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In a one-on-one zoom interview with WRVA to discuss the end of his term, Governor Ralph Northam forcefully responded to questions over this week's response to the snowstorm, and the massive backup on I-95. Some drivers spent over 24 hours between Richmond and Washington. Northam took issue with characterizing the response as what went wrong, saying "sick and tired" of talking about it in those terms. In the interest of transparency, WRVA is posting the questions and response below.... Northam says people should be saying thank you to those responders who braved the elements to get to people. He also...

.... spoke with Yael Levin-Sheldon, who is a parent who resides in Henrico County, Virginia. She also works as a data analyst and using various contacts she has been able to obtain the health records from her state to see if there is definable evidence of the harm being brought to students. What she has uncovered is rather jarring. Using the Freedom of Information Act Levin Sheldon has been able to look at the charts showing the incidents of suicide attempts and self-harm cases of children in her state, and the data is stark. The motivation behind obtaining this information...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The process to rename Camp Pendleton — a military base in Virginia named after a Confederate general — is underway. In a press conference in June, Gov. Ralph Northam said he supported renaming bases that carry Confederate names. After that, he directed his administration to review and recommend a replacement name for Camp Pendleton, which is in Virginia Beach, a governor’s office spokeswoman said. A working group, which includes representatives from the Secretariat of Veterans and Defense Affairs and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, has been reviewing multiple names and will submit its...

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) UPDATE: In an update Thursday afternoon, Governor Ralph Northam said he was extending the deployment of the Virginia National Guard through at least January 20, President-Elect Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day. -snip- EARLIER: Governor Ralph Northam has issued a State of Emergency in Virginia to allow the state to respond to requests for assistance from Washington, DC, after violent protests there Wednesday. The governor has also declared a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in Alexandria and Arlington.

WSLS 10 News questioned Gov. Ralph Northam on the issue while speaking at an event in South Boston. “We talked about that very issue that racism is a health crisis issue. We’re looking at a proclamation. That starts with leadership and a message that comes from the Governor and other individuals. It’s something that I’m discussing with that advisory board. I’ll work with Del. Aird and I think you’ll see more in that regard,” commented Gov. Northam. Del. Lashrecse Aird represents Virginia’s 63rd district in the House of Delegates. Part of the General Assembly’s special session, Del. Aird introduced a...

On July 1, the state of Virginia enacted the “Virginia Values Act,” which bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. A companion law requires employers to include coverage for sex reassignment and “gender affirming” surgeries in their health plans. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, who has filed a pre-enforcement challenge, the Virginia Values Act requires “churches, religious schools, and Christian ministries to hire employees who do not share their stated beliefs on marriage, sexuality, and gender identity.”Though the Act provides an exemption for religious schools “owned, supported, controlled, or managed” by denominations or churches, that...

Children at an elementary school in Virginia are being taught that traits such as “objectivity” and “perfectionism” are ‘racist’ characteristics of “white supremacy.” Yes, really. Author James Lindsay posted a screenshot of the lesson outline, which is apparently taken from a 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook by authors Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones and is being taught to kids aged 6-11 at the Belvedere Elementary School in Virginia. Belvedere Elementary School, Virginia. pic.twitter.com/6qD0IO4FA1 — Sexy James Lindsay, Halloween costume idea (@ConceptualJames) October 7, 2020 The “15 characteristics of white supremacy” include “perfectionism,” a “sense of urgency,” “individualism,” and “objectivity.” By discouraging...

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday that he and his wife have both tested positive for the coronavirus, though he said he is showing no symptoms. He’s among four governors around the country who have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, but one of the others turned out to be a false positive. Northam and his wife, who has mild symptoms, plan to isolate for the next 10 days while working remotely, according to a statement from his office. The Democrat, the country’s only governor who is also a doctor, has previously been criticized by some Republican lawmakers...

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) and First Lady Pamela Northam have tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus, they revealed Friday. According to a statement, a member of the governor’s residence staff “who works closely within the couple’s living quarters” fell ill and tested positive for the virus. On Thursday, both the governor and first lady received a PCR nasal swab test, both of which came back positive. While the governor is currently asymptomatic, his wife is “currently experiencing mild symptoms,” according to the press release.

Gov. Ralph Northam wants school systems across Virginia to change the names of schools honoring Confederate leaders. In a July 6 letter to the heads of school boards in the state, Northam says the names and mascots have a "traumatizing impact on students, families, teachers and staff of all backgrounds." "When our public schools are named after individuals who advanced slavery and systemic racism, and we allow those names to remain on school property, we tacitly endorse their values as our own," Northam wrote. "This is no longer acceptable." The names have come under increased scrutiny during ongoing civil...

The deed signed in 1890 giving Virginia control of the Robert E. Lee statue on Richmond’s Monument Avenue prevents its removal, a lawsuit filed Monday that led to a pause on the state’s plans for taking it down claims. In an 18-page complaint filed Monday, William C. Gregory, the great-grandson of two signatories of the deed, argues that under the terms of the 1890 agreement and a legislature-approved resolution, the state is supposed to consider the monument and the area around it "perpetually sacred" and "faithfully guard it and affectionately protect it."

Gov. Ralph Northam has repeatedly urged Virginia residents to cover their faces in public during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Democrat didn’t heed his own plea when he posed mask-less for photographs alongside residents during a weekend beach visit. A spokeswoman for the governor’s office said Sunday that Northam should have brought a face mask with him during his visit on Saturday to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, news outlets reported. “He was outside yesterday and not expecting to be within six feet of anyone,” Northam spokesman Alena Yarmosky said in a statement. “This is an important reminder to always have...

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was reportedly caught without a face mask at Virginia Beach Saturday as the Democrat weighs a statewide order requiring citizens to wear masks. Northam was seen on the beach reviewing security at the beach without a face covering, local outlet NBC12 reported Saturday. The governor’s office later explained in a statement that Northam was “not expecting to be within six feet of anyone.” “The Governor has repeatedly encouraged wearing face coverings inside or when social distancing is impossible,” Northam’s office said. “He was outside today and not expecting to be within six feet of anyone.”

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) fired back at President Trump Tuesday after the president referred to Northam as “crazy” and an opponent of Second Amendment rights. Trump, speaking at a White House event Tuesday, followed a speaker from Virginia by saying, "We're going after Virginia, with your crazy governor, we're going after Virginia. They want to take your Second Amendment. You know that, right? You'll have nobody guarding your potatoes." “I grew up on a Virginia farm, Mr. President - our potatoes are fine. And as the only medical doctor among our nation's governors, I suggest you stop taking hydroxychloroquine,”...

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Governor Ralph Northam put pen to paper in making Virginia the first state in the South to enact comprehensive protections for the LGBTQ community. Today, Governor Northam announced he has signed the Virginia Values Act, protecting the LGBTQ community against discrimination in housing, employment, public spaces, and credit applications. “This legislation sends a strong, clear message—Virginia is a place where all people are welcome to live, work, visit, and raise a family,” said Governor Northam. “We are building an inclusive Commonwealth where there is opportunity for everyone, and everyone is treated fairly. No longer will LGBTQ...

RICHMOND, Va. – Gov. Ralph Northam announced a stay-at-home order for Virginians on Monday that takes effect immediately. Northam’s executive order requires people to stay home except for limited circumstances, such as traveling to or from work, seeking medical attention, obtaining goods and services, including food, or engaging in outdoor activity. Before today, Northam said this was a suggestion to Virginians, now, he said, it’s an order. The order will stay in place until June 10, unless it’s amended or rescinded by a further executive order. Click here to read Executive Order 55 in its entirety.

RICHMOND, VA—Governor Ralph Northam condemned the group of gun owners who assembled yesterday, calling the concept "simply un-American." "A militia assembling to defend their rights against tyranny is a dangerous first in American history," he said to a group of reporters, still teary-eyed from the tragic lack of violence at yesterday's rally. "This is not what America was founded on. It is not what our forefathers would have wanted." "This well-regulated militia having the right to bear arms is diametrically opposed to everything the Founding Fathers wanted for our country." The governor said that Washington, Jefferson, and "those other guys"...

FDC 0/4707 ZDC PART 1 OF 3 VA..AIRSPACE RICHMOND, VA..TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS. JANUARY 20, 2020 LOCAL. PURSUANT TO 49 USC 40103(B)(3), THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) CLASSIFIES THE AIRSPACE DEFINED IN THIS NOTAM AS 'NATIONAL DEFENSE AIRSPACE'. ANY PERSON WHO KNOWINGLY OR WILLFULLY VIOLATES THE RULES CONCERNING OPERATIONS IN THIS AIRSPACE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN CRIMINAL PENALTIES UNDER 49 USC 46307. ... 1) UAS FLIGHT OPERATION CONDUCTED IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF AN ACTIVE NATIONAL DEFENSE, HOMELAND SECURITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIREFIGHTING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, OR DISASTER RESPONSE MISSION.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a state of emergency on Wednesday that bars any weapons from the Richmond’s Capitol Square from Friday to Tuesday, after he received credible intelligence that hate groups and armed militias are planning violence at next Monday’s Lobby Day against gun control legislation. Northam, who discussed the threats at a news conference, said the state’s law enforcement analysis found that the chatter on the internet and other venues mirrored similar messages seen around the time of the 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally, which left three dead and more than 30 injured The governor declined to give exact...

Excerpt: Virginia’s pop-up gun sanctuary movement has turned its attention to fighting the governor’s call for a $4.8 million, 18-officer team to enforce his proposed “assault weapons” ban. Two key groups issued an alert this week to push gun owners to four budget hearings Thursday around the state, asking them to quiz state legislators if they will vote to ban or confiscate weapons.