VaNews
March 19, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Sara Garland
------------------------------------------------------------

In recognition of the 200+ women who have completed the Emerge Virginia program.

Read Online ([link removed]) 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])
Top of the News


** Coronavirus cases rise in Virginia as daily life is reshaped ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Virginia’s confirmed cases of the new coronavirus rose to more than 75 Wednesday as schools and many businesses remained shuttered and a ban on large gatherings reshaped daily life. Gov. Ralph Northam, who spoke at what has become a daily news conference with other top leaders, did not announce any new restrictions in Virginia’s fight against the global pandemic.
------------------------------------------------------------


** With nursing homes closed to visitors, last goodbyes can be lost to coronavirus ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JOANNE KIMBERLIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

My dad is dying. But he’s still too alive for us to be allowed to come see him. Long-term care facilities — he lives in one on the Peninsula — closed statewide this week to visitors, an effort to protect their extremely vulnerable populations for as long as the coronavirus threat lasts. Exceptions are being made for “end of life” situations. My father’s case, like untold others, doesn’t quite qualify.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virus threat pushes jail head, prosecutors to release inmates at Middle River Regional Jail ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By BRAD ZINN, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

Middle River Regional Jail in Verona has started releasing some non-violent offenders in an effort to reduce the jail population as the threat of the coronavirus continues to grow. "Right now we're so crowded that we don't have any capacity to move people around to segregate some offenders," said Middle River Regional Jail Superintendent Jeff Newton.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Coronavirus outbreak could overwhelm Hampton Roads hospitals even in a best-case scenario, Harvard data shows ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Hampton Roads hospitals could be overwhelmed by an influx of coronavirus patients as the outbreak continues to spread — even in best-case scenarios, according to new data from the Harvard Global Health Institute. State health officials announced Wednesday that 77 people have tested positive for COVID-19 throughout Virginia, with the tally quickly rising since the first case was reported March 7.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Hospital staff might rely on “barter system” for child care during pandemic ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Schools are closed, and some day cares are shutting their doors. That puts a burden on most working parents in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. But for hospital workers, who are expected to be on the front line of this public health crisis, it could threaten staffing. A message went out to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters employees on Friday, suggesting one way to handle the problem — a kid swap. You watch mine, and I’ll watch yours.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Without State Mandate, Northern Virginia Restaurants And Bars Face Tough Decision Whether To Close ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ELLIOT C. WILLIAMS, WAMU

Ula Piotrowska heeded the call of Arlington County to stop serving people in her Oly Bee crepe restaurant. She reduced her trade to carryout orders and wine, which brought about 5% of her usual business on Tuesday. But Piotrowska says she is not closing altogether both to keep a trickle of cash flow and because her lease prohibits closing for more than ten days. “We are just strangled,” Piotrowska said. “If we close we may be subject to breaking the lease.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** Officials urge caution as bears begin to wake from slumber ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By RACHAEL SMITH, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

In Virginia, black bears are most active from the first of April to the first of November, during all times of the day. While they may be interesting to view from a distance, Central Virginians have encountered real problems with black bears when they are in search of food in their backyards.
Leave feedback for VaNews:
[link removed]
The Full Report
44 articles, 20 publications

Read Online ([link removed]) 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])


** STATE GOVERNMENT
------------------------------------------------------------


** DEQ cites Roanoke Cement Co. for violation of air emission standards ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

An overheated kiln operation at Roanoke Cement Co. has led environmental regulators to cite the company for violating air emission standards. The Botetourt County plant agreed to pay a $3,640 fine as part of an agreement reached this month with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Clearer picture arrives of economic toll of coronavirus ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DREW HANSEN, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

The economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic became clearer Tuesday as layoffs and furloughs in the hospitality and service industries continue to mount in Greater Washington. D.C.-area restaurants, facing mandatory closures or steep drops in business, have made major layoffs in the last couple days.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Falls Church company sends text from space satellite to phone ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

Falls Church-based wireless network company Lynk Global Inc. said Wednesday that it has sent a text message from a satellite in space to a standard mobile phone on Earth. “This is a game-changer for the billions of people who own a mobile phone, for the billions who do not have affordable connectivity, and for the entire mobile communications industry,” Lynk Co-Founder and CEO Charles Miller said in a statement. “In the near future, you will stay connected everywhere. All the time.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** Amazon to hire 1,400 Virginians to meet order surge, donate $1M to Arlington nonprofits ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

Amazon.com Inc. announced this week that it would add 100,000 full-time and part-time jobs to its United States fulfillment centers — with an expected 1,400 jobs added in Virginia — and will add $2 per hour worked through April for current employees.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Cruise ship cleared by Coast Guard over coronavirus concerns won’t come to Portsmouth terminal ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The U.S. Coast Guard has cleared a cruise ship that was docked off New York after a 2-year-old passenger tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month. But that ship, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Bliss, will not come to the Portsmouth Marine Terminal.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Amid coronavirus crisis, small farms and creameries offer food, safety, diversion ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By NEAL AUGENSTEIN, WTOP

In the midst of local, state and national emergencies designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, children and parents are spending most of their time at home, sequestered from friends and organized activities. . . . Meanwhile, small farm-based markets and creameries hope to offer an alternative to safety-conscious parents and their bored children.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Shop owner: “I’m praying that we get past this” ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DON DEL ROSSO, Fauquier Now

Terrified, the Marshall frame shop owner has watched sales tank because of the coronavirus outbreak. “It’s off 30 to 40 percent,” Regina Hilleary said of Joan of Art Custom Picture Framing’s revenue. “I have had calls from people, seeing if I’m open and if it’s safe to come.” Over the years, the shop at 8387 W. Main St. has endured assorted business challenges.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Goodyear shutting down operations until at least April 3 ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CHARLES WILBORN, Danville Register & Bee

Citing a sudden decline in market demand with the spread of the coronavirus, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is shutting down manufacturing until at least April 3, according to a company statement. Goodyear is Danville's largest employer with about 2,000 workers.


** TRANSPORTATION
------------------------------------------------------------


** State allocates additional $11M to struggling transit systems ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SYDNEY LAKE, Virginia Business

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) authorized an additional $11 million in statewide public transportation spending to help Virginia public transportation agencies recover from ridership losses and other COVID-19-related operating expenses, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) announced Tuesday.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
------------------------------------------------------------


** VCU to keep classes online, postpone commencement, issue refunds ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia Commonwealth University is moving classes online for the rest of the semester and postponing its May commencement. The Class of 2020 will be honored during the December commencement, VCU President Michael Rao said. The university announced the moves Wednesday night, ...
------------------------------------------------------------


** UMW will not reopen for in-person classes ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ADELE UPHAUS–CONNER, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The University of Mary Washington has extended its suspension of in-person classes for the rest of the semester.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Universities, colleges cancel graduation ceremonies amid pandemic ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SYDNEY LAKE, Virginia Business

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) has canceled 2020 graduation ceremonies at all 23 state community colleges in light of federal guidance urging people to avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people, VCCS Chancellor Glenn DuBois announced in a letter Tuesday.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Undergraduate courses adopt credit/no credit as default grading system for this semester ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ALI SULLIVAN AND JENN BRICE, Cavalier Daily

University Provost Liz Magill announced Wednesday evening the default grading system is now credit/no credit for all spring semester undergraduate courses that have not yet completed coursework. Courses that are graded CR/NC — rather than with letter grades A through F — will not be factored into students’ grade point average, but they will count toward curricular, major and graduation requirements if completed with a letter grade equivalent of C or better.


** CORONAVIRUS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia now has 77 cases of coronavirus, including outbreaks on Peninsula and Richmond; Norfolk confirms first case ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By MARIE ALBIGES AND ROBYN SIDERSKY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

There have been 77 cases of the coronavirus identified in Virginia, a top state health official said Wednesday morning. The numbers include three “outbreaks,” one of 13 people in James City County and two others in the Richmond area, said Dr. Norm Oliver, the deputy commissioner for population health for the Virginia Department of Health. An outbreak is two or more cases that can be traced to common exposure.
------------------------------------------------------------


** COVID-19 infections in Virginia climb to 77, including four in Richmond ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The city of Richmond reported its first cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday as the number of positive cases statewide rose to at least 77 and the largest hospital system in Virginia suspended drive-thru screening and testing due to a shortage of tests. The 77 cases in Virginia represent an increase of 10 from the 67 cases that were reported around the same time on Tuesday, although a shortage of tests likely means the real number of cases is higher. There are now at least 13 cases in the Richmond area.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Third COVID-19 case confirmed in Fredericksburg area ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

A second Stafford County resident has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Virginia Department of Health, making it the third confirmed case in the Fredericksburg area. That patient and a Stafford man in his 60s, who was diagnosed at Stafford Hospital on Sunday, are being treated at Mary Washington Hospital.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Arlington County residents get tested at drive-thru coronavirus testing site ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LIZ ANDERSON, WTOP

As COVID-19 cases spike in Virginia and the D.C. area, Arlington County is stepping up its efforts to test those who are showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus: A temporary drive-through sample collection center has been set up along North Quincy Street, across from the David Brown Planetarium. Some 60 samples were taken by the time the drive-through closed Wednesday afternoon.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Virginia Lawmaker Unable to Access COVID-19 Test Despite Symptoms ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE

A Democratic lawmaker who came down suddenly with a fever, cough, and muscle aches earlier this month says he struggled to access COVID-19 testing. Del. Lee Carter (D-Manassas) told VPM his calls were shuffled between five different health care agencies and private facilities on Sunday and Monday in an ultimately fruitless attempt to get tested.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Central Virginia's First Drive-Through Coronavirus Tests Begin ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE

More than 100 people were tested for the coronavirus disease at the first drive-through testing site in Central Virginia on Wednesday. All of those tested had been pre-screened and referred to the pilot testing site by their local health departments. Patients pulled up to a series of four tents at Dorey Park in Henrico, and healthcare workers took mouth swab tests created by the private company LabCorp. The patients were then told to go home and self-quarantine until they get their test results, which could take up to four days.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Sentara suspends drive-thru coronavirus testing because of supply shortage ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Sentara officials said they are suspending drive-thru testing for the coronavirus because of limited supplies. The announcement came just two days after the hospital system began offering the service at three sites throughout the region
------------------------------------------------------------


** Testing limited, yet still negative ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The number of Virginians with COVID-19 rose to 77 on Wednesday, but getting a truer picture of the spread of the virus has been stymied by the lack of testing capabilities. “As of this afternoon, according to the Virginia Department of Health, we do not have a positive or a presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in our region,” Dr. Patrice Weiss, Carilion Clinic’s chief medical officer, said during a news conference in Roanoke on Wednesday. “
------------------------------------------------------------


** Red Cross seeks volunteers amid a ‘severe’ blood shortage due to coronavirus ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By SARA GREGORY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Red Cross is facing a critical blood shortage because social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic have led to the cancellation of drives at schools, churches and other mobile sites. James Hatcher, CEO of the Red Cross Virginia region, said during a press conference with state officials Wednesday that they’ve collected 100,000 fewer units in the last two weeks alone, largely because of canceled drives.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Blood shortages are the latest concern in the coronavirus crisis ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Blood has become the latest casualty in the ongoing battle against coronavirus. Donations across Virginia dropped by 30 percent in the past few days as high schools, office buildings and college campuses — some of the biggest blood drive organizers — shut their doors. More than 4,000 blood drives have been canceled nationwide, leading to at least 100,000 fewer donations to the American Red Cross, said Jonathan McNamara, a spokesman for the nonprofit’s Virginia chapter.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Pentagon wants USNS Comfort ready to deploy to New York ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By BROCK VERGAKIS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Defense Department wants the Norfolk-based hospital ship USNS Comfort to get ready to deploy to New York in an effort to aid civilian hospitals that may need to relocate patients who aren’t diagnosed with coronavirus, according to the Department of Defense. The Comfort is one of two 1,000-bed hospital ships that the Navy has frequently used to conduct goodwill missions and respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the world.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Advocates call for release of nonviolent inmates awaiting trial ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By FRANK GREEN AND ALI ROCKETT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The ACLU of Virginia, Richmond’s public defender and other legal advocate groups are calling for the release of many nonviolent inmates given the threat of the coronavirus to vulnerable incarcerated populations. Also this week, Richmond’s top prosecutor said her office is working with the Richmond Magistrate’s Office and the Police Department to allow the release of individuals awaiting trial who are charged with nonviolent felonies and do not pose a risk to the community.
------------------------------------------------------------


** For shutdown, home becomes school ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The number of students being home-schooled in Virginia has risen substantially over the past decade. There were 23,290 home-schooled students in the state in the 2009-10 school year, according to data from the Virginia Department of Education, and that number has surged to 38,282 this school year. With every K-12 school in the state shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s roughly 1.5 million public, private and ordinarily home-schooled students are at home.
------------------------------------------------------------


** For children with special needs, the coronavirus school shutdown poses even bigger challenges ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By GORDON RAGO, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

It was the first morning schools were closed for the coronavirus pandemic, and Nick Goodwin had bitten his bottom lip. His bus was supposed to arrive at 8:15. Nick knew that, because he knows his schedule and likes to go outside and ride the bus from his Suffolk home to Mack Benn Elementary. But when the 8-year-old learned he wouldn’t be going to school that day, he got upset and bit into his lip, causing it to bleed.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico schools to stay closed well into April ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

School closures in the Richmond area have been extended. Hanover County Public Schools, Henrico County Public Schools and Chesterfield County Public Schools announced Wednesday that schools will be closed through spring break, meaning the earliest day they would reopen in Henrico and Chesterfield is April 14, while Hanover students could return April 13.
------------------------------------------------------------


** With Schools Closed, Communities Pitch In to Feed Kids ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By CAT MODLIN-JACKSON, WVTF

Deanna Fierro spends most Monday mornings in the classroom teaching. But on the first day of a statewide school closure, she was in a cafeteria, packing bags with sandwiches and milk. She’s one of about 500 Richmonders who signed up to volunteer at schools now operating as emergency food distribution centers. Fierro’s taught in Virginia for nine years, and in that time she’s come to understand how school resources offer a safety net for those most vulnerable.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Hburg schools get creative with Mobile Cafe to make sure students, families have enough to eat ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By BRIDGET MANLEY, Harrisonburg Citizen

After the Harrisonburg City Public Schools shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic, dedicated staff and nutritionists worked out a plan to continue providing meals for students whose primary source of nutritious food came through the schools. The team reworked a summer feeding program that has been helping children stay nourished for the last four years.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Northern Virginia nonprofits offer aid during outbreak ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By EMILY SIDES, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)

As many residents across the region take on new challenges, with some facing the reality of being out of work or caring for family members during the COVID-19 outbreak, area nonprofits are building up a network of services to try to lend support.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Norfolk volunteers to deliver groceries, run errands for those who can’t leave house ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

For the elderly and at-risk afraid of stepping foot inside a grocery store for fear of catching the coronavirus, a group of Norfolk residents say they’ll take that step for them. Calling itself Norfolk Grocery Runs, the group has already amassed about 100 volunteers in less than two days to coordinate and deliver groceries to the elderly and those with a weak immune system during the COVID-19 outbreak.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Arlington Restaurants Offer Free Meals to Families in Need ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By VERNON MILES, ArlNow

While Arlington teachers put together grocery gift cards for low-income families and nonprofits band together to address the economic impacts of the coronavirus, several local restaurateurs and the nonprofit Real Food for Kids are working to provide meals to families hit by the pandemic.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Arlington Nonprofits Collaborate to Combat Coronavirus Impacts ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By VERNON MILES, ArlNow

As Arlingtonians scramble to stock up on emergency supplies to weather the coronavirus pandemic, some local nonprofits that are helping those most in need are starting to see the strain on the county’s most vulnerable populations. “We’re still trying to get used to the new reality,” said Andrew Schneider, executive director of Arlington Thrive, a nonprofit that provides emergency funding to people in crisis.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Local senior care facilities are taking extra precaution to protect the most at-risk population ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By ALEXA DOIRON & JULIA MARSIGLIANO, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Older populations are at greater risk of complications from the coronavirus (COVID-19) and local senior care facilities have had to ramp up their precautions to protect their residents. At Edgeworth Park, an assisted living and memory care facility in Williamsburg, staff and residents are taking extra precautions to make sure the virus doesn’t reach them.
------------------------------------------------------------


** 'I hear the symptoms feel differently for everybody' : A Richmond couple in their 30s tested positive ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By COLLEEN CURRAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Joseph Papa, 37, and his husband, John-Stuart Fauquet, 38, haven’t been feeling well for a week. On Tuesday, they got the test results and found out why: They tested positive for the coronavirus. They live in Richmond’s West End but spend much of their time traveling back and forth to New York for work.


** LOCAL
------------------------------------------------------------


** Loudoun County board opposes sending letter to governor requesting closure of gathering places ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted against a proposal to request that the governor close all places of social gathering during the coronavirus outbreak. Algonkian Supervisor Juli Briskman (D) offered the measure that failed on a 3-6 vote. If passed, the board would have sent a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam (D) requesting the commonwealth order the closure of restaurants, gyms, bars, movie theaters and other places of social gatherings as result of the coronavirus pandemic.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Local governments seek legal help to balance COVID-19 precautions, public participation ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By C. SUAREZ ROJAS AND MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Black trash bags covered seats, separating attendees. Residents waited at home in a video chatroom to address elected officials. The methods deployed by the Charlottesville City Council on Monday illustrate a pressing challenge for localities: how to balance safety protocols amid a pandemic while conducting critical public business with ample citizen participation.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Richmonders helping workers as restaurants close. Friday will have a 'Virtual Happy Hour Fundraiser' ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By KARRI PEIFER AND HOLLY PRESTIDGE, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

At a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Levar Stoney issued the harshest warning to date to any Richmond restaurant still allowing more than 10 diners in their establishment at once: the city will enforce the state ban on crowds of more than 10 people. ... There's no indication that large groups are still dining-in at restaurants, and only a handful of dining rooms inside and outside of the city limits remain open.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Rural Northern Neck library works to fill essential role ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By PAMELA A. D’ANGELO, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Public libraries are at the heart of rural communities. They are a gathering spot for meetings, catching up on a host of regional and national newspaper reading and a safe place for friends and neighbors to meet up. But the coronavirus has changed all that. On Monday, the tiny staff of the Northumberland County Public Library was busy taking phone calls about whether the library was open. ... Patrons checked out stacks of books ...

Today's Sponsor:


** Sara Garland
------------------------------------------------------------

In recognition of the 200+ women who have completed the Emerge Virginia program.


** EDITORIALS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Clear the hurdles to cooperation on crisis ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

To roughly grasp the great American response to coronavirus — all of it, from top to bottom and back again — you must grapple with American federalism, that layer cake of governance concocted long ago by the nation’s founding leadership. Take a look at this statement from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association: “Virginia hospitals and health systems are actively engaged with state, federal, and local partners to prepare for the potential arrival and spread of the disease in the commonwealth.”


** COLUMNISTS
------------------------------------------------------------


** Schapiro: COVID-19 nudges Va. government into the unknown ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Tommy Norment, Jennifer Carroll Foy and Ibraheem Samirah have little in common. They are of like mind, though, on what they consider a necessity: an emergency session of the Virginia legislature on COVID-19. Norment, from James City County — an early epicenter of the coronavirus, is the Senate Republican minority leader. He jumps at opportunities to restore his party’s relevance. Norment fears the pandemic’s hit on the state’s finances.


** OP-ED
------------------------------------------------------------


** Christensen: Northam, please protect Virginians from predatory hospital practices ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Hospitals are essential to the 8.5 million people living in Virginia’s many vibrant communities. We depend on hospitals when we’re sick or critically injured, often scared and desperate. In many instances, going to the hospital is our only choice for treatment. But troubling practices are becoming increasingly common here in Virginia and across the country: ...

Christensen is a member of the Consumers for Quality Care board.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Street: America's best river town needs to do its best for its river ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

By BILL STREET, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

In 2012, Outside Magazine named Richmond America’s best river town. This past year, we made a splash on a global stage as the James River won the Thiess International Riverprize. For each of these accolades, the key factor was the improvement in the river’s health over the past four decades.

Bill Street is CEO of the James River Association
------------------------------------------------------------
Donate ([link removed]) Subscribe ([link removed]) Content Policy ([link removed]) Privacy ([link removed])

============================================================

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
Virginia Public Access Project . P.O. Box 1472 . Richmond, VA 23218 . USA