Northam's budget changes and some health officials have urged schools to close.
Here are the news highlights from around Virginia
It is almost Friday! Here are the top news stories this morning:
Northam proposes budget amendments and legislative leaders respond - Virginia Scope
Governor Ralph Northam announced budget amendment proposals on Wednesday morning in front of a virtual-joint session of the money committees in both the state Senate and House of Delegates. The amendment proposals are for the current 2020-2022 biennial budget.
Northam’s proposals include making investments to support early childhood, K-12, and higher education; boosting the funding of historically black colleges and universities; increasing access to affordable housing; transforming African American historical and cultural sites; expanding high-speed broadband; several criminal justice system reforms.
Republicans respond to Chase’s continued calls for martial law - Virginia Scope
In case you missed it, Senator Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield) recently called for President Trump to initiate martial law in the United States. “Not my President and never will be. The American people aren’t fools,” she wrote in a Facebook post earlier this week. “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.“
Northam’s sunny budget rewrite roils Republicans with his proposed Court of Appeals expansion - Virginia Mercury
by Bob Lewis
In his optimistic midcourse revisions to Virginia’s two-year, $135 billion spending blueprint, Gov. Ralph Northam proposed hundreds of millions in new spending for vaccine deployment and pandemic response, including half a billion dollars for public schools upended by COVID-19.
It includes millions more to help hold off an oncoming wave of evictions resulting from job losses from the virus, bonuses for state employees and state-supported local personnel and to push broadband internet farther into underserved rural areas.
A VCU nurse was one of the first in Richmond to treat a COVID patient. She became the first to receive the vaccine at VCU - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Sabrina Moreno
The critical care nurse was one of the first in Richmond to treat a patient who tested positive for COVID-19. On Wednesday, she became the first front-line worker at VCU Medical Center to receive a vaccine aimed at defeating the virus.
“Very simply, I miss my family. I miss my mom,” said Audrey Roberson, who’s worked at VCU for 31 years and runs the hospital’s medical respiratory ICU, which treats the sickest COVID-19 patients.
Virginia names civil rights pioneer to replace Robert E. Lee statue in U.S. Capitol - Washington Times
by Stephen Dinan
Virginia’s special history commission on Wednesday picked Barbara Rose Johns, a lesser-known civil rights pioneer who led an early school desegregation effort, as the figure it wants to send to Washington to replace the state’s current statue of Robert E. Lee in the hallowed halls of the U.S. Capitol.
Brushing aside suggestions of founding-era heroes such as James Madison or Patrick Henry, and 20th Century statesman George C. Marshall, the commission said it wanted someone schoolchildren would identify with — and Johns, who was a teen in 1951 led a strike at her Virginia high school to demand facilities like white students had, fit the bill.
RRHA will seek second federal approval to demolish Creighton Court - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Mark Robinson
The Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners on Wednesday took another step toward demolishing and redeveloping the Creighton Court public housing community.
In a unanimous vote, the nine-member board authorized the agency to submit a second demolition application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. With the application, RRHA will seek permission to raze 312 units in the neighborhood — the remainder of the 504-unit complex that was not covered by an earlier application the housing authority submitted this year.
Some health officials have urged schools to close. But that advice isn’t always being shared publicly. - Virginia Mercury
by Kate Masters
Kathryn Brown, an elementary school teacher in Waynesboro, was initially puzzled when she noticed other local schools transitioning back to online learning after Thanksgiving break.
“Rockbridge County, for example, announced they were switching to a virtual model,” Brown said in an interview on Tuesday. “And they cited an email from [Central Shenandoah Health District Director Dr. Laura Kornegay] where she strongly encouraged them to do that.”
Dominion wants Hampton Roads to anchor offshore wind installation business, and a $500 million ship - Daily Press
by Dave Ress
The keel is in place for the new U.S.-flagged ship that Dominion Energy expects will anchor the offshore wind energy business in Hampton Roads.
The $500 million, 472-foot ship — to be named Charybdis, after the mythical Greek sea monster that generated whirlpools — will be one of the largest of its type and should be in place in 2023, in time to begin installing the first of the 180 turbines Dominion plans to operate 27 miles off of Virginia Beach.
McAuliffe highlights Lucy Simms as part his campaign proposal for education - The Citizen
by Randi B. Hagi
Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat running for that job again in 2021, is naming a key piece of his education plan after one of Harrisonburg’s most prominent historic figures: educator Lucy Simms.
McAuliffe will visit Harrisonburg virtually on Thursday, fielding questions in a town hall hosted by JMU Civic & Dukes Vote.
2021 VA GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Amanda Chase Re-ups Call for “Martial Law,” Adds “We are at war” - Blue Virginia
Chase’s extremist call did accomplish one thing for her – it got her massive attention, including 5,200 comments on her Facebook post (which Facebook refuses to take down, because apparently calling for martial law is cool with Mark Zuckerberg). Anyway, this morning, Chase is reupping her call, arguing irresponsibly that:
Northam proposes $50 million to advance goal of bringing passenger rail to New River Valley - Roanoke Times
by Amy Friedenberger
Gov. Ralph Northam unveiled his proposed changes to the state’s two-year budget, which include funding for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations and other pandemic assistance and $50 million to advance a goal to extend Amtrak passenger rail service to the New River Valley.
New River Valley government and community leaders have been eager to restore passenger rail to the region to boost economic development and provide long-distance transportation for students enrolled at Virginia Tech and Radford University.