VaNews
November 17, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Gentry Locke Consulting
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We are excited to welcome Patrice Lewis to our team as we prepare for a session that will undoubtedly be unlike any other. www.gentrylocke.consulting ([link removed])
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Top of the News


** Northam to push for marijuana legalization during upcoming General Assembly session ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam will push for the Democratic-controlled General Assembly to legalize recreational marijuana during the upcoming legislative session, which would make it the first state in the South to do so. “We are going to move forward with legalizing marijuana in Virginia,” Northam said in a meeting with reporters Monday morning. The legislature will convene in January for 30 days, and Northam hopes his backing will get marijuana legalization over the line.
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** Virginia lawmakers feud over constraints of 2021 session ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Virginia lawmakers were feuding Monday after Democratic House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn announced plans for that chamber to again conduct its work remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic when it convenes in January. Shortly after the speaker’s office made the announcement, House and Senate Republican leaders said they would use a procedural move to limit the 2021 session to 30 days, rather than the typical, longer session Filler-Corn said she expected. Such a move could hinder the breadth of what Democrats, who have a narrow majority in both chambers and Ralph Northam in the governor’s mansion, are able to address.
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** Former Virginia House speaker Kirk Cox says he’ll seek GOP nomination for governor ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Former Virginia House speaker Kirk Cox officially entered the running for the 2021 Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, casting himself as an experienced lawmaker who understands the state's complex political landscape. Cox, 63, is a retired high school civics teacher who has spent 31 years as a delegate representing Colonial Heights, a suburban city between Richmond and Petersburg.
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** Virginia Medicaid agency offers, then withdraws, $2,000 bonus for its staff ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia’s Medicaid agency recently offered, and then withdrew, a one-time $2,000 bonus for each of its full-time and wage employees for their work this year in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and a surge in enrollment in the federal-state health insurance program for poor, elderly and disabled Virginians.
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** Officials say fish farm holds promise for southwest Virginia ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Officials in southwest Virginia on Monday announced plans for a large indoor fish-farming operation that they said would be among the largest private capital investment projects in the economically distressed region’s history. Pure Salmon will construct an aquaculture facility on the boundary of Tazewell and Russell counties that is expected to employ more than 200 people and process up to 20,000 tons (18,000 metric tons) of salmon a year, according to a news release.
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** Fairfax delays in-person instruction ([link removed])
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By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia’s largest school system is pausing plans to return thousands of children to classrooms — an announcement that came the same day Northern Virginia teachers’ unions urged Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to switch the state to online-only learning. Fairfax County Public Schools, which serves 186,000 students, was supposed to send 6,800 pre-kindergartners, kindergartners and special education students back into school buildings on Tuesday.
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** County Schools Refill with Smiling Faces ([link removed])
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By MEGAN WILLIAMS, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Drew Miller wanted to make his students know how excited he was to see their faces after months of quarantine. But when masks need to be worn to keep all parties safe, how could the Montevideo Middle School principal show his students how excited he was? He got one of the those masks that are see-through in the mouth area. The idea was to let the students see his smile.
The Full Report
46 articles, 22 publications
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** FROM VPAP
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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. There's 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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** Virginia’s governor says he supports legalizing marijuana ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER AND RACHEL WEINER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday that he supports the legalization of marijuana, following the release of a study that found Virginia could generate $300 million in taxes from the sale of the substance. Northam (D) plans to work with the General Assembly on legislation during the regular session that convenes in January, although the process could take two years to play out.
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** Northam backs effort to legalize recreational use of marijuana ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam threw the weight of his administration behind efforts to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Virginia, citing racial inequities in how laws around the drug are enforced and promising a meticulous regulatory process on the path to making it widely available. Just a year ago, Northam appeared reluctant to embark on the legalization process, but on Monday, citing two studies by Virginia government bodies, he said that a path exists to legalize the drug in a manner that is safe, addresses inequities and attracts revenue to Virginia.
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** Virginia governor pushes to legalize marijuana ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

Gov. Ralph Northam is pushing to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Virginia, which could be the first Southern state to do so. Northam announced his support for legalization Monday, saying he wants a responsible approach that promotes racial equity and preserves youth safety. The Democratic governor said he is going to propose legislation during next year’s legislative session, a process he said could take up to two years.
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** Northam: ‘We are going to move forward with legalizing marijuana in Virginia’ ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER AND GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday he plans to propose legislation legalizing marijuana when the General Assembly convenes in January, setting the state on a path to become the first in the South to allow recreational use of the drug. “We are going to move forward with legalizing marijuana in Virginia,” Northam said. “I support that and am committed to doing it the right way.” Northam, a physician who says he’s never used the drug, cautioned “it’s not going to happen overnight,” saying he envisions an 18 to 24 month timetable for the state to establish and regulate the new marketplace.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Virginia House of Delegates will meet virtually for 2021 session ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE HAFNER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia delegates will meet remotely for their legislative session in January, Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn announced Monday. “While I look forward to the time we can return to conducting business in person and go back to the way we operated prior to the global pandemic, at this time we must continue to listen to the experts & make informed, responsible decisions based on their recommendations and science,” Filler-Corn, a Democrat, said in a statement.
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** Virginia House of Delegates to meet online in 2021 as coronavirus cases rise ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginia's House of Delegates will meet online for the 2021 legislative session that convenes in January, Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn said Monday, citing the need to avoid a coronavirus pandemic that has been worsening across the state. The House went virtual this summer for the first time during a special session that began Aug. 18 and tackled budget, coronavirus and criminal justice issues. That session stretched across 84 days — longer than the regular session set to open Jan. 13.
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** House of Delegates to meet virtually for 2021 session, Senate planning to gather in person ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The Virginia House of Delegates plans to meet remotely for the upcoming regular legislative session, while senators are preparing to meet in person in Richmond. Both chambers of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly are continuing to meet in the same manner they have been since the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States. The 100 members of the House used their computers at home to participate in meetings and vote on bills, while the 40 senators socially distanced at the Science Museum of Virginia.
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** Senator faults JLARC for lack of minority hiring ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A member of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission publicly faulted the legislative watchdog agency on Monday for failing to hire more Black people and other minorities to jobs on its staff. Sen. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, raised the issue at the end of a Zoom meeting of the commission, voicing his frustration over the lack of minority hiring at the agency in the past decade.
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** Monument charges dismissed against state Sen. Louise Lucas ([link removed])
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By MARGARET MATRAY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A judge dismissed charges Monday against state Sen. Louise Lucas and all others charged in a June protest during which the city’s Confederate monument was vandalized. Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie Morales and a team of prosecutors said that after reviewing the police investigation, they determined there was not enough evidence to prove the elements of the felony crimes, including intent and the dollar amount of damage each defendant was accused of causing.
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** Lucas charges dismissed, police chief fired ([link removed])
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By STEPHEN FALESKI, Suffolk News Herald

A judge dismissed all charges against state Sen. L. Louise Lucas on Monday. Portsmouth Police had charged the senator with two felonies — conspiracy and “injuring” a monument valued in excess of $1,000 — in connection with her presence during a June 10 protest at which the city’s now-removed Confederate monument was damaged.
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** Virginia police chief fired as felony charges are dropped in Confederate vandalism case ([link removed])
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By ERIK ORTIZ, NBCNews

The police chief of Portsmouth, Virginia, was fired Monday in what she suggested was a politically motivated move moments before criminal charges were dropped against a prominent state senator and several local Black leaders accused of conspiring to damage a Confederate statue during a protest this year. The latest twist in the case involving state Sen. Louise Lucas, a high-ranking Democrat who is Virginia's most senior Black legislator, drew praise from Democrats who condemned the charges.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Cox formally announces run for governor ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Former House Speaker Kirk Cox of Colonial Heights formally announced Tuesday that he will seek the Republican nomination for governor, hoping to become the first Republican elected to the office in over a decade. Cox, a retired government teacher, has served in the House since 1990, rising to the speakership in 2017 before a wave of Democratic victories across the state last year cost his party the majority and ended his tenure.
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** Norfolk councilwoman Angelia Williams Graves running for open state delegate seat ([link removed])
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By RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Norfolk Councilwoman Angelia Williams Graves said she wants to run for the east Norfolk state delegate seat that will soon be vacated. The district has been represented since 2014 by Joe Lindsey, a long-time lawyer who was recently appointed to a judgeship in Norfolk’s General District Court.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Virginia delays statewide certification of election results ([link removed])
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By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The State Board of Elections on Monday delayed certification of the state’s election results until later this week, giving additional time to the Richmond voter registrar’s office, which is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. State elections officials said they had local certifications in hand from Virginia’s other 132 cities and counties and they expect to certify the state results later this week.
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** The ‘R’ in Fifth District ([link removed])
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By RACHEL NEEDHAM, Rappahannock News (Metered Paywall)

Shortly after midnight on Nov. 4, from his campaign headquarters overlooking Liberty University’s football stadium in Lynchburg, Republican Bob Good delivered his victory speech. The votes were tallied and the people of Virginia’s sprawling Fifth District had spoken. The former LU associate athletics director would become their next congressman. “It’s funny, this race was called the most competitive race in the country,” Good said that night to a jubilant crowd of supporters. “I think that’s because there were a lot of people who wanted that to be so.”


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** JLARC says more children with behavioral problems should be served in public schools ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A new legislative study says Virginia could serve more children and youths with special needs in public schools instead of private day schools if the state would eliminate restrictions on using money that it and local governments pay under the Children’s Services Act. The report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on Monday said Virginia places more students with disabilities in out-of-school settings than most other states and estimates that 10% of children sent to private day schools “could likely be served in less restrictive settings.”
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** State study recommends changes to combat rising costs of Children's Services Act ([link removed])
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By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A state commission recommended sweeping changes Monday to the Children’s Services Act following years of cost increases without a proportional increase in the number of children being served. The Children’s Services Act was enacted in 1992 to streamline funding for at-risk children in Virginia.
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** Plan approved to resume jury trials in Fauquier County Circuit Court ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORTS, Fauquier Times

Jury trials can now take place in Fauquier County Circuit Court; the Supreme Court of Virginia has approved the county’s plan to mitigate risks for participants contracting COVID-19. Although Fauquier County courts have mostly been functioning normally since the summer, jury trials have been an exception. Jury trials have been suspended since March due to the pandemic.
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** Virginia leaders seek input on Lee statue replacement in U.S. Capitol ([link removed])
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By JOSEPH WHITNEY SMITH, VCU Capital News Service

State leaders are seeking public input on what individual should replace a statue of former Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee located in the U.S. Capitol. A commission appointed by the state legislature will hold a virtual public hearing Tuesday to help determine a replacement. The Lee statue is one of two that represent Virginia in the Capitol. The other is a statue of the nation’s first president and also a Virginian, George Washington.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Amazon to donate $9 million to charitable groups in Washington region ([link removed])
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By ANTONIO OLIVO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Amazon plans to donate $9 million to community organizations in the Washington region working to help residents avoid eviction after losing their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, groups helping military families and veterans, and those working to improve racial equity, the company announced Monday.
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** Amazon cuts ribbon on final building lease, says hiring on track despite pandemic ([link removed])
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By JOHN DOMEN, WTOP

Two years ago, Amazon provided a huge jolt to the Crystal City, Virginia, area when it announced it was building a second headquarters, known as HQ2, with a promise to hire 25,000 new employees. Despite the pandemic and a huge shift in remote work, the company says it’s still on track to reach that goal.
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** Gov. Northam Returns Home for Event on Broadband Expansion for the Shore ([link removed])
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By STEFANIE JACKSON, Eastern Shore Post

Gov. Ralph Northam returned to his hometown of Onancock on Thursday for the announcement a $20 million investment in broadband internet on the Eastern Shore by Spectrum, a Charter Communications company. Spectrum will provide services to more than 17,500 homes and businesses in Accomack and Northampton County.
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** Aquaculture facility for salmon to create 200 jobs in region ([link removed])
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By JIM TALBERT, Richlands News-Press

A vertically integrated indoor aquaculture facility that will raise and process salmon — and create more than 200 jobs — will be built on the boundary of Tazewell and Russell counties. Pure Salmon will invest about $228 million in the facility and equipment, and the project is being touted as one of the largest private capital investment projects in Southwest Virginia history.
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** Salmon company bringing 200 jobs to Southwest Virginia ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Richlands News-Press

After nearly seven year of planning Project Jonah became a reality Nov. 16. Pure Salmon LLC, Tazewell, Russell and Buchanan Counties issued a joint press release announcing one of the largest private investments ever in the area. The world’s largest vertically integrated indoor aquaculture facility. Located on the boundary of Tazewell and Russell Counties in Southwest Virginia, the facility will employ over two hundred residents whose individual median wage will equal or exceed the total median family income of families in all of the three counties.
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** 'Project Jonah" bringing 200 plus jobs to the Southwest Virginia ([link removed])
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By CHARLES BOOTHE, Bluefield Daily Telegraph

An official announcement on a large “fish farm” business that will be located in Tazewell County has been released by the boards of supervisors of Russell, Buchanan and Tazewell counties. Del. James W. “Will” Morefield (R-Tazewell County) recently confirmed the business that will employ over 200 people will be built as counties were working on some details. Called Project Jonah, supervisors from the counties said Monday morning the $228 million project is “one of the most important economic development events of the Cumberland Region” and the facility will be “the world’s largest vertically integrated indoor aquaculture facility.”


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virginia Tech loses $60 million as pandemic hits budget ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Virginia Tech has lost upwards of $60 million since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, mostly due to losses in dining and housing revenue. Tech’s board of visitors met Monday to approve the university’s adjusted $1.6 billion operating budget for 2020-21. Board members also gave Tech the power to postpone debt bills and issue new debt to help boost cash flow, if more choppy economic waters emerge.
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** VMI search could last through spring ([link removed])
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By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

In its first meeting, Virginia Military Institute’s superintendent search committee on Monday reviewed the timeline for selecting a new leader and heard from three search firm finalists. Following a closed session that lasted nearly three hours, the 13-member committee voted to authorize committee Chair Gene Scott to negotiate with a yet-to-be-named search firm.
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** Virginia Wesleyan dean resigns after Biden Facebook post uproar ([link removed])
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By JOANNE KIMBERLIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A Virginia Wesleyan University dean whose recent Facebook post called Biden voters “ignorant, anti-American and anti-Christian” has resigned, according to a statement posted Monday by the university on its website. VWU’s statement was brief: “Last week, Dr. Paul Ewell resigned as Dean of Virginia Wesleyan University Global Campus. Today, the University accepted his resignation as Professor of Management, Business and Economics.”


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Coronavirus infections set record for 13th day in Washington region ([link removed])
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By JULIE ZAUZMER AND ERIN COX, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Coronavirus infections continued their upward march Monday in the greater Washington region, reaching a new high for a 13th consecutive day as Virginia set a daily record. The rolling seven-day average of new cases in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. jumped to 3,489, a number that has doubled over three weeks.
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** Virginia's new COVID restrictions ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO AND KARRI PEIFER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Following a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday retightened restrictions that ban gatherings of more than 25 people and the selling of alcohol for on-premise consumption past 10 p.m. The new rules went into effect Monday, and there’s currently no end date. Here are the noteworthy changes set forth by the governor and who they affect:
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** COVID-19 scare: Warhill High School shuts down for two weeks ([link removed])
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By JULIA MARSIGLIANO, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Warhill High School is closed for at least two weeks. Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools shut down the high school after an uptick in coronavirus cases among staff –– five cases since Nov. 4 with four of the cases being reported in the past week.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Corey Stewart hired for Commerce Department post, to push hardline China policies until January ([link removed])
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By KAREN FREIFELD, Reuters

Corey Stewart, an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, has been named to a newly created senior post at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he can help push through hardline policies on China before the end of the administration, according to people familiar with the matter.


** LOCAL
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** Regional education associations endorse return to distance learning ([link removed])
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By JOHN BATTISTON, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Leaders of northern Virginia education associations including the Loudoun Education Association gathered Monday morning in Fairfax to publicly urge Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to provide guidance for schools regarding the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases both in the commonwealth and nationwide. As of Monday morning, Loudoun had averaged 69 new cases and two hospitalizations per day over the past week. The county's percent positivity rate has reached nearly 9 percent, while the statewide positivity rate is 8.6 percent.
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** Richmond Planning Commission approves amended plan to turn medians around Lee statue into parks ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

The Richmond Planning Commission has unanimously advanced a bill to the City Council that would give the city more control over activity near the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue. After delaying a decision last month, the commission on Monday voted to turn two medians around the statue into public parks, which would allow the city to impose restrictions on firearms and charge fees for special events.
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** Henrico Public Schools delays phased return to in-person learning ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Henrico County families who were expecting that their students would return to classrooms before the end of the year will wait a bit longer. Superintendent Amy Cashwell announced on Monday that a planned Nov. 30 expansion of in-person learning would be delayed until January, citing a spike in COVID-19 cases in the Richmond area.
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** Virginia Beach schools return to all-virtual learning after coronavirus cases spike ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia Beach public schools are returning to all-virtual learning Tuesday after a sudden spike in coronavirus cases was reported Monday. All students will resume virtual learning five days a week until at least Dec. 1. The district had just started bringing back the remaining five grades — 7th and 8th graders as well grades 10, 11 and 12 — last Thursday. Some would have been returning to classrooms for the first time on Tuesday.
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** Hampton still hopeful for casino gaming and serious juvenile offender program ([link removed])
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By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Hampton again is setting its sights on a casino among its requests it will submit to state lawmakers for consideration. On Thursday, the Hampton City Council approved the latest round of requests for its legislative delegation, compiled by Richmond-based Two Capitols Consulting. There are four requests and several priority topics.
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** Portsmouth Police Chief Angela Greene fired, plans to sue ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY AND MARGARET MATRAY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Portsmouth Police Chief Angela Greene was fired Monday morning, a little more than two months after she was temporarily removed from her position by then-City Manager Lydia Pettis Patton. Greene held a press conference outside City Hall and said she was given a termination letter, presumably by Interim City Manager LaVoris Pace, who replaced Pettis Patton when she resigned Sept. 8.
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** Racist slurs including ‘N-word’ scrawled on historic structures at Fort Monroe ([link removed])
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By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Vandals scrawled graffiti on multiple buildings at Fort Monroe, including one tagged with racial slurs, officials said Monday. The building is used as a warehouse and was tagged in black spray paint with the phrase “N------ go home” and other wording in green paint.
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** Fredericksburg City Council, police chief consider downtown noise ordinance ([link removed])
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By TAFT COGHILL JR., Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

When Fredericksburg last amended its noise ordinance five years ago, there was hope it would quell disturbances to residents late at night. But even though City Council voted to revise the ordinance, the complaints haven’t stopped pouring in. That’s because the revision gave leeway to the downtown area, which has become more lively since 2015, thanks to diners, shoppers, bar patrons and protesters.

Today's Sponsor:


** Gentry Locke Consulting
------------------------------------------------------------

We are excited to welcome Patrice Lewis to our team as we prepare for a session that will undoubtedly be unlike any other. www.gentrylocke.consulting ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
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** Four questions for next year's legislative mapmakers ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Now that we know who will be drawing new legislative lines in Virginia — a bipartisan commission, courtesy of the constitutional amendment that voters approved Nov. 3 — let’s turn our attention to some of the questions that will drive that mapmaking. Before the election, we posed similar questions about the congressional districts. For instance: The 9th District will have to expand. Should it take in all of the Roanoke Valley? That would be simple and produce a compact district. It also would dramatically dilute the rural vote in that district.
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** Improve messaging to encourage COVID fight ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

At a time when the coronavirus is surging nationwide, including in parts of Virginia, it makes sense to revisit the restrictions and recommendations aimed at slowing the spread of the virus and protecting the commonwealth’s health care infrastructure. Yet, at the same time, people are tired — of the pandemic, of the restrictions, of the uncertainty and anxiety and stress of it all. They need clear, compelling evidence that what they are being asked to do is necessary and can make a difference.
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** Legislators put thumb on the redistricting scales ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

On Election Day, Virginia voters overwhelmingly approved an anti-gerrymandering amendment to the state constitution that gives the power to draw legislative and congressional district maps to an independent redistricting commission. Despite last-ditch attempts by Democrats to torpedo the measure—even after they voted for it not once, but twice!—Amendment 1 passed by a 65–34 percent margin. It wasn’t even close.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Casey: Reps. Cline and Griffith are living in political la-la land ([link removed])
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By DAN CASEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Few people are personally and politically closer to Bill and Hillary Clinton than former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe. His rise in national politics more or less paralleled theirs. McAuliffe was a top Democratic fundraiser when Bill Clinton was president. And by the time Hillary stood for election to the White House on Nov. 8, 2016, McAuliffe sat in Virginia’s governor’s mansion.


** OP-ED
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** Mansouri and McNally: How to have an impact on the future of your community ([link removed])
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By MICHELE MANSOURI AND TERI MCNALLY, published in Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

“If you had not come to court with me, I would be dead right now.” These are the words of a domestic violence survivor to her pro bono attorney. There is no right to a free attorney when you face a civil legal matter, but can’t afford one. The right to a free lawyer is guaranteed only if you are charged in a criminal matter. For some families, staying at home to prevent widespread COVID-19 infection means spending more time confined with an abuser.

Mansouri is president and McNally is executive director of the The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region.


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