VaNews
March 30, 2020

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** From VPAP Map, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Data from the Virginia Department of Health shows a timeline of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases each day and a statewide map showing the number of cases by locality.
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** Virginia now has nearly 900 confirmed coronavirus cases and 22 deaths ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia’s confirmed coronavirus cases rose to nearly 900 on Sunday, a jump of 151 from Saturday’s tally — the single biggest increase in terms of total cases, according to data from the state health department. Four more Virginians have died from the virus, bringing the statewide total to 22. At least 112 have been hospitalized.
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** Projections suggest over 1,500 could die from virus in state ([link removed])
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By BRIDGET BALCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

At Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, instead of cars, geriatric recliners and IV poles fill parking spots in the garage next to the emergency department — a makeshift field hospital for a possible overflow of patients. . . . It’s all part of an effort to keep Virginia’s health care system from being overrun by COVID-19 patients like New York City and Italy before it. And while state officials say they are planning and encouraging social distancing to prevent the worst-case scenario, they have kept those plans mostly under wraps as some projections anticipate a shortage of intensive care beds, tens of thousands of sickened Virginians needing hospitalization and a climbing death toll in the coming months.
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** President Trump sees off Navy hospital ship Comfort in Norfolk ([link removed])
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By GARY A. HARKI, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

President Donald Trump visited Naval Station Norfolk Saturday to see off the USNS Comfort as it headed to New York with medical staff and hospital beds to combat the coronavirus pandemic. “This great ship behind me is a 70,000-ton message of hope and solidarity to the incredible people of New York, a place I know very well, a place I love," Trump said,
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** Hampton to close its beaches except for walking ([link removed])
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By JOSH REYES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Hampton’s beaches will be closed to swimmers and sunbathers. The city posted the announcement on its Facebook page Sunday afternoon — the weekend of warm, sunny weather drew groups out to waterfront areas to enjoy the beaches and boardwalks.
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** Lawmakers eye veto session to address COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia lawmakers are due back in Richmond next month for a one-day session scheduled to wrap up their work, but it’s being recast as an opportunity for Gov. Ralph Northam and state lawmakers to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on Virginians. Lawmakers will likely need to perform triage on the state’s budget due to expected drops in state revenue with the economy crippled. At the same time, many lawmakers are eyeing legislation that could be delayed or amended to meet the needs of the moment.
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** Roanoke Democrats switch from firehouse primary to virtual committee-only convention ([link removed])
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By CASEY FABRIS, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The Roanoke City Democratic Committee has switched the method through which it will nominate candidates for the November city council election in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee initially planned to hold an unassembled caucus, also known as a firehouse primary, on May 2. Instead, it will hold a virtual committee-only convention in which the three Democratic candidates for Roanoke City Council will be selected by the 76 committee members, according to Chairwoman Beth Deel.
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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual Mapping Presidential Donations in Virginia ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Which candidate for President has raised the most money in each of the state's 2,453 voting precincts? This map ranks President Trump and Democrats Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders based on money raised in a four-month period, from November 1 thru February 29.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Virginia Department of Health reports 890 cases of coronavirus - up 151 from Saturday - 22 deaths ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Sunday that 890 people in Virginia have tested positive for COVID-19. That's an increase of 151 cases from the 739 reported on Saturday. The VDH also said that 10,609 people have been tested for the virus, 112 have been hospitalized, and there have been 22 deaths.
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** Washington region’s coronavirus death toll hits 51, 16 fatalities reported in one day ([link removed])
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By KYLE SWENSON, REBECCA TAN AND LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Washington region reported its single-deadliest day in the coronavirus outbreak, with 16 fatalities announced Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths to 51. Outbreaks at nursing homes and eldercare facilities in Virginia and Maryland contributed to the spike, with Maryland also reporting its largest single-day increase in known infections with 246 new cases, by The Washington Post’s count.
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** ACLU asks for uniform statewide criminal legal system action in response to COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The ACLU of Virginia is urging Gov. Ralph Northam to issue "executive guidance" for local governments, law enforcement agencies, jails and prisons to assure a coordinated statewide response to limit the spread of COVID-19. "A decisive, swift, coordinated, and uniform statewide response by all stakeholders in the criminal legal system is needed to save lives and protect incarcerated people, staff, and the public at large...
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** Gov. Northam hasn’t worn a tie in 2 weeks, and there’s a reason he and his staff look so casual ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Something has been conspicuously missing from Gov. Ralph Northam’s appearance lately. The governor, who has led near-daily briefings to provide updates on the coronavirus, has sported an open-collar for two weeks. The last time he was seen wearing a necktie — at least at a press conference — was March 12, the day he declared a state of emergency. A public health crisis might hardly seem like the time to come unbuttoned. . . . On Friday, Northam explained the reason for his casual look.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Coronavirus forces political candidates to adapt campaigns ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Daniel Gade didn’t realize how much he loved retail politics — knocking on doors, shaking hands, speaking to a group of people in someone’s living room — until he couldn’t do it any longer. As the coronavirus has spread across Virginia and the rest of the country, Gade’s campaign for U.S. Senate has ground to a halt. Like other campaigns, candidates have suspended canvassing because it’s too dangerous for volunteers to knock on doors. It’s unsafe to stand in a crowded living room. Staffers who once worked in campaign offices have to work from home.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Virginia hopes to release some inmates at risk of complications from COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Substantially more inmates at risk of serious medical complications from COVID-19 would have been eligible for release on parole this year had legislation proposed by the administration of Gov. Ralph Northam been passed last month. While other criminal justice changes were approved during the most recent General Assembly session, a bill that would have permitted geriatric, terminally ill or permanently disabled prisoners to be considered for conditional release was not passed.
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** Aiming to prevent jailhouse coronavirus outbreak, Norfolk frees hundreds of inmates ([link removed])
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By JONATHAN EDWARDS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Norfolk’s jailers have freed hundreds of inmates because of the coronavirus pandemic, far more than other lock-ups in the region. Roughly 250 of the nearly 900 inmates in the Norfolk jail two weeks ago have since been released, though new arrestees have taken some of their places. On Wednesday, there were 787 inmates inside, an 11 percent drop.
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** Virginians must pay state taxes by June 1 despite delay in federal tax deadline to July 15 ([link removed])
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By ALISSA SKELTON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The federal tax filing deadline was extended to July 15 to help residents who may be impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, but tax preparers in Virginia want the public to realize one important detail: The state hasn’t changed its filing deadline. Virginia taxes should still be filed by May 1. Tax payments have been delayed until June 1, but it is best to pay by May 1 because that is when interest starts accruing.
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** Virginia Supreme Court extends delays; most hearings before April 26 on hold ([link removed])
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By PETER DUJARDIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

If you have a case coming up in traffic court coming up between now and April 26, you don’t have to show up. Well you do, but not until later. The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday voted unanimously to extend by three weeks a “judicial emergency” that put thousands of court cases around the state on hold because of the coronavirus epidemic.
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** Virginia distilleries can now deliver liquor to your home ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW KORFHAGE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Home liquor delivery now exists in Virginia. A notice sent March 26 by the Alcohol beverage Control Authority contained a paragraph, buried deep in the document, that amounts to a massive policy change. "Licensees with off-premise privileges, including breweries, farm wineries and wineries as well as distilleries operating a distillery store under an agreement with Virginia ABC, may sell products for curbside pickup in a designated area or deliveries to customers’ homes without obtaining an additional delivery permit.”
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** From anthrax panic to pandemic, Stern again leads local health district ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The last time Dr. Donald Stern took over the helm of the Rappahannock Area Health District, the public was in a different panic, as people feared that every trace of white powder contained deadly anthrax spores. That was October 2001, a month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which were followed by reports that letters laced with the bacteria that causes anthrax were being sent through the mail.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Grocery chains hiring thousands temporarily during COVID-19 crisis ([link removed])
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By CATHY JETT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Lidl US saw such an uptick in demand in its grocery stores recently that CEO Johannes Fiever left his office in Arlington, rolled up his sleeves and pitched in at the company’s Spotsylvania County distribution center.
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** 'Like someone turned off the faucet': Survey shows massive drop in sales and hiring expectations ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

With the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the economy, a new survey of businesses in central Virginia shows a sudden and dramatic decline in sales, hiring and spending expectations for the next six months. The survey, conducted every three months by the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business and the Virginia Council of CEOs, found...
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** Pandemic forces local businesses to adapt ([link removed])
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By CATHY JETT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The University of Mary Washington Center for Economic Development has taken the pulse of area businesses suffering from the impact of COVID-19 and pivoted to provide help. It’s creating free, 30-minute online classes and brief podcasts on topics that are causing owners the most pain at a time when many are having to shut their doors, and providing consultation online in keeping with new social distancing requirements.
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** Virtual tours, safety measures keep real estate market going for now ([link removed])
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By HOLLY PRESTIDGE, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Armed with canisters of disinfecting wipes, gloves and the sort of healthy practices drilled into elementary students’ heads — keep your hands to yourself and don’t touch anybody or anything — real estate professionals find themselves leaning heavily on technology and an abundance of safety precautions ...
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** Gun store owners talk about increase in business during pandemic ([link removed])
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By BRIAN WOODSON, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

The new coronavirus has been called the “invisible enemy” by none other than President Donald Trump. Then why has there been a recent run on guns and ammunition? Rick Mutter, the owner of the Sportsman’s Den and the North Fork Sportmans Club in Saltville, has his own opinion. “If you can figure out why the toilet paper is disappearing, it is the same thing here,” Mutter said.
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** How a Virginia Beach company turned 240 hospital bed sheets into 2,000 masks ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A roar filled the sprawling factory as workers fed beige fabric strips under rippling thread. About a third of London Bridge Trading Co.'s 150 local employees, most of whom are women, might have otherwise been stitching camouflage into rucksacks or holsters. But when the machine operators showed up for work Monday, they had a new assignment. Cut and sew 2,000 masks.
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** Hampton Roads distilleries making hand sanitizer in the face of global shortage ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW KORFHAGE AND TARA BOZICK, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

As hand sanitizer supplies dry up around the country during the coronavirus pandemic, local distilleries have decided to pitch in by making their own. This is a trend that began earlier in other states — including North Carolina, where Outer Banks Distillery gave away 150-proof alcohol as hand sanitizer last week. But manufacturing sanitizer wasn’t legal for craft distilleries in Virginia until March 18, when the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority temporarily changed regulations...
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** SeaWorld furloughs more than 90% of its workforce, including at Busch Gardens Williamsburg ([link removed])
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Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has furloughed most of its employees and has closed the park until further notice due to coronavirus concerns.
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** Stafford EDA providing grants to small businesses ([link removed])
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By CATHY JETT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Stafford’s Economic Development Authority is launching a fund to provide cash grants to small businesses in the county adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stafford Small Business Coronavirus Disaster Assistance Grant Fund has $250,000 that will be used to provide them with cash grants for operating capital.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Alexandria’s DASH bus makes additional changes due to coronavirus ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW DELANEY, WTOP

A modified Sunday schedule and the suspension of the King Street Trolley are just two of the biggest new changes to Alexandria’s DASH bus that take effect Monday. The bus system announced on Saturday that it will shift to an “Enhanced Sunday Operating Plan” for weekdays and Saturdays in order to add extra protections for its riders and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** 'Business as we know it has really changed': College admissions offices turn to technology ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

As Maddie Rich toured the campuses of James Madison University and the University of Virginia last fall, she knew another campus visit would come in the spring. It would be warm at North Carolina State University, with students outside on the Raleigh campus and college staff there ready to answer her questions about a potential career addressing environmental problems.
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** Liberty University Brings Back Its Students, and Coronavirus Fears, Too ([link removed])
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By ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

As Liberty University’s spring break was drawing to a close this month, Jerry Falwell Jr., its president, spoke with the physician who runs Liberty’s student health service about the rampaging coronavirus. “We’ve lost the ability to corral this thing,” Dr. Thomas W. Eppes Jr. said he told Mr. Falwell. But he did not urge him to close the school. . . . As of Friday, Dr. Eppes said, nearly a dozen Liberty students were sick with symptoms that suggested Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. Three were referred to local hospital centers for testing. Another eight were told to self-isolate.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Spread of virus has slowed at Canterbury, but Va. sees highest number of confirmed cases in one day ([link removed])
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By SAMUEL NORTHROP, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare, the site of eight COVID-19 deaths in the past week, had no new deaths in a 24-hour period and only five newly symptomatic residents in 48 hours — a development that one local health official described as the “first good news we’ve had in many days.” But the official, Dr. Danny Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico health districts, also confirmed the first positive cases of COVID-19 at two other long-term facilities in the Richmond area.
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** Arlington County Announces First Coronavirus Deaths ([link removed])
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ArlNow

Two locals have died after contracting COVID-19, the first reported deaths from the disease in Arlington. Arlington County announced the deaths Sunday afternoon. The victims were older and had “chronic medical conditions,” the county said.
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** Resident at Sterling retirement community dies from coronavirus ([link removed])
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By TREVOR BARATKO, Loudoun Times

A resident of the Falcons Landing retirement community in Sterling has died from the coronavirus, according to a Sunday announcement from community representatives. In addition to the resident who died, another has tested positive for the virus known as COVID-19. That resident is being treated at a local hospital.
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** There’s yet another coronavirus death in the Peninsula ([link removed])
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Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

A woman who tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Peninsula has died, the Virginia Department of Health said Sunday. The woman, who was in her 80s, recently became ill and was admitted to a hospital, where she died, health officials said. Her cause of death was respiratory failure. That’s the 8th coronavirus death in the Peninsula Health District — the most in Virginia.
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** Sunday update: First coronavirus deaths reported in Alleghany, Mount Rogers health districts ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported its latest COVID-19 numbers Sunday, including 890 people in Virginia who have tested positive for COVID-19. A woman in her 80s who was ill with the coronavirus died Saturday, according to a VDH news release. “Sadly, we have experienced our first local COVID-19-related fatality. We send our sincere condolences to this person’s family,” said Molly O’Dell, director of communicable disease control, Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts.
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** Over the weekend, local COVID-19 cases see biggest increase to date ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Over the weekend, confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Rappahannock Area Health District saw their biggest increase, to date, with cases climbing from 20 on Saturday to 28 on Sunday. Stafford County continues to lead the local health district with 18 cases, followed by Spotsylvania County with six and King George County and Fredericksburg with two each.
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** Health officials offer few details about COVID-19 test availability in Hburg — but continue to stress social distancing ([link removed])
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By ANDREW JENNER, Harrisonburg Citizen

On Tuesday, March 17, Elliott started having aches and chills. The next day, he got word that someone he’d been in contact with the prior week had just been diagnosed with COVID-19. And then on that Thursday, Elliott (whose name has been changed to protect his and the COVID-19 patient’s privacy) got a call from the Virginia Department of Health.
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** Germanna college donates COVID-19 gear to hospital system ([link removed])
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By CLINT SCHEMMER, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Desperately short of protective gear to battle the surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitals across Virginia and the country are asking people to donate equipment and even sew face-mask covers at home. Responding to that critical need, Germanna Community College has stepped up and handed over the entire stock of personal protective equipment from its nursing and workforce health-training programs to Mary Washington Healthcare’s nurses, clinicians and providers in Fredericksburg and Stafford.
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** Operation Blessing giving out 19,000 N95 masks to first responders in Virginia, 3 other states ([link removed])
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By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Operation Blessing, a humanitarian group, says it is distributing thousands of N95 face masks and other sanitizing supplies critically needed by first responders in Hampton Roads. The Virginia Beach-based nonprofit said it was giving out 19,450 N95 face masks and 670 sanitizing kits to first responders in four states ― Virginia, West Virginia, Texas and Florida, according to a Saturday news release from the nonprofit.
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** This Hampton Roads couple is tackling the shortage of personal protective equipment ([link removed])
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By IRVIN B. HARRELL, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

When the going gets tough, the tough sometimes roll up their sleeves. That’s at least what Assistant Professor Brittany Samulski and her husband did when they realized that area health care providers were short on personal protective equipment or PPE. . . . Putting their heads together, the Samulskis have been using their 3D printer to produce face shields for local health care workers from their home – and donate them free of charge.
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** COVID-19 brings challenges for first responders ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS AND JESSICA NOLTE, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

It took a load off Poquoson police chief Cliff Bowen’s shoulders this week when a plumber friend dropped off a box full of N95 face masks -- the equipment that blocks tiny airborne droplets, including those carrying the new coronavirus. He’s still waiting on an order for masks he put in three weeks ago, and that box of masks should help keep his officers and the public they serve a bit safer for the time being.
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** Carilion tries to ease employee strain during virus crisis ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Carilion Clinic has stopped punishing employees for missing work, created a centralized system to reassign employees whose usual jobs are on hold, and is stepping up efforts to ease the stress and anxiety for front-line workers. Chief Administrative Officer Jeanne Armentrout said she knows employees are worried. The response to COVID-19 is quickly changing their workplace and their roles...
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** Medical offices adjust practices in the midst of outbreak ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Dr. Donna Gamache wondered how she could continue treating patients without the risk of spreading the coronavirus among those who need, and provide, medical care. She came up with a novel solution: turning her office parking lot ... in Spotsylvania County into a makeshift examination room. Patients with coughs or sore throats stay in their vehicles as Gamache, garbed in gloves, gown and mask, comes to them.
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** Isolation could exact toll on those with mental health and substance abuse problems in Virginia ([link removed])
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By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

More than two years in recovery from addiction to opioids and alcohol taught Robyn Hantelman the importance of group therapy sessions. A big part of treating her addiction has been meeting with others to know she’s not alone. But the coronavirus means many people in recovery or people being treated for mental health issues are staying home, isolated,...
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** No escape: Domestic violence cases expected to rise during coronavirus pandemic ([link removed])
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By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

While self isolation during the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) can be stressful for most people, there are those who are stuck in a home with their abusers as a result. “You’re just in a box with no escape,” said Anika Virgin, director of York County’s Victim-Witness Assistance program. “It makes things feel even more hopeless, I’m sure.” Even before people were trapped in their homes amid the coronavirus outbreak, an act of domestic violence occurred in the U.S. every 15 seconds, according to data from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
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** At least 46,000 people just lost their jobs in Virginia. Now rent is due. ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

More than 46,000 suddenly unemployed workers in Virginia will face a stressful battery of bills with the turn of the month on Wednesday. Chief among them: rent. . . . Some landlords are reaching out to tenants with the promise of payment plans and other consideration — an approach pushed by industry groups that they say is good for business and renters. Other landlords are not, instead sending firm reminders that rent is still due on April 1.
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** Churches change their sermon delivery, tithing methods for mandate guidelines ([link removed])
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By GEORGE COPELAND JR., Richmond Free Press

Churches across Richmond have undergone a substantial transformation in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic as state and national officials have forced them to adopt a new paradigm.
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** Kellam High senior spends money saved for prom, spring break to buy groceries for seniors ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE HAFNER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Emma Boone had saved about $1,000 for her senior year fun — spring break with family at South Carolina’s Hilton Head, graduation activities and a prom dress. But in recent weeks, all those plans evaporated amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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** With school year canceled, Chesterfield students create virtual graduation ceremony in Minecraft ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

When Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday that schools would remain closed amid the pandemic, Trey Powers and his friends were doing what teenagers do: hanging out online. Powers, at 17 the group’s elder and only senior, could only listen as the governor announced the move and the memories he thought he’d get to make vanished, one by one.


** LOCAL
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** Prince William schools look to spend $10M to buy digital devices for every high school student ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)

Prince William County schools are looking to spend $10 million to purchase a digital device for every high school student. School board Chairman Babur Lateef is requesting $5 million in emergency funding from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, with the school division planning to cover the rest of the cost.
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** Prince William School Board Wants to Invest $10 Million in Student Devices for Distance Learning ([link removed])
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By STACY SHAW, Bristow Beat

Prince William School Board Chairman Babur Lateef sent an official letter to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, on Mar. 29, requesting $5 million to purchase digital devices for all high school students for the purpose of distance learning instruction. The devices are especially necessary during the COVID-19 crisis and school closures, even if online learning is not mandatory at this juncture. Lateef said the school board would find the other $5 million within its budget. “Overall, this investment will cost nearly $10 million.”
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** Cathy’s Camp razed, but people keep coming during pandemic ([link removed])
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By JEREMY M. LAZARUS, Richmond Free Press

Homeless people keep coming despite the destruction last week of Cathy’s Camp, the tent community in Shockoe Valley, and the relocation of its residents to area motels and hotels. As efforts are underway to expand shelter resources, and as courts and sheriffs halt evictions to keep homelessness from becoming worse amid the coronavirus outbreak, evidence from the camp indicates that some people are still in crisis.
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** Richmond-area law enforcement: Lawbreakers will not get a pass during pandemic ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

As the coronavirus has spread locally and across the nation, Chesterfield Police Chief Jeffrey Katz posted a message on Facebook that appears to hold true for law enforcement throughout the Richmond area: “The COVID-19 pandemic is NOT a get-of-out-jail-free card in Chesterfield County.” Katz also noted that Chesterfield Sheriff Karl Leonard, who is responsible for housing those arrested, “assured me that the Chesterfield County Jail is open for business.”
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** City urges residents to 'Step Outside, Say Hello!' ([link removed])
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By CATHY JETT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Fredericksburg’s City Council has launched a new campaign to keep residents connected in a time of social distancing. It’s called “Step Outside, Say Hello!” Every household in the city is being asked to go out on their front porch at 6 p.m. every night to say hello to neighbors and check on folks in their neighborhood to make sure they are doing OK.
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** Local elder-law attorneys see uptick in people seeking wills ([link removed])
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By TYLER HAMMEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

As the need for elder-law services grows, some Charlottesville-area firms are finding creative ways to ensure safety amid the coronavirus pandemic. The virus tends to be much worse for people 60 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the elderly population at greater risk, in recent weeks more seniors in the area have sought out legal services for drafting wills and estate planning.
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** 'Silver tsunami' retirement wave hitting Roanoke's government hard ([link removed])
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By MATT CHITTUM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

There’s a tsunami slowly rolling over Roanoke city government — a “silver tsunami.” The wave of retirements, anticipated for years here and elsewhere, began crashing onto city hall last year with word that Roanoke Police Chief Tim Jones, Assistant City Manager Brian Townsend and City Clerk Stephanie Moon-Reynolds all soon would retire.
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** Waste Hauler sues over transfer station rules ([link removed])
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By YANN RANAIVO, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Montgomery County and Blacksburg are enlisting the help of law firm Sands Anderson PC as litigation begins over where private waste haulers deliver their trash. The county Board of Supervisors and the Town Council approved the hiring of the law firm on unanimous votes last week — comes in response to a suit recently filed in county Circuit Court by the Christiansburg-based Container First Services.
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** Parking lot ministry springs up in Danville ([link removed])
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Danville Register & Bee

Worshipers honk horns and wave hands outside their driver-side windows. Others stand in the parking lot, raise their arms to the sky and snap photos with their phones while pastor Darrell Bruce delivers the sermon. The group of about 20 to 30 people from about a dozen cars gathered in the parking lot at O’Kelly’s Deli & Pastries on Piney Forest Road on a cloudy and balmy Sunday morning.
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** Bristol's homeless shelters brace for pandemic's impact ([link removed])
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By LEIF GREISS, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Phillip Basham bundled up in a grey hoodie, green windbreaker with a leather jacket on his lap and his walker in front of him. He sat on a bench in Cumberland Square Park talking with his friend Vic Beaver who stood next to him. They waited for rain to start falling. “This is the only place the police don’t mess with us,” Basham said. Since the Bristol Public Library closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the men hang around the park during the day.

Today's Sponsor:


** Uber
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Uber is offering powerful new options for city planners who are tackling pollution, congestion, and parking shortages. Learn more ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
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** Arlington judges second-guess their elected prosecutor ([link removed])
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Washington Post Editorial (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Parisa Dehghani-Tafti last fall ran for commonwealth’s attorney on a promise of criminal justice reform, and voters in Arlington County and Falls Church chose her — and that platform — over the longtime, tough-on-crime incumbent. Now her efforts to deliver on her promise of progressive justice have run into opposition from judges who have taken highly unusual — and some say inappropriate — steps to undermine her discretion...
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** During pandemic, it’s all hands on deck ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Besides its considerable toll on human life, COVID-19 has delivered an unexpected and extremely painful punch to the gut of the previously robust American economy. The latest job figures from the U.S. Department of Labor tell the grim story. For the week ending March 21, a record number of people nationwide—3.2 million!—filed initial claims for unemployment, nearly five times the number who did so during the height of the Great Recession.
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** Virus forces tough choices on higher ed ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The coronavirus epidemic immediately created challenges for Virginia higher education, starting with the fact that the state’s colleges and universities came to an almost immediate halt. Two thoughts about what has transpired since: first, on the subject of tradition and culmination, and second, on the path forward in the COVID-19 era.
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** COVID-19 and Virginia: A Q&A with Aubrey Layne ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

We asked Aubrey Layne, Virginia’s secretary of finance, about the coronavirus pandemic and the budget challenges facing the commonwealth. Layne, a certified public accountant, previously served as state secretary of transportation during the McAuliffe administration.


** OP-ED
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** Hanken: Congress should follow Virginia's lead and protect patients from surprise billing ([link removed])
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By JILL HANKEN, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

After years of discussions, debates and gridlock, the Virginia General Assembly recently passed — unanimously — legislation that prohibits surprise billing of insured patients. This victory for Virginia patients provides an example of how Congress — which also has been deadlocked over surprise billing for years — should now move forward. The answer is really rather simple: Put patients first.

Jill Hanken is a health attorney at the Virginia Poverty Law Center.
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** Keeling and White: Bandanas are not enough ([link removed])
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By ARLENE W. KEELING AND KENNETH R. WHITE, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

As hundreds of millions of Americans are being asked to self-isolate or shelter in place, thousands of nurses (and physicians, respiratory therapists and other health care personnel) are being told to report to work at hospitals, clinics and nursing homes across the nation. The pandemic is real; by now, there are hundreds of thousands of cases of the coronavirus around the world, and tens of thousands have died from it.

Arlene W. Keeling is a nurse historian and a professor emerita at the UVA School of Nursing. Kenneth R. White is a palliative care nurse practitioner and associate dean for strategic partnerships and innovation at the UVA School of Nursing.
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** Carl: Know facts versus fiction ([link removed])
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By NEAL CARL, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

We are in uncharted territory. Not only are we dealing with an unprecedented health care crisis, but we also are being met with daily misinformation and medical myths regarding the coronavirus. As a doctor, I want my patients and the general public to know fact versus fiction based on evolving scientific evidence rather than the most-liked tweet of the day.

Neal Carl, M.D., has practiced medicine in Richmond for 20 years. He is the medical director of WellcomeMD, a local membership medical practice.
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** Will: The dental industry is in trouble ([link removed])
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By JOHN T. WILL, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

COVID-19 is out of the bag and has only begun to wreak havoc on our nation. Opportunities to stop the transmission of this deadly virus were squandered. Precious time was wasted by politicians reassuring Americans that everything would be fine, that one day this would disappear like a miracle.

John T. Will, D.D.S., is a dentist anesthesiologist in Charlottesville. He is a co-owner of a medium-sized dental practice.
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** Curtis: Nonprofits need help to survive this crisis ([link removed])
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By KEITH CURTIS, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Have you enjoyed the Virginia Symphony or visited the Virginia Aquarium? Have you rushed your child to CHKD in the middle of the night? Have you donated canned goods to the local foodbank or volunteered for United Way? Each of these organizations, a part of the fabric of our incredible community, are all nonprofits. Nonprofits are critical components of our educational, health, social and cultural life.

Keith Curtis is founder and president of The Curtis Group, a Virginia Beach-based consulting firm for nonprofits.
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** Namyalo: Virginia minimum-wage increase left too many workers behind ([link removed])
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By PATRICIA NAMYALO, published in Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Virginia General Assembly voted last month to set the state on a path to a $15 minimum wage by 2026. The bill made important strides in some areas and will improve the lives of many Virginians. But there’s more work we need to do to make sure every worker benefits. As a worker, a union member and a single mother, I want to build a Virginia that is good for working people now and creates more opportunities for the next generation.

Patricia Namyalo is a waitress who worked on the Raise the Wage campaign.
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