Most Read Articles Oct. 6, 2020
1
Virginia Senate panel kills bill to ease removal of Confederate monuments
A bill that would have made it easier for local governments to remove Confederate monuments died Monday, as members of a state Senate committee seemed reluctant to revisit an issue thrust to the fore by this summer's racial-justice protests. Virginia’s cities and counties lacked authority to remove war monuments on their own property until this year, when newly empowered Democrats in the House and Senate passed legislation in the regular General Assembly session that gave them the power to do so.
2
VPAP Visual Virginia Presidential Voter Turnout
In Virginia, the Obama victory in 2008 has been the high water mark for voter participation in the "motor voter" era, when voters could begin to sign up at the DMV. Could next month's election set a new high?
3
From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia
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.
4
Crowded field in 2021 Va. lieutenant governor’s race
The race to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor in 2021 is already crowded, with five Democrats and four Republicans launching campaigns for their party’s nomination and several more potential candidates exploring bids. On Monday, both Del. Elizabeth R. Guzman (D-Prince William) and former delegate Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax) announced their candidacies to succeed Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), who is running for governor next year.
5
Mailboxes broken into in central Virginia, sparking worries about missing absentee ballots
Virginia election officials said Monday that six mailboxes in the central portion of the state were broken into over the weekend, potentially resulting in the loss of an unknown number of absentee ballots. The break-ins, a federal crime, occurred in mailboxes located in the City of Richmond and Henrico and Chesterfield counties, state election officials said in a news release.
6
Virginia governor develops mild covid-19 symptoms, scorns Trump for downplaying disease
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday that he has developed "mild" symptoms of covid-19 more than a week after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, but he is continuing to conduct business remotely. “I had a little bit of cold-like symptoms over the weekend and lost my sense of taste or smell, but other than that I feel fine,” Northam (D) said Monday afternoon in a telephone interview. But Northam, who is a physician, said he was alarmed that President Trump was playing down the severity of the disease while apparently suffering a more serious bout.
7
AG Herring: Localities Must Comply with FOIA During Emergency
Attorney General Mark Herring has issued an advisory opinion warning local governments that the state’s open government laws remain in effect during the state of emergency declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—which could have a bearing on Loudoun County’s own emergency rules. On April 15, Loudoun supervisors adopted an emergency ordinance to conduct meetings outside of normal open meetings law, as gathering in one place became unsafe during the pandemic.
8
JLARC: Low-performing public schools need more help from state
Virginia’s lowest-performing public schools need more help improving from the agency tasked with overseeing them, the state legislature’s watchdog agency concluded in a report issued Monday. Auditors found the Virginia Department of Education is well-managed overall but needs more people supporting high-need schools, a more robust approach to addressing a statewide teacher shortage and diversity among senior staff, all 11 of whom are white, among other findings.
9
All senior leaders at the Virginia Department of Education are white
Not a single person of color works in leadership at the state agency responsible for overseeing all of Virginia’s public schools. An audit of the Virginia Department of Education reveals a serious lack of diversity at the executive level. The audit conducted by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), uncovered all 13 staff members in senior leadership positions , assistant superintendent level or higher, are white. Seven of the 13 senior leaders are male.
10
Virus could be killing Clinch River mussels
Jordan Richard had barely started his job as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwestern Virginia Field Office, in September 2016, when he got hit with concerning news: freshwater mussels were dying in the Clinch River. Thousands, in multiple parts of the river.