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By ANTONIO OLIVO, REBECCA TAN AND JENNA PORTNOY, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Northern Virginia, the state’s economic engine, is nowhere near ready to reopen Friday when Gov. Ralph Northam plans to begin lifting shutdown restrictions, the region’s top elected officials said Sunday, citing the continuing increase in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. In a joint letter, the elected leaders in Northern Virginia’s five largest jurisdictions — representing nearly 2.4 million residents — told Northam (D) they are unwilling to lift restrictions in place since late March, which the governor plans to do in a limited capacity Friday in hopes of reviving the state’s ailing economy.
By JUSTIN FAULCONER, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Not being able to see his barber for weeks because of restrictions on business activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Amherst resident Vance Wilkins has felt the lack. “I haven’t had sideburns this long since Elvis Presley was in style,” the chairman of the Amherst County Republican Committee said to laughs among a crowd of gatherers in the Ambriar Plaza shopping center in Amherst on Saturday afternoon.
By SASHA-ANN SIMONS, NPR
As Latino households across the country are pummeled by the virus outbreak, staff from Neighborhood Health, a chain of medical clinics in northern Virginia, have stepped up testing efforts in areas where that community is hardest-hit. Of the health center's 30,000 patients, 50% are Latino immigrants hailing from Central America. They are predominantly low-income and uninsured. And though they make up half of the patient population, Latinos represent nearly 90% of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the group's clinics.
By JOANNE KIMBERLIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Nothing like a pandemic to make everyone contemplate their mortality. But while demand has surged for last will and testaments, the virus itself is throwing a hitch in the usual procedures. Creating the ideal will has usually meant calling people together: the person making the will, two “uninterested” people to witness its signing and a notary to make the moment official.
By SARAH RANKIN AND DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press
During a push to accelerate the review of parole-eligible inmates because of the coronavirus pandemic, Virginia released dozens of violent offenders, including killers, rapists and kidnappers, blindsiding prosecutors and victims’ families who say they were not properly notified as required by law, a review by The Associated Press has found.
By JENN BRICE, Cavalier Daily
University President Jim Ryan spoke with CBS “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan, a University alumnus, Sunday morning about how COVID-19 is impacting plans to bring students back to Grounds. Acknowledging that the University has not canceled fall semester, or even all summer session courses, Ryan said that reaching a decision is dependent on guidelines determined by public health concerns, which could require University-wide testing, the ability to contact trace individuals affected by the virus and the means to isolate exposed individuals.
By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Addressing the inequalities in the United States exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic served as a major motivational force for Democrats running for Congress in central Virginia. Political campaigns have had to adjust how they get the word out to voters while maintaining social distancing. So instead of a forum held at a high school or community center before a crowd of voters, the four Democrats participated in an online forum on Saturday.
The Full Report
47 articles, 18 publications
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The Virginia Public Access Project
In a presidential election year, you'd expect at least 20,000 new voter registrations during the month of April. But the pandemic has put a big hit on signing up new voters. Virginia Department of Elections data shows there were fewer than 5,500 new registrations last month. This chart looks at how new registrations were well below the April totals in 12 previous years, even during off-off election years.
The Virginia Public Access Project
Data from the Virginia Department of Health shows a timeline of when COVID-19 cases were confirmed and a 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.
By MATT SMALL, WTOP
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, top elected officials across Northern Virginia are asking Gov. Ralph Northam to adjust the Phase 1 reopening plan for Virginia, which could begin as soon as May 15, as they believe the region isn’t ready. The officials sent a letter to Northam on Sunday.
By STAFF REPORT, Loudoun Times
Loudoun County is joining other northern Virginia localities in urging Gov. Ralph Northam to consider regional thresholds when allowing businesses and other activities to resume amid the COVID-19 crisis.
By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press
Health directors in northern Virginia say the region is not yet ready to lift stay-at-home orders and other restrictions that the rest of the state is preparing to implement. In a memo released Sunday, the health directors say the region is not meeting important benchmarks to reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations and employing contact tracers who could chart the progress of the coronavirus in the community. They say the data is unclear on other key metrics, like the rate of positive tests for the virus.
By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Indoor shooting ranges in Virginia can reopen to the public May 15 after all, under the governor’s most recent executive order outlining the easing of business restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under the order, dated Friday, indoor ranges will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity. To accommodate social distancing, only every other lane can be used, and patrons must be at least 6 feet apart, according to Gov. Ralph Northam’s order.
Associated Press
A group of Republican Virginia lawmakers called on Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, at the last minute, to prevent the release of a man who killed a police officer in 1979. Vincent Lamont Martin, 64, is scheduled to be released Monday from the Nottoway Correctional Center in Burkeville.
By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Terry McAuliffe, Virginia's mile-a-minute ex-governor, is stuck at home at a moment when he needs to promote Joe Biden for president and his own potential comeback bid for governor in 2021. He’s making the most of Zoom, but it’s not retail politicking as the former Democratic National Committee chief has known it.. . . Running for office during a pandemic means running in place. And the effects aren’t confined to this year’s contests. Covid-19 is putting a severe crimp on next year’s race for Virginia governor — a contest McAuliffe seems to be inching closer to entering.
By SEAN JONES, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)
The City of Petersburg has been ordered to restore running water to all of its residents for the remainder of Virginia’s COVID-19 state of emergency. State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver sent a letter to City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides Sunday May 10, which says that shutting off water is a danger to public health during the lingering health crisis.
By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Virginia’s top health official on Sunday ordered the city of Petersburg to restore service to nearly 50 households that have lacked running water for the past four months. State Health Commissioner Norman Oliver said in a letter to Petersburg City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides that shutting off water is endangering city residents’ health and the health of others.
By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
The Virginia Department of Social Services has seen a 50% drop in calls to the child abuse and neglect hotline since mid-March, but social workers are concerned that an increase in domestic violence and child abuse may be going unreported. The state social services department attributes the decline in reports to teachers, counselors and other school staff not calling in allegations since schools closed March 16 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
In less than two months, half a million face masks were manufactured by a handful of offenders for use by 30,000 inmates, thousands of corrections officers and other staff of the Virginia Department of Corrections. At $6.26 a dozen, the face guards have also been purchased by dozens of state agencies, local governments and jails thus far, generating more than $210,000 in sales, according to Virginia Correctional Enterprises, a company that pays the inmates 55 cents to 80 cents an hour for the work.
By LEIF GREISS, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Like toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectants, alcohol appears to be one of the essential items many in the Mountain Empire have felt a need to stock up on during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data obtained from the Virginia ABC by the Bristol Herald Courier through a public records request shows that sales at state liquor stores in Southwest Virginia surged in mid-March, when the pandemic began affecting the region.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Worried in Woodford about how many of your neighbors have tested positive for COVID-19? Or has the crisis made you fearful in Fredericksburg or keyed up in King George? A new tool on the Virginia Department of Health’s website that shows cases by ZIP code might provide a few more answers about how things look in your locality.
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury
The mayor of Las Vegas infamously offered up her city as a coronavirus “control group” if it meant getting the casino industry going again. An official in Louisiana recently said he has no idea if his state’s riverboat casinos will be coming back once things start to reopen. Moody’s, the financial ratings company, predicted casino profitability could fall by as much as 70 percent over the next year. In other words, it’s not a great time for Virginia to be getting into the casino business.
By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine
Connected DMV, a regional nonprofit collaboration in Northern Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland, announced Thursday it has formed a 45-person COVID-19 Strategic Renewal Task Force to make formal recommendations for addressing short-term and long-term COVID-19-related economic recovery. Founded in 2019, Connected DMV focuses on economic development in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
By BRIAN BREHM, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Valley Health is once again offering some of the elective medical procedures it curtailed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the coronavirus continues to pose a health risk to residents of the Northern Shenandoah Valley, a decline in the number of new infections, combined with guidance from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, cleared the way for the Winchester-based health-care system to resume elective outpatient diagnostic testing and, at some facilities, elective surgical procedures for patients with time-sensitive medical needs.
By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine
The Floyd County Economic Development Authority announced this week it has received a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to construct the first building for the Floyd Growth Center, a shared space in the Floyd Regional Commerce Center for small industrial companies. Different from a small business incubator, the center will allow businesses to stay as long as they want, said Floyd County Community and Economic Development Director Lydeana Martin.
By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Just a few months ago, the U.S. economy was thriving and the job market seemed wide open for college seniors such as Jake Elton, who graduates this month from the College of William & Mary with a business degree specializing in finance. Like many college seniors, Elton, who is from Roanoke, said he started doing job interviews with multiple companies last fall.
By JUSTIN GEORGE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Metro’s coronavirus recovery plan doesn’t anticipate a return to pre-pandemic levels of service until next spring. Instead, the transit agency plans to slowly ramp up service and will ask the region’s employers to limit daily commuters by staggering work schedules and encouraging telework.
By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Radford University was one of the first colleges in the commonwealth to announce definitive plans to reopen in the fall. And it’s led to speculation that decisions by Radford and other state universities to hold classes on campus in the fall were forged as enrollment figures could spell a make or break year.
By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Emory & Henry College is planning for fall semester classes to occur on campus with the proper measures taken to ensure the safety of students, faculty, guests and visitors, but that remains subject to change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By SARAH HONOSKY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
On what would have been the day of Liberty University’s 47th commencement, President Jerry Falwell Jr. instead addressed the graduating class over a video on Saturday, delivering congratulations and announcing the commencement would be postponed until September.
Associated Press
The president of the University of Virginia says he hopes college football can be played this fall, though he cautioned that he does not expect it to seem like “normal football seasons.” James Ryan told CBS’ “Face The Nation” on Sunday that athletic director Carla Williams and football coach Bronco Mendenhall are committed to a safe return to play, but that nothing will proceed until medical officials say it’s safe to resume workouts.
By SOPHIE KAPLAN, Washington Times
Maryland, Virginia and the District confirmed over 4,000 new cases of the coronavirus for the second weekend in a row. The region now has a total of 62,940 cases of the coronavirus, and an additional 131 people died from COVID-19, the disease contracted from the virus, this weekend.
By ROBERT MCCARTNEY, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Washington-area hospitals are now ready to safely handle an expected surge of covid-19 patients, provided that the region avoids moving too quickly to relax restrictions that have slowed the disease’s spread, hospital executives and public health experts said. While the continued rise in new cases is troubling, the hospitals’ preparedness is an important early victory for the region in the battle against the deadly coronavirus.
By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Another 12 deaths and 885 new coronavirus cases were reported overnight, according to the latest figures from the Virginia Department of Health. The number of new deaths reported on Sunday is the lowest amount in nearly two weeks, and it is the second consecutive day of declining numbers. As of Sunday, a total of 839 people have died of the coronavirus in Virginia, according to the state’s count.
By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
The Virginia Department of Health reported Sunday that the state has 24,081 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 885 over the 23,196 reported Saturday. The 24,081 cases include 22,962 confirmed cases and 1,119 probable cases. Also, there are 839 COVID-19 deaths in Virginia — 813 confirmed and 26 probable. That's an increase of 12 total deaths from the 827 reported Saturday.
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Virginia will slowly begin to reopen on Friday, as state leaders tout metrics suggesting the spread of the virus here has slowed. But testing numbers still haven’t met many of the key goals laid out by public health experts, federal officials and the state’s own leaders.
By SUKAINAH ABID-KONS, Harrisonburg Citizen
Donating 1,200 clear plastic face shields to Sentara Rockingham Memorial Hospital was already a big undertaking, but a local group of volunteers with access to 3-D printers has kept going — producing protective equipment to donate to organizations and first responders, including more than 250 face shields to the Harrisonburg Fire Department. The work of the group, calling itself Harrisonburg Makers Help, has had a ripple effect across the area.
By KRISTI K. HIGGINS, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)
John Webber wanted to celebrate the right to assemble, so he assembled plans for a party at his Hopewell restaurant, the iconic Anchor Room. Problem was, Hopewell and the rest of Virginia are under the throes of a COVID-19 pandemic. Unless Webber could ensure that no more than 10 people would come to the party and maintain social-distancing standards, the city’s health department told him it was going to revoke his license.
By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
With his phone in one hand and a tape measure in the other, John Elliott walked city inspectors through his company’s work last month on a new apartment project near Virginia Wesleyan University. It was a slow process because of the coronavirus pandemic. They relied heavily on their live video chat, and it seemed to be working. Until his phone’s battery died.
By CATHY JETT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
James Monroe High School will hold in-person, outdoor graduation ceremonies for its Class of 2020 during the week of June 8–12 designed to follow social-distancing recommendations. Principal Tim Duffy said Friday that about 250 seniors will be notified of a time slot so they can receive their diplomas separately.
By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee
For Dr. Syed Ahmed, easing restrictions on business operations is paramount. Keeping them closed may prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus, but at a cost, he said. "We'll have a healthy nation but a poor economy," Ahmed, a cardiologist who lives in Danville, said on a cool Sunday morning while walking across the trestle to the Riverwalk Trail at the Crossing at the Dan. Most Dan River Region residents who spoke to the Danville Register & Bee expressed support for the phased reopening of businesses in Danville and across the state.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
For the class of 2020, the coronavirus deferred dreams made possible by a lifetime of study. Chartway Arena in Norfolk stood empty on Saturday, a day that thousands of Old Dominion University graduates, their families and friends, along with faculty and staff, should have filled the floor and stands.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
One year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its April 2019 jobs report, with numbers reflecting a vigorously growing economy. Employers added 236,000 new jobs that month and the unemployment rate fell to 3.6% — the lowest rate in 50 years. What a difference a year can make.
By DAN CASEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
In the past week I’ve been involved in three different medical appointments, one for my wife and two for myself. Those encounters portend fundamental changes all of us are going to experience moving forward.
By KELLY HICKOK, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
During this time of many changes, I’ve seen lots of great examples of people helping people. While we’re in a crisis like never before, there are opportunities for us to pause, reflect and learn as we move forward. Many now face a new normal: They’re struggling with social isolation, little or no access to community resources and a scarcity of nonemergency medical care. There is a group among us who know this kind of life well, for whom this is not a “new normal,” but just their regular lives.
Kelly Hickok is the community services manager at Resources for Independent Living.
By TERRI BABINEAU, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
These are extraordinary times for the entire world, and especially for health care workers. The effects of COVID-19 not only will change the delivery of health care services; they will change the health care workers who are providing care. Many health care employees are silently struggling. We all need support and need a place to be heard, especially now that this pandemic has dramatically changed our lives.
Dr. Terri Babineau is the volunteer chief medical officer for SafeHaven, The Medical Society of Virginia’s physician wellness program.
By LISA SPECTER-DUNAWAY, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Some of us are fortunate enough to be working from home to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But we’re not really just working from home. We’re at home during a world health crisis, trying to work while fighting isolation, taking care of our families, teaching children things we’ve long forgotten and wanting to open the fridge every time we pass by.
Lisa Specter-Dunaway leads Families Forward Virginia, a nonprofit disrupting the cycles of child abuse, neglect and poverty by strengthening families and communities in the commonwealth.
By JAY JONES, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
The COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent economic consequences are a double-barreled challenge for businesses and families. Losses include loved ones and livelihoods – no one’s sense of normalcy has been spared.
Jones represents Norfolk in the House of Delegates. He is a Democrat.
By KEITH PERRIGAN, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
I write today as the superintendent of Bristol Public Schools, the president of the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia, and a member of multiple groups who are thinking through what reopening our public schools may look like.
Perrigan is superintendent of Bristol Public Schools.
By GEORGE FECHTER, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
I am sheltering in place like many Americans, still reflecting on the pandemic threat, the imperative of social distancing, the need for constant hand washing. Yet now it’s May, and my mind wanders to my other dreaded fear, the start of hurricane season next month. Most years, we experience about a dozen named storms and 2-4 major hurricanes, but this year we are forecast to have more.
George Fechter is chairman of Resilient Enterprise Solutions, coordinating the Home Raising Academy in Norfolk.
By GORDON C. MORSE, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
In the category of strange and mysterious, at least in the context of traditional Virginia thinking, I offer you Wegmans in Hanover County. It’s a tiff over the siting of a distribution center and, in combination with other things, you wonder — man, you scratch your head and wonder — what this may suggest about Virginia’s present mentality toward economic development.
After writing editorials for The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot in the 1980s, Gordon C. Morse wrote speeches for Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, then spent nearly three decades working on behalf of corporate and philanthropic organizations
By RON FRICKER, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
The COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for America. In the past few years, we have become inured to some who think they can change the truth with a tweet, spin or “alternative facts.” We have come to tolerate the notion that two different realities somehow can simultaneously coexist. But whether you like it or believe it, there is only one reality, and today, that reality includes COVID-19.
Ron Fricker is a professor of statistics at Virginia Tech and the co-author of “Monitoring the Health of Populations by Tracking Disease Outbreaks: Saving Humanity from the Next Plague.”
By KEITH HARE, MELISSA ANDREWS AND JUDY HACKLER, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
112. In today’s news reports, if you saw the number 112 and the words long-term care or nursing home in the same headline, you might make the leap that it’s a count of seniors stricken with COVID-19, or worse yet, a death toll. However, 112 means something much more to Avicia Thorpe, a Virginia nursing home resident. It’s the milestone birthday she hit this month. Her caregivers helped throw a Zoom party for her and arranged for the local police, fire and rescue squads to sing “Happy Birthday” from outside.
Hare is president and CEO of the Virginia Health Care Association-Virginia Center for Assisted Living; Andrews is president and CEO of LeadingAge Virginia; Hackler is executive director of the Virginia Assisted Living Association.
By PAUL J. WIEDEFELD, published in Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Metro ridership has plummeted to historic lows and that’s a good thing — for now. Customers are making only essential trips to protect the health of everyone in the region. Planning for recovery from the covid-19 shutdown isn’t like reopening after a blizzard. This is not a “start your engines” moment. This principle guides our plans to implement phased recovery over the next 12 months.
Paul J. Wiedefeld is general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
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