State and National Government
(Va. ABC photo)
Virginia’s ABC is now conducting on-line lotteries for some of the highest-demand, lowest-supply bourbons out there: Van Winkle bourbon products. But the most expensive bottle on the Van Winkle list does not come near to approaching the highest-price bourbon lottery of late. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more in this News Extra:
Click here for the Virginia ABC liquor lotteries page.
Sen. Amanda Chase Facebook
Republican Amanda Chase, the self-described “Trump in heels” running for Virginia governor, said recently that a fellow state senator seeking the Democratic nomination in the race would not “be a governor that supports everyone” because she heads the Black caucus. The remarks about state Sen. Jennifer McClellan came during a campaign event Chase said took place Monday night. A video clip was circulated online by a Democratic super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century. In a statement, McClellan called the remarks bigoted and racist and said they have no place in Virginia politics. Chase said she stood by them.
Photo: Eileen Filler-Corn Twitter
Governor Ralph Northam may have endorsed Delegate Jay Jones for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General but two-term incumbent Mark Herring has received his own high-profile support – Democratic Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn calls Herring “a leader on the issues that matter most,” also saying she is “proud to endorse his reelection effort.” Filler-Corn today cited Herring’s work to reduce gun violence, expand health care access and to protect seniors from fraud.
In wake of recent controversy surrounding the Virginia Parole Board, Roanoke County Republican state Senate Senator David Suetterlein is calling for reforms he believes would provide more transparency and accountability. Suetterlein recently spoke to WFIR’s Clark Palmer about changes he wants to bring to the Parole Board for this longer listen segment.
Gov. Ralph Northam
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday he had signed 80 new bills into law, including a measure that will end a ban on abortion coverage for insurance plans offered through the health benefits exchange in Virginia.
Northam also signed bills that will shift municipal elections from May to November, provide financial aid to students regardless of immigration status, and prohibit school boards from suing families to collect debts on unpaid school meals, his office said in a news release.
“These new measures will support working Virginians, boost civic engagement, and help us continue building a stronger, more inclusive Commonwealth,” Northam said in a statement. “I am grateful to the General Assembly for their hard work on these important issues, and I am proud to sign these bills into law.”
The abortion legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jennifer McClellan and Del. Sally Hudson, undoes a ban enacted during Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s administration that contained very narrow exceptions. The legislation will allow insurers to cover abortion services but will not require them to do so.
A Franklin County wedding venue has filed a lawsuit that challenges Governor Northam’s order that limits wedding gatherings to 25 people. but Northam says it is one of many necessary health safety measures. The Roanoke Times reports the lawsuit by Belle Garden Estate in Wirtz contends limitations as they apply to religious-affiliated weddings violate Constitutional protections. Earlier this week, Northam said weddings run the risk of being major spreaders of COVID-19. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more;
Photo: Gene Marrano
Governor Northam tells students and staff at Salem High School he is working to permit more people to attend sports events — and to upcoming graduation ceremonies. The governor and his wife Pam are visiting many schools across the state in his push for greater renewed in-person instruction. Before touring this morning, he spoke on Salem High’s P.A. system:
But any change is not likely until the end of this month. Northam said earlier this week he expects his current executive orders to remain in place through March — but some may be eased or lifted come April first.
Governor Northam says you will have to wait at least three more weeks before any of the current statewide Covid-related restrictions might be eased or lifted. But he says the trends remain encouraging; the daily case count in our region and statewide continues to fall from the early January peak, and the governor says close to one in five Virginians has now received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccines: But Northam wants to see if the trends continue this month before deciding on any possible changes to current restrictions. They expire March 31st, so the earliest we could see any change is probably April 1st. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story:
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(Associated Press) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday he hopes the state has reached the final stage of the coronavirus pandemic as the vaccination rate grows and the number of new COVID cases goes down.
The Democratic governor said Virginia has already reached a goal of administering an average of 50,000 vaccine shots a day. And he said 1.5 million residents — or 18% of Virginians — have received at least one dose.
The state also reported more than 1,500 new COVID cases Monday. That number is far below the nearly 10,000 new cases that were reported in mid January as cases surged following the holidays.
“The vaccines are a light at the end of a long tunnel, and that light gets brighter, every day,” Northam said at a news conference. “For now, we need to keep doing the things that we know work. Wash your hands. Wear your mask. Keep your distance. But there is every reason to be hopeful that things are getting better for all.”
Northam urged people to answer their phones to make sure they receive calls from health officials who are scheduling vaccine appointments.
Virginia also plans to hold large vaccination sites that could possibly inoculate several thousand people in a day, Northam said. The effort will begin in the cities of Danville, Petersburg and Portsmouth — and will still require people to register for appointments.
Curtis Brown, Virginia’s state coordinator for emergency management, said at the same news conference that those cities were chosen following an “equity analysis” that found “vulnerable populations” nearby.
Dr. Danny Avula, who is leading Virginia’s vaccination efforts, added that the state still has many people who are hesitant to get vaccinated.
“We know, just looking at our data, that we’re not reaching Black and Latino residents to the degree that we want to and need to,” Avula said. “And so the more that we do community facing events … the more that we’re gonna be able to educate and support and ultimately provide opportunities for vaccination to address some of that hesitancy that might exist.”
But Avula noted that, nationally at least, hesitancy among Black Americans has dropped in recent months.
“Where we see the most (hesitancy) is actually in white Republicans living in rural areas,” Avula said. “And so we are going to have to continually shift our education, our messaging and our strategies to get the vaccine into those hesitant communities.”
Lowell Bowman- FB photo
A third Republican candidate has announced a run for the 7th District seat in the House of Delegates that GOP incumbent Nick Rush will not run for again this Fall after 5 terms. Lowell Bowman says he is “will be a STRONG voice for everyone.” Christiansburg businesswoman Marie March and Montgomery County Supervisor Sherri Blevins are also seeking the GOP nomination. Bowman is a waste management contractor in Riner. A primary is set for April 24.