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Fight over Youngkin nominee intensifies as House GOP blocks 11 Northam appointees
Virginia Democrats’ refusal to confirm Andrew Wheeler, a controversial environmental appointee of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, spiraled into a bigger standoff Friday in Virginia’s divided legislature. As of early afternoon, more than 1,000 of former Gov. Ralph Northam’s outstanding appointments to state boards and executive agencies were in limbo after the Republican-led House of Delegates refused to take up a resolution confirming them. By Friday evening, Republicans had narrowed the list of Democratic appointees they wanted to block, voting down 11 state board members picked by Northam.
Virginia revenues up by $2 billion for year, setting stage for more money in next budget
Gov. Glenn Youngkin is likely to have more money to pay for his priorities, as revenues surged by almost 22% last month and put the state $2 billion ahead for the fiscal year that began July 1, compared with the same periods a year ago. Through the first seven months of the fiscal year, the state has collected about $1.4 billion more than predicted under the revenue forecast that then-Gov. Ralph Northam used to prepare the $158 billion two-year budget he proposed a month before leaving office.
Youngkin praises state senator for speech on Black History Month — but mistook her for a colleague
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has gotten off on the wrong foot with some Black legislators, texted Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) earlier this week to compliment her speech on Black History Month. But the speech was actually delivered by Sen. Mamie E. Locke (D-Hampton). Lucas, Virginia’s highest-ranking Black senator, privately corrected Youngkin, he apologized for his error, and that was it — until the Republican governor teamed up with House Republicans Friday on a hardball move meant to save an embattled Cabinet pick. That’s when Lucas aired Youngkin’s mistake on Twitter.
Democrats question Miyares investigation after employee says it will make AG look 'good'
Democrats are questioning the objectivity of an ongoing investigation by Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares after one of his assistants wrote that he wants a plum assignment if “the AG looks good” when the investigation ends. Miyares is investigating sexual assault cases in Loudoun County schools.
Black History Month poses first challenge to teachers under tip line
It’s the middle of Black History Month, a time when many public school teachers break out lessons involving central figures in African American and Black history and dive into discussions surrounding the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws and the civil rights movement in this country. But newly elected Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s actions immediately out of the gate surrounding education in public schools have put many teachers on edge.
Fewer than 135 Ballad workers have failed to comply with vaccine mandate
Just over 130 Ballad Health System employees remained in jeopardy of losing their jobs Friday due to a federal vaccination deadline, a significantly smaller number than a few days ago. The deadline for Ballad workers to comply with the vaccine mandate was Friday. That number was closer to 1,000 on Jan. 31 when system officials met with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Abingdon to discuss the gravity of an understaffed rural health system overrun with COVID-19 patients while at the precipice of having to fire large numbers of workers due to the mandate imposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Amateur fraud hunters bury election officials in public records requests
...The general registrar and director of elections in Fairfax City, Virginia, Brenda Cabrera, said her office was one of many that was hit by a surge of records requests over the last year, which are governed by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. Cabrera is a salaried employee of the city of 24,000 people. “We started to talk about FOIA being weaponized,” she said. “It’s very time-consuming to respond to FOIA, so you could drag a small office to a standstill just by continuing to issue FOIA requests.” The requests all but stopped after the November election, when Republican Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia governor’s race, Cabrera said.
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FROM VPAP
VPAP Visual How Each Lawmaker Would Change State Budget
State legislators have hundreds of ideas on how to raise and spend money in the 2022-24 state budget. Some proposed budget amendments are big ideas with massive price tags. Others are modest ways to direct state funds back home or change policy. VPAP has calculated the net cost of each legislators' amendments and included a link where you can see the details of their proposals.
From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia
Our Virginia COVID-19 dashboard features VDH vaccination data, including what percentage of the state's population has received at least one shot and the number of vaccinations per 100,000 residents in each city and county. Our dashboard also makes it easy to track the latest available data for tests performed, infections, deaths and hospital capacity. There's also 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
Youngkin draws protest at Charter Day as William & Mary celebrates 329th birthday
It was a contentious birthday celebration for William & Mary as attendees protested Gov. Glenn Youngkin during Friday’s Charter Day ceremony at Kaplan Arena. Youngkin, one of three honorary degree recipients at the ceremony, faced an outpouring of boos from the crowd in the bleachers as he stood to receive his honorary degree from the school and give his Charter Day remarks.
Youngkin apologizes for mixing up two Black state senators
Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, president of the Senate, said Friday that she received a text message from Gov. Glenn Youngkin congratulating her for a speech marking Black History Month. The only problem, Lucas said, was that Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, another powerful Black legislator, delivered the speech. Lucas took at jab at Youngkin over the mix up in a tweet that late Friday had been liked more than 6,000 times.
ACLU argues Va. governor’s order to make masks optional compromises students’ rights
Immunocompromised kids have a right to stay safe at school. That’s the argument in a new filing asking a federal judge to block Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s order to lose masks in the classroom, claiming it violates students’ civil rights. The ACLU of Virginia is asking a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order against the governor’s order to lift the mask mandate, arguing it keeps schools from complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Parents of students with disabilities step up efforts to block Youngkin’s mask-optional order
To move forward their federal lawsuit, Manassas parent Tasha Nelson and 11 other Virginia parents of students with disabilities filed a motion in federal court Thursday seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block Gov. Glenn Youngkin's executive order that would make masks optional in public schools. Their motion asks the federal court to take immediate action to prohibit Youngkin and his administration from enforcing Executive Order 2 and instead allow Virginia school divisions to keep masking requirements in effect when needed to make it safe for their children to attend school.
Virginia AG staffer email raises ethical questions from Democratic lawmakers
Two Democratic state lawmakers say they are considering calling for a probe into the Virginia Attorney General’s office, after citing questionable ethics of a senior staffer. The special assistant for investigations internally inquired about a job at the University of Virginia the same day the sitting attorney was fired, according to an email. In an email obtained by WFXR’s sister station, WRIC, Carlton Davis, special assistant to the attorney general for investigations, said, “when the Loudoun County investigation wraps up in a few months, assuming it is done well and the AG looks good (as is the hope/expectation on my end), as mentioned a couple of times, I’d be very interested in working the University’s Counsel’s office.”
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Virginia Republicans threaten payback for Democrats’ snub of Youngkin pick
House Republicans threatened on Friday to unseat about 1,000 Democratic appointees to state regulatory and governing boards in what would have been a highly disruptive payback for Senate Democrats’ rejecting one of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) Cabinet picks and most of his legislative agenda. Democrats compared the move, which the GOP largely abandoned hours later, to a government shutdown. . . . In response, Democrats vowed to refuse all of Youngkin’s future appointees if Republicans went through with it. After an hours-long standoff, Republicans said they would reject just a handful of the appointees.
Fight over Wheeler nomination broadens in Virginia
A simmering fight over Virginia Democrats’ rejection of one of GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Cabinet picks escalated Friday after Republicans initially appeared ready to leave in limbo hundreds of gubernatorial appointees made by the previous Democratic administration. Democratic legislative leaders said they learned that the GOP-controlled House was not planning to act on more than 1,000 appointments to various state boards made by Gov. Ralph Northam that would have expired Friday. . . . Democrats began warning that the situation would hinder the government’s work, but House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore said late Friday afternoon that a resolution had been reached, and most of the appointments would be confirmed.
House GOP approves hundreds of Northam nominees for state boards, ending threat
With some exceptions, GOP House leaders on Friday cleared more than 1,000 of former Gov. Ralph Northam’s nominees serving on dozens of government boards, backing down from a threat to leave the roles vacant in a scuffle with Democrats. Northam named the nominees to sit on boards that deal with industry regulations, universities and trade agreements. The appointees were serving on a temporary basis awaiting confirmation from the legislature.
House Education Committee fast tracks school mask mandate legislation
Governor Youngkin’s executive order on school masking has met court challenges and resistance from school boards. But, legislation could achieve his goal instead. The House Education committee gathered Friday in a special meeting to fast track a bill that would greatly weaken mask mandates. The bill would allow parents to choose whether their children wear masks in schools
As a bill allowing smaller localities to opt out of Marcus Alert passes Senate, Richmond is mid-implementation
Eighty-nine of Virginia's 133 localities may not have to comply with a law passed in 2020 meant to improve the response to mental and behavioral health crises across the state. A measure unanimously passed this week in the state Senate would only require about a third of localities to enact a Marcus Alert system. Lawmakers worry that smaller localities can't afford the cost or find enough mental health workers to comply with the law meant to ensure they respond to some 911 calls instead of police.
Preservation bills wending way through legislature
It’s the political equivalent of calling an audible in football – switching things up on the fly in an attempt to get a better result – and it may provide historic-preservation advocates more of what they are hoping to get from the General Assembly. After a subcommittee approved a measure being sought to give preservation advocates an additional voice in decisions made at the local level, but simultaneously stripped out some key provisions of the bill, its sponsor made a request.
Pound charter bill headed to full House of Delegates
A General Assembly bill giving Pound just over a year to start fixing its government problems heads to the full House of Delegates for consideration after a committee questioned a Pound Town Council member and the House majority leader. Council member Leabern Kennedy, former council member Terry Short and soon-to-be 45th District Delegate Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, answered questions Friday from the House Committee of Counties, Cities and Towns about Kilgore’s HB 904 introduced just before the session.
Bill to strip charter from Wise County town advances to full House
A bill that would give the Wise County town of Pound until the middle of next year to fix its longstanding problems or lose its charter is headed to the full House of Delegates. The bill, sponsored by Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott County, at the request of Wise County officials, unanimously cleared the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee on Friday, but only after several people spoke out against it, saying that the town of less than 900 residents is already trying to right itself and that the bill doesn’t provide benchmarks for its progress.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Virginia won't release 71 emails about the icy nightmare on I-95
Randy Anderson drew on his patience when he spent roughly 30 hours stuck on Interstate 95 during an early January snowstorm. "We were fortunate. It was not something I would ever want to repeat," Anderson said. And, he's using it again now as he awaits an explanation from state leaders. . . . While a multi-agency investigation is underway, the CBS 6 Problem Solvers submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) requesting all emails to and from their leadership at the time, Curtis Brown, related to the event. VDEM replied with six emails and withheld 71 emails.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
Mountain Valley hits another snag in its pipeline plans
Already slowed by winter weather and a court’s reversal of two vital permits, construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline has hit another hiatus. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said this week it will not act on Mountain Valley’s pending application to cross streams and wetlands now that a federal appeals court has struck down another agency’s conclusion that the pipeline would not jeopardize endangered species in its path.
Dominion Energy selling its West Virginia natural gas utility for $690 million
Dominion Energy Inc. has agreed to sell its West Virginia natural gas utility for $690 million. The Richmond-based energy giant also announced on Friday new initiatives to reduce pollutants. Clarksburg, W.Va.-based Hope Gas Inc., also known as Dominion Energy West Virginia, would be sold to Ullico Inc.’s infrastructure fund in a deal expected to close later this year, the company said.
CORONAVIRUS
Weekly COVID-19 update: Steep case decline, but death total rises
Virginia reported 30,669 new COVID-19 infections over the past week, bringing the cumulative total during the pandemic to 1,602,691, the Virginia Department of Health reported Friday. The number of new daily infections continues to drop significantly across the state. However, the number of deaths has increased. Virginia reported 779 new virus-related deaths over the past seven days, for a total of 17,482 since the start of the pandemic.
Another 75 virus deaths reported in Fredericksburg region in last two weeks
Even as the fast-spreading omicron is on the decline—and local cases and hospitalizations have dropped—the most serious aspect of the COVID-19 variant is still being reported. In the last two weeks, the deaths of another 75 local residents have been added to the Virginia Department of Health tally—part of a batch of 1,355 death reports for Virginians who died from COVID-19, most of them in January. Their deaths are just being reported because the volume of omicron cases created a backlog, according to state officials.
COVID-19 community testing center closes amid 'plummeting' demand, county adds 4 more deaths
When it opened Jan. 13, the “community testing center” located near Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge was easily filling all 500 of its daily appointments for free COVID-19 tests. By this week, however, demand for the tests had dwindled to just a trickle. Few advanced appointments were booked, and walk-ins dipped to about 10 or 20 a day, according to Sean Johnson, spokesman for the Prince William Health District. As a result of what Johnson called “plummeting” demand for COVID-19 tests, the Virginia Department of Health moved this week to close the Woodbridge CTC as well as seven others across the state.
VIRGINIA OTHER
Virginia NAACP executive director resigns, citing stress
Da’Quan M. Love, the executive director for the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP, has resigned from his position. He wrote a letter regarding why he's come to this decision to staffers last Wednesday, which was obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. In his letter, Love said he's resigning for his own physical and mental well-being and alleged a toxic environment on the group's executive committee.
LOCAL
School Board Faces Budget Questions from Loudoun Supervisors
Loudoun School Board members and superintendent Scott Ziegler formally presented their budget request to the Board of Supervisors Thursday, fielding the first of what will likely be many questions from the county board facing a $1.08 billion request and tightening tax revenues. Much of the budget meeting was overshadowed by a political battle kicked off with a speech by Supervisor Caleb E. Kershner (R-Catoctin). Ziegler defended the $75 million increase over last year’s county funding request even as school enrollment still has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Hanover supervisor urges school board to fast-track book removal decisions
A Hanover County supervisor wants the School Board to fast-track its process for removing library books and other instructional materials after a parent complained about a children’s book in the library at Cold Harbor Elementary School. The complaint prompted Cold Harbor District Supervisor Michael Herzberg to describe the book as “garbage” on his Facebook page earlier this week while urging the School Board to swiftly remove it and any other book it deems inappropriate.
‘Chaos’ at start of board meeting as member, others escorted out by police for refusing to wear masks
Suffolk Police escorted several people, including Chuckatuck Borough School Board representative Sherri Story, from its meeting Thursday after not complying with a directive from chairwoman Dr. Judith Brooks-Buck to wear masks. The start of the work session was delayed for 30 minutes as Story argued against a motion to remove her for not wearing a mask, and as several people in the council chamber of City Hall where the meeting took place argued with Brooks-Buck and told her they would not wear a mask.
Stafford School Board rescinds mask mandate
Stafford County Public Schools will no longer require students and visitors to wear masks while in school buildings starting Feb. 22. The motion approved Thursday night includes language stating that the division will still recommend the wearing of face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and that “no students shall be treated differently because of their status of wearing or not wearing a mask or face covering.”
Today's Sponsor:
Donnie Ratliff, Commonwealth Connections, Inc.
A consulting company promoting Economic Development, Public Policy and Governmental Affairs for our folks in the Great Southwest.
COLUMNISTS
Schapiro: Full-time politics shapes Va. legislature at half-time
That the mid-point of the 2022 legislative session falls around Valentine’s Day is a reminder there’s not a lot of love at the Virginia statehouse. Just over 30 days into the 60-day session, Republicans and Democrats are very much in character; that is, loathing each other. Republicans are using their four-vote edge in the House of Delegates to pass bills you would expect them to support and to kill those their base would never tolerate. In the Senate, where Democratic control hangs on a single vote, the Republican wish-list is in tatters.
PolitiFact: Youngkin not far off on economic growth claim
Gov. Glenn Youngkin says Virginia families, fighting to cope with inflation, don’t take solace in the state’s economic outlook. “They see an economy whose growth has stalled at less than 1% per year for eight years,” Youngkin, a Republican, said in his maiden address to the General Assembly on Jan. 17. We fact checked Youngkin’s claim about the state’s economic growth, which he made repeatedly during last year’s campaign, and found it credible, but a little low.