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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Most Virginia middle and high schools already have a full-time police officer on site. But some lawmakers want to mandate that all public schools – including at the elementary level – have police presence. Megan Pauly reports.
Supply chain issues are affecting school lunches. The Virginia Mercury reports staples such as chicken patties, bread and frozen pizzas have had a hard time making it onto lunch trays due to shortages. Since the pandemic began in 2020, districts began doubling their meal production to try to feed children both in school and at home. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees school nutrition, has issued waivers to give schools more flexibility to skirt typical nutrition standards. But most meal directors are reluctant to compromise these standards unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Parents in Chesapeake are suing Gov. Glenn Youngkin over his move to get rid of local mask mandates in schools. Ryan Murphy, from partner station WHRO, has more.
Governor Glenn Youngkin has announced his new parole board, after firing the entirety of the previous board shortly after his inauguration last week. According to the Virginia Mercury, the new board includes Montgomery County Sheriff Hank Partin, who had a tense interaction with Democrat Terry McAuliffe on the campaign trail over police funding. Governor Youngkin has asked his appointees to examine procedures after the previous board released several inmates without notifying victims. He has also authorized new Attorney General Jason Miyares to investigate the previous board for those releases.
Due to the surge in omicron cases in Richmond, health officials say area hospitals are treating more patients with COVID-19 than ever before. Most of those cases are unvaccinated people. But Arthur Kellermann, the CEO of the VCU Health System, said those who are older or immunocompromised are still at risk of needing hospitalization. Kellermann also says VCU Health is experiencing the worst staffing shortages they’ve seen since the pandemic began. To do their part in lifting the burden on healthcare workers, Kellerman urged Virginians to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.
Today, the Chesterfield Health District is opening a community testing center at the Chesterfield Fairgrounds to increase availability. The COVID-19 testing will take place in a heated tent, Monday through Thursday. Appointments are required. PCR tests will be used, so it will take a few days to get results. To make an appointment, head to the Virginia Department of Health’s website at vdh.virginia.gov.
