VaNews July 24, 2019
------------------------------------------------------------

Read Online ([link removed]) 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
------------------------------------------------------------


** NORTHAM SAYS HE'S APPLYING $1.5 MILLION FROM CONTINGENCY FUND TO CENSUS EFFORTS ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

After state lawmakers rejected his funding request toward the state’s census efforts, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he plans to tap the state’s economic emergency coffers to fund that work.


** NORTHAM SAYS HE’LL SHIFT UP TO $1.5 MILLION TO HELP THE CENSUS COUNT EVERY VIRGINIAN ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By MARIE ALBIGES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

After the Republican led-state Senate voted not to spend any extra money to ensure every resident gets counted in the 2020 census, Virginia’s Democratic governor says he’s found some more cash to do just that.


** VIRGINIA LT. GOV. FAIRFAX BREAKS RANKS WITH DEMS OVER TRUMP INVITE ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By TOM FITZGERALD, Fox 5

Embattled Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax is breaking ranks with his fellow Democrats, saying he will attend a celebration with President Donald Trump to mark the 400th anniversary of Virginia’s legislature. Fairfax has resisted calls to resign since two women accused him of sexual assault in February.


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


** AN IDEA TO TACKLE GUN VIOLENCE FROM MAJORITY LEADER GILBERT ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Nobody who’s sat late into the night listening to Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, chew over issues before his criminal justice subcommittee will be surprised at the news that he likes to delve deep into issues. Now, the staunch 2nd Amendment rights defender and law-and-order politician’s research on gun violence prevention has led him to a 22-year-old Boston Police program that years of academic research suggest really can do something about the number of teens and young adults who shoot one another. Gilbert, the House Majority Leader, wants to launch it in Virginia.


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


** WITTMAN SAYS HE WILL NOT RUN STATEWIDE IN 2021 ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, says he is running for re-election to Congress next year and is not seeking statewide office in 2021. Wittman, who considered a run for governor in 2017, did not rule out a run for governor in 2021 during an October debate with his Democratic congressional opponent, Vangie Williams.


** AFTER WITHDRAWING FROM RACE, NICK FREITAS IS NOMINATED A SECOND TIME ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By HILLARY HOLLADAY, Orange County Review

Call it confusing, call it intriguing, but it’s a fact: Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) is again running for re-election four days after withdrawing from the race. The two-time incumbent in the 30th District has been chosen—again—by the Republican legislative district committee as its candidate for the November race.


** GOP COMMITTEE RENOMINATES DEL. NICK FREITAS ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A Republican committee voted unanimously Tuesday to renominate Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, as a candidate for the House of Delegates, less than a week after Freitas told state election officials he was withdrawing. The maneuver sets up a novel question for the State Board of Elections, which was considering disqualifying Freitas from the ballot last week due to missed campaign filing deadlines.


** VA. HOUSE DEMOCRATS TARGET TOP GOP LEADERS COX, JONES WITH DIGITAL ADS ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia House Democrats said they will spend $90,000 starting Tuesday for digital ads targeting two top GOP leaders, including Speaker of the House Kirk Cox. Cox, R-Colonial Heights, and Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, are in re-election fights this year after court-ordered redistricting that dramatically changed their districts.


** NEW DIGITAL ADS TARGET COX LEADERSHIP ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 5 free articles a month)

A coalition of state Democratic legislators and operatives has launched a $90,000 digital-advertising campaign designed to blame House Republican leadership — including House Speaker M. Kirkland Cox of Colonial Heights — for making the party “out of touch” with their constituencies.


** AS DEMOCRATS DEBATE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM, AN INTIMATE MOUNTAIN RETREAT WITH CORPORATE LOBBYISTS CONTINUES ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Democratic state senators and delegates spent the end of last month holed up with dozens of lobbyists at the Omni Homestead, a remote luxury resort in Bath County. They soaked up poolside hospitality sponsored by the bankers’ association, took in a golf clinic courtesy of the state’s credit unions and paired off with lobbyists representing telecoms, utilities and other big business interests for activities ranging from ziplining to shotgun shooting.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
------------------------------------------------------------


** PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ARRIVE AT DCA TO SUPPORT AIRLINE CATERING WORKERS ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
ArlNow

A rally for airline workers rights drew hundreds to Reagan National Airport, including a number of Democratic presidential hopefuls. Labor union UNITE HERE helped organize the rally in support of airport catering workers, who are planning a large-scale strike if their demands for better wages and benefits are not met. Presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio were among those on hand to support the workers, along with other labor unions and local officials.


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


** VHSL TO GIVE ESPORTS A LOOK AS A NEW ACTIVITY FOR STUDENTS ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By RAY COX, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Memo from the Virginia High School League to all its student gamers: Limber up. In the interest of engaging young minds and cultivating competitive instinct along with hopes of serving a potentially underserved constituency, the league’s executive committee has approved a one-year pilot program to gauge the feasibility of adding esports to the list of sanctioned activities.


** ROANOKE BAKERY CITED BY DEQ FOR AIR POLLUTION ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

An industrial bakery has been fined $32,512 for releasing excessive levels of volatile organic compounds into the air at its Roanoke plant. Wholesome Harvest Baking, located in the Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology, agreed to the penalty in a recent citation from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.


** CONGRESS
------------------------------------------------------------


** WEXTON'S BILL TO EXPAND OPIOID ADDICTION RESEARCH PASSES HOUSE ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s bill to expand opioid addiction research unanimously passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Wexton, who represents the 10th District, which stretches from McLean to Frederick County, told The Star in a phone interview that the research would look into “the science of opioid addiction” and how social and behavioral issues, stigma, socio-economic status and access to treatment play a part.


** CLINE TALKS HEALTH CARE, SOLUTIONS ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By JESSICA WETZLER, Daily News Record (Subscription Required)

U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Lexington, joined several health care leaders on Tuesday for a roundtable discussion on medical and health issues. The discussion was hosted by Better Care America, a nationwide health care education project powered by insurance plans, patients and partners in America, according to its website.


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


** LOUDOUN LEADERS QUESTION DULLES GREENWAY TRAFFIC REPORT ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

County supervisors and staff members have questioned the accuracy—and intent—of the traffic analysis presented in the Dulles Greenway’s latest annual report. The report, prepared by consulting firm Dewberry, included appendices listing increased numbers of people getting onto the Greenway’s ramps, but slightly fewer going through the main toll plaza.


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


** FORMER VA. GOVERNOR DOUG WILDER CONTESTS FINDING OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT INVESTIGATION ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By JENNA PORTNOY, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder has formally contested the finding of an investigator hired by Virginia Commonwealth University who concluded that he kissed a 20-year-old student without her consent.


** WILDER SAYS INQUIRY SHOWS 'BLATANT BIAS' ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Former Gov. Doug Wilder on Tuesday publicized his formal challenge to an investigation that found he kissed a Virginia Commonwealth University student without her consent. In a document posted on his blog, Wilder said that the investigator’s reasoning shows “glaring inconsistency” and “blatant bias” against him, and argues that the investigation did not find enough evidence to determine he was guilty.


** EX-VIRGINIA GOVERNOR SAYS HARASSMENT PROBE WAS UNFAIR ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

The nation's first elected African American governor says he is the victim of an "unsound" and "biased" investigation of alleged sexual harassment. Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder posted a detailed rebuttal Tuesday on his website to an independent investigation commissioned by Virginia Commonwealth University. The investigation concluded Wilder, who teaches at the school, kissed a student six decades his junior without her consent.


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


** SCOOTER RIDERS NEED TO TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, SENTARA SURGEON SAYS ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

One patient had a severe pelvic injury. Another was thrown over the handlebar. Yet another: fractured wrist trying to prevent a head injury. All these people have visited Sentara Norfolk General's orthopedic surgery unit recently after suffering injuries on an electric scooter, said Dr. Richard Myers, an orthopedic surgeon at Sentara's hospitals in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.


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


** JUDGE DISMISSES LAWSUIT SEEKING REMOVAL OF NORFOLK'S CONFEDERATE MONUMENT ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A Circuit Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit by activists that attempted to force the city to move its 112-year-old Confederate monument. In an 11-page order entered Tuesday, Chief Judge Mary Jane Hall said the plaintiffs failed to prove that their constitutional rights were being violated by the continued placement of the Confederate monument.


** PORTSMOUTH COUNCILMAN WANTS TO AIR PUBLIC SPEAKERS AGAIN ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Councilman Shannon Glover wants to resume broadcasting all public speakers at City Council meetings, reversing a decision his colleagues made in the wake of intense criticism over the ouster of former Police Chief Tonya Chapman.


** MCDONALD INDICTED ON TWO ADDITIONAL FELONIES ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By JOSH GULLY, Northern Virginia Daily

Jennifer McDonald, the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority’s former executive director, was indicted Monday on two additional counts of conspiracy to obtain money by false pretenses and embezzlement. McDonald now stands charged on 14 felony indictments of embezzlement and obtaining money by false pretenses


** SIBERT, MILLHOLLAND TRADE BARBS OVER SHERIFF'S OFFICE'S MILITARY VEHICLES ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By JOSH TANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Allen Sibert, a candidate for Frederick County sheriff, is accusing incumbent Sheriff Lenny Millholland of wasting taxpayer money on military vehicles.


** EDITORIALS
------------------------------------------------------------


** IKEA PLANT CLOSURE IS A SIGN OF THE URBAN TIMES ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

When Ikea announced the closure of its Danville manufacturing plant on July 10, the pain was palpable. Nearly 300 jobs in Virginia lost. Its only U.S. factory shuttered. Ikea cited increased raw material costs as the cause. But the exit from Pittsylvania County is accompanied by broader changes in the company’s business — and our world’s way of life.


** IS BOYCOTTING JAMESTOWN THE BEST IDEA? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

You’d think one thing Virginia would be able to do right would be a celebration of Jamestown. Guess not. In case you’ve missed the news: General Assembly Democrats say they will boycott next Tuesday’s ceremony marking the 400th anniversary of the first elected legislature in the hemisphere if President Trump attends.


** IS FREDERICKSBURG READY FOR THE ARRIVAL OF E-SCOOTERS? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

New modes of transportation always come with glitches attached. Trolley cars, trains and automobiles were all seen as menaces to civilization by many people when they first appeared on the scene. It is with that in mind that we consider the electric scooter and try very hard not to look like cranky 20th-century throwbacks.


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


** POLITIFACT: STANLEY RATES FALSE ON CONCEALED CARRY STATEMENT ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
By WARREN FISKE, WCVE

State Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, recently offered an eye-popping statistic about Virgnians with concealed-carry permits for guns. “How many people with a concealed-carry permit have committed a crime in Virginia? Do you know the answer to that?” Stanley asked during a July 9 interview on The John Fredericks Show, a conservative radio broadcast. “The answer is zero,” Stanley said. ,
------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe ([link removed]) Donate ([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