VaNews
April 28, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Advanced Energy Economy
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13,000. That’s how many new clean energy jobs Virginia will create each year. Thanks to Virginia’s leaders for putting Virginia on the road to recovery.

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Top of the News


** Northam open to idea of reopening business on regional basis ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday he is open to the idea of opening businesses in southwest Virginia before the rest of the state as he weighs when coronavirus restrictions can be lifted. Northam said at a press conference that the situation in the border city of Bristol illustrates why a regional approach might be necessary.
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** Va. gun range wins first victory against order requiring businesses to close ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN JOUVENAL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A Virginia Circuit Court judge ruled Monday that the governor exceeded his authority by forcing an indoor gun range in Lynchburg to close as part of his order shuttering some nonessential businesses.
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** From Northern Virginia to Northern Neck, COVID-19 keeps hitting long-term care hard ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Richmond County, on the Northern Neck, is a world away from Fairfax County but they have a common problem with the coronavirus pandemic, especially in long-term care facilities. A retirement community in Warsaw confirmed Monday that 18 residents and seven staff have tested positive for COVID-19, the first major outbreak of the disease in Richmond County outside of a correctional facility that has reported 107 cases.
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** Virginia Tech projects as much as $300 million in losses in coming months ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Virginia Tech could lose $50 million to $67 million in revenue over the spring and summer because of the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the university said. President Tim Sands described the projected financial hit in a message posted Sunday as “extensive.” In the fall semester, the university could lose $48 million to $240 million, estimates that don’t include the potential impact of reduced state funds from the pandemic impact, he said.
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** Concern for poultry plant employees ratchets up after worker dies of COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By RANDI B. HAGI AND JACOB LESTER,, Harrisonburg Citizen

The Valley’s poultry plants are under increasing pressure, including from concerned workers, to tighten safety measures in an effort to protect against the spread of COVID-19. It intensified Monday after an employee at one of the plants died from the virus and as community members led a “car rally” on the workers’ behalf. A spokesperson for Cargill, which runs the poultry processing plant in Dayton, confirmed Monday evening the death of the employee.
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** Unable to evict, some landlords accuse tenants of abandoning homes they’re still living in ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

As COVID-19 began to spread in Virginia, Linda Wilkinson’s work as a house cleaner dried up almost instantly. “Everyone that I worked for is elderly,” the 61-year-old Henrico County resident said. “They are all locked down in their houses and I understood that.” What she says she didn’t understand was her landlord’s unwillingness to work with her on rent after seven years of on-time payments.
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** A Chinese restaurant in Chesapeake was targeted amid the coronavirus. So the community stepped in with a tailgate. ([link removed])
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By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The owner of a restaurant in Chesapeake says her car was recently vandalized with anti-Chinese graffiti, an attack that apparently fit a national trend of hate attacks during the coronavirus pandemic. And now customers are stepping up to show their support for the business.
The Full Report
43 articles, 24 publications

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** FROM VPAP
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** Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
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Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

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 considers staggered reopening ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday said he is keeping an open mind about allowing some regions of Virginia to reopen faster than others. This appears to be a reversal from his position on Friday when he said he tried to be consistent by treating Virginia as one commonwealth.
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** Northam to consider regional plan for lifting restrictions as testing begins to ramp up ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR AND BRIDGET BALCH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday that he is open to a regional approach for lifting restrictions on businesses as part of the state’s COVID-19 recovery plan. Northam said the idea has been discussed among business leaders whom the state convened to help advise on the plan for the first phase of the state’s reopening, which has not begun.
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** Judge: Virginia shooting range can reopen during pandemic ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A Lynchburg indoor shooting range isn’t subject to closure under Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order and can reopen, a judge ruled Monday. After hearing arguments during a video hearing Friday, Judge Frank Patrick Yeatts of Lynchburg Circuit Court ruled in favor of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, who asked that indoor shooting ranges be excluded from the list of recreational and entertainment businesses the governor temporarily closed effective March 24 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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** Judge rules Virginia gun range can open amid virus closures ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

A Virginia gun range must be allowed to open to customers despite a statewide executive order requiring nonessential businesses to close to slow the spread of the coronavirus, a judge ruled Monday. The order issued by Lynchburg Circuit Judge F. Patrick Yeatts says federal and state protections on the right to bear arms outweigh any emergency authority held by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam to order the gun range closed.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Embattled Va. Dems stockpile cash ahead of November ([link removed])
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By ROBIN BRAVENDER, Virginia Mercury

Targeted Democratic incumbents from Virginia’s U.S. congressional delegation were padding their war chests as the election year kicked off. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the landscape for politicians in Virginia and across the country as many have been forced to cut back on active fundraising and campaigning. But the most recent campaign finance reports show that Virginia Democrats who are expected to face the toughest reelection challenges this fall had stocked up more cash than their competitors by the end of March.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Virus-driven budget cuts hit justice system ([link removed])
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By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)

Hopes for extra state money to boost district courts’ staff, public defender ranks and legal aid offices have evaporated as the COVID-19 virus forced state budget rollbacks. Spending cuts recommended by Gov. Ralph Northam even signaled delay of a long-sought new general district judgeship in Fairfax County.
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** Despite emergency declarations, cases move forward in Loudoun Co. courts, others ([link removed])
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By NEAL AUGENSTEIN, WTOP

With declarations of judicial emergency in response to COVID-19 from chief justices of their appeals courts, most cases in Virginia, Maryland and D.C.’s courthouses have been postponed. But in each jurisdiction, the wheels of justice continue to turn.


** CONGRESS
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** Virginia Congressional Delegation Wants to Protect Shipbuilding Industry ([link removed])
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By MATT LASLO, WVTF

Before the global pandemic shut down the economy, President Trump had proposed ship and submarine cuts that were almost universally opposed by Virginia lawmakers. The delegation is now fighting to help the state's contracting industry while debating how best to do it.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Pork plant closings send wholesale prices soaring — a signal of costlier hams, bacon and chops to come ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Wholesale prices for pork are soaring as big packers, including Smithfield Foods, close plants because of coronavirus outbreaks. That means supermarket prices are likely to follow in the next few weeks. Bacon prices doubled just over the past week, while hams rose by 32%, pork butts by 34%, ribs by 26% and loins by 12%, U.S. Department of Agriculture reports show.
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** Williamsburg restaurants are ready to be part of ‘phase one’ of the process to reopen ([link removed])
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By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

The more than 100 members of the Williamsburg Area Restaurant Association are prepared “to be part of phase one of the process to reopen the economy.” That’s according to a letter sent by the association Sunday to Gov. Ralph Northam, a missive that also commended the state’s chief executive for his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
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** Roanoke region could experience 20,000 to 35,000 in job losses ([link removed])
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By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The Roanoke region could experience job losses of 20,000 to 35,000 at the peak of a recession caused by COVID-19. These job losses would translate to unemployment levels reaching between 12% and 20%, according to the Roanoke Regional Partnership, an economic development organization representing Alleghany, Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke counties as well as Covington, Roanoke, Salem and Vinton.
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** Bassett Furniture to resume production this week ([link removed])
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By BILL WYATT, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc. announced on Friday that it will resume production at its manufacturing plants this week following temporary closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** GRTC bus drivers call out of work Monday following hazard pay demands ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

GRTC Transit System drivers seeking hazard pay for working during the COVID-19 pandemic called out of work Monday in protest, resulting in service delays for workers dependent on public transit. The agency announced before dawn Monday that half of its 100 drivers scheduled to work had called out, and warned of hourlong waits systemwide, including on some high-frequency routes where buses typically run every 15 or 30 minutes.
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** Virginia and Kentucky’s Beautiful Bridge to Nowhere ([link removed])
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By DAVID KIDD, Governing

Intended to bring much-needed industry and tourism to Appalachia, a state-of-the-art four-lane bridge was completed in 2015, connecting Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. To date, not a single vehicle has made the crossing from one state to the other. At least not legally. ...Federal funding for the project dried up before construction began on the connecting roads, leaving the southern states with an award-winning bridge to nowhere. But work has recently resumed on newer, less-ambitious plans for the thoroughfare.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to an in-person fall semester ([link removed])
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By LIA TABACKMAN, WTVR

Virginia Commonwealth University is "committed" to an in-person fall semester in the wake of covid-19, university president Michael Rao announced Monday. "Following public health planning and proper safety protocols, I am committed to an in-person fall semester in which we are back together in our classrooms, laboratories, studios, and clinics on both campuses," Rao announced Monday.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** CDC team headed to Virginia to help combat coronavirus spread in poultry plants ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

A team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been deployed to Virginia after Gov. Ralph Northam, with the governors of Maryland and Delaware, sent a letter on Friday to President Donald Trump seeking assistance in combating coronavirus outbreaks at poultry plants on the Delmarva Peninsula, a major center of U.S. chicken production.
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** Protesters Rally On Behalf Of Poultry Workers ([link removed])
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By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A line of roughly 50 cars snaked through the parking lot of the Rockingham County government offices in Harrisonburg as protesters voiced their concern for area poultry workers during the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday. A young man across the street, dressed in rubber boots, a hair net and thin face mask, shot his fist in the air multiple times, gesturing his support for the protesters.
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** VDH Investigates COVID-19 Outbreak At Local Jail ([link removed])
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By PETE DELEA, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Six months ago, Debbie Honeycutt’s son arrived at the Community Corrections Alternative Program in Linville looking to start a new life. Lee County resident Daniel Wesley Middleton, 35, was wrapping up a sentence for writing bad checks — a crime his mother said was committed to support his drug addiction. Middleton was transferred to the 125-bed facility in January with the hopes of receiving vocational training and life-coping skills. While at the state-run jail, his mother said, he was among 25 inmates to have contracted COVID-19.
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** UVa hospital treating 24 COVID-19 patients, but yet to see surge ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The University of Virginia Medical Center is treating 24 COVID-19 patients, and the anticipated surge of cases has yet to materialize, said Dr. Craig Kent, the university’s executive vice president for health affairs, on Monday during a Board of Visitors meeting. If the area sees a spike in the number of patients, Kent said the medical center has the ideal environment to care for them after opening its new tower this month.
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** Local Biotech Firms Say They Have Thousands Of Unused Coronavirus Tests ([link removed])
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By DANIELLA CHESLOW, WAMU

When infectious disease expert Crystal Icenhour began offering COVID-19 testing last month at her Aperiomics commercial laboratory in Sterling, Va., she expected a flood of orders. She could deliver results within 24 hours, compared to backlogged larger labs, and she could process up to 2,500 tests a week. “We thought we’d be turning work away,” she said. Instead, she runs a few hundred tests a week, “a fraction of our capacity so far.”
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** Fairfax County Localizes COVID-19 Data With New Dashboard ([link removed])
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Reston Now

Over the weekend, Fairfax County unveiled a new COVID-19 dashboard, providing more insight into the geographic and racial data. . . .Fairfax County Health Director Gloria Addo-Ayensu cautioned that the data underestimate the outbreak and highlights areas where there may be disparities in the Fairfax Health District.
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** Virginia Gov. Northam sued by pastor facing fine, jail for holding 16-person service ([link removed])
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By CALEB PARKE, Fox News

A Virginia church filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Ralph Northam after police threatened the pastor with jail time or a $2,500 fine for violating the state's coronavirus closures. Kevin Wilson, the pastor of Lighthouse Fellowship Church on Chincoteague Island, was served a summons for holding a Palm Sunday service on April 5 with 16 people spaced far apart from one another in a sanctuary that fits 293 people. Authorities said Wilson and the church violated the Virginia Constitution.
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** Virus hits hard in Mecklenburg ([link removed])
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South Boston News & Record

Halifax County’s neighbor to the east has the second highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Virginia on a population-adjusted basis. Mecklenburg County is now up to nine deaths from the virus, the Virginia Department of Health reported over the weekend. While the health department does not specify where deaths take place, dozens of people have been infected at Sentara MeadowView Terrace in Clarksville, and at least one elderly resident died there after testing positive, according to a family member.
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** Bristol, Washington County to start drive-thru COVID-19 testing ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

The Mount Rogers Health District is offering drive-thru testing for COVID-19 in Bristol, Virginia and Washington County, Virginia, over the next two weeks. People who want to receive testing must be prescreened and scheduled for an appointment, according to a news release from the health district.
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** Virginia Seeks Federal Approval of Emergency Payments for Caregivers of Individuals with Disabilities ([link removed])
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By MEGAN PAULY, WAMU

Providers of support services for adults with disabilities, ranging from full weekday programs to job coaching to community engagement, have had to close their doors due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Advocates have been asking for more action from the state to help sustain these programs. Last Friday, Virginia’s Medicaid agency, DMAS, announced they’re seeking approval from the federal government to provide emergency retainer payments to day programs for individuals with disabilities that have had to close their doors due to the virus.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Hurricane season in Hampton Roads could be a doozy if coronavirus lingers ([link removed])
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By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Forecasters are predicting an active hurricane season and while there’s no telling if Hampton Roads will be in the crosshairs, the coronavirus could complicate matters. With that in mind, emergency planners want people to be prepared this year more than ever because they likely will need to deviate from their typical response if the worst should happen. Make sure you know the latest plans, they urged.


** LOCAL
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** Arlington Still Charging Late Fees, Sending Letters Threatening to Turn Off Water Service ([link removed])
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ArlNow

Arlington County is still sending letters threatening to turn off the water service of delinquent utility customers, though it actually stopped the practice last month amid the coronavirus outbreak. On March 16 the Virginia State Corporation Commission ordered utility providers to stop disconnections of electricity, gas, water and sewer utility services as a result of the public health emergency. The next day Arlington announced that it was suspending water shut offs.
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** Fairfax County readies launch of body-worn cameras but foresees a stall ([link removed])
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By MEGAN CLOHERTY, WTOP

Fairfax County, Virginia, is ready to begin its body-worn camera program, in the works for years. But there’s the potential that funding could suffer after its first phase. Phase One of Fairfax County’s roll out of its body-worn camera program, beginning May 1, will outfit police staff, Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Fairfax Public Defender Office and court personnel.
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** Town of Herndon Mourns Death of Darryl ‘Smitty’ Smith, First African American Officer ([link removed])
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By FATIMAH WASEEM, Reston Now

Darryl ‘Smitty’ Smith, the first African American officer hired by the Town of Herndon and a community fixture known for his volunteerism, has died. Smith, who was hired by the department in 1973 and retired in 2004, made history once again in 2004 when he became the first African American elected to the Herndon Town Council. He served as vice mayor from 2004 through 2006.
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** Prince William County Will Fund A Public Defender Office, Despite Coronavirus Constraints ([link removed])
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By MARGARET BARTHEL, WAMU

Prince William County is the largest locality in Virginia without a public defender office — but it’s now another step closer to getting one. Advocates for the office were relieved when the $5.4 million in funding for the office survived new limits on spending imposed by the General Assembly last week. Lawmakers rolled back or deferred many other spending priorities, including funding for raises for teachers and state employees and an increase in Virginia’s minimum wage. The Commonwealth’s budget has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
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** Fearing wave of evictions, advocates press Richmond City Council to up investment in affordable housing ([link removed])
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By MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

In the middle of a pandemic many fear will cost families their homes, advocates on Monday pressed the Richmond City Council to steer more dollars to affordable housing for residents. In normal times, Richmond landlords evicted tenants at the second-highest rate of any like-sized city in the country, Princeton University researchers found.
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** With traffic down, Richmond Air Quality Improves ([link removed])
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By ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA, WAMU

Improvements in air quality near the Richmond interstate suggest that social distancing restrictions are inadvertently benefiting the environment. Nitrogen levels in the air near Richmond highways typically drop by 25 percent as the weather changes from March to April. This year it was a drop of 35 percent, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
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** Virginia Beach waves food tax starting Friday ([link removed])
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Southside Daily

You can order from the menu of any Virginia Beach restaurant and skip the meals tax . The Virginia Beach City Council voted to suspend the city’s meals tax to help residents and restauranteurs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tax holiday begins on Friday, May 1, and runs through June. Meals tax in Virginia Beach is 5.5% of the total bill.
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** Chincoteague Councilman Apologizes for Violating Governor’s COVID-19 Order ([link removed])
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By CAROL VAUGHN, Eastern Shore Post

A Chincoteague town council member apologized to the mayor, his fellow council members, and Chincoteague residents for his participation in a gathering held earlier this month in violation of the governor’s executive order during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for a situation I found myself in a few weeks ago that went against our governor’s order,” Councilman Matthew Reed said during the April 16 town council workshop meeting. “I made a mistake. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Reed said, adding, “I went to what I thought was dinner with a couple of friends.”

Today's Sponsor:


** Advanced Energy Economy
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13,000. That’s how many new clean energy jobs Virginia will create each year. Thanks to Virginia’s leaders for putting Virginia on the road to recovery.


** EDITORIALS
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** Northam should reconvene legislature to set up all-mail elections in May and June ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam has postponed the May 5 municipal elections until May 19. That wasn’t his first choice, of course. He tried to move them to November, but the state Senate blocked that in last week’s reconvened session. Those who pushed for the November date rightly pointed out postponing the election two weeks doesn’t solve the basic problem.
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** Public business demands proper oversight ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Norfolk City Council’s unanimous vote April 14 to approve conditional use permits for the local Costco was a pro forma decision, one of many items jammed into a public meeting held under the challenging conditions created by the global pandemic. That may have followed the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the attorney general’s guidance that only business related to the emergency should be done at a time when the regular checks and balances of government are absent.
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** Why Congress needs to support your local news sources in this crisis ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

During the global coronavirus pandemic, access to accurate and trustworthy information in your community is as critical to life under quarantine and as sought after as hand sanitizer and face masks. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is Virginia’s news leader.
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** Privacy versus need for virus information ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

There were good reasons for Congress to pass the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act back in 1996. People changing jobs or between jobs needed assurance that personal health information wouldn’t be passed on to prospective new employers or to insurers. HIPAA was created to help make sure that Americans would not be discriminated against because they had the bad luck to be in less-than-perfect health. It was meant to protect our privacy.


** OP-ED
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** Kern and Downey: Hospitals ready for next phase of virus fight ([link removed])
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By HOWARD P. KERN AND WILLIAM B. “BILL” DOWNEY, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Hospitals are many things to the people and communities they serve — the place where children are born, where loved ones receive care during illness or injury, large employers, community cornerstones, and much more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have come to view hospitals another way: as the first line of defense against a virulent disease that’s affected millions around the world. We are grateful for the outstanding work of our health caregivers and the outpouring of community support for them.

Howard P. Kern is president and CEO of Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare. William B. “Bill” Downey is chief executive officer for Newport News-based Riverside Health System.
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** West: Navigating a radically different college process ([link removed])
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By JONATHAN WEST, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

For the next few months, forget everything you know about college admissions and financial aid, especially for current high school juniors and seniors. This year is radically different and the dust is far from settled. What will college look like this fall? Even the experts don’t know — a recent Inside Higher Ed article listed 15 possible different scenarios.

Jonathan West is director of College Funding Group, LLC in Richmond
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** Vannorsdall: From 400 miles away ... saying goodbye ([link removed])
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By JOAN VANNORSDALL, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

It’s the oldest story we know, the one about letting go of those we love when death comes to claim them. But it’s an altered story now, character-bare and setting-dim in this pandemic time, stripped of the comfort of grieving surrounded by family and friends. It’s you and death and remembering.

Joan Vannorsdall is a columnist and contributing editor for Blue Ridge Country magazine, and the author of two novels — “Solitary Places” and “The Hearts of Soldiers.”
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** Reveley and Stimpert: Why our colleges can and must reopen this fall ([link removed])
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By W. TAYLOR REVELEY IV AND LARRY STIMPERT, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Farmville calls itself the oldest two-college town in America. We lead its two historic institutions — public Longwood University and private Hampden-Sydney College — that have been neighbors, six miles apart, through the decades and centuries. Together, our schools have witnessed the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and, in more recent years, 9/11 and the 2008 stock market crash.

W. Taylor Reveley IV is president of Longwood University. Larry Stimpert is president of Hampden-Sydney College.
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