VaNews
April 6, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Health Care Foundation
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Many thanks to our dedicated, socially-distanced outreach workers for creatively helping so many newly-uninsured throughout Virginia apply for expanded Medicaid during this COVID crisis.

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Top of the News


** Northam orders hiring freeze, agency heads to look for cuts ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is instituting a hiring freeze of state employees and is telling agency heads to look for ways to cut budgets in response to the coronavirus. Northam chief of staff Clark Mercer told agency heads in a Thursday memo obtained by The Associated Press that a recession is coming and the state revenues will be far below “even our most pessimistic forecast” from last year.
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** Virginia lawmakers may hold session in Richmond outdoors ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

When Virginia lawmakers return to Richmond in late April, Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn wants them to hold their session and votes outdoors to limit risk during the coronavirus pandemic. She said in an interview Friday she’s still weighing options for a location and thinking through how it would work logistically for delegates to be able to speak and cast recorded votes while avoiding close contact.
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** Democrats' call for vote-by-mail grows; ACLU warns against closing polls ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A push to expand vote-by-mail in Virginia amid COVID-19 is gaining momentum among Democratic lawmakers and state election officials, but how far the changes should go is a source of debate. A growing coalition of Democratic lawmakers is advocating universal vote-by-mail in which virtually all voters would cast ballots from home in the May 5 municipal elections and June 9 primary elections.
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** Death toll at Virginia long-term care center now at 20 ([link removed])
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Associated Press

Three more residents diagnosed with COVID-19 have died at a Virginia long-term care facility, the center disclosed on Sunday, bringing the death toll from one of the nation’s worst coronavirus clusters to 20. The administrator of Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in suburban Richmond have announced three additional deaths since Friday.
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** First coronavirus cases found in a Virginia prison, sparking fears of runaway spread ([link removed])
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By GARY A. HARKI, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The coronavirus is infiltrating state prisons, and inmates, lawyers and families fear the worst. Three inmates at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland, a contractor and three staff members — including a correctional officer at Indian Creek Correctional Center in Chesapeake — have tested positive. There is more at risk here than the lives of inmates and prison staff, said Deborah Golden, an attorney ...
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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 and a statewide map showing the number of cases by locality. Updated each morning shortly after 9:00 a.m.
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** Area's biggest food bank could run out of food without relief ([link removed])
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By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The children of a Roanoke subsidized apartment complex had cut-up apples, Goldfish crackers and cartons of milk for lunch Friday, courtesy of a food bank whose own shelves could be bare in a matter of weeks without emergency relief. Food charities have many more mouths to feed amid the virus emergency, but less food to hand out.
The Full Report
77 articles, 20 publications

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** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Northam freezes hiring, directs spending cuts as recession looms ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Gov. Ralph Northam is imposing a hiring freeze on state agencies, but cautioning against layoffs as the state prepares for a recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Clark Mercer, the governor’s chief of staff, outlined the administration’s budget strategy in a four-page memorandum to agency heads Thursday that bluntly acknowledges, “We can expect to enter a recession soon.”
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** Huge volume of jobless claims is 'overwhelming' Virginia's unemployment filing system ([link removed])
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By SEAN GORMAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The huge spike in the number of jobless claims has flooded Virginia’s unemployment system, frustrating laid-off workers trying to file for benefits. “This is overwhelming our unemployment system,” Gov. Ralph Northam said during his news briefing Friday. “People have had issues with our website.”
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** Deadline for Northam to sign statues bill looms ([link removed])
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By TYLER HAMMEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

After years of political strife and legal contention, Charlottesville likely will soon be allowed to legally remove two Confederate monuments. Looming over two parks in downtown Charlottesville, the statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson have also loomed over the city’s political and legal news for the last four years.
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** State taps Greater Richmond Convention Center, two other sites, to become field hospitals ([link removed])
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By BILL LOHMANN AND MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The Greater Richmond Convention Center is among three venues Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday announced as sites for field hospitals that would bring more than 1,800 hospital beds online as the state braces for a surge in COVID-19 patients. Northam tapped the Dulles Expo Center in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads Convention Center in addition to the Richmond site ...
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** Dulles Expo Center selected as alternate care hospital site in northern Virginia ([link removed])
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By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) on Friday announced that the Dulles Expo Center in Fairfax County has been selected as an alternate care facility that may hold approximately 315 acute or 500 non-acute beds. Construction of the alternate care site is expected to take around six weeks. The governor said the site is intended to free up capacity at existing hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.
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** Hampton Roads Convention Center won’t be ready to treat coronavirus patients for 6 weeks, Northam says ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday three sites, including the Hampton Roads Convention Center, will take six weeks to be up and running to treat patients diagnosed with the coronavirus when hospitals reach capacity. The three sites were chosen this week after Northam consulted with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the governor said at a press conference Friday. Northam said workers are transforming the Dulles Expo Center in Northern Virginia first, because construction can proceed quickest there.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Virginia House planning to convene outdoors for veto session, Speaker says ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Virginia House of Delegates will reconvene for a scheduled veto session on April 22 despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but when it does, it will likely be outdoors, House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Friday.
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** Farm Bureau Looks Back On GA Session ([link removed])
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By JESSICA WETZLER, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

It’s been less than a month since the Virginia General Assembly adjourned for the 2020 session, and the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation is looking back on a number of policies that prevailed and the few that didn’t. In the Virginia Farm Bureau 2020 General Assembly wrap-up, the organization reported that of the 64 issues it was in support of, 49 passed for a 76.6% success rate.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Democratic 5th District candidates adjust campaign tactics amid virus ([link removed])
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By TYLER HAMMEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

During the final leg of the 5th Congressional District primary season, candidates are forced to find new ways to get their message out to the public. Despite the issuance of a shelter-at-home order lasting through June 10, Virginia has not delayed its primary date, June 9, and is unlikely to, thanks to a deadline set by the Democratic National Committee, which is creating some complications for candidates.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Prisons now say 13 inmates, five staff diagnosed with COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The Virginia Department of Corrections said Saturday that 13 inmates — 12 of them in two women’s facilities — and five staff have tested positive for COVID-19. Six of the cases are at the Central Virginia Correctional Unit #13, a female facility in Chesterfield County; six are at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland County; and one is an inmate at an undisclosed hospital.
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** Coronavirus anxiety soars for families of Virginia inmates ([link removed])
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By DENISE LAVOIE AND SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Anxiety among family members of inmates in Virginia prisons skyrocketed this week, after the state Department of Corrections announced that four inmates, four staff members and a nurse tested positive for the coronavirus. Families and inmate advocates fear this could be just the beginning of a massive outbreak in prisons across the state.
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** With persistent testing shortages, Virginia health officials find new ways to track coronavirus cases ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

As health officials in Virginia develop new ways to track COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus, one thing becomes increasingly clear: the state’s public tally of laboratory-confirmed cases is likely a significant underestimate of the actual spread. As of April 2, state epidemiologists were investigating another 132 suspected cases of COVID-19 — numbers that aren’t currently included on the agency’s public surveillance site.
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** Psychiatric hospitals continue to treat patients ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Patients in Virginia’s psychiatric hospitals are as captive as inmates in the state’s prisons. They cannot leave until authorities determine they no longer pose a danger to themselves or others. They live in institutions where keeping a safe distance from one another cannot easily be practiced. They are at the mercy of whatever virus might walk inside with the next patient or with the next staff shift change.
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** Virginia’s state-run liquor stores stocked up on respirators for clerks a decade ago ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Why do clerks at state liquor stores have N95 respirators while front-line medical workers are being asked to ration their own supply? That’s the pointed question the mom of an ICU nurse in Alexandria raised with Gov. Ralph Northam during a tele-town hall this week, relaying that her daughter was being asked to use one disposable mask for a whole week’s worth of shifts.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Organizations busy helping small businesses weather economic tough times ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Countless small businesses across the Roanoke region are turning to the government for help as they figure out how they can weather the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Legislators and groups that help businesses have been busy talking to business owners about the various options the federal government is offering under the $2 trillion relief package signed into law last month.
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** With restaurants shuttered, Chesapeake Bay seafood businesses take a hit ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

For oyster farmers, the clock is ticking. Part of that is the cash squeeze that plenty of other businesses face when they have to keep paying bills but aren’t selling much; for oyster farms, that’s because the new coronavirus is keeping customers away from restaurants. Part is due to nature. Warming waters make oysters hungry — this is the time of year they really grow...
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** Virginia has bet big on oysters. But amid the pandemic, no one’s buying them. ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

2020 was supposed to be Rogue Oysters’ year. The four-year-old enterprise founded by husband-wife duo Taryn Brice-Rowland and Aaron Rowland in the Northern Neck community of Lancaster had already taken a hit early in its life when record-breaking rains swept through Virginia in 2018, diluting the salty waters where the bivalve thrives and wiping out that year’s crop. But the pair persisted, beginning again the laborious two-year process of raising oysters from seed to shell.
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** Wing expands drone delivery, two Christiansburg businesses join in ([link removed])
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By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Wing Aviation is partnering with two more businesses to add to the list of items its drones will deliver. Christiansburg’s Mockingbird Cafe & Bakery and Brugh Coffee will begin their partnerships with the Google sister company Saturday.
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** Contura Energy to idle coal operations for 30 days ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Contura Energy announced Friday it will idle most of its coal operations for 30 days in response to market conditions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective immediately, the majority of Contura operations will be idled for about 30 days, with some sites idling for shorter periods ...


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Despite stay-at-home orders, 6 in 10 are out on roads ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE SHAVER AND JOHN D. HARDEN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Traffic around the country has plummeted since governments began enacting stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus outbreak, but data from vehicle navigation systems and other monitors shows many of us are still out of our homes and on the road.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virtual campus tours, new deadlines, financial fears: Coronavirus hits admissions ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

From the Baltics, Juan Espinoza sensed this year’s college admissions game would be like no other. Meet-and-greets with counselors and students began getting canceled. School systems started shutting down. Then Espinoza found himself in Greece a couple days before the U.S. suspended all travel to Europe. When he returned home to Blacksburg, Virginia Tech’s top admissions officer decided, as a precaution, to put himself in quarantine.
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** UVa to use residence halls for health care workers ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The University of Virginia plans to use three residential complexes to provide temporary housing for health care workers. Gay Perez, UVa’s assistant vice president of student affairs, notified students who are still living in Bice House, Bond House and the Language Houses of the plan in an email that was provided to The Daily Progress.
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** ODU athletics faces drastic cost-cutting measures to remain financially solvent, study says ([link removed])
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By DAVID HALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

An independent study of Old Dominion’s athletic department commissioned by the university paints a potentially bleak picture for the future of many of its programs, in part because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a comprehensive examination of the department’s finances by former college athletic director Dr. Richard L. Sander, dated March 30 and acquired by The Virginian-Pilot via the Freedom of Information Act, among the conclusions was that in addition to eliminating the school’s wrestling program, ODU will likely have to take other drastic cost-cutting measures to keep the department financially solvent.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Virginia rises 9.5%, to 2,637 ([link removed])
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By K. BURNELL EVANS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Sunday that 2,637 people in Virginia have tested positive for COVID-19 and 51 have died. That’s an increase of 230 cases from the 2,407 infections reported Saturday morning. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 increased more than 10% from Saturday to Sunday, to 431, but deaths attributed to the disease dropped to 51, from 52.
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** Virginia now has more than 2,600 confirmed coronavirus cases, with at least 431 hospitalizations ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia now has 2,637 confirmed coronavirus cases, an increase of 230 from Saturday’s tally, and more than 50 people have died, according to the state health department. At least 431 people with the virus have been hospitalized throughout the state, though that figure is likely an undercount. Roughly 23,700 people have been tested for the virus.
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** Their mother tested positive for the coronavirus. No one told them ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

On the two-hour drive from Laurel, Md., Irene Thompson thought about pulling over. The tears had clouded her vision, and at moments, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Usually, gospel calmed her down, but this time, it only reminded her of her mother — how she loved Bingo and made a meatloaf and macaroni and cheese that her sister Tanisha Evans said “was nothing but the truth” — and the call she received Friday night. “Mom might not make it past the weekend.”
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** Local cases see highest uptick yet; masks recommended for all ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Between Saturday and Sunday, the Fredericksburg area experienced its highest increase in COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period, to date, and a local health official is joining national leaders in encouraging everyone to wear a mask when they have to be out in public.
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** Roanoke area reaches 38 confirmed COVID-19 cases; Montgomery County department quarantined ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE AND YANN RANAIVO, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The Roanoke Valley is seeing sustained community transmission of COVID-19, as the number of confirmed cases rose to 38 locally by Friday morning. Meanwhile, in Montgomery County in the New River Valley, a social services worker tested positive for the virus and the entire department staff of 68 is now under quarantine, according to a county spokeswoman. The employees have been instructed to self-quarantine through April 10, county spokeswoman Jennifer Harris said.
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** One local COVID-19 patient was at death's door, another had mild case ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

A few days after learning he didn’t have the flu, Eric Bryant headed to the emergency room when his fever, chills and weakness worsened to the point he couldn’t walk up the steps without losing his breath. It was March 8. He asked his wife, Kristal, to get a book and laptop for him to use while he was hospitalized at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. The Spotsylvania County man never got the chance to open either.
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** Danville woman who tested positive for coronavirus waited nearly two weeks for results ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

Robin Marcato, the Danville woman who was tested for coronavirus on March 24, said she tested positive for COVID-19. Marcato, 47, waited nearly two weeks for her test results, which she received Saturday. She told the Danville Register & Bee on Sunday she is slowly getting her appetite back and hasn’t had a fever in two days.
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** How Portsmouth Naval Medical Center is dealing with hundreds of staff gone to New York during pandemic ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE HAFNER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Earlier this week, the Norfolk-based USNS Comfort hospital ship sailed into New York Harbor, ready to assist with the city’s non-coronavirus patients while local hospitals focused on the virus. Aboard were about 1,100 Navy medical personnel and support staff — most of them from Hampton Roads, and a majority from the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center. That leaves the naval hospital short-staffed during a time of crisis.
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** ER doctors push past their fears to treat coronavirus patients ([link removed])
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By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Dr. Carlton Stadler stepped through the door of his western Henrico County home, peeled off his black scrubs and walked straight to the shower in hopes of not spreading the coronavirus to his wife and five children. He doesn’t wear shoes in the house, and his work clothes are washed separately. Stadler is an emergency room physician, and each day he goes to work, he’s at risk of becoming infected.
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** Locals Stepping Up To Reduce PPE Shortfall ([link removed])
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By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

As the national supply for personal protective equipment to guard against COVID-19 dwindles and hospitals and state organizations work to find or make more, Valley locals are stepping up to fill the gap as larger producers retool. Jeff Guinn, owner of Mark-It in downtown Harrisonburg, has teamed up with roughly 20 people as Hburg Makers Help to create 1,200 face shields for Sentara RMH staff.
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** Face masks and talking from a distance: Coronavirus is changing how police do their jobs ([link removed])
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By MARGARET MATRAY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Her shift begins at the third precinct these days, her temperature tested to ensure she’s symptom free. It’s a complete change from where Officer Krystal Holland was just weeks ago: a school resource officer at Deep Creek Middle. Back then, the six-year Chesapeake police veteran started her mornings at school, greeting her kids. But during the coronavirus pandemic — schools out, daily life totally altered — she’s been reassigned to patrol the Deep Creek neighborhood. So now she sanitizes her car with Clorox wipes...
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** Richmond restaurants continue to rally to feed medical and other workers on the front lines and those in need ([link removed])
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By HOLLY PRESTIDGE, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Sometimes, the best humanitarian gestures are topped with pepperoni and arrive in large, square boxes. Weeks into the national pandemic, restaurants around Richmond continue to rally to feed those on the front lines, from medical personnel to first responders.
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** Essential workers in Virginia could face child care crisis as the COVID-19 outbreak peaks ([link removed])
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By KIM BARTO MEEKS, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

With schools closed across Virginia and cases of coronavirus on the rise, state officials are warning of a potential childcare crisis facing essential workers. Gov. Ralph Northam’s recent executive order shuttering all public and private schools for the rest of the semester leaves about 1.2 million children under age 12 out of school. The order does not apply to private child care providers, but those that remain open do not have enough space to meet all of the need.
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** Virginia man wanted to help those in need. He surprised shoppers by paying for their groceries. ([link removed])
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By FREDRICK KUNKLE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Michael S. Megonigal and his daughter, Marley, wanted to help people who lost their jobs as the covid-19 pandemic spread, perhaps by buying someone some food, but the two weren’t sure about how to do it. Then, after stepping in line to buy a snack at the Culmore Supermarket in Baileys Crossroads last weekend, an opportunity unfolded before them: Another customer discovered she couldn’t afford everything and was about to put an item back. Megonigal paid for her groceries, and then some.
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** Virginia fraud task force warns of potential scams involving $1,200 economic impact payments ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force issued a statement Sunday warning citizens of potential economic impact payment scams. The one-time $1,200 payments are scheduled to begin being issued as early as Friday, and task force officials reminded the public most Americans will receive a direct deposit into their bank accounts.
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** Domestic violence shelters see uptick in calls as people try to stay home ([link removed])
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By STACY PARKER AND DENISE M. WATSON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

An insidious side effect of the coronavirus pandemic is rearing its ugly head. With the governor calling for everyone to stay home if they can, people are sometimes finding themselves trapped in stressful situations with domestic abusers, officials said. Calls to domestic violence emergency hotline numbers grew 76% statewide in March, according to the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance...
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** Another level of grief: Virginia families hold funerals with no audience, no hugs ([link removed])
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By HOLLY PRESTIDGE, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The loneliness of being in an empty church built for 600 only intensified Bill Braden’s grief. He’d had five years to prepare for the love of his life — his wife, Susan — to die. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2015 and outlived doctor’s grim expectations. Each extra day, week, month was a gift. They both knew it. Still, he’d let his mind wander to what saying his final goodbyes might be like. He never imagined this.
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** Virginia Board of Education clears hurdles for high school seniors to graduate this spring ([link removed])
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By KIM BARTO MEEKS, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

There’s good news out of Richmond for high school seniors: The Virginia Board of Education approved two emergency measures on Thursday to waive temporarily certain rules that would otherwise prevent students from earning high school credits for courses interrupted by the extended school closures. These actions give Virginia school districts additional leeway to allow the class of 2020 to graduate on time and younger students to advance to the next grade.
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** During COVID-19, Parents Turn To Homeschoolers For Tips ([link removed])
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By MEGAN PAULY, WCVE

Many parents have been forced to essentially homeschool their children now, since schools are closed due to COVID-19. Some are turning to parents who’ve been homeschooling by choice, like Rebekah Amos, for advice. Amos has been educating her six kids at home in Waynesboro for the last several years now. “We have seventh grade, fifth grade, second grade and kindergarten,” Amos said. “So a lot of different levels and a lot of variety of things that they're learning.”
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** Condo Resident Calls Cops on Doctor Testing Patients in Parking Lot ([link removed])
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ArlNow

During the coronavirus outbreak, healthcare workers are being hailed as heroes. But one Arlington doctor had the police called to her office this week by a resident who was outraged that she was conducting in-car COVID-19 tests in the building’s parking lot. Dr. Lillian Hunt owns a ground-floor office condo at The Chatham condominium building, located a mile south of Ballston at 4501 Arlington Blvd. She says she started testing her patients last Monday “as soon as my commercial labs could give me the test kits.”


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** No FOMO here: Spring break plans screech to a halt in Virginia ([link removed])
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By COLLEEN CURRAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

For spring break this year, Sheri Rice and her family were planning to head from their home in Mechanicsville to Clearwater Beach, Fla., like they do every year. But with the threat of the coronavirus and a stay-at-home order issued for the state, they won’t be hitting the road anytime soon. “We have a house down there,” Rice said. “It’s my daughter’s senior year, so she’s a bit disappointed, but she understands the seriousness of the virus and is happy to stay home.”
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** Park service closes section of Appalachian Trail including McAfee Knob ([link removed])
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By TONIA MOXLEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The National Park Service has closed 27 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus at the center of a worldwide outbreak that has sickened more than a million people and killed more than 65,000.


** LOCAL
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** City of Alexandria could face nearly $100 million budget shortfall ([link removed])
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By ABIGAIL CONSTANTINO, WTOP

The City of Alexandria, Virginia, stands to lose nearly $100 million through mid-2021 as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Under new budget proposals, the city is considering hiring freezes at the city government level and deferring city projects and employee compensation increases, it said.
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** Herndon Officials Rethink FY 2021 Budget Due to Economic Changes ([link removed])
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By ASHLEY HOPKO, Reston Now

As the U.S. experiences an economic downturn as a result of COVID19, Town of Herndon officials plan to revise the previously proposed budget for fiscal year 2021. Herndon Town Manager William Ashton II recently decided that the budget is no longer fitting for the town’s needs, according to a press release.
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** ‘Food rescue’ app launches in Prince William County ([link removed])
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By MICHELLE MURILLO, WTOP

Want to help your community while still social distancing? In Prince William County, there’s an app for that. Prince William County needs people willing to do food rescues, making sure food that is available gets to those who need it.
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** Crisis puts nonprofits in difficult position ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Area nonprofits are facing vexing questions about how to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic. With the state ordering schools, stores and restaurants to shut down, nonprofits that serve students, provide space for public gatherings and who educate visitors with gallery exhibits and historical interpretations can no longer physically connect with clients and supporters.
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** New Project at the Valentine Encourages Students to Document Their Stories of Living in the Pandemic ([link removed])
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By ALEX BROENING, WCVE

As museums nationwide have closed their doors to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Valentine in Richmond is looking to engage the community online. To document the historic outbreak and its effects on students in Richmond, the museum is launching a new program, called “Richmond Stories from Richmond Kids.” K-12 students from the Richmond area are being asked to submit work that reflects their thoughts and feelings about how their lives have changed due to COVID-19.
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** Chesterfield County cuts $50 million from upcoming budget, salary increases canceled ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

As localities continue to grapple with estimating the full economic blow of COVID-19, Chesterfield County released its revised budget Friday afternoon, and it’s almost $50 million short of County Administrator Joe Casey’s initial $773 million budget proposal and $10 million below the 2020 adopted budget.
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** Virginia Beach will resume trash collection next week after coronavirus investigation ([link removed])
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By JESSICA NOLTE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Waste Management will resume trash collection Tuesday in Virginia Beach after the city suspended it Friday to investigate an employee’s positive test for the coronavirus.
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** Virginia Beach has started offering hotel rooms to homeless people to fight the spread of the coronavirus ([link removed])
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By ALISSA SKELTON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Over the past two weeks, Virginia Beach has quietly offered 46 hotel rooms to homeless individuals, in the hopes that getting them off the streets would help prevent the spread of coronavirus. To the city’s surprise, Gov. Ralph Northam endorsed the idea on Friday — announcing $2.5 million in emergency funding for localities across the state to provide temporary housing for about 1,500 people without shelter. Virginia Beach expects to receive more than $124,000 from the state and possibly more from the federal government to help the homeless.
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** Possibly delaying the new high school by a year hints at the city’s tough financial decisions to come ([link removed])
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By RANDI B. HAGI AND ANDREW JENNER, Harrisonburg Citizen

Harrisonburg leaders are looking at a starkly different financial reality now than they were less than four months ago when the city council approved the $100 million needed to build and open a second high school, which has the Harrisonburg School Board considering a one-year delay of its construction. The school board will hold a closed session Thursday to discuss with the board’s attorney Kevin Rose the ramifications of altering the construction contract.
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** Area child care providers in wait-and-see mode ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

When Gov. Ralph Northam shut down school buildings for the rest of the year, he told child care providers to prioritize children of essential personnel. Since that order, Charlottesville-area organizations have worked to determine the need in the community, as well as which providers are either open or able to reopen.
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** Rainbow Drive-In, beloved Bedford restaurant, re-opens ([link removed])
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By SHANNON KELLY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

After its closure nearly two years ago, a beloved Bedford restaurant has re-opened for business. When Rainbow Drive-In, formerly Bob and Cheryl’s Rainbow Drive-In, closed its doors, many Bedford community members expressed their sorrow at the loss on social media. Now, people are flocking to the Rainbow ... The opening comes at an odd time, when restaurants are struggling because they cannot offer traditional sit-down meals due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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** Absentee applications up ahead of May election ([link removed])
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By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Cities and towns across the Roanoke and New River valleys have seen an increase in absentee voting for the upcoming May 5 elections. Gov. Ralph Northam and the Virginia Department of Elections encouraged residents to vote absentee in the May and June elections to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at polling places. State law requires voters to provide a reason for voting absentee, but the Department of Elections has extended that to every voter because of the pandemic.
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** Roanoke Valley police, DMV make adjustments ([link removed])
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By NEIL HARVEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The first day of April last week also brought with it the possibility of a missed deadline for some Virginia drivers — anyone whose vehicle’s state inspection stickers expired at the end of March. Depending on the circumstances, however, windshields still bearing a 3/20 might not necessarily prompt a traffic stop.
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** Montgomery County closes government center after second worker gets initial positive COVID-19 test ([link removed])
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By MIKE GANGLOFF, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Montgomery County is closing its government center for two weeks after two workers tested positive for COVID-19, the county announced Saturday, the same day the county vaulted from one to six total reported cases. Many core government functions, such as public safety and others that operate from separate facilities, will continue, county spokeswoman Jennifer Harris said Saturday. But offices located in the government center in Christiansburg...
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** Washington County, Va., elections office closes ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

The elections office is now closed in Washington County, Virginia, due to a recent announcement by the Mount Rogers Health District that community transmission of coronavirus is now occurring.

Today's Sponsor:


** Virginia Health Care Foundation
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Many thanks to our dedicated, socially-distanced outreach workers for creatively helping so many newly-uninsured throughout Virginia apply for expanded Medicaid during this COVID crisis.


** EDITORIALS
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** The disease detectives ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Here’s a question we got from a reader in Botetourt County about the coronavirus outbreak: “Now we have four more cases in Botetourt County. Who are they? Have I been near them? Have my[family], friends, neighbors been near them? I have a strong respect for privacy in ordinary times BUT these are not ordinary times. Isn’t the safety of the multitude more important than the pride of privacy of the few?
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** Deterring veteran suicide remains a Virginia priority ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam and members of the General Assembly Military and Veterans Caucus are taking promising steps to deal with the tough problem of suicide among veterans. The governor and the caucus — legislators from both houses and both parties who work together on issues affecting the military and veterans in Virginia — voiced support for a sensible plan to reduce veterans’ suicide by beefing up mental health care
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** Gov. Northam, veto anti-business bills ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

During a webinar with Virginia business leaders on Thursday moderated by Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Susan Spears, Gov. Ralph Northam was asked whether he would either veto or at least delay the implementation of a number of bills passed by the General Assembly that would impose increased costs on businesses being crushed by efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Northam replied that “a decision would be made before April 11.”
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** Why 76 people (or 39) will effectively decide Roanoke's city council election ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Last year, Roanoke Democrats persuaded City Council to move municipal elections from May to November. The ostensible reason: More people vote in November than in May. That part is undeniably true: Five times as many people vote in a presidential election as in council elections. Now for the kicker: Despite Roanoke Democrats’ stated desire to have as many people as possible weigh in on who sits on city council, the reality is that the three council members elected in November will effectively be chosen by no more than 76 people.
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** Here's what a real Green New Deal would look like ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The Green New Deal is a clever phrase with controversial politics behind it. Let’s try to wring those out and just deal with the fundamental concept — that the transition to green energy should be good for the economy. It is true that there are lots of jobs being created by renewable energy. There are now more solar energy jobs in Virginia than there are coal-mining jobs — 4,489 versus 2,730 — and the former is rising while the latter is dropping.
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** Protecting members of the military should be paramount ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

So, let’s see if we have this right. With at least 114 crew members stricken with COVID-19 aboard his ship, the commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) essentially sends out a distress signal. Help, it says. “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,” writes Capt. Brett Crozier, an Annapolis graduate and highly respected career officer of nearly 30 years.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Schenk: Roads, trains, virus roundup ([link removed])
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By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Wondering what the governor’s stay-at-home order means for driving? Not much, really. The Virginia State Police provided simple answers: No documentation is need to drive as you normally would. No roads are closed to state residents and there are no restrictions for anyone who wants to drive out of Virginia. Likewise, there are no restrictions on anyone driving to or passing through the state.
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** Schapiro: Pandemic thwarts progressive advances in Virginia ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

In 1931, as the Great Depression erased jobs and pushed families into despair, Virginia’s political boss, Harry Byrd Sr., received some advice from a corporate leader cum confidant: Stand by the status quo. “We must,” tobacco man Billy Reed wrote Byrd, then a former governor and future U.S. senator, “keep Virginia like she is without any changes.”


** OP-ED
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** Sawyers: Private child care providers need emergency funding to support essential employees' families ([link removed])
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By MYRA SAWYERS, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Providing child care is complex and difficult even without a pandemic. Now, with tens of thousands of employees in diverse professions called upon to do essential work to move Virginia past this crisis, it’s even clearer that no single entity — not government, not the private sector — can address this crisis alone.

Myra Sawyers is president of the Virginia Child Care Association.
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** Johnson: A letter to Virginia teachers ([link removed])
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By ANDREA JOHNSON, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Teaching is a noble profession — one that I, and thousands of other educators in Virginia, feel called to for the opportunity to better the lives of children. In the past three weeks, we’ve seen teachers who are not just noble, but also heroic. For ages, there has been an unflattering adage about teachers: “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” As an educator, I’ve always known this to be false ...

Andrea Johnson, an English teacher and department chair at Salem High School in Salem, is the 2020 Virginia Teacher of the Year.
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** Davis and Carlee: COVID-19 immediate financial impacts facing local governments ([link removed])
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By STEPHANIE DAVIS AND RON CARLEE, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Local governments are facing an immediate need to reduce services, including staff furloughs and lay-offs, to adjust to the impacts from the Coronavirus. Without state and federal help, cities, and especially towns, will face higher tax rates and/or lower services in the coming months. In the Roanoke region and throughout Virginia, sales tax, meals tax, lodging tax, and the business tax represent a significant portion of local revenues for cities and towns.

Davis is an assistant professor of practice at Virginia Tech. Carlee is an assistant professor of public service at Old Dominion University.
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** Braunlich: Delay these laws to accelerate economic recovery ([link removed])
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By CHRIS BRAUNLICH, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Last week the Virginia Municipal League (VML), representing the Commonwealth’s city, town and county governments, urged Gov. Ralph Northam to delay legislation imposing new costs and unfunded mandates on them. They argued that the economic recession and uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic have made both prohibitive. The VML is right.

Braunlich is president of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.
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** Riggleman: New trade deal is a win for Virginia ([link removed])
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By DENVER RIGGLEMAN, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Virginia farmers and workers scored a major victory thanks to President Trump’s strong leadership in negotiating the USMCA, the groundbreaking new trade deal that will replace the outdated NAFTA agreement. This is in no part thanks to Congressional Democrats, who after more than a year of stalling, finally consented to the will of the American people.

Riggleman represents the 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a Republican from Nelson County.
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** Pillion: Take a fresh look at state budget ([link removed])
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By TODD PILLION, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

A lot has changed since I left Richmond in my rearview mirror when the General Assembly adjourned in early March. The budget we passed in Richmond is a product of a very different Virginia economy. The strong financial forecasts have been replaced with very uncertain economic storms as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread in Virginia and throughout our country.

Pillion represents the 40th District in the Senate of Virginia. The 40th District includes Lee, Scott, Washington, Grayson, Bristol (city), and parts of Wise, Smyth, and Wythe counties. He is a Republican from Washington County.
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** Yarashes, Bjornberg & Breslau: Farmworkers need protections to continue vital efforts ([link removed])
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By JASON YARASHES, REV. PHIL BJORNBERG & MARGARET BRESLAU, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

In the pyramid of essential survival commodities, food lies firmly at the top. Without food, our communities, our children and our society cannot survive. ... As the coronavirus crisis evolves, we see local governments acknowledging the importance of the retail side of the equation, with grocery store employees being classified as “essential.” What we rarely hear about — in Virginia and around the globe — is the most important part of the equation: farmworkers.

Yarashes is attorney of the Virginia Justice Project for Farm and Immigrant Workers for the Legal Aid Justice Center. Bjornberg is rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Pungoteague. Breslau is chair of the Coalition for Justice in southwest Virginia
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** Morse: Layne stands at the center of Virginia’s financial storm ([link removed])
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By GORDON C. MORSE, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A child of Newport News, a resident of Virginia Beach, Aubrey Layne professionally matured in the rapacious, competitive fields of commercial real estate development and presently holds court in Richmond as Gov. Ralph Northam’s secretary of finance. Thank goodness for it. He’s the right man in the right place.

Gordon C. Morse began his writing career with the Daily Press editorial page in 1983, then moved across the water to write opinion for The Virginian-Pilot. He later joined the administration of Gerald L. Baliles as the governor's speechwriter
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** Farnsworth: Northam was wrong to close Virginia’s farmers markets ([link removed])
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By LORI FARNSWORTH, published in Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

This year, we have seen an early spring, and the produce already is coming in. Usually, as the growing season continues, my market basket gets fuller and heavier with the items that will sustain my family through the coming week. No more.

Lori Farnsworth lives in Alexandria.
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