VaNews
April 30, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
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There’s no working from home for PETA’s fieldworkers. “Meet ([link removed]) ” some of the animals (and humans!) who have relied on PETA’s free services during the pandemic.

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Top of the News


** Northam to allow non-emergency doctor, dentist visits ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, JENNA PORTNOY, LAURA VOZZELLA AND FENIT NIRAPPIL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Virginians will be able to resume non-emergency visits to the doctor, dentist or veterinarian later this week after Gov. Ralph Northam announced the state’s first rollback of restrictions since the coronavirus crisis began escalating in March.
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** Northam laid out what needs to happen before Virginia reopens. Here’s where we are now. ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES AND PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A 14-day downward trend — and more testing. That’s what Gov. Ralph Northam wants to see happen to the coronavirus in Virginia before the state eases into the first stage of recovery, where businesses can reopen with strict safety restrictions. That means two weeks with hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients on the decline, along with a steady drop in the percentage of coronavirus tests each day that come back positive.
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** Local lawmakers urge early reopening in SWVA ([link removed])
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By JEFF LESTER, Coalfield Progress

Seven members of the General Assembly’s far Southwest Virginia delegation have asked Gov. Ralph Northam to consider the region’s proximity to other states as he considers plans to reopen Virginia for business and social activity.
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** As COVID-19 spreads, most Virginia jails remain overcrowded ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Most jails in Virginia remain overcrowded despite efforts to reduce the number of people held in local lockups as COVID-19 spreads, according to state records. And while Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration has touted a 17 percent drop in the jail population around the state since March 1 — a significant decrease in a patchwork system that had been holding 28,000 people — a facility-by-facility review reveals uneven efforts to free-up space to spread out inmates and quarantine new arrivals.
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** As virus spreads in Virginia long-term care facilities, push for aid intensifies ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The escalating spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities in Virginia — and the deaths that accompany it — are intensifying the push for greater federal aid to help nursing homes and other facilities test more residents for the disease.
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** VPAP Visual Commonly Held Stocks ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Here's a list of 24 publicly traded companies whose stock was held by five or more members of the Virginia General Assembly. This snapshot was taken at the end of 2019.
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** Fatal overdoses rose statewide in 2019, but fell in Roanoke for first time in three years ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Virginia’s medical examiner said drug overdoses claimed more lives than ever in 2019, but in the Roanoke Valley the death rate declined for the first time in three years. The Office of the Medical Examiner filed a preliminary report for 2019 that shows 1,617 Virginians died from drug overdoses.
The Full Report
44 articles, 22 publications

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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual Pandemic Puts Focus on Voting by Mail ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

With elections taking place amid fear of contagion, voting by mail could become the way many people cast their ballots this year. Some Republicans say they fear voter fraud, but advocates of voting by mail say it is the best way to maintain social distancing. Expanded mail balloting will get its first trial run in the May 19 municipal elections to be held in 115 cities and towns across Virginia.
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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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** Virginia hospitals, dentists can do elective procedures again starting Friday ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam will let hospitals and dentist’s offices open their doors to patients who need elective treatment starting Friday. The governor said at a press conference in Richmond on Wednesday he won’t be renewing his public health order that prohibited all inpatient and outpatient surgical hospitals, doctor’s offices and dental offices from performing non-emergency procedures that required personal protective equipment.
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** Va. to start releasing ethnicity data on COVID-19 cases next week ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR AND SABRINA MORENO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Non-emergency surgeries at hospitals and dental practices in Virginia can resume on Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. Friday will mark the expiration of Northam’s executive order that halted elective procedures at the state’s health care facilities to create capacity for COVID-19 care and protect the state’s limited supply of personal protective equipment.
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** Virginia allowing elective medical procedures to resume ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

Virginians will soon be able to have elective surgeries and dental checkups again, as Gov. Ralph Northam announced that nonessential medical procedures could resume Friday. The governor said pet owners could also resume taking their animals to the vet for nonemergencies.
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** Northam urges ‘larger role’ for feds on poultry worker safety but advocates press state to step up ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order Tuesday invoking the Defense Production Act to ensure meat processing facilities remain open during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Ralph Northam is calling on the administration to provide additional assistance to protect plant workers. “If we declare that workers at meat processing plants are essential, then it is imperative that we continue to support their health and well-being,” said Northam at his regular Wednesday press conference.
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** In Gold's Gym suit, AG Herring says reopening businesses too soon risks more infections ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

In response to a lawsuit that questions Gov. Ralph Northam's authority to close recreational businesses, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says reopening prematurely could risk a new wave of COVID-19 infections.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Del. Jay Jones considering bid for Virginia attorney general ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Del. Jerrauld C. "Jay" Jones, a Norfolk attorney who is the son and grandson of local civil rights figures, is exploring a run for Virginia attorney general next year. Jones, who first won election to the House in 2017, has been discussing a possible run with fellow Democrats, six current and former delegates said this week. Jones confirmed their accounts in an interview late Tuesday.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Virginia GOP seeks to keep witness requirement for absentee ballots ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The Republican Party of Virginia is seeking to intervene in a federal lawsuit trying to waive the requirement that a witness sign absentee ballots sent in the mail for the June primaries. The state party argued in a court filing Wednesday that removing the witness requirement will harm the integrity of the June 23 primaries and will increase the risk of people casting ballots who are not permitted to vote.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Virginia has $3.1 billion in federal aid to spend, but state and local needs may demand more ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Virginia has $3.1 billion in emergency federal aid in the state bank account, but policymakers still haven’t decided how to spend it, either at the state or local level. The money, provided to the state through the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, is narrowly tailored to help state and local governments pay for the escalating costs of managing a public health crisis and a near shutdown of the Virginia economy, but it won’t fill the massive holes that are expected to open in their budgets.
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** State budget cuts driven by COVID-19 nix funds for courts positions across Va. ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Linda Moore was anticipating that her severely understaffed court clerk’s office in Chesterfield County would finally get the additional help it needed when legislators approved millions in new funding to hire 120 new district court clerks statewide. But then the coronavirus pandemic struck. Gov. Ralph Northam was forced to rethink all new spending, because the virus likely will eviscerate projected state revenues for some time to come.
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** Virginia prisons illegally withheld records on strip searches, judge rules ([link removed])
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By JONATHAN EDWARDS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

State prison officials broke the law when they “willingly and knowingly” withheld information about strip searches from the public, a judge ruled. Norfolk Circuit Judge Junius Fulton III found Department of Corrections officials acted in “bad faith,” violating both the spirit and letter of the state’s public records laws when they failed to hand over information that a Virginian-Pilot reporter had asked for.
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** Inmate with hepatitis C at prison with high COVID-19 incidence sues officials ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

An inmate with hepatitis C, asthma and other health issues, held in a prison where more than one in 10 offenders has COVID-19, is suing state officials alleging lack of treatment and dangerously-risky exposure to the pandemic. Howard Bowen Hankins Jr., 37, is an inmate at the Haynesville Correctional Center where, as of Tuesday, 109 of the 920 prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19.
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** 62 inmates released early - so far - in COVID-19 relief for prisons ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Sixty-two inmates with a year or less left to serve have been released early under a plan to ease the COVID-19 risk to Virginia’s nearly 30,000 state prison inmates. As of Wednesday, 100 had been approved for the program by the Virginia Department of Corrections, said spokeswoman Lisa Kinney.
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** Pressure Builds In Jails And Prisons As COVID-19 Spreads ([link removed])
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By WHITTNEY EVANS, WCVE

Advocates in Virginia and across the country warned early on that jails and prisons would be powder kegs when, not if, the virus permeated the walls of these facilities. Now, the number of people who are sick inside Virginia correctional facilities is on the rise. Two offenders have died. As of Wednesday, 456 offenders in state-run facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections.
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** GO Virginia Region 6 gets $1 million in additional grant funds ([link removed])
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By CATHY JETT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

GO Virginia Region 6 has received $1 million in additional grant funding for projects that will help the area’s economy through COVID-19 relief efforts. The GO Virginia State Board, which is adding grant funding for all 21 of its regional councils, also modified its grant program to make it easier to invest in projects that will lead to economic resiliency and recovery.
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** Virginians have until June 1 to pay state taxes, until November 1 to file ([link removed])
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By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

For Virginian taxpayers worried about the state’s usual May 1 deadline to file and pay their taxes, know that you have until June 1 to pay what’s owed without interest or penalty and November 1 to file. While the extension to pay had been made previously, the General Assembly only recently voted to not attach interest or penalties if a taxpayer were to pay after May 1 but by June 1.
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** Virginia Health Department restaurant inspections go virtual during pandemic ([link removed])
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By ALLISON BAZZLE, WVEC

Health inspections are essential to running safe food establishments, and especially for new restaurants that are trying to open. The Virginia Department of Health had to modify how they do business when COVID-19 hit. They now do inspections differently.
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** Loudoun towns to petition Supreme Court for additional delay in elections ([link removed])
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By KAREN GRAHAM, Loudoun Times

When Virginia's local elections will be held this year is still somewhat up in the air and may be determined by the Virginia Supreme Court. On April 24, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed Executive Order 59, which moves local elections from May 5 to May 19 for 56 localities across the commonwealth. The Virginia presidential primary was previously moved from June 9 to June 23.


** CONGRESS
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** Warner, Peninsula leaders talk virus recovery challenges ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

With coronavirus cases on the Peninsula seeming to plateau, business, health-care and local government leaders are looking at longer-term ways to continue to fend off COVID-19, they reported in a telephone conference call Tuesday with Sen. Mark Warner. Warner, meanwhile, worried that over the next few months, Virginians with chronic illnesses will stay away from doctors and hospitals longer than they should.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Northam decision to lift elective procedures ban may not ease UVa furloughs ([link removed])
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By KATHERINE KNOTT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Area hospitals are set to resume elective operations after May 1 after Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday that he’ll let the ban on non-emergency procedures expire. Hospitals across Virginia haven’t seen a surge in patients from COVID-19 as they initially predicted in March. With patient loads remaining manageable, many facilities have asked for the ban to be lifted.
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** Central Va. CEOs expect revenues to decline in next six months ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

A majority of Central Virginia CEOs expect sales revenues to decline during the next six months but don’t expect to significantly reduce their workforces as a result of the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a follow-up 2020 CEO Economic Outlook Survey released Wednesday by the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business and the Virginia Council of CEOs.
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** Loudoun’s Business Interruption Fund Sees 600 Applications in First Hour ([link removed])
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By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

Applications to the COVID-19 Business Interruption Fund, providing some relief to Loudoun County’s small businesses struggling to stay afloat, opened at noon today. By 1 p.m., it had seen around 600 applications, according to Department of Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer.
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** Hotels are adapting to the pandemic, some by helping the homeless ([link removed])
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By ALEXA DOIRON & JULIA MARSIGLIANO, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Multiple industries have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the local hotel business is no exception. As hotels continue to operate at very limited capacity, many are still finding it difficult to stay above ground. In a letter from the Williamsburg Hotel and Motel Association, the organization asked Gov. Ralph Northam to consider allowing tourism businesses to re-open under certain restrictions.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** A second GRTC employee has tested positive for COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A second GRTC Transit System employee has tested positive for COVID-19, this time a bus driver, raising the possibility that regular bus service could be suspended this week. The transit agency confirmed the case Wednesday evening, two days after dozens of employees called out sick following demands for hazard pay during the pandemic.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** “ODU will open this fall,” university president says. Timing and nature of opening to be determined. ([link removed])
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By JESSICA NOLTE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Old Dominion University President John Broderick told students and staff in an email Wednesday that the university “will open this fall.” Broderick said it was “too early to discuss specifics” and the exact timing and nature of the reopening remain uncertain.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Nearly 15,000 COVID-19 cases in Virginia ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday that the state has 14,961 COVID-19 cases, which is an increase of 622 over the 14,339 reported Tuesday. The 14,961 cases included 14,328 confirmed cases and 633 probable cases. Also, there are 522 COVID-19 deaths in Virginia — 513 confirmed and 9 probable.
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** Trump order should boost access to masks, tests, Smithfield says ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The presidential order that American meatpacking plants remain open should mean help with securing an ongoing supply of face masks and other personal protective equipment for workers, Smithfield Foods said Wednesday. The company said it believes the order also will help it secure more coronavirus testing for its employees.
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** At least 7 on Virginia Eastern Shore cited for defying stay-at-home order ([link removed])
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By ROSE VELAZQUEZ, Eastern Shore News (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

At least seven people on the Eastern Shore of Virginia have been cited for violating Gov. Ralph Northam's executive orders intended to curb the spread of COVID-19. That represents the bulk of the nine citations for defying executive orders reported by law enforcement agencies statewide in surveys conducted April 10 and 15, according to a recent report from The Associated Press.
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** COVID-19 Deaths Continue to Rise, Surpass 120 in Fairfax County ([link removed])
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By CATHERINE DOUGLAS MORAN, Reston Now

More than 120 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Fairfax County, according to state data. As of data releases Wednesday, 124 people have died from the respiratory illness — roughly 3.5% of the total number of coronavirus cases in the county, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
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** All but one coronavirus death in Virginia's capital have been black Americans ([link removed])
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By KELLY MCLAUGHLIN, Business Insider

Almost all of the people to die from COVID-19 in Richmond, Virginia, are black Americans, according to Danny Avula, the director of Richmond and Henrico Health Districts. Avula told Insider that black residents account for 13 of the city's 14 COVID-19 deaths. The statistic shows that COVID-19 deaths are disproportionately affecting black communities ion Richmond, where, with a population of around 228,000, 45.4% of its residents are white, 47.8% are black, and 6.7 % are Hispanic.
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** Doctors concerned people are avoiding care for other health problems ([link removed])
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By KAREN GRAHAM, Loudoun Times

As Inova Loudoun continues to see hospitalization numbers rise with COVID-19 patients, doctors at the Lansdowne-based hospital say they are ready and prepared to deal with a possible surge. On April 27, there were 27 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Inova Loudoun, a number that had doubled from 13 patients on April 13. System-wide, Inova had 332 patients currently hospitalized. In preparation, Inova increased its bed capacity and opened a new $300 million North Tower on April 13, two weeks ahead of schedule.
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** Virginia Poison Center sees spike in calls amid COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By SIERRA FOX, WAVY

While stay-at-home orders remain in place, most people are taking advantage of the time to clean. Products like soaps, hand sanitizers, bleaches, and other disinfectants can effectively reduce the spread of COVID-19, but it’s important to properly use them to avoid accidental exposure. Poison Control Centers across the country are seeing a spike in calls, including right here in Central Virginia. Dr. Ruddy Rose, director of the Virginia Poison Center, told 8News they’ve seen a 25-45 percent increase in calls since the pandemic struck.
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** Immigrants Say COVID-19 Risk High at Virginia Detention Centers ([link removed])
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By WHITTNEY EVANS, WCVE

Immigrant rights groups expect a ruling from a federal judge any day now that could decide the fate of six medically vulnerable immigrant detainees at two Virginia facilities. The groups say people there are at risk of contracting COVID-19. An attorney for the detainees told U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady on Friday that guards at these facilities continue to come in and out of the facilities and inconsistently wear masks and gloves.


** LOCAL
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** Prince William BOCS Adopts Flat Tax Rate, but Taxes Bills Will Increase ([link removed])
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By STACY SHAW, Bristow Beat

Although the 2020-21 tax rate will remain the same as in fiscal year 2020, residents will receive a higher property tax bill during the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. In a 5-3 vote, along party lines, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors adopted the 1.125 property tax-rate for every $100 of assessed residential home and property value. They also approved increases to other property taxes to help boost revenue.
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** Hackers hit Petersburg council meeting with explicit audio, video ([link removed])
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By SEAN JONES, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

Hackers displaying lewd audio and video broke into City Council’s virtual meeting Tuesday afternoon, sending the city into a scramble that ended with the meeting reconvening over the telephone. The hack attack occurred around 1:30 p.m., more than an hour into the meeting. Two unmuted and unknown males got into the feed and began making inappropriate sexual comments, following that up with sexually charged video. That prompted Petersburg Mayor Samuel Parham to call a 10-minute recess while IT folks dealt with the problem.
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** Localities to establish COVID-19 recovery plans when restrictions are expected to lift ([link removed])
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By LAURA PETERS, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro are looking to the future to see how each locality can reopen services as restrictions lift due to COVID-19. Augusta County has started the planning process and has already appointed a staff member to be in charge of spearheading the plans.

Today's Sponsor:


** People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
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There’s no working from home for PETA’s fieldworkers. “Meet ([link removed]) ” some of the animals (and humans!) who have relied on PETA’s free services during the pandemic.


** EDITORIALS
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** Pandemic puts Warner in the spotlight (and not just for tuna melt) ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Mark Warner was in the news recently, but not in ways Virginia’s senior U.S. Senator might have expected. He thought people during the stay-at-home orders of the pandemic needed something more lighthearted, so he posted a short cooking video on Instagram about how he makes a tuna melt.
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** Financial pressure grows on Va. college campuses ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Should Virginia’s colleges and universities open their campuses for the fall semester? For state-supported institutions, the answer may be a simple, yes. Getting it done will be anything but simple and some private schools get the willies just contemplating it.
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** COVID-19 and voting in upcoming elections ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Because of health safety threats posed by COVID-19, Gov. Ralph Northam postponed upcoming local elections from May 5 to May 19. This gives the state and localities two more weeks to prepare polling places in this time of social distancing. It also provides voters with much-needed extra time to cast absentee ballots, if they choose not to vote in person.
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** Social distancing isn't so easy among Virginians ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Virginia is not for social distancing lovers. The commonwealth ranks as the eighth most difficult state for social distancing, according to a recent report by WalletHub.com, a personal finance website. While experts stress that keeping your distance from others is the most effective way to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus, it’s not so easy in practice.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Schapiro: Northam upholding his oath as governor — and doctor ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

In contrast with those of President Donald Trump, Gov. Ralph Northam’s COVID-19 briefings tend to be strictly business. Increasingly, they are strictly focusing on business. It’s been nearly two months since Northam, by executive fiat, began shutting down vast swaths of Virginia — its schools, bureaucracy and economy — to control the spread of the coronavirus, preventing it from overwhelming hospitals and minimizing the intensity of a possible second wave.


** OP-ED
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** O'Hara-Marasigan: A life and death matter ([link removed])
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By KELSEY O'HARA-MARASIGAN, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

After a groundswell of media coverage in the past couple years, we have seen a decrease in the conversation around the opioid epidemic, especially as major pharmaceutical companies such as Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson have been brought to court in major lawsuits over understating the potential harms and addictive characteristics of many prescription painkillers, such as OxyContin.

O'Hara-Marasigan is a health educator in Blacksburg working to prevent substance misuse in higher education.
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** Spence: Suspending grading the right choice for Beach schools ([link removed])
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By AARON SPENCE, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

“Remember what’s important.” When times get rough, that’s a phrase we commonly hear or say. Those important things to remember usually include family, friends, quality time with both, food on the table and other necessities of life. In this new world of managing COVID-19, we’re all rediscovering what matters.

Aaron Spence, Ed.D., is the superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
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