A bunch of endorsements and COVID-19 help seems to be on the way
Here are the top political news stories from around the Commonwealth.
Q&A with gubernatorial candidate Amanda Chase - Virginia Scope
Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) has been making headlines this week after calling for martial law and refusing to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. The senator also made a shift in her messaging and protocols around COVID-19, the virus that has killed over 300,000 Americans in 2020. The senator took a somber tone while discussing the pandemic in her State of the Commonwealth address on Monday.
Chase has also been referred to by political analysts and Republican strategists as a candidate that has no chance of winning the general election in Virginia.
'Help on way' - confidence builds behind relief package in Congress - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Michael Martz
Virginia’s senators say Congress is poised to act on a $900 billion package for short-term emergency relief to help American families and businesses survive a harrowing winter until newly approved vaccines can bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., a leader in a bipartisan centrist coalition that created the framework for the package, said he will support the compromise package, even though he is unhappy that the price of direct payments to low- and middle-income Americans appears to be fewer weeks of unemployment assistance for people who face the loss of remaining jobless benefits the day after Christmas.
Richmond Councilman To Challenge Del. Carr In Dem Primary - VPM News
by Roberto Roldan
Richmond City Council Member Michael Jones plans to primary Del. Betsy Carr (D-Richmond) next year.
Carr has represented the 69th House District, which covers large swaths of south Richmond and a sliver of Chesterfield County, since 2010 The house district overlaps with Richmond City Council’s 9th District in Southside, which Jones has represented since 2017. Jones is a founding pastor of Village of Faith Ministries and has taken an outsized role in recent debates around police reform. After the city saw a summer of near-nightly protests against racism and police brutality, he co-patroned local legislation to reexamine the police budget and ban the use of so-called ‘non-lethal’ weapons on protesters.
Gov. Northam proposes funding to add 4 more judges to Virginia Court of Appeals -WSET
by Emily Swecker
RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) — Governor Ralph Northam's proposed two-year budget includes funding for pandemic relief, education and what some senators are calling packing the court.
Northam outlined his amendments to the 2020–22 biennial budget Wednesday. It includes $240 million for the pandemic response, including $90 million to support vaccination deployment.
Virginia celebrates arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, but health officials won’t say where exactly they’re going. - Virginia Mercury
by Kate Masters
Virginia’s first doses of COVID-19 vaccine, distributed and administered at hospitals across the state, were greeted with accolades — and relief — by health care providers, state leaders and a public that’s endured nearly 10 months of a deadly and disruptive global pandemic.
But neither the state Department of Health nor the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, a key partner in distributing the vaccine, will disclose the names of the 18 hospital facilities that received the state’s initial doses — or the health care systems to which they belong.
Charlottesville schools revamp in-person learning plan - Daily Progress
By Katharine Knott
Charlottesville City Schools has dialed back its plans to restart in-person classes next month with a focus on providing classes to its youngest learners and assistance to students in need.
Schools Superintendent Rosa Atkins said during Thursday’s School Board meeting that the revamped Option A would maintain the quality of the virtual program and the amount of synchronous learning time and bring select students into buildings.
Health Officials Work to Break Down Vaccine Barriers for Latinos - VPM News
by Alan Rodriguez Espinoza
While COVID-19 vaccines are not yet available to the general public, Virginia health officials are confronting the fact that some residents will face greater barriers than others to get vaccinated.
Over the summer, local health districts placed special attention on Latinos and other non-English speaking immigrant groups when rolling out COVID-19 testing. Teams prioritized the recruiting of bilingual contact tracers and investigators, and they conducted testing events in neighborhoods and communities with particularly high concentrations of Latino residents.
Today’s political endorsements:
Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea Endorses Terry McAuliffe for Governor
“Since he announced his campaign just last week, Terry McAuliffe has demonstrated his vision for the future of our Commonwealth is big, bold, and consequential. Terry has made racial equity central to his education and COVID plans, pushing to address inequalities that have plagued our communities for generations,” said Mayor Sherman Lea. “He will lift up our communities by making sure our kids have a quality education, fighting this opioid and heroin epidemic, and helping small businesses recover from the COVID pandemic. Virginia is ready for big ideas and bold action. We are ready for Terry.”
Sean Perryman's campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia announced the endorsements of three prominent Democratic activists on Thursday:
Erin Matson: Reproductive rights activist
Harris Miller: Co-Founder and Vice Chair of the Campaign for Free College Tuition, former Democratic candidate for US Senate
Chris Le Menestrel: Co-lead of Virginia Democracy Forward
Del. Jay Jones Announces Additional Campaign Endorsements for Attorney General
"When Jay told me he was running for Attorney General it wasn't a tough call to support him. And it's still an easy call," said Congresswoman Elaine Luria. "He is smart, tenacious, and will always do the right thing for Virginia families."
“Jay Jones represents a new generation of young, Black leaders in Virginia,” said Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. “He is the kind of Attorney General we need to lead the tough conversations about fixing our broken criminal justice system and shifting our focus to restorative justice. I am proud to endorse him for Attorney General.”