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By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG AND KATIE THOMAS, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)
The Trump administration will announce on Tuesday that it has signed a $354 million four-year contract with a new company in Richmond, Va., to manufacture generic medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients that are needed to treat Covid-19 but are now made overseas, mostly in India and China. The contract, awarded to Phlow Corp. by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, meshes President Trump’s “America First” economic promises with concerns that coronavirus treatments be manufactured in the United States. It may be extended for a total of $812 million over 10 years, making it one of the largest awards in the authority’s history.
By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Virginia Beach business owners can breathe a sigh of relief. The city’s beaches, including those at First Landing State Park, can reopen for recreational activities on Friday — just in time for the Memorial Day weekend and the traditional summer tourist season. Other areas cities will have to wait, though. Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday afternoon he was only letting Virginia Beach reopen its beaches, in large part because the city had worked hard to develop a good safety plan.
By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury
At a news conference on Monday, Gov. Ralph Northam called nursing homes, which have accounted for more than half of the state’s COVID-19 deaths, a “top priority,” adding that his administration is doing “everything we can” to take care of them, including the provision of personal protective equipment. . . . But hours earlier, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association — a key player in the state’s emergency management program for health care systems — sent an email to long-term care facilities, warning that coronavirus was continuing to limit supplies.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday that he’s “hopeful” that students will return to school in the fall. Under a March 23 order from Northam, Virginia became just the second state in the U.S. to close school buildings for the rest of the academic year; Kansas was first to do so.
By REBECCA BEITSCH, The Hill
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Neil Chatterjee is considering running for governor in Virginia next year, Politico reported Monday. A Facebook group titled “Hypothetical: Draft Neil Chatterjee for Virginia Governor 2021” was formed over the weekend, featuring a photo of Chatterjee wearing a Nats baseball cap while holding a gavel.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
State tax revenue from motor vehicle sales fell by almost $37 million in April, compared with the same month a year ago, a 41% drop that could signal a slowdown in Virginia’s ambitious plans to improve its transportation system.
By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Pawnshops might not make the top 10 list when you consider “essential businesses” during the coronavirus pandemic, but the shops are booming while much of the state remains locked down. “Parents are at home with their kids and they don’t know what to do with them, so they’re buying televisions and PlayStation 4s to keep them out of their hair,” said Robert “Todd” Myers, a sales representative at Fredericksburg Gold & Pawn, at 447 Jefferson Davis Highway in Fredericksburg.
The Full Report
49 articles, 22 publications
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The Virginia Public Access Project
Data from the Virginia Department of Health includes a timeline of when COVID-19 cases were confirmed, a statewide map showing the number of cases and deaths by locality and per-capital cases by ZIP Code. VPAP has added daily hospital utilization numbers from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Updated each morning before 11:00 am.
The Virginia Public Access Project
Today, voters in 92 Virginia towns will elect council and mayors. But many of the towns are so small that not enough candidates stepped forward. Half of the town council elections lack competition, while 12 towns have fewer candidates on the ballot than seats that need to be filled. In the most extreme example, Clinchport (with 41 voters in Scott County), no candidates qualified for five town council seats.
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday that he will allow the city of Virginia Beach to reopen its beaches starting Friday, with some restrictions, as the Memorial Day holiday nears. Also Monday, Virginia health officials said they have identified one case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in the state, a potentially deadly illness found in children and teens weeks after a COVID-19 infection.
By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is relaxing restrictions on beach goers in Virginia Beach ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. Northam said Monday that he is allowing the beaches to open under modified conditions that will allow sunbathing and surfing starting Friday. Northam said there will still be a ban on group sports, the use of alcohol, electronic speakers, and tents. And beach parking will be capped at 50% capacity, the governor said.
By DARRYL FEARS AND BRADY DENNIS, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Two states and the District of Columbia say they plan to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to enforce a court-ordered agreement to dramatically lower pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary. In a notice of intent to sue, the attorneys general of Maryland, Virginia and the District claimed Monday that EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler stood by as New York and Pennsylvania allowed levels of pollution that violated the plan into rivers that feed into the Chesapeake.
By BRIAN WITTE, Associated Press
Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia filed a notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to require two other states to implement plans to cut pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, officials said Monday. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the agency believes the claim “has no merit.”
By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Third-party candidates for Congress, vice president and president are suing the Virginia State Board of Elections alleging that COVID-19 restrictions make it impossible to collect enough signatures to get on ballots.
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury
To hold safe elections later this year, local officials in Virginia say they’ll need about 41,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, almost 600,000 pairs of gloves, 172,000 face masks and 45,000 face shields. In preparation for the opening of polling places throughout the state in June’s congressional primaries and the November general election, the Virginia Department of Elections recently asked registrars for estimates of how much personal protective equipment they might need.
By JANE HARPER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Jury trials are still off the table, but life is returning a bit more to normal this week in courthouses across Hampton Roads. That’s due to an order issued last week by the Supreme Court of Virginia, which gave the state’s lower courts the go-ahead to resume holding some in-person, non-emergency hearings provided they continue to work to minimize the spread of the coronavirus.
By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE
Virginia’s economy may be close to turning a corner after two months of job losses and business closures, Gov. Ralph Northam’s top finance official told lawmakers on Monday. The commonwealth’s staggering unemployment numbers -- around 670,000 unemployment claims since mid-March -- have pushed unemployment to an estimated 10%, Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne told the House Appropriations Committee.
By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury
Three years after private backers secured state regulators’ approval to build a major new natural gas plant in Charles City County, the fate of the facility has become a key factor in a controversial proposal by Virginia Natural Gas to expand its pipeline infrastructure throughout Northern and Central Virginia. “The big issue here is risk, and how are we going to allocate the risk and who’s going to be holding the bag if this plant doesn’t get built,” said Judge Mark Christie during a Wednesday hearing conducted via Skype.
By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine
Norfolk-based nonprofit organization RISE announced Monday that up to $2 million will be allocated among five small businesses to advance the design of products to help coastal communities adapt to sea level rise and flooding.
By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine
Virginia Beach-based defense contractor Valkyrie Enterprises Inc. announced Friday it has received a $125,000 grant from the Virginia Beach Development Authority (VBDA) to aid in its planned expansion by 100 full-time jobs during the next three years.
By SYDNEY LAKE, Virginia Business
Thirty-five Virginia-based companies made Fortune magazine’s 66th annual Fortune 1000 list, which was released Monday. The list ranks the 1,000 largest United States corporations by total revenue. Of the 35 Virginia companies, 22 made the elite Fortune 500 list.
By MIKE MURILLO, WTOP
Some workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus could get a break when using the Dulles Greenway in Virginia. Atlas Arteria, the effective owner of the Dulles Greenway, announced its global program to allow health care professionals and first responders to ride free on its toll roads.
By ROBYN SIDERSKY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Old Dominion University President John Broderick announced Monday afternoon that he intends to step down in 2021. In an email to staff, he wrote that he delayed his decision to “avoid any distractions to the work of the spring semester.” The announcement was later posted on ODU’s website.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
The oldest law school in the U.S. has hired its first black leader. The College of William & Mary announced Monday that A. Benjamin Spencer, a civil procedure and federal courts scholar who teaches law at the University of Virginia, is the new dean of the Williamsburg university’s law school.
By ERIN COX, FENIT NIRAPPIL AND LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
With the daily coronavirus death counts relatively flat or declining in D.C., Virginia and Maryland, local leaders announced further efforts to inch back toward normalcy on Monday.
By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association on Monday launched a dashboard to report on the number of COVID-19 cases in licensed nursing homes and to show the pressing need for masks and gloves to reduce infections. The dashboard reported 1,427 residents or patients of nursing homes with either a confirmed diagnosis or awaiting lab results. Additionally, 520 nursing home residents have recovered from the illness.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Two-thirds of Virginia’s licensed nursing homes have begun voluntarily reporting on COVID-19 cases among their residents, but those cases represent only one-third of those confirmed in outbreaks in the state’s long-term care facilities.
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
More than 4,000 people have been hospitalized by COVID-19 in Virginia and discharged. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, which represents 27 health systems and 110 hospitals, reported Monday that 4,107 people who tested positive for the virus and hospitalized have been discharged. A total of 1,502 people remain hospitalized, according to VHHA.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
A nurse with the Rappahannock Area Health District, which oversees health departments in Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford, has tested positive for COVID-19. Another 13 staff members of the local health district have been tested and are quarantined at home while awaiting results, said Allison Balmes–John, spokesperson for the RAHD.
By ELIZABETH TYREE, WSET
Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver confirmed that one child in Virginia has been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a rare inflammatory condition linked to COVID-19. Dr. Oliver said Monday, May 18, during Gov. Ralph Northam's 2 p.m. press conference, that he didn't know the child's age or location.
By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
For weeks, Virginia’s health officials have been talking about contact tracing. They’ve been telling us that the key to reopening the economy safely and getting the coronavirus under control was ramping up testing — still woefully lacking in the state — and contact tracing.
By MATT BLITZ, DCist
A gorgeous mid-May Saturday brought a ton of folks in the D.C.-region outside for sunshine and warmth. But some didn’t heed the rules, regulations and precautions that local officials have continuously begged for since mid-March. This was the situation in Old Town Alexandria, where crowds were out in full force for much of the day, making social distancing much harder.
By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times
Loudoun County has 1,486 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Virginia Department of Health. That's an increase in 40 cases from Sunday's report. No new local deaths were reported for the third day in a row, leaving the county's coronavirus-related death toll at 48.
By STAFF REPORT, Loudoun Times
Loudoun County will host free, drive-through testing for COVID-19 at Philip A. Bolen Memorial Park, 42405 Claudia Drive in Leesburg, on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to county officials. The testing is open to everyone and will occur rain or shine, county officials say. No appointments are necessary, and there are no age or residency requirements.
Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)
Stafford is participating in a cutting edge pilot program designed to use technology to analyze biological data from wastewater to help identify and predict the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. The county is one of only four sites in Virginia participating in this national study with a team of researchers from Biobot Analytics, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The study will enable communities to measure the scope of the outbreak, the effectiveness of public health outreach and anticipate any possible reduction in hotspots.
By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
There won’t be any ponies paddling from Assateague Island to Chincoteague this year thanks to COVID-19, according to a spokeswoman for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The 2020 Chincoteague Island Pony Swim set for July 29 has officially been scrapped, as well as the Chincoteague Volunteer Fireman’s Carnival and the pony penning celebration.
By SANDY HAUSMAN, WVTF
Bird lovers are celebrating this spring with the arrival of terns and gulls that traditionally nest on an island off the Hampton Roads Bridge and Tunnel complex. Construction threatened to displace them, but the state has created new habitat that’s proving popular.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
President Donald Trump’s nomination of U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen to a federal judgeship awaits confirmation by the U.S. Senate after a key committee vote last week. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the matter Thursday on a vote of 17 to 5. The confirmation vote looks likely to occur on the Senate floor in June or July, according to Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.
By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
The state of Virginia is investigating Fairfax County Public Schools over allegations it has failed to provide equal learning opportunities to students with disabilities during the coronavirus shutdown, as mandated by state and federal law. The Virginia Department of Education opened its investigation Monday, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
By MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
A Richmond judge on Monday lowered the threshold for mayoral candidates to qualify for the November ballot and extended the filing deadline, citing “extraordinary circumstances” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Richmond Circuit Court judge Joi Taylor ruled candidates could appear on the ballot if they submitted 150 signatures from registered voters, with at least 10 in each of the nine City Council districts, by June 23.
By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Virginia voters largely heeded a monthslong drumbeat and voted absentee amid the COVID-19 pandemic, casting doubt as to just how many people may show up today when polls are open for local elections. The city of Bristol, the town of Abingdon and more than 100 other cities, towns and counties across Virginia host voting today for an array of councils, boards and other positions, in an election delayed two weeks by executive order of Gov. Ralph Northam in light of public health concerns.
By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Motorized scooters could be coming back to Virginia Beach this summer, with the city set this week to award franchise licenses to four such companies. But don’t expect to be zipping around town on the controversial contraptions any time soon. City officials want to keep them locked until the coronavirus pandemic has had more time to subside, and the governor agrees to loosen more of his restrictions. Promote
By MARGARET MATRAY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
A Circuit Court judge ruled Monday the Portsmouth sheriff must honor the city’s contract with the Hampton Roads Regional Jail and send inmates there. But the judge put his decision on hold until the sheriff and city present additional evidence at a court hearing in June.
By JULIA MARSIGLIANO, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)
The coronavirus has prompted several school districts on the Peninsula to hold off on in-person graduation ceremonies, live streaming virtual ceremonies instead. But not Newport News Public Schools. The school district has decided to host an in-person graduation ceremony for their seniors in June. The decision was made after feedback from high school seniors and school administration, according to a news release from the district.
By CATHY JETT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Fredericksburg will have only one polling place for Tuesday’s elections because people have been urged to vote by absentee ballot due to COVID-19 concerns. The ballot includes Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, who is being challenged by Anne Little for the mayor’s post.
By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Three dozen Lynchburg households were ordered to vacate their homes Monday as eviction hearings resumed for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic forced courts to cancel routine business. Courthouses across Virginia have largely been closed to the public for much of the last two months because of the health threat. But on Friday a statewide order suspending non-emergency proceedings expired, paving the way for a backlog of eviction lawsuits to move forward this week.
By RALPH BERRIER JR., Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Roanoke will spend less on recreation, tourism, arts and libraries, but still will be able to afford core public safety and human services as the city wrestles with a budget wracked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Roanoke Finance Director Amelia Merchant and City Manager Bob Cowell outlined the city’s budget priorities during Monday’s city council meeting, which again was held through online video conferencing as council members abided by social distancing orders.
By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee
Mayor Alonzo Jones needed just a few words to sum up the mood of city officials Monday. "I wish you all could see the smile on my face," Jones, wearing a mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus, told a crowd gathered at at the site of the former Dan River Inc. finishing building in Schoolfield.
By KATE ANDREWS, Va Business Magazine
After taking bids from several companies, Danville officials announced Monday that the city is in negotiations with Caesars Entertainment to be the preferred operator of a Danville-based casino. Voters will still need to approve the casino in a November local referendum.
By PARKER COTTON, Danville Register & Bee
The graduation ceremonies for George Washington High School and Galileo Magnet High School will not be traditional, but they will happen. And school personnel have put together graduation plans in an attempt to make them as normal as possible within the guidelines of social distancing in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Daily Progress Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Two separate misjudgments from two separate agencies are undermining public confidence about state government’s handling of the corona crisis. In one, the Virginia Employment Commission accidentally overpaid some aid recipients and recouped the money from subsequent benefit payments.
Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Is there anything in our lives that hasn’t been infected by COVID-19? Certainly you can add politics to the list. In Virginia, two side effects in particular are worth noting, one that is likely have a bearing on this November’s elections, and one that will definitely be felt a year later.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
When voters in several Hampton Roads cities head to the polls today, they do so amid the extraordinary circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic, necessitating that safety measures be observed in the interest of public health. Citizens should never be forced to choose between participating in the democratic process and protecting their health, but today they will be.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
At the Pole Green Produce farmer’s market in Mechanicsville on Sunday afternoon, “Proud to be American” flags flew in the wind as a line of cars rumbled into the gravel-covered parking lot. With the steady hum of a lawnmower cutting fresh grass just a few houses away, customers weaved their way through an appetizing maze of crisp radishes, plump beefsteak tomatoes, heaping piles of spinach and other local Hanover County staples.
By LEE VREELAND, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Who would I turn to if I lost my livelihood, my children were home from school with no childcare available, and I had no idea how I was going to put dinner on the table this week, much less next month? For many families in our community, that is not a hypothetical situation.
Lee Vreeland, Ed.D., is the president and CEO of An Achievable Dream, which operates schools in Newport News and Virginia Beach.
By ALAN DOW, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
As a physician, I never have liked wearing masks with patients. They are hot, they hinder nonverbal communication and sometimes, they seem wasteful when we are chasing after an unlikely diagnosis. But they are necessary for my safety. With the global pandemic, my new normal always includes keeping a mask handy. Beyond personal safety, I have started to appreciate a new benefit of masks. Wearing a mask signals respect to others.
Alan Dow, M.D., is a general internist and professor at the VCU School of Medicine.
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