Transparency News 11/30/16
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
State and Local Stories
Read about the 2016 winners of VCOG’s open government awards
A junior partner in Tivest Development and Construction testified Tuesday that Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot was not an official founding member of the development company that is now at the center of the trial.
Virginian-Pilot
On Jan. 18, if all goes according to plan, Virginia will execute Ricky Gray for killing a former Virginia Beach homecoming queen and her family in Richmond more than a decade ago. The three-drug combination that Virginia has chosen for the execution includes Midazolam, a drug that the state has never used before and that has been involved in botched executions elsewhere. Furthermore, Virginia would become the first state in the country to use a version of Midazolam manufactured by a “compounding pharmacy” – one whose identity is not released to the public and which does not operate under the same federal regulations as the large drug makers. Gray requested additional information about the execution process from the state, which refused to provide it. At a hearing Nov. 21, a judge declined to force the state to release more information about its process.
Virginian-Pilot
Editorials/Columns
There will be no Wegmans in Newport News. No upscale grocery shopping experience with distinctive merchandise, interior eateries and other bells and whistles. No date nights at the supermarket. Yes, the chain continued to talk about a Peninsula location that would be its first in Hampton Roads. But it was only talk and there was no surprise last week when Wegmans announced that it was no longer looking our way. But maybe there is a lesson in this episode. For one thing, Newport News City Manager Jim Bourey and City Engineer Everett Skipper told us that infrastructure changes to accommodate the proposed Wegmans site would actually alleviate traffic in that badly congested corridor. That led us to wonder at the time whether the city should look into the option of making those roadway changes even without the store; if it could reduce congestion at one of the Peninsula's worst spots, it should be worth at least doing a cost-benefit analysis. If City Council does that cost-benefit analysis and if it gives serious consideration to that infrastructure work, then it should be done as openly as possible. The results of the analysis should be shared with the public and the discussion of potential roadwork should be done in front of and with input from the citizens whose tax dollars will pay for it. This should be the norm for any city project or proposal.
Daily Press
A junior partner in Tivest Development and Construction testified Tuesday that Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot was not an official founding member of the development company that is now at the center of the trial.
Virginian-Pilot
On Jan. 18, if all goes according to plan, Virginia will execute Ricky Gray for killing a former Virginia Beach homecoming queen and her family in Richmond more than a decade ago. The three-drug combination that Virginia has chosen for the execution includes Midazolam, a drug that the state has never used before and that has been involved in botched executions elsewhere. Furthermore, Virginia would become the first state in the country to use a version of Midazolam manufactured by a “compounding pharmacy” – one whose identity is not released to the public and which does not operate under the same federal regulations as the large drug makers. Gray requested additional information about the execution process from the state, which refused to provide it. At a hearing Nov. 21, a judge declined to force the state to release more information about its process.
Virginian-Pilot
Editorials/Columns
There will be no Wegmans in Newport News. No upscale grocery shopping experience with distinctive merchandise, interior eateries and other bells and whistles. No date nights at the supermarket. Yes, the chain continued to talk about a Peninsula location that would be its first in Hampton Roads. But it was only talk and there was no surprise last week when Wegmans announced that it was no longer looking our way. But maybe there is a lesson in this episode. For one thing, Newport News City Manager Jim Bourey and City Engineer Everett Skipper told us that infrastructure changes to accommodate the proposed Wegmans site would actually alleviate traffic in that badly congested corridor. That led us to wonder at the time whether the city should look into the option of making those roadway changes even without the store; if it could reduce congestion at one of the Peninsula's worst spots, it should be worth at least doing a cost-benefit analysis. If City Council does that cost-benefit analysis and if it gives serious consideration to that infrastructure work, then it should be done as openly as possible. The results of the analysis should be shared with the public and the discussion of potential roadwork should be done in front of and with input from the citizens whose tax dollars will pay for it. This should be the norm for any city project or proposal.
Daily Press
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