Thursday, December 19, 2024

Good morning! On this day in 1777, George Washington and his army marched into their winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Despite the British occupation of nearby Philadelphia, Washington and his men remained confident they could prevail.

The state police want you to beware of a new phone scam. We have more on that in Et Cetera, along with another warning in our Around Virginia section: Don't take potshots at drones!

Later today, we’ll be sending you a special email featuring our partner, GoldCo, offering free financial advice to help safeguard your retirement savings. We hope you find their offer valuable!

Today's new sponsor, WorldTree, has an exciting ecological investment opportunity you won't want to miss.

Former Sheriff's Trial Goes to Jury

Former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins took the stand to defend himself in his federal bribery trial.

Prosecutors allege Jenkins accepted around $75,000 in exchange for deputizing people who did not live in his county. Witnesses included two undercover FBI agents, who testified they were sworn in as auxiliary deputies and handed Jenkins envelopes full of cash.

The former sheriff, who lost his re-election bid in 2023, denied trading deputy badges for money. “Accepting donations for your campaign is perfectly OK,” Jenkins testified. “Swearing in auxiliaries is what a sheriff does and has complete latitude to whoever they choose.”

Kevin Rychlik, a former aide, also testified against Jenkins, stating he gave Jenkins $5,000 in 2011 in exchange for an auxiliary deputy badge. Rychlik cooperated with FBI investigators.

Closing arguments in the case were set for Wednesday.

Proposals to Improve Maternal Health

Policymakers proposed ways to improve healthcare for expectant mothers in the Commonwealth.

Democratic lawmakers rolled out a plan they called a "Momnibus” spending package. It includes proposals to enhance healthcare monitoring for pregnant women, expand Medicaid coverage to improve maternal health outcomes, and provide unconscious bias training for nurses.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin is proposing legislation to clarify protocols during and after pregnancy, improve care for patients with complicated pregnancies, and recognize out-of-state midwifery licenses.

He also introduced Executive Directive Eleven, aimed at providing mothers with more actionable information during and after pregnancy.

Keeping an Eye on School Zones

Speed zone cameras are only authorized to operate in one place in the Commonwealth: school zones.

Eight new school zone speed cameras are being installed near Arlington schools. The cameras will go into service after winter break, with $100 tickets issued to speeders beginning after the grace period ends on Feb. 5.

In Central Virginia, Richmond is running television and Facebook ads promoting its camera program. Anyone photographed going 11 mph over the limit during school hours there or in Hopewell will be mailed a ticket.

At least 19 cameras have been installed near 10 Norfolk Public School locations. These cameras will also issue $100 fines for speeding.

Authorities say the cameras work. “We had a 92% reduction in speeding in school zones,” said police officer Darryl Milligan following the installation of cameras in Bristol.

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➤ Statewide: People across the Commonwealth are reporting drones overhead. Residents are warned that shooting one down violates federal law, even though state law restricts drone deployment. (Details)

➤ Alexandria: First Lady Jill Biden said she is retiring from her role as an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, where she has taught for 15 years. She and President Joe Biden are set to leave the White House next month. (More)

➤ Chesterfield County: Commonwealth Fusion Systems announced plans to build the planet’s first grid-scale commercial fusion power plant in partnership with Dominion Energy. It vows to provide enough electricity to power about 150,000 homes by the early 2030s. (More)

➤ Loudoun County: The NAACP demanded a response after a teacher at Riverside High School passed around a cotton stem during a black history lesson. The school's principal apologized. (More)

➤ Washington, D.C.: Rep. Bobby Scott, recently re-elected to the U.S. House, is reportedly considering entering the Democratic gubernatorial primary against outgoing colleague Abigail Spanberger. “I haven’t ruled it out,” Scott said. (Details)

➤ Statewide: Through November, 45% of children in the Commonwealth had received a flu shot, according to CDC data. The Virginia Department of Health reported the flu vaccination rate for all ages is 27.3%. (More)

➤ The Washington Commanders took a step closer to moving out of Maryland when congressional lawmakers included a measure to return the RFK Stadium site to the D.C. government as part of a must-pass federal spending measure. (More)

➤ Norfolk State hired former NFL and Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick as head coach. It will be the first coaching job for the Newport News native. (Details)

➤ George Mason’s basketball team was allegedly defrauded out of nearly $160,000 by a man who was supposed to set up a five-day trip to the Bahamas. Prosecutors said he used the money to cover his personal expenses instead. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s results: NCAAF | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW

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➤ The City of Danville seems prepared to renew its contract with AU Aviation Services to operate the regional airport. This is in spite of ongoing questions about late payments. (Details)

➤ GENEDGE is set to expand the Virginia Smart Manufacturing Accelerator program with a $1.6 million award from the federal government. (Details)

➤ Around 150 employees of Piedmont Airlines in Norfolk walked a picket line, demanding safer working conditions and better pay. Piedmont Airlines is a subsidiary of American Airlines. (More)

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➤ Virginia State Police warned residents about a new phone scam. Fraudsters call and claim that their victim will be arrested for missing jury duty unless they make a payment. Police do not take payments in place of arrests. (Details)

➤ Mabry Mill, a landmark attraction along the Blue Ridge Parkway, is badly in need of repair. (Details)

➤ The Christmas Village is set to return to the Rockingham County Fairgrounds this weekend. (More)

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