VaNews
April 27, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Dr. Ella Webster
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In honor of Epidemiologists and Data Scientists.

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


** Coronavirus cases at local nursing homes pass 2,000; families seek transparency ([link removed])
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By REBECCA TAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

At least 255 nursing homes in the District, Maryland and Virginia had novel coronavirus cases as of last week, nearly double the number from April 11. According to data provided by officials, more than 2,000 residents and workers at these long-term care facilities have been infected.
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** COVID-19, by the numbers ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Each morning, hundreds of thousands of Virginians click on a state website to get their daily dose of COVID-19 infection numbers. Usually at 9 a.m., the Virginia Department of Health’s dashboard rolls out the daily numbers, a morose lottery that reports how many unlucky Virginians now have the disease, have been admitted to a hospital or have died.
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** Virginia, ranked among lowest in nation, gears up for more COVID-19 tests ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Part of Gov. Ralph Northam’s phased-in plan to restart the economy includes testing 10,000 people a day—which may be a particularly ambitious benchmark, given that the number of COVID-19 tests done in the state, to date, puts Virginia near the bottom of per-capita testing nationwide.
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** Group calls for stronger distancing measures in Virginia ([link removed])
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By SAMUEL NORTHROP, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A network of doctors, scientists, policy experts and concerned citizens have penned an open letter to Gov. Ralph Northam calling for more aggressive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Virginia. The letter comes after Northam on Friday announced a blueprint for easing health restrictions if cases trend downward for 14 consecutive days. The Virginia Department of Health reported the number of COVID-19 cases rose more than 1,000 on Sunday to 12,970 statewide.
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** Essential workers face a public not following social distancing guidelines ([link removed])
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By CALEB AYERS, Danville Register & Bee

While working at the Family Dollar on North Main Street, 62-year-old​ Marty Brooks has watched customers blatantly ignore social distancing guidelines, not wear masks and come into the store multiple times in the same day for snacks. “How can that be essential?” she wondered. While working as an ultrasound technician for 40 years, Brooks took a class on infectious diseases every year.
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** Virginia meatpacking workers note lack of information even as plants across U.S. become coronavirus hotspots ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

As meatpacking plants across the United States become coronavirus hotspots, some Virginia poultry workers say that cases in the commonwealth’s processing facilities exceed company-provided figures and are not consistently revealed to employees. “Word of mouth was that we have maybe 10 or more cases up there, but us employees were only told about two cases,” said Kita Davis, a wing packer at Tyson’s Temperanceville plant on the Eastern Shore. “We found out about three cases through Facebook.”
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** Seabirds return to the HRBT — but to a different island this time ([link removed])
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By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

After the War of 1812, the fortified island was built to protect Hampton Roads from the British, a tiny spit of land with strategically placed cannons that could better strike approaching ships. But in a matter of a few days, the now-decommissioned Fort Wool, a key part of American defense in later wars, will serve an entirely new purpose for the commonwealth: a home for its largest seabird colony.
The Full Report
50 articles, 21 publications

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


** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual If Money Were Votes ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

How much money have Donald Trump and Joe Biden raised in each of Virginia's 2,453 voting precincts? The answer can be found on this interactive map, which is color coded to show which candidate held the the money edge between November and March.
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** From VPAP Maps, 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 COVID-19 cases and statewide map showing the number of cases and deaths by locality. VPAP has added daily hospital utilization data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Updated each morning shortly after 9:00 a.m.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Governor's office says first phase of reopening Virginia 'will not last for two years' ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The Virginia Department of Health and Gov. Ralph Northam’s office said Saturday that the first phase of reopening Virginia won’t take two years, walking back a prediction made Friday by the state health commissioner. On Friday, Northam presented Phase One of lifting public restrictions in Virginia that would include a continuation of social distancing, remote work and wearing masks in public. Though the reopening outline of Phase One did not include a time frame, State Health Commissioner Norman Oliver told reporters Friday that he thought Phase One would be in effect until a treatment or vaccine became available.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** A look at how casino referendum will work ([link removed])
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By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

A simple yes or no vote will decide whether city voters approve a casino opening at the Bristol Mall. Newly enacted legislation allows Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond to conduct public referendums to allow one casino to operate in each city.
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** Existing taxes, not gaming tax revenue, would bolster Bristol ([link removed])
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By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Casinos permitted by public referendum through new, landmark legislation are forecast to generate millions in new revenues for Bristol and four other economically challenged Virginia cities — over and above any taxes on gaming revenue. The legislation sprang from a novel alliance of rural Republican and urban Democrat lawmakers from opposite sides of Virginia who on Wednesday completed a 20-month odyssey.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Deerfield inmate dies after testing positive with COVID-19, raising Virginia prison death toll to two ([link removed])
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By BEN DENNIS, WRIC

An inmate at the Deerfield Correctional Center has died after testing positive for COVID—19, raising the coronavirus death toll in Virginia state correctional facilities to two. The Virginia Department of Corrections reported Sunday that 65 inmates and 9 staff tested positive for COVID—19 at Deerfield—numbers that include work centers there.
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** Roanoke man given 3 life terms for 1986 killing is paroled ([link removed])
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By NEIL HARVEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

A Roanoke man who got three life sentences plus more than a century in prison for his role in a fatal robbery spree in the mid-1980s has been set free after about 33 years behind bars. Tyler Xavier Golden, now 55, was granted release by the Virginia Parole Board in January. That decision was certified March 30, and Golden left custody April 3, according to the state Department of Corrections. The Roanoke commonwealth’s attorney’s office said it was never notified, a communication that is required by Virginia law.


** CONGRESS
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** In Wexton town hall, official says Virginia isn't 'there yet' on returning to normal ([link removed])
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By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th, held a fourth virtual town hall Saturday afternoon to give her constituents updates on efforts being made at the state and federal levels on the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Daniel Carey, Virginia Employment Commission Unemployment Insurance Director William Walton and Fairfax County Director of Health Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu participated in the town hall with Wexton.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Tyson Foods closes Virginia Shore plant for 'deep cleaning' ([link removed])
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By TAYLOR GOEBEL, Eastern Shore News (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Tyson Foods announced it will close its Temperanceville, Virginia, plant Friday so the company can clean and sanitize the common areas over the weekend...Poultry companies across Delmarva say they are taking extra precautions, like daily cleaning and ensuring workers are practicing social distancing when possible, but that hasn't prevented coronavirus outbreaks from occurring in those plants.
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** Fredericksburg-area farms, market vendors adapt amid coronavirus outbreak ([link removed])
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By ADELE UPHAUS–CONNER, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

One day in mid-March, Tom Weaver left his Orange County farm with 900 pounds of pork to deliver to restaurants from Washington to Wintergreen. At the end of the day, he was back home with all 900 pounds. “I met locked doors,” he said. “I thought, OK, I’m broke. I’m done.”
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** Pick-your-own farms adapt to social distancing ([link removed])
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By SARAH HONOSKY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

While countless seasonal traditions have been disrupted as the COVID-19 crisis causes shutdowns across the state, Lynchburg-area farmers assure the community, pick-your-own strawberry patches will not be one of them.
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** How a coronavirus economy could harm recent college grads ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE LONG, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Canceled internships. Rescinded job offers. Students who graduate from college this spring, or who had lined up an internship for on-the-job training over the summer, will enter a vastly different job market than the one that existed even a few months ago _ and if the downturn becomes a recession, it could have long-term impacts on their earnings, economists say.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Coronavirus is changing the way universities connect with potential students ([link removed])
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By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to change the many aspects of university life, local college admissions departments are still expecting a normal amount of incoming students for the next school year. At Christopher Newport University and William & Mary, admissions offices have had to cancel their on-campus tours and spring events due to coronavirus restrictions. But that hasn’t stopped the institutions from finding new ways to reach and engage potential students.
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** UMW to resume "normal academic operations" in August ([link removed])
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By ADELE UPHAUS–CONNER, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

The University of Mary Washington on Friday announced its intention to resume residential and academic operations on campus with the start of the fall 2020 semester on Aug. 24. UMW President Troy Paino announced the decision in a message to the campus community.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** 11 have died from virus at northern Virginia care facility ([link removed])
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Associated Press

A coronavirus outbreak at a northern Virginia long-term care facility has resulted in 11 deaths and dozens of illnesses over the past month. The outbreak at Dulles Health and Rehab Center in Herndon began with a positive test for the coronavirus March 28, said Jeannie Adams, director of legal services for Commonwealth Care of Roanoke, which provides management and consulting services to the Herndon facility.
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** Page County sees spike in COVID-19 cases ([link removed])
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By MAX THORNBERRY, Northern Virginia Daily

With every new spike in cases, the clock resets for Virginia approaching the first phase of “reopening” the state. On Saturday Virginia reported 772 new COVID-19 cases — a combination of 11,902 confirmed cases and 464 probable cases diagnosed by doctors but not confirmed via testing. On Sunday the new cases dropped a little as the Virginia Department of Health reported 604 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 12,970, with 12,488 cases confirmed by testing.
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** Luray Nursing Home Confirms 59 COVID-19 Cases ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A Luray nursing home has confirmed 59 positive cases of COVID-19. On Sunday, Skyview Springs Rehab and Nursing Center announced the results of facilitywide testing of residents and staff members after its first confirmed case in a resident was found Tuesday. Jill Irby, the facility's administrator, said in a press release that most patients were not showing symptoms.
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** Health department testing all South Roanoke Nursing Home staff, residents ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

All residents and staff of the South Roanoke Nursing Home are being tested for COVID-19 as a way to determine whether the disease has spread beyond the three staff members and resident known to have been infected. Spokeswoman Jennifer Eddy said they are grateful to employees at the Roanoke health department who responded quickly to their request to have 100 staff members and 81 residents tested.
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** Mecklenburg’s virus death toll up to 9 ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Mecklenburg Sun

Deaths from COVID-19 have risen to nine persons in Mecklenburg County as official reporting by the Virginia Department of Health expands on the virus’ impact at a Clarksville nursing home. The Saturday daily update by VDH raised the number of deaths in Mecklenburg to nine, up from seven on Friday. Friday's report marked a dramatic change in the Mecklenburg numbers, after the death toll on Thursday stood at one.
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** Virginia pediatricians say reported decline in vaccination rates amid COVID-19 pandemic is troubling ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Pediatricians across Virginia are reporting a decline in vaccination rates as the COVID-19 pandemic continues — a worrying trend that many fear will lead to future outbreaks of otherwise preventable infectious diseases. A recent survey of more than 100 pediatric providers show that infant vaccination rates have decreased by 30 percent since early March, when Virginia reported its first known case of disease, said Dr. Sandy Chung, a Northern Virginia-based pediatrician and president of the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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** Virginia researchers are ramping up clinical trials to find a covid-19 treatment ([link removed])
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By BRIDGET BALCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

For the doctors treating the hundreds of patients who are hospitalized for COVID-19 in Virginia, there’s no playbook. The disease that has spread rapidly across the world — killing hundreds in the state and more than 200,000 worldwide — has no known treatment, so COVID-19 has presented a unique challenge to the doctors faced with saving lives against a mostly unknown enemy.
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** VA hospital nurses fear masks aren't protective enough ([link removed])
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By PATRICK WILSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Nearly two dozen employees of the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond have tested positive for the coronavirus, and an additional 45 were in isolation as of Friday awaiting test results. Four nurses — including one who tested positive after caring for COVID-19 patients — said the hospital put them at risk by giving them surgical masks instead of respirators that offer better protection.
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** Lawyers see a surge in requests for wills and other estate planning matters ([link removed])
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By GREGORY J. GILLIGAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Pat and Catherine Hughes saw the urgent need in early March to update their wills and their last intentions. The Henrico County couple hadn’t revised their documents in more than 25 years — a couple of years after their two sons were born. Their wills were simple back then, mostly dictating who would take care of their sons should they die and making sure the boys were taken care of financially.
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** With same-day results, Danville lab provides coronavirus testing for nursing homes, assisted living facilities ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

The machine vaguely resembles an oversized, high-tech toaster oven with smooth, rounded sides and a bluish hue inside. In the lab, this analyzer scans patient test samples for any signs of the coronavirus.
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** Open liquor stores. Skyrocketing sales. Isolation times are ripe for a relapse. ([link removed])
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By JOANNE KIMBERLIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Recipe for relapse: Keep liquor stores open. Cancel the usual support group meetings. Isolate people at home with their addictions. Add in the pressure cooker of a pandemic. This viral crisis seems custom made to kill sobriety. Hotline and group activity within a network called Loosid has leaped nearly 2,000%, says M.J. Gottlieb, founder of the 60,000-member online community. “People are relapsing after as much as 20 years of sobriety,” Gottlieb said.
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** 'The struggle is real': Richmond-area parents struggle to balance work and homeschool ([link removed])
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By COLLEEN CURRAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Local parents have been getting a crash course in home-schooling, wrapping up their fifth week of “distance learning” after schools shut their doors in mid-March due to the coronavirus crisis. “It’s a struggle,” said John Sarvay, a father of two who lives in Richmond’s North Side. “I have my own business. My wife has her own business. We have two kids that are very different ages and aging parents in town who need our support.


** LOCAL
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** Arlington County board approves National Cemetery’s expansion ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW DELANEY, WTOP

The Arlington County, Virginia board unanimously approved two agreements with the federal government to move forward with the expansion of Arlington National Cemetery. Board Chair Libby Garvey said during a Saturday meeting that expanding the cemetery will create more burial space but will require several county streets to be moved and realigned.
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** Arlington to hold July special election to fill open county board seat ([link removed])
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By ANTONIO OLIVO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

An Arlington County Circuit Court judge has ordered that a special election be held July 7 to fill the seat held by former County Board member Erik Gutshall (D), who died last week from complications related to brain cancer after announcing on April 6 that he would resign.
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** Hopewell will use school buses to deliver Wi-Fi service ([link removed])
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By JEFF MILBY, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

If you see a bright, yellow school bus rolling down the streets of Hopewell in the coming weeks, do not be alarmed. The buses will not be delivering children to schools in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, they will be delivering school to children, via quality Internet service.
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** Virginia Beach releases plans for remembering the May 31 mass shooting ([link removed])
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By JESSICA NOLTE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The City of Virginia Beach released new preliminary plans Friday for remembering the victims and honoring the survivors and those impacted by the May 31 mass shooting. In an email, acting City Manager Thomas Leahy told city employees that the coronavirus pandemic had nullified the original plans, which included an in-person ceremony and “other remembrance activities that were designed to bring people out and together.”
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** King George discussing cost of more trash at landfill ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Waste Management wants to dump even more trash at the King George County Landfill and is willing to pay extra for the opportunity. But King George officials don’t want too much, too soon if increasing the annual tonnage also hastens the demise of its cash cow.
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** Council announces food relief for 1,000 families ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

The Southwest Virginia COVID-19 Advisory Council announced $50,000 in food relief for 1,000 families across the region Friday. The United Way of Southwest Virginia will provide 1,000 $50 food vouchers to Feeding Southwest Virginia, which will then distribute them through food pantries, according to a news release.

Today's Sponsor:


** Dr. Ella Webster
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In honor of Epidemiologists and Data Scientists.


** EDITORIALS
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** Environmental rollbacks promise lasting harm ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

While most Americans are focused on little but the coronavirus threat and how it’s disrupting our lives, the Trump administration is charging ahead in its effort to weaken or dismantle vital environmental regulations. This shortsighted strategy will likely leave many Americans more vulnerable to the health threats caused by pollution and climate change, including the respiratory problems that are so deadly during this pandemic.
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** Assembly addresses budget realism ([link removed])
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Daily Progress Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

An outdoor meeting space on the lawn of the Virginia Capitol did not work as well as expected for the House of Delegates. But lawmakers managed to overcome the difficulties. About three miles away, in a building large enough for them to social-distance, state senators met indoors with more ease and efficiency. In either case, lawmakers and legislative staff are to be commended for finding ways to conduct the state’s business despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
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** Gov. Northam’s reopening dilemma ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

President Donald Trump recently characterized reopening the national economy, which has ground to a near halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, as “the biggest decision I’ll ever make.” Gov. Ralph Northam’s decision to reopen the Virginia economy will be one of his biggest decisions as well. Even though he’s a physician, the commonwealth’s chief executive does not know in advance how such a decision will play out.
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** How to read the VDH data (it's not what you think it is) ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Every morning the Virginia Department of Health updates its website to report the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the state. This is what’s important, right? After all, President Trump’s guidelines say that states can “re-open” if they show new cases declining for 14 days in a row. That’s the easiest number for both the public and politicians to focus on.
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** Senators’ folly will put voters at risk ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

At one point during Wednesday’s extraordinary General Assembly session, the clerk of the Virginia Senate, Susan Clarke Schaar, admonished lawmakers meeting at the Science Museum in Richmond, for not adhering to safety protocols by wearing masks. "We have several people in this room in a high-risk category for various reasons, including myself,” she said, according to reporters covering the meeting. Is it any wonder, then, that the lawmakers unwilling to follow safety measures for the good of their colleagues and legislative staff would make decisions that put members of the general public at risk as well?
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** Will politicians intervene to save minor league baseball? ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Will the pandemic kill off minor league baseball in Bristol, Danville and just over the line from us in Bluefield, West Virginia? Quite possibly. In public, Major League Baseball is focused on how it can salvage part of the 2020 season, perhaps by putting all the teams in Arizona and playing in empty stadiums. Behind the scenes, though, it’s focused on how to kill off 40 of the 160 minor league teams around the country — including the three listed above.
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** States should emulate Virginia and Maryland on voting. ([link removed])
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Washington Post Editorial (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Wisconsin officials said Tuesday that 19 people who voted in person or worked at polling places during the state’s April 7 election have tested positive for covid-19. This is not proof that these people contracted the illness while waiting in line to vote or while handing out ballot papers. At the same time, there may be people who caught the disease while voting but have not been tested. Whatever the number, it is too many: People should not have to risk their life in order to exercise their right to vote.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Lohmann: So far, so good. But if COVID-19 reaches Tangier Island, the results could be devastating ([link removed])
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By BILL LOHMANN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Tangier Island has been practicing self-isolation for centuries. In the age of the coronavirus, that history is paying off: no one on the Chesapeake Bay island of 425 year-round residents has tested positive for COVID-19. So far. “Everybody is being very vigilant and abiding by the CDC protocols,” said Inez Pruitt, the island’s physician assistant who works at the David B. Nichols Health Center.


** OP-ED
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** DeFelice: Fair Housing Month highlights fight against discrimination ([link removed])
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By JOE DEFELICE, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Two women were forced to move from an apartment complex when a maintenance worker told them they could exchange sex for rent. A landlord entered a woman’s apartment uninvited and on one occasion the woman awoke to find him in her bedroom, on her bed. Another woman was threatened with eviction if she didn’t have sex with her landlord.

Joe DeFelice is the HUD Regional Administrator for the Mid-Atlantic region
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** Regimbal.: Virginia needs a bipartisan business reopening commission ([link removed])
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By JAMES J. REGIMBAL JR., published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

It’s obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing a health and economic crisis. Recently, there were scattered protests and calls from some political leaders for a business reopening timeline. Still, everyone wants to find the proper balance between health and safety, with the least economic damage possible. Safely reopening the economy will be a complex endeavor and not foolproof in keeping COVID-19 cases to zero. Let’s use Virginia’s tradition of creating bipartisan commissions for decisions in times of crisis.

James J. Regimbal Jr. has 37 years of experience examining Virginia’s state and local government budget and tax policies. In 1999, he co-founded Fiscal Analytics Ltd. Prior to that, he served for 12 years on the staff of the Virginia Senate Finance Commit
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** Raspiller: Regionalism during a crisis ([link removed])
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By EDWARD "TED" RASPILLER, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

For the past three years, I have had the honor of serving on the board of directors for Virginia’s Gateway Region. As I assume the role of chair in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, all regional economic development groups in the commonwealth have needed to pivot their work from recruiting new business to our cities and counties, to serving their local governments and existing businesses.

ed Raspiller is president of John Tyler Community College and incoming board chair for Virginia’s Gateway Region.
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** Moeser: What Richmond must do to save its soul ([link removed])
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By JOHN V. MOESER, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The years following World War II ushered in urban planning and development on a large scale. Soldiers were returning, families were forming and war industries were shifting to meet burgeoning domestic needs. Housing development was a top priority. Automobiles replaced trolleys and streetcars. Highways connected suburbs to cities. Commerce, finance, industry and professional services were centered in the heart of the city.

John V. Moeser is professor emeritus of urban studies and planning at VCU and a retired senior fellow of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Richmond.
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** Hincker: Communicating in a Crisis and the Public Trust ([link removed])
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By LARRY HINCKER, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

By some quirk of fate, my forty-year career in organizational communications included crises of all sorts including the heart-rending tragedy of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. Crisis communication represents an integral component to a successful organizational crisis response. In that regard, how’s our federal government faring in these turbulent times? I offer the following tenants of Crisis Comm 101.

Larry Hincker is a retired public relations executive and lives in Blacksburg. He assists the NRV Passenger Rail initiative.
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** Kellam: Virginia Coast Reserve holds key to future resilience ([link removed])
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By LUCIUS J. KELLAM III, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

My family first came to the Eastern Shore of Virginia in 1636. Nearly four centuries later, we are still here. My roots run deep and are as intertwined with this land as the marshes, creeks, bays and lagoons that are the lifeblood of our shore culture. While I’m proud of my family’s connection to this place, I take even greater pride that the Eastern Shore has become a center for conservation science and an inspiration to coastal communities around the world.

Lucius J. Kellam III is an Eastern Shore businessman and former chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission.
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** Bell: COVID-19 testing numbers require context, understanding ([link removed])
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By ALAN BELL, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

“Innumeracy” may eventually kill more people than COVID-19. Author J. A. Paulos coined the term to describe dozens of misunderstood concepts in our culture as well as the consequences of those misunderstandings. Unfortunately, the term emerged before “asymptomatic” became a popular, yet largely false notion. There have been over 44,000 COVID-19 tests administered in Virginia and about 6,500 of these have returned "positive" results.

Alan Bell is an adjunct professor of engineering management at Old Dominion University.
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** Morse: A tale of two parties at Wednesday’s veto session ([link removed])
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By GORDON C. MORSE, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A huge event tent, cocktail tables, heartfelt but often muddled speeches, a busted audio system, much horn blowing and the Speaker of the House — overseeing this party — passes out. Welcome to the Virginia House of Delegates in the pandemic era and Wednesday’s “veto session.” You get a lot of sincerity out of the House these days. It’s now controlled by Democrats of course and they’re an earnest bunch. You just wish they’d spend a bit more time on the mechanics of legislative proceedings.

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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** Safstrom and Gastañaga: Virginia must stop exploiting people in prison ([link removed])
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By JENNIFER SAFSTROM AND CLAIRE GUTHRIE GASTAÑAGA, published in Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Recently, governors in Virginia, New York, California, Florida and other states announced proudly that people being held in prison were being tasked to make products to help address shortages brought on by the government’s failure to prepare for or respond quickly to the novel coronavirus public health crisis.

Jennifer Safstrom is the Dunn Legal Fellow at the ACLU of Virginia. Claire Guthrie Gastañaga is executive director of the ACLU of Virginia.
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** Rubin and Bleicher: Climate change, like the coronavirus, requires hard choices and leadership ([link removed])
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By REBECCA R. RUBIN AND SAM BLEICHER, published in Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

We find ourselves in unprecedented times. The novel coronavirus pandemic has upended daily life here in Virginia, across the country and the world.   Pandemics pose complex threats that affect all of us and demonstrate just how interconnected we are, along with the actions we choose to take or ignore.

Rebecca R. Rubin and Sam Bleicher, former members of the State Air Pollution Control Board, are members of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters Board of Directors.
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