henrico, Davenport vows to scale back Miles’ reforms and return the commonwealth’s attorney’s office to a more traditional role.

ELECTION LESSONS 2019: KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR A CHANGING COUNTY

There wasn’t a presidency, governorship or congressional seat at stake, but there was a palpable buzz leading up to the Nov. 5 election unlike many in the modern history of Chesterfield County. ...Republicans were the clear victors in Chesterfield, winning three of four countywide races and maintaining a 4-1 edge on the Board of Supervisors, while the 10 state races for the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate were evenly split – five Republican winners, and five Democrats.

INVESTIGATION INTO VIRGINIA BEACH MASS SHOOTING CONCLUDES, OFFERS NO CLEAR ANSWERS

A months-long independent probe into the Virginia Beach mass shooting has concluded, but it offers no clear answers as to why a city engineer killed 12 people in his workplace, according to findings released Wednesday. The investigation, conducted by Chicago-based security company Hillard Heintze, found no warning signs by the shooter that could have helped the city prevent the May 31 tragedy.

ANSWERS REMAIN ELUSIVE IN VIRGINIA BEACH SHOOTING RAMPAGE

An independent auditor on Wednesday released a four-month study of the shooting rampage at the Virginia Beach municipal center in May, but the report still leaves victims’ family members, city leaders and the community wondering why a city engineer decided to open fire at his workplace.

PROBE FINDS VIRGINIA BEACH LACKED “ROBUST” SECURITY MEASURES DURING MASS SHOOTING

During Virginia Beach’s mass shooting in May, the city didn’t have the ability to alert enough employees as a longtime public utilities engineer gunned down 16 people inside Building 2, a security risk management firm said Wednesday evening. The firm also found that the attack was not videotaped because there were no cameras on the upper floors of the three-story, 95,000 square foot building. That was just one of the holes in the city’s security systems, according to the findings of an independent investigation into the May 31 shooting.

4 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THE VIRGINIA BEACH MASS SHOOTING

Here are four key findings from the mass shooting independent investigation paid for by Virginia Beach. The independent investigators stopped short of naming a motive for the shooter, but their report revealed several details about his workplace troubles and the days leading up to the shooting.

FREDERICKSBURG APPROVES PLAN TO MOVE SLAVE AUCTION BLOCK TO MUSEUM

Fredericksburg’s controversial slave auction block won’t remain in its historic location at the corner of William and Charles streets for much longer. City Council voted 6–1 Tuesday to approve a certificate of appropriateness to remove the chunk of grayish Aquia stone by the end of the year, after the Architectural Review Board took no action on the application at its Oct. 14 meeting.

RECOUNT SOUGHT IN MATHEWS ELECTION

Supervisor G.C. Morrow has petitioned Mathews County Circuit Court for a recount of the vote for the board of supervisors in the Nov. 5 election. The petition states that the certified votes for Jackie Ingram were 1,463, while the certified votes for Morrow were 1,457. The difference is just six votes out of a total of 2,920 votes cast for the two candidates, says the petition, or a difference of less than half of 1 percent of the total.

JUDGE: NEGLIGENCE HARMED DEFENDANT IN FEDERAL TRIAL, VIOLATED STATE LAW

In his written decision to drop a charge in the federal racketeering and murder trial, Chief Judge Michael F. Urbanski refers to Danville's top prosecutor by name or title 40 times in the space of 24 pages. The judge includes the terms gross negligence and prosecutorial misconduct — referencing either claims by defense attorneys in the case or precedence in other cases — a total of 19 times.

VIRGINIA COUNTY DECLARES ITSELF 'SECOND AMENDMENT SANCTUARY'

After a historic win for state Democrats this election, one southwest Virginia county is pushing back. Campbell County is one of the first localities to declare itself a “Second Amendment Sanctuary."

SEEKING JUSTICE FOR RAPE VICTIMS

The Commonwealth of Virginia is taking another important step toward providing justice and dignity for victims of sexual assault. Mark Herring has made better, more compassionate and more effective treatment for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence a priority during his time as attorney general. One of his priorities has been making sure that rape evidence kits are processed in a timely way.

HARNESS THE AMAZON EFFECT

One year ago, Virginia landed the nation’s biggest economic development prize in recent memory. When Amazon chose Arlington for HQ2 last November, local business leaders saw potential. It “further spotlights Virginia as a great place to grow a tech career and will bring more talent into the state,” Diane Cafritz, chief human resources officer for CarMax Inc., told the RTD at the time. Early returns back Cafritz’s assertion.

RISE OF HOME WORKERS, SUPER COMMUTERS

A new study of Fredericksburg area commuting patterns by Dr. Lance Gentry, a business professor at the University of Mary Washington, found that the two fastest-growing trends in the region appear on to be somewhat contradictory: A growing number of area residents are working from home (now over 5 percent) or commuting 90 minutes or more one way to get to their places of employment (now over 10 percent).

SCHAPIRO: VA.'S LEGISLATURE AS PARALLEL UNIVERSE

Last year, left-leaning members of the governing body of the Democratic Party of Virginia wanted the party to go on record against Dominion Energy, depicting the electric utility as a bully that put cash returns ahead of carbon reduction. A resolution condemning Dominion was never taken up by the Central Committee, because Chairwoman Susan Swecker wanted to avoid a fight between business-friendly centrists and business-hostile liberals.

MCGARVEY: DON'T LEAVE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IN REGULATORY LIMBO

The union construction industry plays a critical role in the American economy, representing not only viable middle-class career opportunities with labor protections, benefits and economic security for American workers and their families. It also provides debt-free registered apprenticeship education for the highest-skilled trade workforce to build and maintain the country’s infrastructure.

Sean McGarvey is the president of the North America’s Building Trades Unions and is a glazier by trade.