Welcome to Tuesday! In addition to the top news from around the Commonwealth, we also have coverage of Amanda Chase toning down her rhetoric (briefly) and Terry McAuliffe also receives two new endorsements.
Activists want more from Governor Northam in Shockoe Bottom – Virginia Scope
A group that formed in 2004 with a stated purpose to “educate the public about the great historical significance to the Black community of Shockoe Bottom,” say they have concerns with the announcement from Governor Northam.
“While we applaud the governor’s attempt to address the long-term inequities in the allocation of state resources for historical preservation, his statement raises some serious concerns,” wrote representatives from the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality.
Amanda Chase acknowledges that COVID-19 is real – Virginia Scope
In a messaging pivot during a Facebook video on Monday night, Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) announced that she will now be providing weekly COVID-19 updates. In Monday’s video, for the first time since March, Chase seemed to realize how dire the COVID-19 pandemic is for Virginians. She began by reading the positive result test rates and the sharp rise that has been happening since early November. “I am hearing a number of my friends getting COVID,” Chase said in the video. “I am choosing to stay home more.”
Chase also expressed happiness for the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine while also saying that she will not be getting one. The senator has often railed against vaccines one the campaign trail. “JUST SAY NO TO COVID-19 VACCINATIONS,” Chase wrote in a Facebook post on October 10th. “Hell no to mandatory vaccinations. I will fight this with everything that is in me- so help me God,” she said in another post on the same day.
Behind Unsigned Editorials, a Columnist With Ties to Dominion – VPM News
by Ben Paviour
The Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press published a handful of unsigned editorials related to Dominion Energy this year written by a columnist who also works as a part-time speechwriter for the company.
The pieces carry the distinctive style of Gordon “G.C.” Morse, a longtime columnist for the Hampton Roads newspapers. Morse started an ongoing, part-time speechwriting contract with Dominion Energy in 2006, according to a spokesperson for that company.
The first batch of coronavirus vaccines have arrived in Virginia. Here’s what comes next. – Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Sabrina Moreno
The first batch of coronavirus vaccines has arrived in Virginia.
On Monday, Sentara Healthcare — a Norfolk-based organization with 21 hospital sites across the state — received its first shipment of 11,700 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Approximately 20,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine are set to arrive in a week. In the Richmond area, a Bon Secours hospital also received its allotment of doses. VCU Medical Center expects its supply on Tuesday.
‘Devastating’ new report finds major problems with special education in Virginia – Virginia Mercury
by Kate Masters
Shortcomings in both the quality and oversight of special education in Virginia put the commonwealth at odds with federal law and make it difficult — if not impossible — to determine how well students with disabilities are supported by their local school systems.
Those findings by the state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, presented at a meeting Monday, buttress long-held concerns from parents and special education advocates across Virginia. The lengthy report also mirrors many of the failures outlined in a June letter from the U.S. Department of Education, which found serious deficiencies in how the Virginia Department of Education monitored and responded to special education complaints.
City Council Approves Richmond Master Plan With Amendments Coming – VPM News
by Roberto Roldan
Richmond City Council gave final approval Monday night to the Richmond 300 master plan, which will guide the city’s growth until its 300th anniversary in 2037.
The 256-page master plan lays out future land-use and other changes that will be necessary to accommodate new residents in a growing city. According to Richmond officials, approximately 32,000 people have moved to the city in the last two decades.
House Appropriations Committee Chair Luke Torian and Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee Chair Janet Howell Endorse Terry McAuliffe for Governor
“Our Commonwealth is facing tough economic times and we need an experienced leader with the bold vision to help us recover better than we were before. Families need a champion who will go big for our economy and schools,” said Senate Finance and Appropriations Chair Janet Howell. “Terry understands the issues affecting hardworking Virginia families, and he has the experience, vision, and compassion to make sure our recovery lifts up all of us. Terry won’t tinker around the edges, he will use this as an opportunity to go big and bold for Virginia’s future.”
“First and foremost, I want to commend Governor Northam for his tremendous leadership through this pandemic,” said House Appropriations Chair Luke Torian. “Any COVID recovery plan must address how Black people and people of color have had their economic security disproportionately impacted by this pandemic. I commend Terry for expressing his intention to make these efforts a priority.”
GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Amanda Chase: “President Trump should declare martial law as recommended by General Flynn” – Blue Virginia
by Lowell Feld
“Not my President and never will be. The American people aren’t fools,” wrote Chase early Tuesday morning. “We know you cheated to win and we’ll never accept these results. Fair elections we can accept but cheating to win; never. It’s not over yet. So thankful President Trump has a backbone and refuses to concede. President Trump should declare martial law as recommended by General Flynn.”