Redistricting commission on brink of collapse

Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting committee is coming apart at the seams. The bipartisan commission—composed of four Democratic legislators, four Democratic citizens, four Republican legislators, and four Republican citizens—was supposed to create fair, even maps. But the commission can’t agree on anything, and it missed its October 25 deadline to submit Congressional map proposals to the General Assembly.

Last year, Democrats in the legislature voted to create this commission rather than draw their own congressional lines, an attempt at good-faith mutual disarmament that could go belly-up if the commission continues its stalemate. (“Democrats Supported Redistricting Reform in Virginia. Was it a mistake?” asked a provocative Slate headline.) If the commission can’t agree on maps, the Virginia Supreme Court will hire its own consultant to draw the lines.

“It’s frustrating but also predictable,” said Delegate Marcia Price, a Democrat who opposed the amendment, in The Washington Post. “I just think inherently when you have a partisan and political process you’re going to have gridlock.”

The seven-day moving average of new local COVID cases is the lowest it’s been since July. Photo: Blue Ridge Health District

COVID cases declining locally

After a September surge, COVID cases in the Blue Ridge Health district have fallen steadily in the last month. October 25 saw the seven-day moving average of new cases drop to 25.3, the lowest it’s been since July. Vaccination rates locally have largely stagnated: In Charlottesville, 58.7 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, and in Albemarle, that number is 68.1 percent.

The Blue Ridge Health District has also begun offering booster shots, by appointment, to those age 65 and older, immunocompromised individuals, or people who work in high-risk environments.

New cases have declined on Grounds as well. The rolling seven-day average of cases is 3.1 per day, down from a late September high of 23.3. UVA has mandated that all university faculty and staff must be vaccinated by December 8. If they refuse, they face unpaid leave or possible termination. The rule comes after a federal government order stipulated that employees working for organizations that have contracts with the federal government must get the shots. Currently, over 95 percent of UVA faculty and staff are fully vaccinated, and the admin is urging all employees to take action as soon as possible in order to meet the December 8 deadline.

In brief

Unknown package was false alarm

A suspicious package drew attention from the Virginia State Police bomb squad last Friday night. The package was left outside the federal courthouse on West Main Street. The bomb squad cordoned off the area for an hour and a half, but the package ultimately turned out not to be a safety threat, and was later described as a “personal item” by the city.

Banned band takes a stand

UVA’s marching band won a fight with the administration last week. The band had been banned from playing their instruments in the stands at football games, a regulation purportedly to prevent the spread of COVID. But the band disagreed: “The energy of Scott Stadium is being subdued for the sake of optics,” stated a petition urging the admin to let them play. Eight thousand signatures later, the university relented, and the “Hey Song” once again blared from the stands during Virginia’s victory over Georgia Tech last Saturday.

Civilian watch dogs get a new toy

The City of Charlottesville has launched a Budget Explorer so that curious citizens can dig deeper into the FY22 adopted budget and compare it to previous years’ budgets. The interactive dashboard allows viewers to review the last four budgets “in line item detail” for most city departments that are part of the general fund. Find yourself wondering how much money the Charlottesville city government spent on small hand tools in 2022 compared to 2019? Have no fear, the Budget Explorer is here!

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