VISUALIZATION: TURNOVER IN THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES

In the last two decades, 203 legislators have cycled through the House of Delegates -- the equivalent of turning over the entire body twice. See who left -- and the reasons why.

NORTHAM CALLS FOR FREEZE ON MENHADEN FISHING AFTER COMPANY BROKE BAY CATCH LIMIT

With a tough letter accusing a Canadian-owned firm of stealing Virginia fish, Gov. Ralph Northam asked for a federal freeze on catching menhaden. Northam said the freeze was needed because Reedville-based Omega Protein had exceeded a cap set on the menhaden catch in Chesapeake Bay earlier this year. Omega is owned by Cook Aquaculture Inc., of New Brunswick.

SENATE GOP PICKS NORMENT AS MINORITY LEADER; MCDOUGLE REMAINS CAUCUS CHAIRMAN

Senate Republicans on Thursday re-elected Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City, to lead the party as it prepares to operate in the minority.

SENATE REPUBLICANS CHOOSE LEADERSHIP; NORMENT ELECTED MINORITY LEADER

Senate Republicans didn’t change their leadership team as it heads into a Virginia Senate soon in the control of Democrats.

NORTHAM PLANS TO PITCH A TUITION-FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

Virginia lawmakers are preparing for the state’s next budget cycle — one likely to be rife with new asks from empowered Democrats, including a free community college proposal from Gov. Ralph Northam. Senate lawmakers on Thursday considered a budget recommendation from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, which called for a $20 million investment in community colleges in budget year 2021 and a $30 million investment in 2022.

DUELING VA. BUDGET SCENARIOS

Maybe it’s a glass half full or a glass half empty kind of question. Or maybe it’s just some General Assembly politics -- not the D v. R stuff, but what really stirs the passions: The House of Delegates - state Senate conflict.

DAUGHTER OF DEPUTY SHERIFF SLAIN BY EXECUTED KILLER ASKS TO END VIRGINIA'S DEATH PENALTY

The daughter of Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Eric Sutphin, shot to death in 2006 by William C. Morva, urged lawmakers Thursday to end capital punishment in Virginia. “It is time for the death penalty to be abolished in order to better care for the victim’s family members, to better serve the public good and to protect human life,” said Rachel Sutphin, now a student at Columbia Theological Seminary.

EDUCATION TRENDS SHOW TUITION INCREASE LIKELY

Nearly all of Virginia’s state senators gathered at James Madison University Thursday to attend the Senate Finance Committee’s annual meeting. “It has been a very interesting year for us,” said Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, who welcomed senators to his home turf.

REGULATORS REJECT REQUEST TO BOOST DOMINION'S PROFIT RATE

State utility regulators on Thursday rejected a request from Dominion Energy that would have increased the utility’s profit margin through small increases in Virginia ratepayer bills. The State Corporation Commission ruled that it would hold the rate of return at the current level of 9.2% — rejecting Dominion’s request for a return of 10.75%, a rate the SCC said is not “consistent with the public interest.”

REGULATORS TELL DOMINION ENERGY IT CAN’T COLLECT AS MUCH PROFIT AS IT HOPED

State regulators have shot down a Dominion Energy request for a higher profit rate. The State Corporation Commission said Thursday it had denied Dominion’s proposal to collect a 10.75% rate of return on equity, keeping it at 9.2%.

HOW REP. ELAINE LURIA’S FAITH INSPIRED HER TO SPEAK OUT ON ISRAEL, IMPEACHMENT

In a recent video to explain her position on impeachment, Rep. Elaine Luria grips a Hebrew Bible and recites the oath she has repeatedly taken to defend the Constitution, first as a Navy officer and now as the first Jewish congresswoman reared in the Deep South. Those twin identities — career military and Jewish woman — have informed Luria’s increasingly vocal positions on impeachment, Israel and colleagues who have criticized the Jewish state.

FACEBOOK TO PURCHASE POWER FROM ALTAVISTA SOLAR PROJECT

Campbell County’s first solar farm will help power Facebook’s growing presence in Virginia. Apex Clean Energy, the owner of the Altavista Solar, announced Thursday it has executed a power purchase agreement with the social media giant for a portion of the 2020 project.

NONPROFIT AIMS TO FURTHER TIMES’ MISSION: SAVING LOCAL NEWS

When a group of about 45 local investors purchased the Fauquier Times and Prince William Times in 2016, the aim was to save the local newspapers. That remains the goal as ownership of the two weeklies now shifts to the nonprofit Piedmont Journalism Foundation. That was the message conveyed this week by both Landon Butler, who led the former Piedmont Media LLC Board of Directors, and Boisfeuillet Jones Jr., president of the Piedmont Journalism Foundation

SILVER LINE STATION NAMING RIGHTS TALK TABLED, BUT NOT DEAD

Backlash from nearby county leaders derailed the Metro board's plans to discuss selling naming rights for a future Silver Line station, as was originally planned for its Thursday morning meeting. But the issue is far from dead.

FORT MONROE VOTES TO TRANSFER 35 ACRES OF COASTAL LAND TO NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

As plans percolate to bring several Fort Monroe properties and historic buildings on the market, officials are determined to keep coastal land along the Chesapeake Bay untouched. The Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees affirmed Thursday to donate 35 acres of shoreline along Fenwick Road to the Fort Monroe National Monument, and extend an existing easement boundary by 5 acres.

HOW THE MCDONNELL CASE COULD IMPACT THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS

One of the most important outcomes in the prosecution and eventual exoneration of former Governor Bob McDonnell is that bribery became harder to prove in court. Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court were unanimous in their decision that when the governor scheduled a meeting with state officials for a wealthy businessman who showered the governor with gifts, that was not an official act.

ALEXANDRIA HOUSING INVENTORY BARELY KEEPING UP WITH POPULATION GROWTH

Alexandria’s housing inventory is barely keeping up with its population growth. That’s a key takeaway from Alexandria’s recently released fiscal 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, a detailed look at the city’s finances and economic well-being, from its top employers and property taxpayers to its debt load and demographics.

LAME-DUCK BOARD NAMES NEW PARK FOR LATE COUNTY CLERK WHO DELAYED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN VIRGINIA

Prince William’s outgoing board of county supervisors voted 5-3 Tuesday to name a new park after the late Michele McQuigg, a former supervisor, state delegate and clerk of court whose actions effectively delayed the legalization of gay marriage in Virginia.

NEWPORT NEWS WILL SOON HAVE TWO SHIPPING CONTAINER HOMES; STATE OFFICIAL THINKS THEY CAN BOOST AFFORDABLE HOUSING STOCK

The Newport News Housing and Redevelopment Authority soon will own two houses made from shipping containers, making the city the second in the state after Richmond to have the new-age housing concept. Chris Thompson, director of strategic housing for the Virginia Housing Development Authority, said he thinks this type of container house could help fill the gap between Virginians seeking affordable housing and the housing stock.

COUNSELORS LAMENT MENTAL HEALTH CUTS

A change in the state’s Medicaid program has forced counselors to cut back the amount of time they spend with vulnerable students in Louisa County Public Schools. The counselors are employed by Region Ten, an agency that provides mental health treatment, but work with students in the schools. The students have behavioral or emotional issues that make it a challenge for them to be in mainstream classrooms without extra help. Until this school year, 12 Region Ten staff were in the Louisa schools as part of the Therapeutic Day Treatment program. Now their numbers are down to six

SANCTUARY SOUGHT FOR GUN RIGHTS

A member of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors wants the county to declare its opposition to gun control proposals now being floated in the Virginia General Assembly. Those proposals could violate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Supervisor Duane Adams (Mineral district) said. He urged the board to pass a resolution that says Louisa will be a “Second Amendment sanctuary county.”

SCHOOLS OWN FLUCO “F” TRADEMARK

Spurred by last year’s debate over the “Rainbow F,” Fluvanna County Public Schools sought and now legally own the logo. On Nov. 12 the schools notified the press it trademarked the Fluco “Flying F.” Superintendent Chuck Winkler said only the shape of the “F” is trademarked, not the colors.

SUPERVISORS SPEND $49,922 ON PERSONAL LEGAL FEES

The county's coffers will fund four supervisors' and two appointed officials' legal fees totaling $49,922. The fees stem from dismissed misdemeanor charges of misfeasance and nonfeasance that were levied against 14 current and former county officials in September.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION SAYS GAMBLING ADDICTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED IN CASINO STUDY

The leader of a national group has criticized the recent study on the impacts of a casino in Danville because the report did not address problem gambling. “In any serious discussion of it, you can’t only look at the benefits,” said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling based in Washington, D.C. “Nothing in life works that way.” But looking at gambling addiction was not part of the study’s purpose.

MARTINSVILLE MAYOR ASKS HENRY COUNTY SUPERVISORS TO MEET IN EFFORT TO AVOID REVERSION

Martinsville Mayor Kathy Lawson wrote a letter on Nov. 5 asking the Henry County Board of Supervisors to meet with City Council in an effort to avoid reverting the city of Martinsville to town status. Lawson said this week that her letter was mailed but had not been answered.

CITY OFFICIALS EXPLAIN REVERSION, URGE COUNTY TO JOIN CONVERSATION

The Martinsville City Council discussed the potential reversion of a city into a town at the Municipal Building on Nov. 19. Under the new town reversion status, Martinsville would still maintain responsibility for urban services such as police, fire, water and sewer. The county, on the other hand, would take over services such as schools, social services, mental and health facilities, and the constitutional offices.

POTENTIAL PROPOSALS PROMPT CONCERNS IN PATRICK COUNTY

With a Democratic majority in the state legislature, Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith said he has heard concerns from many residents about changes that may be proposed to the Second Amendment. “I’ve spoke to several sheriff’s in the area, and like me, they’ve been getting many contacts from citizens worried about their gun rights and the impact of any new changes,” Smith said.

IW EYED AS 2ND AMENDMENT SANCTUARY

The Virginia Citizens Defense League wants Isle of Wight residents to push the Board of Supervisors into becoming a Second Amendment Sanctuary. The Board meets Thursday at 6 p.m. and the VCDL is urging residents to turn out in force to “get the conversation moving,” according to a call for action email sent out by the Richmond-based gun rights lobbying organization.

HEED SHOOTING REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

An independent report into the May 31 shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, a tragedy that claimed the lives of 12 people as well as the shooter and injured five others, provides some new insight into the events that precipitated the attack and the response to the violence. The recommendations included in the report — 60 of them — deserve serious consideration by Virginia Beach and a thorough review by other municipal governments in Hampton Roads and across the commonwealth.

THE NUMBERS TO KNOW FROM THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS

Numbers don’t lie. Here’s some of the truth they have to tell about Virginia’s recent legislative elections, which put Democrats in charge of both chambers of the General Assembly for the first time since 1995: • Turnout. Over the past two decades, about 30% of Virginia voters have cast ballots in years when the House of Delegates and state Senate are on the ballot.

SEN. WARNER SHOULD HELP RECLAIM CONGRESS' TARIFF-SETTING ROLE

Before he was a U.S. senator, Mark Warner was a cell-phone entrepreneur. Then he was the governor of a state that Forbes ranked “best for business” when his term ended. Now that he’s a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Warner has credentials unmatched by most of his colleagues to make the case against a trade war. Here’s hoping he seizes the moment.

J.C. Hernandez is state director of Americans for Prosperity-Virginia.

TRUMP HAS CREATED A NEW REALITY FOR BLACK VIRGINIANS

President Donald Trump has provided African Americans with unprecedented opportunity and prosperity. This will be a major factor for voters in purple states, such as Virginia, in the 2020 presidential election. Economic opportunity and access to quality, affordable health care are among the most important issues affecting the everyday lives of African Americans in the Old Dominion. The Trump administration has made great strides on both fronts

Dean Nelson is board chairman of The Frederick Douglass Foundation and serves as a member of the Black Voices for Trump coalition advisory board.

BOWERS: NOW THE GRINCH HAS STOLEN OUR ELECTION

While I thank Roanoke City Council for holding a public hearing on the issue of moving the Council elections to November in odd or even years, the 5-2 outcome for even years revealed clearly a RAM, a SHAM and a SHAME.

Bowers is the former mayor of Roanoke

RESIDENTS OF ONE BARRIER ISLAND WONDER IF IT’S TIME TO RETREAT

On any normal late-fall day, the ferries that ply the 30 miles between Swan Quarter and this barrier island might carry vacationing retirees, sports fishermen and residents enjoying mainland getaways after the busy summer tourist season. But two months ago, Hurricane Dorian washed away all signs of normalcy here. ...Ocracoke has been closed to visitors ever since. Island-bound ferries carry yawning container trucks to haul back the sodden detritus of destroyed homes. And O’cockers — proud descendants of the pilots and pirates who navigated these treacherous shores — are faced with a reckoning.