Across Virginia
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — The Virginia PTA said Saturday that one of its officials had resigned after she was filmed at a rally saying, “Let them die,” during a speech interpreted as a denouncement of opponents of critical race theory.
The nonprofit association said in a statement posted online that its executive committee had “requested and received” the resignation of Michelle Leete, who served as its vice president of training.
The announcement came two days after Leete’s speech Thursday evening ahead of a Fairfax County school board meeting, The Washington Post reported. Leete was part of a group supporting transgender rights, and an opposing group was also gathered for a rally against critical race theory, according to the newspaper.
Leete can be heard saying, “Let’s deny this off-key band of people that are anti-education, anti-teacher, anti-equity, anti-history…” followed by a long string of other descriptors. She then said, “Let them die,” and a crowd listening to her cheered and applauded, video of the rally shows.
Leete, who also serves as first vice president for the Fairfax County chapter of the NAACP, told the newspaper for a story published Friday that she meant to wish death on the parents’ “ideals,” not any person.
She did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday, the Post reported. Nor did the Fairfax NAACP immediately respond to a question asking whether Leete would retain her role with the group.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech says it was targeted in two recent cyberattacks but feels confident no data was stolen.
Virginia Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski told the Roanoke Times Friday a few university units used Kaseya, a U.S. software company exploited in early July in a massive ransomware attack that snarled businesses around the world.
Owczarski said the malware the hackers pushed out to Kaseya customers could have exposed student data but the university found no evidence that happened.
In a separate attack in May, encryption data was used to attack a university server, blocking the ability of the university to access the data, the newspaper reported. Owczarski said that while hackers exploited vulnerable software on the server, there’s also no evidence data was taken.
He told the newspaper the university did not pay ransom money in either attack. Problems from the first attack have been resolved but work is still underway to restore computers from the most recent attack, which was more widespread
Governor Northam announced plans today to allocate $700 million in federal funds to create broadband internet access to all areas of Virginia that do not now have it — mainly rural areas of the state. The money would come from American Rescue Plan funds heading to Virginia. Northam made the announcement this afternoon in southwest Virginia, where broadband access is often limited:
The goal is statewide broadband access by 2024. It is ultimately up the General Assembly to approve the funding, and legislative leaders have already indicated they will support it.
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NEWS RELEASE: ABINGDON—Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginia plans to invest $700 million in American Rescue Plan funding to expedite the deployment of last-mile broadband infrastructure to unserved areas and close the digital divide within the next three years. This proposal will accelerate the Governor’s 10-year goal for achieving universal internet access from 2028 to 2024, with the majority of connections obligated within the next 18 months. In May, Governor Northam and General Assembly leaders released a joint statement outlining shared priorities for allocating the $4.3 billion in federal funds available to the Commonwealth from the American Rescue Plan.
NEWS RELEASE: RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginia’s unemployment rate dropped 0.2-percentage point to 4.3 percent in June, compared to 8.8 percent one year ago. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Commonwealth continues to be below the national rate of 5.8 percent.
Update: Workers at the Volvo truck plant in Dublin have narrowly ratified what the company said was its final offer in a long labor dispute. A majority of the hourly workers voted for the six-year contract, and will end their on-and-off strike that began in April.Union spokesperson Brian Rothenberg discussed the vote in a Facebook video:
Rothenberg says employees are welcome to return to work today, but the definite return is Monday. Third and fourth shift return on Sunday.
Previous: Striking blue-collar workers at a Volvo heavy truck plant in Dublin have narrowly ratified what the company said was its final offer in along labor dispute. The hourly workers voted 1,147 to 1,130 for the six-year contract, and likely will end their on-and-off strike that began in April. However unionized salaried workers voted against the pact 45-40, according to the Facebook page of the United Auto Workers local. Union spokesman Brian Rothenberg in Detroit confirmed that the totals are accurate. He says details are still being worked out for the factory workers to return to the assembly line and for negotiations to settle the salaried workers’ dispute. About 2,900workers represented by the UAW have been on strike at the Dublin, Virginia, plant.
If you want low auto insurance rates, it’s hard to find a better state than Virginia, but certain citations can make your policy cost a lot more – and DUI is not at the top of the list. Thezebra.com compares millions of auto insurance rates nationwide, and it finds on average, Virginia has the third lowest policy rates in the country at $1,026 a year. The most costly driving violation for insurance purposes in the commonwealth is driving on a suspended license, followed by hit and run, racing, then DUI. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Here is the full list from thezebra.com
| Violation | Cost | $ Increase | % Increase |
| Driving with a suspended license | $1,755 | $729 | 71.1% |
| Leaving scene of an accident-hit and run | $1,711 | $685 | 66.8% |
| Racing | $1,704 | $678 | 66.1% |
| DUI | $1,677 | $651 | 63.5% |
| Refusal to submit to a chemical test | $1,677 | $651 | 63.5% |
| At-Fault Accident – $1000-$2000 | $1,593 | $567 | 55.3% |
| At-Fault Accident – Greater Than $2000 | $1,593 | $567 | 55.3% |
| Reckless Driving | $1,566 | $540 | 52.6% |
| Open container | $1,515 | $489 | 47.7% |
| At-Fault Accident – Less Than $1000 | $1,376 | $350 | 34.1% |
| Speeding 21 – 25 MPH Over Limit | $1,371 | $345 | 33.6% |
| Operating a vehicle without permission | $1,320 | $294 | 28.7% |
| Passing school bus | $1,316 | $290 | 28.3% |
| Failure to stop at a red light | $1,274 | $248 | 24.2% |
| Failure to yield | $1,274 | $248 | 24.2% |
| Following too closely | $1,274 | $248 | 24.2% |
| Illegal turn | $1,274 | $248 | 24.2% |
| Improper passing | $1,274 | $248 | 24.2% |
| Wrong way-wrong lane | $1,274 | $248 | 24.2% |
| Driving too slowly | $1,269 | $243 | 23.7% |
| In 65 MPH Zone | $1,269 | $243 | 23.7% |
| Speeding 11 – 15 MPH Over Limit | $1,269 | $243 | 23.7% |
| Speeding 16 – 20 MPH Over Limit | $1,269 | $243 | 23.7% |
| Speeding 6 – 10 MPH Over Limit | $1,269 | $243 | 23.7% |
| Speeding in School Zone | $1,269 | $243 | 23.7% |
| Cell Phone Violation | $1,237 | $211 | 20.6% |
| Texting while Driving | $1,237 | $211 | 20.6% |
| Driving with expired registration | $1,175 | $149 | 14.5% |
| Child safety restraint | $1,161 | $135 | 13.2% |
| Seat belt | $1,132 | $106 | 10.3% |
| Driving without lights | $1,131 | $105 | 10.2% |
| Failure to show documents | $1,126 | $100 | 9.7% |
| Two Comp Claims | $1,093 | $67 | 6.5% |
| Not-at-fault accidents | $1,077 | $51 | 5.0% |
| One Comp Claim | $1,059 | $33 | 3.2% |
| Two Med-PIP Claims | $1,059 | $33 | 3.2% |
| One Med-PIP Claim | $1,030 | $4 | 0.4% |
Virginia is America’s top state for business in 2021, according to a ranking released by CNBC. The ranking states, Virginia’s greatest strength has been its ability to nurture and retain talent. Governor Northam reacted to the ranking earlier today.
The ranking goes on to say Virginia public schools perform well in terms of test scores, and a world-class higher education system is reliably funded. Virginia is the first state to post back-to-back victories
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, a family business that has spanned four generations, will be sold to Missouri-based Burgers’ Smokehouse, officials announced this week.
Burgers’ Smokehouse will pay Edwards Virginia Smokehouse for use of Edwards’ trademark and recipes, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Sam Edwards III, president of Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, said the agreement includes a noncompeting clause preventing Edwards from making country ham, bacon and sausage for four years.
Steven Burger, CEO of Burgers’ Smokehouse, said the deal announced Tuesday is expected to close on Aug. 31. He said Burgers’ offer was for an undisclosed amount.
Edwards ham products are considered a staple of holiday meals and fine dining, but a fire in January 2016 destroyed the company’s 50,000-square-foot building housing its smokehouses and cure rooms. An insurer offered only about a fourth of the cost to rebuild, Edwards said. That led to a lawsuit which has dragged on for five years and which Edwards expects to last another two.
After the fire, the Burgers were one of four country ham producers, along with two sausage companies, that helped continue making the Edwards product, Edwards said. The Burgers will continue to produce Edwards products using those recipes.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Cheers erupted Saturday as a Confederate statue that towered for nearly a century over downtown Charlottesville was carted away by truck from the Virginia city where it had become a flashpoint for racist protests and deadly violence.
It was a day of palpable joy and immense relief for scores of residents and visitors who lined neighboring streets to watch the larger-than-life figure of Gen. Robert E. Lee as it was hoisted from its pedestal and taken — at least for now — to storage.
The statue’s removal came more than five years after racial justice activists had renewed a push to take down the monument, an initiative that drew the attention of white supremacists and other racist groups, culminating in the violent “Unite the Right” rally in 2017.
“I’m ecstatic that we’re here now. It’s sad that it’s taken so much to get us to this point. But this is an incredible day,” said Don Gathers, a local Black activist who long advocated for the statue’s removal.
Work to remove Lee’s statue, and one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson shortly after, proceeded peacefully and without interruption. It was a project held up for years by a long, winding legal fight coupled with changes in a state law that protected war memorials.
Also removed Saturday was a statue depicting Sacagawea, and explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, which has been criticized for a depiction of the Native American guide and interpreter some view as subservient and weak.
Couples, families with small children and activists looked on Saturday. The crowd intermittently chanted and cheered as progress was made fairly quickly. Hymns at one point wafted down the street as musicians performed from the front steps of a church.
“Good atmosphere, good vibes, good energy,” said Jim Henson, a resident of a nearby community who came to witness the “historic” event.
Ralph Dixon, a 59-year-old Black man born and raised in Charlottesville, was documenting Saturday’s activities, a camera draped around his neck.
Dixon said he was brought as a schoolchild to the park where the Lee statue stood. “All the teachers, my teachers anyway, were always talking about what a great person this was,” he said.
He said his understanding of Lee’s legacy and the statue’s message evolved as he matured. He said it was important to understand the statue was erected not directly after the Civil War but during the Jim Crow era when Black Americans’ rights were being stripped away.
Especially after the violence of Aug. 12, 2017, which left 32-year-old Heather Heyer dead and dozens more injured after a car plowed into a crowd of peaceful counterprotesters, he said there was no reason it should stay. A Virginia State Police helicopter assisting with the rally also crashed that weekend, killing the pilot and a trooper.
“Unite the Right” drew neo-Nazis, skinheads, Klansmen and other racist groups for what was the largest gathering of such far-right extremists in at least a decade.
They met at the base of the Lee statue and then brawled in the streets nearby with anti-racist counterprotesters before the car attack. The violence sparked a national debate over racial equity, further inflamed by former President Donald Trump’s insistence that there was “blame on both sides.”
The most recent push focused on removing the Lee monument began in 2016, thanks partly to a petition started by a Black high school student, Zyahna Bryant. After the City Council voted to remove it, a lawsuit was quickly filed, putting the plans on hold. White supremacists then began to seize on the issue.
“To the young people out there, I hope that this empowers you to speak up on the issues that matter, and to take charge in your own cities and communities,” Bryant said, standing beside Mayor Nikuyah Walker while addressing the crowd before removal work began. “No platform for white supremacy. No platform for racism. And no platform for hate.”
On Saturday, there were at least a handful of opponents of the removal present, including a man who heckled Walker after she spoke. But there was no visible, organized protest presence. Many who object to taking down Confederate monuments say doing so amounts to erasing history.
Charles “Buddy” Weber, a local attorney who was a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the city, said in a phone interview that he wondered if history will view the push to remove monuments as a sincere and effective attempt at racial reconciliation.
“My personal view is that this act is not going to improve the life of anybody in the city of Charlottesville,” he said.
The city had announced the plans for Saturday only a day prior. Earlier in the week, Charlottesville had finally completed procedural steps necessary under a new state law to legally begin the removals.
After the Lee statue was gone, both workers and the crowd moved to a park about two blocks away for the Jackson statue removal. It took nearly an hour after a crane lifted the statue off its pedestal to situate the piece on a truck and secure it. But instead of dwindling, the crowd grew, many waiting with rapt attention to see it hauled away.
“It’s quite a day. It’s just a feeling of relief to see that statue be dragged out of here backwards and back into history where it belongs,” Rabbi Tom Gutherz of the nearby Congregation Beth Israel said after the truck rumbled off, taking the Jackson monument away.
Only the statues, not their stone pedestals, were removed Saturday. They will be stored in a secure location until the City Council makes a final decision about what should be done with them.
Kristin Szakos, a former Charlottesville City Council member, said that “folks in this community have been trying to get these statues down for a hundred years.”
She added: “I think that we’re finally ready to be a community that doesn’t telegraph through our public art that we are pretty fine with white supremacy.”
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia temporarily closed admissions at five mental hospitals Friday amid a staffing crisis. The move will allow the hospitals to reduce the number of patients through attrition, not discharges, until there are enough employees to care for patients safely, an official said.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that five of the state’s eight facilities for adults are affected: Central State Hospital near Petersburg, Eastern State Hospital near Williamsburg, Piedmont Geriatric Hospital in Burkeville, Western State Hospital in Staunton and Catawba Hospital near Roanoke.
“Despite our aggressive recruiting and retention strategies, state hospitals continue to lose staff while admissions continue to rise,” said Alison Land, Virginia’s behavioral health and development services commissioner.
“It is no longer feasible to operate all state beds in a safe and therapeutic environment,” she added in a message announcing the step.
Since July 1, 63 patients and employees have been injured at the state’s mental hospitals because of the shortage, Land said.
“The challenges faced by the state hospitals are now an immediate crisis for two reasons,” the commissioner said. “First, the level of dangerousness is unprecedented and second, recent admissions are occurring in an environment that is no longer adequately staffed.”
Virginia’s behavioral health institutions have struggled with a surge of people in psychiatric crisis since the “bed of last resort” law was enacted in 2014 prevented the release of people from emergency custody if they pose a threat to themselves or others. Admissions under temporary detention orders have increased by almost 400% at state mental hospitals since 2013.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents, the state’s only psychiatric facility for youth, is operating only 18 of its 48 beds because it doesn’t have enough employees to care for more.
The closures will put pressure on private psychiatric facilities. Virginia will need all available private beds for temporary detention to be open, even for challenging patients, Land said.
“In addition, the commonwealth needs every possible step-down and long-term care facility to be ready to accept patients who are ready for discharge from state facilities,” she said.
The state is accelerating efforts to discharge patients who are ready, but Land said it is complicated by a lack of adequate community programs and services to accept them.
These hospitals have operated with high numbers of patients for years and the pandemic has made it tougher, Alena Yarmosky, a spokeswoman for Gov. Ralph Northam, said in a statement.
Northam will propose putting federal American Rescue Plan funding towards “boosting staff salaries, hiring critical workers, and ensuring the well-being of patients and staff,” Yarmosky said.