VISUALIZATION: MONEY SPENT VS. VOTES RECEIVED

Challengers who outspend a sitting legislator don't always win. But results from the 2019 Virginia legislative elections show a correlation between money spent and percentage of votes received. Some 17 of 24 candidates who polled at least 45% of the vote spent more than $500,000.

VISUALIZATION: END OF DECADE SAW RECORD OFF-YEAR VOTER TURNOUT

For decades, voter turnout had followed a predictable pattern: A peak in the presidential election year, followed by a gradual fall off over the next three years. But the election of President Trump in 2016 changed all that. Virginia has seen three straight off-year elections with unusually high turnout compared to historic norms.

GOVERNOR PROPOSES $101 MILLION FOR NEW INNOVATION CENTER AT RADFORD UNIVERSITY

Gov. Ralph Northam has allocated nearly $101 million toward the Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity planned for Radford University’s main campus. The funding — which will require General Assembly approval — is part of the governor’s recently proposed 2020-22 budget.

PROFESSOR CRITIZES VA. BOARD SELECTIONS

A prominent University of Virginia law professor — and husband of the university’s former president — has laid down a constitutional challenge to the General Assembly and its practice of appointing its own members to policy boards created within the state’s executive branch of government. In a treatise bluntly titled “Legislators on Executive-Branch Boards Are Unconstitutional, Period,” professor Douglas Laycock says the General Assembly violates the Constitution of Virginia by appointing its members to executive boards

SOME VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS WANT TO HIT THE BRAKES ON NONPARTISAN REDISTRICTING PLAN

The vast majority of Virginia legislators voted early this year to curb their own power, passing a measure meant to stop them from drawing political maps for partisan gain. But gerrymandering in the Old Dominion is not dead yet. The constitutional amendment to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission, which sailed out of the legislature in February, won’t take effect unless it clears the legislature a second time. Then it must win approval from voters.

BILL TARGETS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS

Affordable housing developers sometimes get a cold reception from local officials and residents. Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) blames misconceptions about who lives there “and a veiled fear about who lives in affordable housing.” McClellan is sponsoring a bill that would ban localities from discriminating against affordable housing projects when it comes to zoning and permitting. The bill also makes it clear that localities can’t discriminate on the basis of basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap when it comes to zoning decisions.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM'S HOUSING STRUGGLE INSPIRES BILL

Kiesha Preston was finally ready to leave an abusive relationship. Leaving is already a hard enough step. But there were other hurdles she didn’t anticipate. She took out a protective order in the spring of 2016. “That made him more angry,” said Preston, 33, of Roanoke.

VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS READY EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT RATIFICATION PUSH

More than four decades after the original ratification deadline in 1979, the Equal Rights Amendment stands just one state short of ratification and being added to the Constitution. Virginia's lawmakers have pledged to hold a vote in this new session, meaning the commonwealth could be the state that finally gets the amendment passed. The ERA aims to legally cement equality on the basis of sex. Ratification would end legal discrimination between men and women for things like employment and divorce.

VIRGINIA SENATE GAINS TWO POLITICAL OUTSIDERS AND FRIENDS

Two first-time officeholders — a socially liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican — are about to join the Virginia Senate. By chance, each already has a good friend at the Capitol: the other. Sens.-elect Ghazala F. Hashmi (D-Richmond) and Jen A. Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach), met and hit it off in March at a week-long candidate training program at the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. In November, each prevailed in harshly partisan contests in suburban swing districts.

BLACK CAUCUS HIRES LT. GOV. FAIRFAX POLICY DIRECTOR WHO RESIGNED 'IN PROTEST'

Adele McClure was the policy director for Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, but she resigned in February after a second allegation of sexual assault was made against him. In April, she spoke at a Take Back the Night rally in Arlington and said Fairfax had “lost the moral legitimacy to hold public office.”

FEWER YOUTH DETAINEES RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT FUTURE OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA DETENTION CENTER

More than two-thirds of the cells at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center are empty on this gray, rainy morning in December, and not just because the 22 teenagers housed there are in classes or meetings in other parts of the facility. For the past decade, the number of youths awaiting court dates or serving short sentences here has dropped by almost three-quarters — mirroring a nationwide decline in youth detention that experts attribute to falling crime rates and a turn toward alternative sentencing.

CENTRAL VIRGINIA REGIONAL JAIL COSTS LIKELY TO INCREASE FOR LOCALITIES IN FISCAL 2021

The five jurisdictions of the Central Virginia Regional Jail likely will see a collective increase in contributions next fiscal year, but it’s one of their own choosing. Recently, jail authority members opted to increase the collective contribution of the localities by $400,000.

CONTRACTOR TO BEGIN MENTAL HEALTH TRANSPORTS IN LYNCHBURG NEXT MONTH

Beginning next month, hundreds of Lynchburg-area patients in the midst of a mental health crisis no longer will be transported to state hospitals while handcuffed and shackled in the back of a police car. Instead, they will be driven in spacious SUVs as part of a new state program aimed at reducing patient trauma and alleviating stress on overtaxed law enforcement agencies.

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA RIVER THE STAR OF NEW STATE PARK

As a lot of central Appalachia seems to reinvent itself amid the decline of coal, group leaders in southwest Virginia say they’re seeing some early luck via specializing in any other herbal useful resource: the Clinch River. The Clinch, which flows for roughly 130 miles (209 kilometers) thru 4 mountainous Virginia counties earlier than crossing into Tennessee, is the center-piece of what is going to be one in every of Virginia’s latest state parks, due to a yearslong grassroots effort.

METRO ASKS SAFETY OVERSIGHT AGENCY TO DO MORE EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF SILVER LINE

Metro is asking an independent safety agency to do enhanced inspections of the second phase of the Silver Line project — an extra layer of scrutiny to ensure that the rail line is safe to carry passengers. In a letter sent this month to David L. Mayer, chief executive of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld asks the commission to conduct a “more extensive pre-revenue service review” of the project as part of its safety oversight responsibilities.

ONE “BITE” OF MUD AND SAND AT A TIME, PORT OF VIRGINIA STARTS DREDGING CHESAPEAKE BAY SHIPPING CHANNELS

In his perch high above the Chesapeake Bay, Kenny Smith had the controls to move the earth beneath him. The crane operator’s feet prodded two floor pedals to swing a red claw-like bucket from left to right. His hands gripped two levers that moved it up and down, in and out of the choppy water where it torpedoed 50 feet to the soft bay floor.

WILLIAM & MARY CONFRONTS A NATIONWIDE ENROLLMENT CRISIS

The College of William & Mary is in the midst of addressing what academic leaders in the commonwealth and the nation are calling an enrollment crisis. This fall, about 230,000 fewer students enrolled in colleges and universities nationally, according to new data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center that studies student enrollment. It’s the eighth consecutive year enrollment has decreased; overall enrollment is at the lowest point in a decade.

IN HOUSING-HUNGRY ARLINGTON, OFFICIALS STUDY WHETHER TO ALLOW MORE DUPLEXES, TRIPLEXES

One of the tenets of Arlington County zoning for the past several decades has been to cluster multifamily housing, retail and office space along major streets and separate the single-family houses from those clusters. The approach allows growth along mass-transit corridors and preserves the suburban-style streets that drew many homeowners to Arlington in the first place.

LOUDOUN SUPERVISORS SAY GOODBYES AT TERM’S FINAL MEETING

County supervisors reflected on their past four years of service during the final meeting of their term Dec. 17. Four of the nine supervisors will not be returning in 2020. County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) lifted the normal time limits to let those members say their public goodbyes. Most remarked on the cooperative spirit of the board, despite differences in political party. Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn), who chose not to run again, had tallied approximately the number of meetings he attended as a county supervisor.

AVAILABILITY OF LOCKERS FOR CELLPHONES IN ROANOKE VALLEY'S COURTHOUSES EXPANDS

The recent success of a Roanoke courthouse convenience has spawned a sibling of sorts, and a crosstown cousin as well. Back in May, around the time the state courthouse on Church Avenue was rechristened the Oliver W. Hill Justice Center, a bright green bank of lockers appeared in the main lobby. It offers visitors a safe place to store their cellphones when they’re in the building.

SHIFTS IN LYNCHBURG-AREA SOLID WASTE RAISE QUESTIONS OF SURVIVAL FOR COMING DECADES

With major changes on the horizon — like new transfer stations coming to Appomattox, Amherst and Bedford counties, the Campbell County landfill nearing capacity and a mega-landfill slated for Cumberland County — the local waste management landscape is shifting rapidly. With an influx of transfer stations, and movement away from reliance on small community landfills — like the Amherst County landfill in Madison Heights — counties and private haulers are trying to figure out how they will manage solid waste for the next 50 years.

ROSIE'S FOCUSING ON OTHER LOCATIONS, PUTTING DANVILLE FACILITY ON BACK-BURNER FOR NOW

It’s been nearly two months since Danville voters approved off-track betting in the city. But it looks like Danville is on the back-burner for now while Colonial Downs — which hopes to open a Rosie’s Gaming Emporium here — focuses on opening locations in Dumfries and Chesapeake.

SECOND AMENDMENT ‘SANCTUARIES’

Here’s a legal poser for the New Year. The board of supervisors in Virginia’s Fauquier County has voted unanimously that it is a “constitutional county.” This is part of a larger movement by Virginia counties to declare themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries” in anticipation of gun-control measures the new Democratic state Legislature is expected to pass in 2020....This is some constitutional turnabout. Liberals across the U.S. have been declaring “sanctuary cities” and refusing to enforce federal immigration laws they don’t like. But they’re less enthusiastic when Americans do the same on behalf of the Bill of Rights.

KEEP PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

AS THE Democrats prepare to lead the General Assembly for the first time since 1994, former House Speaker Bill Howell has some advice for incoming Speaker Eileen Filler–Corn: Play fair. “When I first got elected [in 1987], Democrats controlled everything,” Howell told The Free Lance–Star. “There were 33 Republicans out of 100 Democrats, and they would not put Republicans on any important committees.

VIRGINIA'S ECONOMY: GOOD, BUT WE CAN DO BETTER

When economists at Old Dominion University in Norfolk released their annual “State of Commonwealth” report earlier this month, the picture the data painted of Virginia’s economy was one showing solid — but not spectacular — performance, with growth in some regions of the state, but signs of weakness in others.

HOW RALPH NORTHAM CAME BACK FROM THE POLITICAL DEAD

The history of U.S. politics is full of second chances — of scandal-scarred, disgraced and irredeemable public figures staging improbable comebacks — but few back-from-the-dead narratives have been as swift and sure-footed as the one Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has managed this year.

COMMONWEALTH’S HEALTHY STATE

Rise and shine, Virginia. The 2008 recession is no longer a drag on the commonwealth’s economy, and statewide economic indicators point to healthy growth. The economy is poised to grow for a fifth consecutive year. And gains in individual employment and real hourly earnings are data points that measured in the bank accounts of every Virginia. That’s according to the State of the Commonwealth report published each year by Old Dominion University's Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy.

AN EQUITABLE PLACE FOR ALL

A task force report calling for getting rid of nearly 100 racist and discriminatory laws still on the books in Virginia is a welcome step toward building a commonwealth that treats all its people equally. And it’s good news that initial appearances suggest this report will result in meaningful action, not just prompt a few headlines and then be filed away.

GRIFFITH: PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION PROMOTES FAIRNESS

Rules are important. It’s a lesson we teach to our children early in life. An institution’s rules shape its character. They are meant to protect everyone, not simply the people who write them. When the Virginia House of Delegates convenes in January, one of the first votes will be on the rules package that governs the chamber. What the new Democratic majority chooses to include or exclude in this package will shape the results of legislation in the House of Delegates.

Morgan Griffith represents Virginia’s 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives

MORSE: FUN AND FOLLY IN THE 2020 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

It may seem a bit much to anticipate an upcoming legislative session – the Virginia General Assembly convenes at noon on Jan. 9 – as “fun.” But fun it may be, simply because there are so many conflicted moving parts, all looking for some resolution and, regarding outcome, difficult to predict.

After writing editorials for The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot in the 1980s, Gordon C. Morse wrote speeches for Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, then spent nearly three decades working on behalf of corporate and philanthropic organizations

MCNAB: MARIJUANA PROPOSALS NEED FRANK DISCUSSION

With the General Assembly likely to consider the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana for personal use in the 2020 session, it’s high time for a frank discussion. In the fifth annual State of the Commonwealth Report, we examined who uses marijuana in Virginia, who is arrested for marijuana possession or concealment, and how marijuana legalization might affect the finances of the Commonwealth.

Bob McNab is a professor of economics and director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University

CARRICO: VIRGINIA SHOULD KEEP MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION REQUIREMENT

As a retired state trooper and outgoing chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, I want to share my concerns about the proposed elimination of the motor vehicle inspection program for Virginia. These inspections ensure safe vehicles and the well-being of Virginians and all those who travel on our roads and highways.

Sen. C.W. "Bill" Carrico, a Republican, represents Virginia's 40th District.

HANER: DO WE REALLY NEED A CARBON CAR TAX?

The same day Gov. Ralph Northam was telling legislators about his plans to raise the state’s gasoline tax by 12 cents a gallon, a far larger bite into your transportation wallet was being discussed, a group of state environmental regulators revealed details of a proposed regional carbon car tax, costing up to another 17 cents per gallon at the beginning. The combined impact on Virginia motorists and business users will approach 30 cents per gallon.

Stephen D. Haner is senior fellow for state and local tax policy with the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

LANGFORD, MCINTYRE-HALL AND PEDULLA: FINALLY ADDRESSING MATERNAL AND INFANT MORTALITY RATES IN VIRGINIA

Long after a pregnancy ends, the experience leaves a lasting memory on a woman and can have a profound effect on her in the transition to motherhood and beyond. Until September, after nearly a decade, Aaliyah Samuel had never shared her firstborn child’s birth story publicly.

Malinda Langford is senior vice president of programs, Ondrea McIntyre-Hall is director of health access and nutrition services, and Nanci Pedulla is director of the Healthy Families program at Northern Virginia Family Service.

JEWELL: TECH PROFESSIONALS KEY TO NRV GROWTH

It is an amazing time to work in the tech sector in the New River Valley (NRV). The Roanoke Times recently covered a report through Valleys Innovation Council that projects 1,250 new jobs in Information Technology (IT) are coming to the New River and Roanoke valleys over the next 18 months.

Jewell is executive director of Onward New River Valley

SCHULMAN, CRIDER & TAYLOR: NEW REGIONAL BRAND PRESENTS CRITICAL OPPORTUNITY

We are Hampton Roads, Coastal Virginia, Tidewater and Southeastern Virginia. We are Norfolk, York County, Virginia Beach, Poquoson, Chesapeake, Smithfield and Portsmouth, to name a few. We are proud of our military, we cherish our prominent place in our nation’s history, we are blessed with more than 3,000 miles of tranquil coastline, and we are undeniably united under the regional brand of the 757.

Joash Schulman, Alisa Crider and Jeremy Taylor are members of the Envision 2020 Regional Branding Initiative task force.

MILDE: FALSE ATTACKS, OUT-OF-STATE MONEY DOOMED MY 28TH DISTRICT RACE

In its Nov. 16 edition, the Free Lance–Star published an opinion column by University of Mary Washington Professors Stephen Farnsworth and Stephen Hanna conveying their interpretation of this year’s election in the Virginia House of Delegates’ 28th District. Then the Free Lance–Star published a different analysis of the results by George Mason University Professor Dan Stimpson in its Dec. 15 edition.

Former Stafford supervisor Paul Milde was a candidate for the 28th District House of Delegates seat in November's election.