VaNews
May 14, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Clare Tilton and David Poole
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Congratulations to Tucker Collins on his graduation from Mason. We are proud of you and all of your accomplishments.

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Top of the News


** Virginia, Maryland suburbs aligned with DC in COVID response ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press

The allure was tempting: Haircuts were to be had, as was the chance to drink a beer at an outdoor bar after governors in Maryland and Virginia agreed to loosen weekslong lockdown restrictions because of the coronavirus. But unlike other areas of the country that are itching to reopen, wealthy suburbs in those states are insisting on staying shut down.
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** Virginia ABC to expand outdoor dining for businesses, potentially into parking lots, sidewalks ([link removed])
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By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The state will allow eateries to expand outside dining areas, a step some city officials view as a lifeline to businesses struggling during the epidemic. In a two-page opinion released Wednesday morning, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority outlined steps businesses across the commonwealth need to take to temporarily expand outdoor dining options when it comes to the sale of alcohol.
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** Virginia Beach merchants feeling stranded ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Electricians wearing masks bustled around developer Bruce Thompson on the 23rd floor of his new hotel, its multimillion-dollar views of the oceanfront marred by one flaw: no people on the beach. The coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on businesses everywhere, but as most of the state prepares to start loosening restrictions on Friday, merchants in Virginia Beach are feeling left out.
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** Lt. Gov. Fairfax calls for panel to address COVID-19's effect on minorities ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax wants state leaders to dive deeper into COVID-19’s racial disparities. Fairfax, in a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam dated Tuesday, called for a new panel — formally called the COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force — to “aggressively address and remedy” the disproportionate impact the virus has had in communities of color.
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** Northam says he’s committed to testing for coronavirus in all nursing homes ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam said he hopes to test all nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in the state over the coming weeks, as the spaces have become coronavirus hotspots because of their vulnerable populations. At a press conference in Richmond Wednesday, Northam said his goal is to test the state’s 260 long-term care facilities “as quickly as we can,” although he said it would be ambitious to get it done in two weeks.
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** What percent positivity can — and can’t — tell us about Virginia’s COVID-19 epidemic ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

As Gov. Ralph Northam prepares to gradually reopen parts of Virginia on Friday, a new health metric has emerged as a key factor in his decision-making. While the state has seen a growth in total COVID-19 cases as testing increases, Northam said he’s looking more closely at what the state is calling “percent positivity”— the percentage of total tests that return positive. The metric has only recently surfaced as an important marker in the coronavirus pandemic, driven by recommendations from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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** Opioid Overdose numbers worry Roanoke, Roanoke County police chiefs ([link removed])
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By ALICIA PETSKA, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The numbers started jumping out to local law enforcement: Eighteen overdose deaths in less than five months in Roanoke. Eight deaths in neighboring Roanoke County. Both a rise over the numbers seen by police during the same time last year. “That is definitely something that caught our eye,” said Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman.
The Full Report
45 articles, 23 publications

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** FROM VPAP
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** From VPAP ZIP Code Search Added to COVID-19 Dashboard ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Want to know how many people in your neighborhood have contracted COVID-19? VPAP has moved its postal code lookup to its dashboard, which includes a timeline of when COVID-19 cases were confirmed, a statewide map showing deaths by locality and a chart showing daily hospital utilization. Updated each morning shortly after 9:00 a.m.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** ‘Our numbers are not there’: Northern Va. leaders praise delay of Phase I ([link removed])
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By RICK MASSIMO AND ABIGAIL CONSTANTINO, WTOP

Six elected leaders from Northern Virginia on Wednesday said that Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order excepting them from the opening of the first phase of relaxed restrictions was the right move for the region. The rest of the commonwealth will start Phase I of the relaxation of pandemic-related restrictions on Friday.
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** Accomack officials ask governor to exclude county from phase 1 reopening ([link removed])
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By BRETT HALL, WAVY

Accomack County leaders have asked Gov. Ralph Northam to exclude the county from the state’s reopening phase 1 due to concern over further spread of COVID-19. A county spokeswoman confirmed the county Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 Wednesday to ask the state to keep Accomack County at its current level of restrictions for two more weeks, through May 28.
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** Black lawmakers ask Gov. Northam to delay reopening Virginia ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A group of African-American state lawmakers are opposing the governor’s move to reopen parts of the economy on Friday, saying entering phase 1 will disproportionately affect people of color.
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** Black lawmakers assail Northam over reopening plans ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

Black lawmakers in Virginia are unhappy with Gov. Ralph Northam’s plans to begin reopening most of the state later this week amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying the move is akin to treating people of color as “guinea pigs for our economy.”
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** Black Caucus opposes Northam's decision to begin reopening in all but Northern Virginia ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus on Wednesday opposed Gov. Ralph Northam’s decision to begin reopening the state on Friday, arguing that the consequences of reopening too early could fall disproportionately on people of color. The caucus announced its position shortly after Northam told reporters that all but Northern Virginia will move ahead onto a phased reopening starting Friday.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Anthony Burfoot, Ron Villanueva among thousands of inmates to be released amid coronavirus concerns ([link removed])
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By SCOTT DAUGHERTY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Former Norfolk Treasurer Anthony Burfoot was quietly ordered to be released from federal prison earlier this month, one of thousands of mostly white collar, nonviolent criminals to be placed on home confinement amid ongoing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Other high-profile defendants from Hampton Roads to be cleared for release in recent weeks include former state Del. Ron Villanueva and two-time congressional candidate Shaun Brown.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Virginia sees new voter registrations plummet in April ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

With many government offices in Virginia closed for face-to-face business due to the coronavirus pandemic, new voter registrations in April plummeted from levels typically seen in high-interest presidential election years. The state saw just 5,467 new voter registrations in April, a 73 percent drop from the same month in 2016 and an 81 percent decrease from 2012, according to registration data published by the Virginia Department of Elections and compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Eased restrictions and new precautions will allow Virginia courts to increase activity starting Monday ([link removed])
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By NEIL HARVEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The order enforcing Virginia’s judicial emergency status will allow for increased courtroom activity across the state beginning Monday. Mandated precautions against the COVID-19 pandemic have been in place in Virginia halls of justice for two months now, modifying or postponing most non-emergency court hearings.
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** Long waits, dropped calls, shaky website, add to unemployment frustration ([link removed])
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By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

More than 625,000 Virginians have filed for unemployment benefits as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many are wondering where their money is. “I can never reach a person to talk to,” said Amy Pereschuk, of Boonsboro, Md. “It feels like a full-time job just trying to figure this out.” Pereschuk, an unemployed project manager whose last job was in Sterling, is frustrated with the Virginia Employment Commission’s website, as well as its customer service representatives.
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** About 35,000 Virginians were mistakenly overpaid for unemployment benefits ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Thousands of self-employed people in Virginia who only recently became eligible for unemployment benefits because of the coronavirus pandemic now have been notified that they were overpaid and will have some money withheld from future payments.
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** Charlottesville DMV one of 11 in state to reopen next week ([link removed])
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Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Charlottesville office of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is one of 11 locations across the state that will reopen with restrictions starting Monday. The DMV will only allow specific services by appointment only.
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** State police pilot not trained in situation that led to fatal crash after Charlottesville rally in 2017 ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Virginia State Police did not require training in an aerodynamic condition that contributed to the helicopter crash that killed two troopers who had been monitoring street clashes after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville almost three years ago, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation report released Wednesday.


** CONGRESS
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** Tim Kaine’s tie-dyed bandanna was one of the Senate’s many mask style statements ([link removed])
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By ROBIN GIVHAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The suits accessorized with face masks. By adhering to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the congressional establishment — much of it — is making a broad visual statement that these are uncommon times. We are not on the cusp of normal. We are in the thick of abnormal. All of us.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Ahead of reopening, some businesses ask: Who shaped the Phase One guidelines? ([link removed])
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By KARRI PEIFER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

As most of Virginia readies for its Phase One opening Friday, some businesses are wondering what went into deciding what can open and what can’t. Gov. Ralph Northam announced at the close of last week that personal care businesses — such as barber shops, spas and tattoo parlors — could open with some restrictions, while museums, bowling alleys and other entertainment venues would have to remain closed.
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** Farmers, Seafood Houses Navigate a Complex System of Seasonal Worker Visas ([link removed])
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By PAMELA D'ANGELO, WVTF

Spring is asparagus season. At Parker Farms in the Northern Neck, 30 foreign workers who come through the federal H-2A visa program are lined up along machines that wash and cut each stalk before they sort and pack bundles that ship to wholesalers and retailers like Kroger, Wegman's and Wal-Mart. Owner and General Manager, Rod Parker has been with the family-owned business for more than 45 years. He's one of the largest produce farmers on the Atlantic Coast. Without foreign workers he'd have no business.
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** Not business as usual: Restaurants, retailers and others prepare to reopen ([link removed])
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By CASEY FABRIS AND TONIA MOXLEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Businesses across the Roanoke and New River valleys are preparing to reopen starting Friday, but it’s far from business as usual. Gov. Ralph Northam issued detailed guidelines for the first phase of reopening following the shutdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Retailers can open at 50% occupancy, restaurants can offer limited patio seating, beauty salons and barbershops may offer service by appointments only and gyms can hold exercise classes outside with no more than 10 people.
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** Northern Virginia Hair Salons Reschedule Clients Again, Brace For Longer Closure ([link removed])
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By DANIELLA CHESLOW, WAMU

Ahmet Sim carefully planned the reopening of his Salon Simis & Spa for this Friday. Sim had 45 bottles of hand sanitizer FedExed to him, including a case from Tennessee. He bought extra face masks for his customers and asked his brother to mail him a digital thermometer from Turkey because they were scarce in the U.S. Then, on Tuesday, Sim learned that his salon in Fairfax would remain closed for at least two more weeks, by order from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.
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** Prepping to reopen Friday, Danville salons ready to greet customers with masked workers, increased cleaning ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

After being closed for more than a month and a half, Genesis Day Spa & Salon on Park avenue will have some catching up to do when it allows customers back in Friday. "I feel like we'll be working day and night for two months if we want to get caught up," owner Catherine Adkins-Saunders said during an interview Tuesday.
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** As Summer Approaches, Here’s How Mid-Atlantic Beach Towns Are Trying To Reopen ([link removed])
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By NATHAN DILLER, DCist

Mike Lawson, who owns the beachy American eatery Barn 34 in Ocean City, Maryland learned firsthand three years ago why Washingtonians like to get out of town during the summer. He drove into Bethesda for a June funeral, and arrived late at night. The next morning, he stepped out of his hotel and was hit by a wave of muggy heat. “I went, ‘Oh my god, no wonder they flock to the beach,'” he says.
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** The Virginia 30 Day Fund’s forgivable loans are landing — and taking flight ([link removed])
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By SARA KILGORE, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

A local entrepreneur’s grassroots effort to give $3,000 forgivable loans to Virginia small businesses — with a request that recipients “pay it forward” if they eventually can — seems to be working. Disruptor Capital CEO Pete Snyder’s Virginia 30 Day Fund has started to see its impact, with 164 small businesses funded across the state in the past four weeks.
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** Requests for Newport News small business resiliency grants exceeded the amount of money available in one day ([link removed])
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By JOSH REYES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Newport News started accepting applications for its COVID-19 Small Business Resiliency Grant Program on Friday morning — a few hours later, businesses had asked for more money than was available to give out. “It really shows the level of need at these businesses,” said Florence Kingston, the city’s director of development.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Study shows big drop in Fredericksburg area traffic after shutdown ([link removed])
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By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

April is usually the time of year when roadway traffic starts spiking in the U.S. as more people head out for trips as the weather warms up. But this year, April traffic plummeted across the United States and locally as the spread of COVID-19 prompted stay-at-home orders in Virginia and other states.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virginia Tech offers an economical way to attend $1 billion innovation campus ([link removed])
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By JONATHAN CAPRIEL, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

For those who wished to return to college at Virginia Tech's planned new Northern Virginia campus, take note that your classmates may be your current coworkers, and vice versa. The university hopes to directly partner with companies under a new "Corporate Cohorts Program," which will let firms enroll their employees into the $1 billion innovation campus to be built in Alexandria.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** 7 cases of COVID-19 reported at Ramen noodle factory in Chesterfield ([link removed])
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By KEYRIS MANZANARES, WRIC

Maruchan Virginia Inc. — maker of ramen noodle soups — confirmed to 8News Tuesday that several employees tested positive for COVID-19. The Chesterfield production facility reported that seven people are quarantined at home after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. 8News asked Maruchan when the employees tested positive and sent to quarantine and if the company planned to do another deep clean.
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** State’s virus cases increase by nearly 1,000 in 24 hours ([link removed])
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By KATE ANDREWS, Va Business Magazine

Virginia now has 26,746 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, the Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday. That’s an increase of 946 cases since Tuesday. Also, 927 deaths related to the coronavirus were reported in the daily update, up from 891 Tuesday.
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** Parts of Md. and Va. set to loosen restrictions; D.C. stays shut ([link removed])
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By FENIT NIRAPPIL, ERIN COX AND OVETTA WIGGINS, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Parts of Maryland and Virginia will begin a gradual reopening this weekend, while the nation’s capital and its surrounding suburbs remain shut down. Hours before Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan gave localities a green light on Wednesday to loosen some restrictions, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser extended her city’s stay-at-home order and closure of nonessential businesses through June 8.
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** Carilion seeks donations of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Carilion Clinic on Wednesday asked people who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma that then will be used to treat hospital patients. Carilion is participating in a national research project sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Mayo Clinic to see if plasma infusions with antibodies from recovered patients will help the sickest COVID-19 patients fight the virus.
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** Martinsville call center sees outbreak of COVID-19, including one death ([link removed])
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By KIM BARTO MEEKS, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

An outbreak of COVID-19 has hit a Martinsville call center that has had six positive cases and one death among its employees. A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Social Services confirmed via email that six employees of Young Williams Child Support Services, located in the Clocktower Building off Commonwealth Boulevard, have tested positive for the virus as of Wednesday morning.


** LOCAL
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** Arlingtonians Recycling Glass at Record-Shattering Rates ([link removed])
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By VERNON MILES, ArlNow

Arlingtonians have recycled over a million pounds of glass at the drop-off center since January, a record likely to keep up if everyone stays bottled up in quarantine. Last April, Arlington County ditched its curbside glass recycling program as separating out and recycling glass had become overly expensive. Instead, Arlingtonians were asked to drop off their glass recycling at dedicated containers that were then taken to Fairfax County for reuse in construction, building, and — more recently — recycling into new glass products.
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** Fairfax County Public Schools Unveils Graduation Plans for Seniors ([link removed])
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By CATHERINE DOUGLAS MORAN, Reston Now

While seniors at public schools in Fairfax County may have to wait until the fall for ceremonies, they will have opportunities this spring to celebrate finishing high school. . . . Instead of in-person ceremonies this spring, the high schools will schedule individual graduate photo opportunities starting in June where the student and a small group of family members can watch the student get their diploma and have their photo taken.
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** Loudoun School Board approves devices for K-2 ([link removed])
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By JOHN BATTISTON, Loudoun Times

The Loudoun County School Board during its Tuesday meeting voted to provide individual learning devices for kindergarten through second-grade students if distance learning continues next fall. Additionally, the board affirmed the current school year will end June 10 as originally planned.
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** Loudoun County eligible for $36 million from CARES Act ([link removed])
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By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times

Loudoun County is in line to receive $36 million from the federal CARES Act's coronavirus relief funds, according to a memo from the Virginia Department of Finance. Virginia received approximately $3.1 billion from the federal government to cover expenses due to the impact of COVID-19. Revenue losses are not covered by the CRF funds.
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** Despite pushback against state officials, Petersburg turns faucets on ([link removed])
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By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Petersburg’s mayor on Wednesday called a state order to restore water to households whose faucets had run dry for months “a political ploy.” The pushback came during a news conference on the steps of City Hall that Petersburg leaders called to announce they’d restored service to five households, five days after Gov. Ralph Northam shamed the city as endangering public health during the coronavirus pandemic.
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** Newport News plans to hold graduations in Todd Stadium with no more than 10 people at a time ([link removed])
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By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Newport News Public Schools plans to celebrate its graduating seniors in June with in-person ceremonies. But there’s a catch — no more than 10 people can be in Todd Stadium at a time, including the student, administrators and their family.
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** Four of Roanoke's paved greenways to reopen by midday Friday ([link removed])
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By RALPH BERRIER JR., Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Roanoke’s paved greenways will begin reopening by midday Friday, according to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. ity crews will begin preparing the greenways Friday morning, removing signs and barricades and other work, “with the goal of opening them to the public” by midday, according to a statement released through the city’s communications department.
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** Pittsylvania County committee OK new definition of indoor gaming ([link removed])
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By CALEB AYERS, Danville Register & Bee

After a measure to require special use permits for all businesses operating skill game machines was stalled in the Pittsylvania County planning commission earlier this year, zoning officials are now looking to implement a stricter policy.

Today's Sponsor:


** Clare Tilton and David Poole
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Congratulations to Tucker Collins on his graduation from Mason. We are proud of you and all of your accomplishments.


** EDITORIALS
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** Bad time for $50/month energy tax ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

ON March 7, the General Assembly passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which goes into effect July 1. The new law, which narrowly passed the Senate by four votes (22–18) and the House by eight (53–45), requires the commonwealth’s electric utilities to begin transitioning to 100 percent fossil-free energy sources by 2050. Legislators touted the environmental benefits of the bill, but didn’t mention the costs.
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** Air quality report leaves room for improvement ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

There’s good news for Hampton Roads in the American Lung Association’s 2020 “State of the Air” report. The area, for the sixth year in a row, is holding firm or improving air quality. But the report also makes clear that this is no time to become complacent. There is still much to do to make things better and to guard against newer threats to clean air.
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** How can Metro mount a recovery from the pandemic? ([link removed])
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Washington Post Editorial (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Public transit's financial model is unworkable without a degree of crowding, but crowding in an age of pandemic is a risk factor for disease and death — and may remain that way for the foreseeable future. So how can transit networks such as the District’s Metro system, its passengers gone and its revenue base depleted, mount and sustain a recovery? That question is critical because Metro’s fortunes are so tightly interwoven with the region’s economic and employment prospects.
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** Turning a blind eye toward pre-K is a mistake ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

In April, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University released its annual State of Preschool Yearbook. Since 2002, NIEER has conducted detailed yearly assessments of funding, access and policies for state-supported preschool programs. This year’s executive summary begins with an unprecedented note.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Schapiro: Va. Republicans imitate Trump while political distancing ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

It is not easy changing the subject from a public health emergency if a president of your party is widely viewed as contributing to the dismay, dislocation and death caused by a rampaging disease. Virginia Republicans are trying. There are four topics on which Republicans have seized, all of which have emotional appeal: the sputtering economy, gubernatorial overreach, the dearth of coronavirus testing and the parole of a cop-killer.


** OP-ED
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** Christopulos: Tulsa-based union is poorly informed about COVID-19 and MVP in Virginia ([link removed])
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By DIANA CHRISTOPULOS, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

It would be encouraging if a labor union spoke out for the safety of workers and the surrounding community. Instead, David Butterworth of Local Union 798 (“Getting back to work on MVP,” May 9, 2020) merely repeated the misinformed talking points of the shell corporation Mountain Valley Pipeline, which has no employees and is currently managed by the Equitrans Midstream Corporation (ETRN) of Canonsberg, Pennsylvania. Butterworth’s union is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Christopulos is the retired owner of an international management consulting business. She lives in Salem.
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** Roberts: Hold the line on education spending ([link removed])
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By JAMES T. ROBERTS, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

More than 10 years ago, our country went through a terrible recession, or, as some called it, an economic downturn. The circumstances of that economic crisis are much different than what we are facing today, but some of the results are similar. The impact on the national, state, and local spending plans during this pandemic is not yet fully understood, but it will not be good news.

James T. Roberts, Ph.D., retired in June 2018 as superintendent of Chesapeake Public Schools.
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** Henry: Va.’s colleges and universities are working to reopen this fall ([link removed])
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By DONNA P. HENRY, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Virginia’s colleges and universities have long served the commonwealth as a source for innovation and growth. Higher education institutions contribute an estimated $39 billion in GDP annually to Virginia’s economy, and our talent pool is among the strongest in the nation — a reflection of the countless students we launch to successful careers and lives.

Donna P. Henry is chair of the Council of Presidents in Virginia, which represents every public university and college in the state, and the chancellor of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
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