VPM's daily newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Hosted by Benjamin Dolle, episodes are recorded the night before so you can wake up prepared.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of January 7, 2021:
- Virginia’s Congressional delegation reacted with horror as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. Representative Abigail Spanberger told VPM she was in the House chamber to certify the results of the November election when lawmakers were interrupted. Republican lawmakers who supported challenging the election results also condemned the violence. Susan Swecker, the chair of Virginia's Democratic Party, called those representatives “traitors” in a Twitter post.
- In response to the unrest, Governor Ralph Northam issued a curfew in the D.C. suburbs of Alexandria and Arlington from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday. A State of Emergency is also in effect, Northam says, so the Commonwealth can continue to provide assistance to quell the uprising. Members of Virginia’s National Guard and 200 state troopers were sent to D.C. Wednesday.
- Governor Ralph Northam tapped Doctor Danny Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico health districts, to lead Virginia’s vaccination effort. The governor says Virginia is currently receiving about 14,000 COVID-19 vaccines per day, and that the goal is to raise that number to 25,000. Northam called on hospitals and clinics to continue prioritizing healthcare workers and seniors. Essential workers are next on the list -- including those in food, agriculture, the postal service, and teachers and childcare workers.
- A group of retired judges chose eight Virginia citizens yesterday to sit on the Commonwealth’s new redistricting committee. They are the final members to be appointed to the committee, which was approved by voters last year. The judges selected six men and two women, saying it was impossible to make a perfectly representative choice. They had 64 applicants to pick from, identified by state lawmakers. Four of the citizen members are white, two are Black, one is Asian and one is mixed-race, according to the Virginia Political Access Project.
- According to state officials, more than 260,000 Virginia residents enrolled in health insurance coverage through theAffordable Care Act -- during the most recent open enrollment period, which ended last month. Virginians without health insurance may still qualify for coverage if they are experiencing a major change in their life. That includes getting married, losing a job, leaving incarceration or turning 26. Medicaid enrollment is open year round. Under Virginia’s Medicaid expansion, more than 500,000 eligible adults recently enrolled.
- Eleventh grade students inChesterfield County have until Friday to register for S-A-T practice tests, the P-S-A-Ts. The test measures students’ understanding of reading, writing, language, and math skills. In previous years, the school district offered the test for free for students in 8th through 11th grades. This year, to allow for physical distancing in classrooms because of the pandemic, only juniors will be permitted to take the test. Henrico students can take the test this April. The Richmond School district is not holding the P-S-A-T test during this school year because of the health risk, according to a spokesperson. To register go to mychesterfieldschools.com. The test is January 26th.