New emails provide behind the scenes look at the whistleblower problem at OSIG and Carroll Foy receives an endorsement from a popular Congresswoman
The latest in Virginia politics.
Emails show that Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn (D) and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D) asked the State Inspector General to investigate a whistleblower complaint.
These emails show that party leaders in the General Assembly were notified of a whistleblower on March 3. Filler-Corn and Saslaw then asked the OSIG to look into it the next day.
“The accusations alleged by this attorney on behalf of his client are concerning,” wrote Speaker Filler-Corn and Senate Majority Leader Saslaw on March 4.
Westfall replied on March 11 saying they are taking “appropriate actions.”
Read the emails below:
Virginia Scope is working to obtain the original letter from the whistleblower.
Congresswoman Katie Porter endorses Jennifer Carroll Foy
U.S. Representative Katie Porter (CA-45) endorsed Jennifer Carroll Foy in the Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary today.
“Jennifer Carroll Foy is a once-in-a-lifetime candidate who knows what it's like to struggle to make ends meet, go without healthcare, and raise a family as a working mom,” said Rep. Katie Porter. “She has put public service first her whole life. Jennifer has championed the rights of marginalized people and working Virginians as a public defender and public servant in the legislature. She is building a grassroots movement that is centered on working families which is exactly what we need right now with special interests trying to gain even more power and influence. I am so proud to support Jennifer Carroll Foy and I can’t wait for her to be elected governor.”
Democratic House of Delegates candidate Kim Melnyk was listed as an endorser for Republican Ben Loyola in the VA-02 congressional primary last year.
Melnyk is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for the 84th House of Delegates district seat (Virginia Beach) that is currently held by Delegate Glenn Davis (R), who is also running for lieutenant governor.
She is a member of the Virginia Beach school board and is facing criticism from progressive members of the Democratic Party who believe that she is a Republican. Melnyk claims that she is no longer a Republican and has supported Democrats in recent years.
Related: How a longtime Virginia Beach Republican left the party of Trump and became a Democratic candidate
Her campaign did not respond to inquiries about Ben Loyola listing her as a supporter on his campaign website when he was seeking the Republican nomination to run against Elaine Luria in 2020. Sources who were close to Loyola at the time confirmed that the endorsement would not have been on the website without being confirmed with Melnyk first.
Travis Hackworth (R) wins state Senate special election to fill Ben Chafin’s seat
Here are the final results of the election that took place Tuesday night to fill the vacant state Senate seat for District 38.
Hackworth’s win returns the Senate to a split of 21 Democrats to 19 Republicans.
Governor Northam is set to sign legislation today that will abolish the death penalty in Virginia
Senator Scott Surovell (D) and Delegate Mike Mullin (D) will be joining Governor Ralph Northam at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt today to witness his signature on their legislation that will end the death penalty.
“Although I was repulsed, I never dreamed I'd be so involved in dismantling capital punishment when I toured the new Death Chamber in July of 1993,” Surovell told Virginia Scope ahead of the signing.
“Virginia has spent over four centuries executing people for the color of their skin,” Mullin said. “It’s high time we start to make up for that, and abolishing the death penalty is a darn good start.”
Governor Northam will be signing the bill at 2 pm today.
Related: Virginia is about to abolish the death penalty. It was a long, surprising road to get there.
Virginia Governor Race Could See First Black Woman Governor Elected - Teen Vogue
by Jewel Wicker
Jennifer McClellan and Jennifer Carroll Foy, both Black women running as Democratic candidates for governor of Virginia, stress that they aren’t specifically focused on trying to make history. Both women believe they have the skill set and progressive agenda that the state needs to ensure equity and opportunity for residents in a post-COVID-19 world. Still, the significance of a potential win weighs heavy.
“It’s not a moment about me, it’s a movement about the future of Virginia [that] we can build together. But my perspective is built by the intersectionality of being a Black woman [and] a working mom. I feel the weight because I know some people have a certain stereotype,” McClellan, a state senator, tells Teen Vogue in a recent Zoom interview.
Governor Northam loosens COVID-19 restrictions
On Tuesday, Governor Ralph Northam announced that he will be loosening some restrictions on social gatherings across the Commonwealth. Indoor gatherings limits will be increased from 10 to 50 people and outdoor gathering limits will be increased to 100 people.
The changes that will go into effect on April 1 are happening in part due to the drastic decrease in cases since the post-holiday surge across the commonwealth and because of the large influx of vaccines in recent weeks. “We feel good about where we are with vaccinations,” Northam said Tuesday, while also pointing out the recent opening of the mass vaccination center in Chesterfield at Virginia State University (VSU), where thousands of people are receiving shots each day.
Experts have been warning of a potential ‘spring spurge’ due to variants and the loosening of restrictions in states across the country. “As I’ve stated before, the continued relaxation of prevention measures while cases are still high and while concerning variants are spreading rapidly throughout the United States is a serious threat to the progress we have made as a nation,” said Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Northam said Tuesday that he continues to watch the data and is taking nothing off-the-table in the future if the situation changes. “What we are anticipating is that more people get vaccinated and if we can continue to follow the guidelines, it is so important still to wear a mask and to keep our distance,” he said. “We will see how it goes. As I have said all along, all options are on the table and if we need to make adjustments we will, but we feel we are headed in a good direction.”
More from Northam on the loosening of restrictions
Gyms, restaurants, and retail establishments will have to continue to follow the same distance requirements that were already in place.
Virginia is expected to receive nearly 50,000 additional Johnson and Johnson vaccines.
All indoor and outdoor entertainment and public amusement venues must continue to operate at 30 percent capacity. Indoor venues must operate at 30 percent capacity or with a maximum of 500 people, an increase from the current cap of 250 people. Outdoor venues must operate at 30 percent capacity, with no specific cap on the number of attendees. These venues were previously limited to 30 percent capacity or up to 1,000 attendees, whichever was fewer.
Lack of Access, Not Hesitancy, Drives Racial Vaccination Gap - VPM News
by Connor Scribner
With vaccination underway, early concerns that Black Virginians would be ‘hesitant’ to take the COVID-19 vaccine have not borne out. Instead of an ‘interest gap,’ new data shows access barriers may be the real cause of racial disparities in vaccination rates.
Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s COVID-19 vaccine coordinator, said there’s been a ‘change’ at a press conference earlier this month.