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By SARAH RANKIN AND BERNARD CONDON, Associated Press
Ronald Mitchell worried about his mother’s care at a suburban Richmond nursing home long before she was swept up in one of the nation’s deadliest coronavirus outbreaks. She’s bedbound and susceptible to seizures. A sore on her foot went unnoticed for so long, he said, that it led to the amputation of her leg.
By GARY A. HARKI, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
A prisoner at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland died of COVID-19 at Virginia Commonwealth University’s medical center Tuesday, after spending 10 days in the hospital. The 49-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was serving a nine-year sentence for manufacturing methamphetamine...
By SAMUEL NORTHROP, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
More than twice as many black people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 as white people in Richmond despite accounting for a roughly equal share of the city’s population. Demographic information for the city’s confirmed cases released for the first time Tuesday shows that although black people comprise less than half of the city’s population, they account for more than 60% — 102 — of the 164 diagnoses to date.
By MAX SMITH, WTOP
A proposed delay in U.S. Census counts due to COVID-19 could force major changes to Virginia General Assembly races next year by preventing the 2021 House of Delegates elections from being held under newly drawn lines. President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday it wants to extend its suspension of all census field operations until at least June 1 as a coronavirus protection measure. It also wants to delay completing the count until Oct. 31 and delay the final state-level results needed for redistricting by at least four months to July 31, 2021.
The Virginia Public Access Project
Municipal elections set for May 5 could be pushed to November because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This would mean low-key city and town council elections would get swept up in the presidential contest. If 2016 is any guide, voter turnout in municipal elections would increase dramatically.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY AND MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Gov. Ralph Northam is asking the General Assembly to amend legislation allowing driver privilege cards for people in the country illegally in a way that would make the cards look more like a regular driver’s license. The legislature approved last month bills that featured a compromise between the more progressive House of Delegates and moderate Senate that allowed the cards to look like driver’s licenses...
By JIM MORRISON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
On Richmond Crescent in Norfolk, Va., more than a dozen homes rise in varying heights, forming a streetscape bar graph tracing the past decade’s increasing threat of flooding from an inlet of the Lafayette River. A green house with a prominent front porch is a modest four feet off the ground. Two doors down, a 70-year-old cottage has been newly raised 11 feet on blocks, at a cost of $154,000, nearly all of it federal and state money. On the corner, a one-story white-brick ranch looms about seven feet up, matching the height of the sage-colored brick house next door. A few homes still on ground level hunker among the high and dry houses looking down their proverbial noses at them.
The Full Report
50 articles, 25 publications
Read Online10 Most Clicked
The Virginia Public Access Project
Data from the Virginia Department of Health shows a timeline of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and a statewide map showing the number of cases by locality. VPAP has added a map of deaths by health district and hospital utilization data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Updated each morning shortly after 9:00 a.m.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Roughly three in four Virginians approve of Gov. Ralph Northam’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new Virginia Commonwealth University poll.
By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury
Virginia residents who fall behind on their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic would get an extra 60 days to catch up under a proposal Gov. Ralph Northam is sending to the General Assembly. The extensions, which would be available once the court system resumes normal operations, would only apply to people who aren’t already receiving relief through the federal CARES Act.
By JONATHAN CAPRIEL, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)
Virginia's executive and legislative branches seem all for allowing delivery robots from companies such as Amazon.com Inc. to roam the streets of the commonwealth nearly free from the grip of local government red tape, despite concerns from some HQ2 hometown elected officials. That said, Gov. Ralph Northam would like to see one tweak to the adopted bill — the robots need to yield to humans.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
It was less than a month ago, but Virginia’s economic and revenue outlook in March is already nostalgic. State revenues rose 10.8% over the same month a year ago and grew at more than twice the projected rate in the first nine months of the fiscal year that began on July 1.
By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
A man sentenced to life in prison 40 years ago for the murder of a Richmond police officer, who was shot four times in the head after making a traffic stop, has been granted parole and is scheduled to be released soon from the custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections.
By MITCHELL MILLER, WTOP
Members of Congress, including several lawmakers from Virginia, are requesting an investigation into what they say has been “mismanagement” of medical materials that should be going to states that badly need them to fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Virginia Reps. Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer and Abigail Spanberger have written to the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, formally asking for the probe. They question the stocking and deployment of materials from the Strategic National Stockpile by HHS.
By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Norfolk was eager for a “banner" year for its cruise industry. The coronavirus is making certain that won’t happen. All Carnival Cruise Line sailings were canceled through June 26, the company announced Monday, meaning the mermaid city would lose nine sailings in 2020.
By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
When much of the world has been ordered to stay home, there’s little demand for homes away from home. Some hotels have responded by getting creative while they wait for a return to some semblance of normalcy.... Rooms equipped with free Wi-Fi were being offered, starting at $25 for a half day, as a way for people to “work-from-home" without the distractions that come with being home. With 25,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel’s management made pitches to day cares needing room to keep their staff at a social distance.
By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Carilion Clinic announced Tuesday that it will cut pay for executives, trim hours for some employees, furlough others and delay expansion projects. The moves are in line with actions by health systems across the country as a response to the financial toll caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Carilion has seen a sharp decline in revenue as outpatient visits and surgeries are halted...
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Two industrial employers released updates Tuesday on how they're coping with the virus emergency. Corning Inc. in Christiansburg has asked a portion of its hourly production work force to volunteer for indefinite layoff, resulting in about 100 employees stepping up, spokesman Joe Dunning said.
By CAT MODLIN-JACKSON, Virginia Mercury
For Holly Hammond, face-to-face interactions were the only way to sell the plant starts and vegetables she grows with her husband, James, on their farm, Whisper Hill, in Scottsville. When the threat of coronavirus became apparent at the beginning of March, just as the spring market season was approaching, she had a swift change of heart.
By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee
Small businesses in Danville affected by the coronavirus pandemic can seek help locally, following a vote by the Industrial Development Authority on Tuesday morning. The IDA voted 5-0 during its regular meeting to approve a resolution authorizing three new emergency grant and loan programs to help local small businesses negatively affected by COVID-19.
By GREGORY J. GILLIGAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Richmond International Airport and 46 other airports in Virginia are getting a total of $309.8 million in federal funding to help deal with the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The Federal Aviation Administration is awarding $18.82 million to Richmond International ...
By MAX SMITH, WTOP
The “mobile lounges” at Dulles International Airport are not only here to stay, they are set for an overhaul that will keep them around for decades to come. A Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board committee is due to sign off Wednesday on plans to move forward with the contracting process both for 16 mobile lounges, which ferry people between terminals, and for 30 of the “plane-mates” that take passengers directly to and from planes parked out on the tarmac.
By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Ozzie Abaye bustles about her micro kitchen, arranging packets of lentils together and pouring chickpeas in a glass measuring cup. On her countertop, beside the lemon and bottle of tahini, sit a blender, a laptop and a small video camera affixed to a tripod. “Thank you for connecting with me, Hokies and friends, and also some relatives, too,” she tells the computer. “This is a way to stay connected while we’re staying apart.”
By BRYAN MCKENZIE, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
The University of Virginia on Tuesday announced it would freeze hiring and salaries and institute pay cuts for leadership as the university wrestles with coronavirus-created financial impacts of shuttered classes, canceled celebrations and refunds to students. The school will try to avoid layoffs, furloughs or job cuts as long as possible, officials said.
By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
After working in William & Mary’s dining halls for 18 years, Melanie Edwards calls the students she served her babies. “I know it’s food, but it’s not like a fast food restaurant," Edwards said. "You get to interact with the students.”
By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
A student at Liberty University has filed a lawsuit accusing the school of profiting off the coronavirus pandemic by refusing to offer refunds for housing, dining and other costs. The lawsuit, which the university pledged to fight, was filed in federal court in Lynchburg on Tuesday. It argues that although Liberty moved classes online and shuttered campus services in response to the public health crisis, the school kept residence halls open to justify not offering reimbursements.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
A Liberty University student is suing the school for not refunding student fees in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed this week in Virginia federal court, claims that Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. downplayed the significance of the public health crisis by saying the Lynchburg college remains open despite a stay-at-home order from Gov. Ralph Northam and the school moving classes online, among other steps.
By JONATHAN CAPRIEL, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)
The first building for Virginia Tech's $1 billion computer science-focused campus in Alexandria will be shaped like a gem but look like crown, according to new renderings released Tuesday. Virginia Tech revealed the latest design by architectural firm SmithGroup, which shows the 300,000-square-foot academic building with gold-colored fins running vertically.
By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press
The death of a female inmate assigned to a central Virginia prison is the first fatality in a state prison linked to the new coronavirus, authorities said Tuesday. The Virginia Department of Corrections said a 49-year-old woman, an inmate at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland, died in a hospital Tuesday morning.
By DANIELLE IVORY, NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS AND MITCH SMITH, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)
Even before a single resident tested positive for the coronavirus at a nursing home in Richmond, Va., staff members were worried. Triple rooms were not uncommon. Supplies were hard to come by. And there were not enough nurses for all the aging patients inside. All that made the home, the Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, an ideal place for the virus to spread, which it quickly did, with catastrophic results.
By MICHAEL MARTZ AND SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center has reached an unhappy milestone with three more deaths of residents from COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 45 and surpassing the total number of deaths from the first major coronavirus outbreak in the nation in Kirkland, Wash.
By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
A civilian employee at Fort Lee's health clinic has died from the coronavirus. The unidentified person worked at the Kenner Army Health Clinic, according to a news release from the base in Prince George County. They were admitted to the hospital April 6 after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result two days earlier.
By ANTONIO OLIVO, FENIT NIRAPPIL AND OVETTA WIGGINS, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
The number of covid-19 deaths in the greater Washington region passed 500 Tuesday with a record one-day increase in reported fatalities, even as local leaders maintained that social distancing measures like closing businesses and schools appear to be working.
ArlNow
Twelve people have died from COVID-19 complications in Arlington, according to new data from the Virginia Dept. of Health. That’s up from just three reported deaths yesterday. VDH is also reporting 36 hospitalizations in Arlington, and 401 known coronavirus cases among 1,951 reported test results.
Associated Press
Virginia health authorities are reporting more than 400 new coronavirus cases; that's largely consistent with a leveling off that has occurred over the last week. The Virginia Department of Health also reported Tuesday an increase in the death toll from 149 to 154.
By CATHERINE DOUGLAS MORAN, Reston Now
As Fairfax County continues to lead the increase of COVID-19 cases statewide, new data says the county has more than a dozen outbreaks at long term care facilities. Overall, 6,171 cases and 154 deaths have been reported statewide. More than 42,000 people in Virginia have been tested for the virus. . . . Yesterday, Fairfax County reported 21 deaths. All of the individuals who died from the illness were age 50 or older, with 18 of the people age 65 or older.
By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Until more tests are available to determine how many people are infected with COVID-19, there isn’t a reliable way to know how prevalent the disease is in the Roanoke Valley, or to know when the threat has passed, a public health official said Tuesday.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
If there’s one piece of equipment that might make the difference between spreading the virus and keeping it contained, it’s an N95 respirator mask. But just wearing one doesn’t guarantee protection. The mask has to be super snug, so droplets from sneezes or coughs can’t get in through the sides or the bottom.
By PAMELA D'ANGELO, WVTF
Every April, hundreds flock to see the Saltwater Cowboys round up famous wild ponies for a bi-annual health check. But this year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be different. Last week, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge announced the annual roundup would not be open to the public so people won't be tempted to congregate at the corrals.
By ADAM ZIELONKA, Washington Times
Amy Scarbrough of Falls Church has been a blood donor for years, so she was glad it was deemed an essential reason to leave the house during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In fact, to get this appointment, I think it was two and a half, three weeks ago when I made it,” Ms. Scarbrough said, “because they need to reset and can’t have the drives that they normally do.” A month after blood drives were canceled in droves and blood banks experienced shortages, individual donations have boomed as people look for ways they can help others during the pandemic.
By ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA, WCVE
As the battle against COVID-19 escalates in Virginia and calls for social distancing grow louder, Richmond’s performing artists are turning to online live-streaming platforms for a stage. In an effort to lift some spirits, Chandler Hubbard and his roommates started the Richmond Quarantine Theatre, a Facebook group that has since become a virtual gathering place for artists and creatives.
By KAREN GRAHAM, Loudoun Times
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's (D) proposal to move local elections from May 5 to Nov. 3 due to concerns surrounding COVID-19 has Loudoun town officials and the Virginia Municipal League weighing in on the potential impacts.
Loudoun Now
Gov. Ralph Northam’s request for the Virginia General Assembly to consider moving the May 5 municipal elections to Nov. 3, the same day as the 2020 General Election, has prompted opposition from the Virginia Municipal League and concern from many of the 28 candidates running in Loudoun. In an April 10 letter to the governor, the league wrote that it was “very disappointed” in Northam’s request, which he made in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Reston Now
Fairfax County officials have created a fund to support small businesses struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Board of Supervisors approved creating the “Fairfax County Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Microloan Fund” during their meeting today (Tuesday). The board expects the loan program to be ready by May 1, according to county documents.
By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Henrico County is slashing nearly $100 million from its spending plan for next year, scuttling a 3% raise for all employees, suspending new capital projects and freezing vacant positions. Officials announced the emergency changes Tuesday to the now $1.3 billion budget for the year that begins July 1, citing a looming recession spurred by the coronavirus pandemic.
By JONATHAN EDWARDS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The Norfolk police chief has issued new rules telling his 700-plus officers how to treat transgender people with respect, an order the department says is the first of its kind in the state. Chief Larry Boone on Tuesday announced the new standards in a six-page general order...
By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)
The economic downturn brought about by the coronavirus continues to affect businesses, jobs, livelihoods. Local governments also are feeling the pinch, as most all are finding themselves going back to the drawing board and adjusting their budgets. The James City County Board of Supervisors met Tuesday and discussed changes to the county’s proposed budget.
By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
What sort of price tag comes with fighting a pandemic? One Hampton Roads city gave a glimpse of that answer as Virginia municipalities, facing down budget season, continue to grapple with the deadly coronavirus and how it impacts the local economy. On Tuesday night, Chesapeake council members unanimously approved the appropriation of $2.4 million to cover expenses related to the city’s pandemic response.
By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Stafford County supervisors are looking for answers to help manage an anticipated surge of early voters in the Nov. 3 presidential election. Earlier this month, Gov. Ralph Northam signed a new law allowing people to cast ballots up to 45 days before an election without an excuse...
By RANDI B. HAGI, Harrisonburg Citizen
As the COVID-19 pandemic escalates in the Central Shenandoah Health District, the Harrisonburg City Council is considering emergency measures to offer relief to citizens and businesses by waiving certain late fees. The move came as the number of cases steadily increases in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area. The district is investigating an outbreak of the virus at the nursing facility Accordius Health at Harrisonburg, as WHSV first reported.
By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Salem residents behind on utility payments will not see services cut off and will not accrue any penalties for late payments until June 30.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
By nearly all measurements and most anecdotal accounts, the quality of mental health in America ranked ranks among the worst in developed nations — and that was before a global pandemic killed more than 23,000 people and confined tens of millions to their homes. Coping with this crisis challenges those who’ve never struggled with anxiety or depression.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
When the Virginia General Assembly began in January, the session started on a historic note. For the first time in more than a quarter century, the levers of government were exclusively in Democratic hands. A flurry of measures set the table for sweeping changes to the state’s gun laws, Confederate monuments and statues, energy use, marijuana policies and dozens of other policy areas.
By MICHAEL PAUL WILLIAMS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Before the pandemic, I shopped like a European, ending each workday with a visit to my neighborhood grocer. You do this, and you get to know some of the employees, from the college students to the grandmas. They learn your shopping habits — what, no dark chocolate-covered almonds? You learn a bit about each other’s lives. You join them in mourning the death of an employee who had formed a special bond with customers.
By WARREN FISKE, Politifact
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., recently criticized President Donald Trump for not taking the Covid-19 pandemic “seriously.” As proof, Scott cited the critical lack of test kits in the United States despite almost two months of warnings early this year before the disease hit American shores. . . . But we wondered whether the U.S. really is at the bottom of nations in per capita testing, as Scott said. So we did a fact check.
By GLEN STURTEVANT, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
A few commentaries recently published here have suggested veterans’ healthcare is under attack. What’s this menacing threat you might wonder? It’s the effort to give veterans the freedom to go outside the VA healthcare system and instead see a doctor in the private sector.
Sturtevant is an attorney at Rawls Law Group in Richmond and a former Virginia state senator.
By THOMAS P. KAPSIDELIS, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
In this spring of the pandemic, questions of life and death are paramount. We’ve lost loved ones, inspirational figures from all walks of life, and doctors and nurses serving on the front lines in overworked hospitals worldwide. From grocery clerks to firefighters, everyone in an essential job is in harm’s way. With heavy hearts this week, we also must pause to honor the 32 students and faculty members who were killed by a gunman on April 16, 2007, at Virginia Tech.
Thomas P. Kapsidelis is a former Times-Dispatch editor and the author of “After Virginia Tech: Guns, Safety, and Healing in the Era of Mass Shootings.”
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