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By KATHERINE SHAVER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Nearly 860,000 additional travelers flocked to parts of Maryland and Virginia over the weekend as the states began to reopen Friday, according to researchers tracking smartphone data. Many were from the Washington suburbs, which remained shut down because of their significantly higher coronavirus caseloads, the data shows.
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Gov. Ralph Northam says the state stands ready to supply protective equipment to nursing homes and clinics that need it, but only after they have “exhausted” private supply chains. As state officials report that Virginia’s hospitals have adequate supplies to treat COVID-19 patients, the spotlight has turned to nursing homes, urgent care clinics and other health care settings.
The Virginia Public Access Project
On March 17, fewer than 20 Virginia localities had reported at least one COVID-19 case. In this 30-second time lapse, VPAP shows how the infections spread across the Commonwealth over the next two months.
By WHITTNEY EVANS, WCVE
The lawyer behind the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Citizens United, is suing Virginia election officials to stop some voters from submitting absentee ballots in the upcoming June 23 primary. Jim Bopp, the Indiana attorney who filed the lawsuit in federal court earlier this month, said the state can’t let voters use “disability or illness” as an excuse to vote by mail because of the coronavirus.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Colonial Downs Group is ready to enter the starting gate for reopening Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums in Richmond and three other Virginia localities, but it plans to run a much different business than before the coronavirus pandemic shut down gaming and other recreational venues. People will be “invited” to make reservations to visit Rosie’s locations in South Richmond, New Kent and Roanoke counties, and Hampton, under the company’s plan.
By ALLISON WRABEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Anyone in the Thomas Jefferson Health District should now be able to get tested for COVID-19, regardless of whether they are symptomatic of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The health district, which covers Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson counties and Charlottesville, is running multiple upcoming testing clinics and plans to add more in the near future.
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury
To move a colony of migratory seabirds whose nesting site stood in the way of the $4 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project, Virginia officials came up with a plan to redirect them to newly created habitats nearby. To attract thousands of birds to the designated sites on barges and Fort Wool — an old island fortification built in 1819 for coastal defense — workers put down sand, set up decoys and installed a sound system playing bird calls and “colony chatter.”
The Full Report
44 articles, 21 publications
Read Online10 Most Clicked
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.
By BRUCE POTTER, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday he has not decided whether Northern Virginia can enter Phase One of reopening on May 29. Northam last week delayed the region's entry into the first phase of easing restrictions designed to slow the spread of coronavirus until at least midnight on May 28. Most of the rest of the state began easing restrictions on Friday, May 15.
Associated Press
Ten days after asking Gov. Ralph Northam to exempt it from his limited Phase One of reopening the state’s economy, Prince William County is now asking to opt back in, at least when it comes to restaurants. The county’s Board of Supervisors sent a letter Wednesday to Northam asking that restaurants in the county be permitted to open immediately with limited outdoor seating.
Associated Press
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says almost 30,000 adults have enrolled in the state’s expanded Medicaid program since he declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Northam said Wednesday that more than 420,000 Virginians have enrolled in Medicaid since the state voted to expand it two years ago.
By ZEKE HARTNER, WTOP
As Virginia sees a downward trend in the percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive, Gov. Ralph Northam said a spike in overdose cases since the start of 2020 remains a concern. The number of emergency overdose calls that dispatchers in Virginia have responded to in 2020 has already exceeded the total number of similar calls for all of 2019, Northam said Wednesday.
By HANNAH SCHUSTER, WAMU
Absentee voting surged in Virginia’s local elections Tuesday, offering a first look at how voters, and election officials, have responded to voting during the pandemic. The city of Fairfax and towns in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties all held elections Tuesday, and while turnout was solid in contested races, you wouldn’t know it from watching the voters trickle in and out of polling stations.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Virginia plans to recruit 1,300 additional public health workers to control the spread of COVID-19. The jobs will run from six to 12 months or longer if the pandemic continues, said Mona Bector, deputy commissioner of administration at the Virginia Department of Health. Only about 50 people had been selected for the 1,300 positions as of Tuesday, she said.
By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Virginia has begun hiring the first of what could be more than 1,000 “contact tracers” to track down and alert those who’ve come into contact with people with the coronavirus. The state Department of Health recently posted the names and contact information of 10 staffing agencies it has contracted with to hire the tracers, case investigators, analytics coordinators, supervisors and data managers it needs to thoroughly track and contain the coronavirus that has infected more than 32,000 Virginians.
By ROBIN BRAVENDER, Virginia Mercury
U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Wednesday accused the top attorneys from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia of pursuing a “frivolous lawsuit” against his agency, warning that the legal action will hamstring efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. Wheeler testified Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, days after Democratic Attorneys General Brian Frosh of Maryland, Mark Herring of Virginia and Karl Racine of Washington, D.C., announced plans to sue Wheeler for failing to ensure that Pennsylvania and New York meet water pollution standards set by the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement in 2014.
By TOM NASH, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism
An investigation into Virginia school districts’ digital privacy policies reveals data breaches, decade-old guidelines and educators struggling to keep up with fast-moving tech during the coronavirus crisis.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Virginia’s Democratic U.S. senators have co-sponsored a bill aimed at helping recipients of a federal nutrition assistance program receive restaurant meals during the coronavirus pandemic. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner announced Tuesday the introduction of the bill, formally called the COVID-19 Anti-Hunger Restaurant Relief for You Act of 2020, or the SNAP CARRY Act.
By TOM JACKMAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) on Wednesday placed a hold on a nominee for a top Interior Department post as a protest of what he called the department’s continued refusal to answer his questions about the fatal shooting of motorist Bijan Ghaisar by two U.S. Park Police officers in 2017.
By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Rep. Rob Wittman, R–1st District, spoke during a brief, socially distanced early Memorial Day ceremony at Stafford County’s Armed Services Memorial on Wednesday afternoon.
By GREGORY J. GILLIGAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Chase Bank will open its first branches in the Richmond region this summer. The nation’s largest bank plans to open a location at 8727 Staples Mill Road in Henrico County, possibly in July. A month or so later, Chase should open a second branch at 11720 W. Broad St. in front of Short Pump Town Center. The bank, a unit of JPMorgan Chase & Co., hasn’t set specific opening dates yet for those branches because of the coronavirus.
By MATTHEW KORFHAGE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
In Virginia Beach, Robert Barnuevo is strolling around the house he and three partners have spent a year building. Here, he says, is the kids’ play area. Here is the e-gaming. Here are the escape rooms, the “lawn” with ping pong tables and foosball and cornhole, the party rooms, the disco balls and flashing strobe of two roller rinks.
By IAN M. STEWART, WCVE
Great Clips owner Sandy Tarant told his staff over a Zoom call prior to opening the doors for the first time in months, that what they were about to do for clients transcends a mere grooming session. “Getting a haircut is a psychological boost. And it's a boost to the spirit of people that we serve as well,” Tarant said.
By JORDAN PASCALE, WAMU
The American Automobile Association has no idea what Memorial Day travel will look like — the circumstances are too unprecedented. But AAA is guessing it will be a record low number of travelers, compared to a record high in 2019, when about 1.1 million people from the Washington region traveled more than 50 miles.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
As other colleges in Virginia keep tuition rates flat in an effort to help mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19, George Mason University is slightly raising its rates. The $1.18 billion budget the Northern Virginia university’s board of visitors adopted Wednesday includes a tuition increase of $450 for in-state and out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
ECPI University, which has three campuses in the Richmond area, is reopening its buildings. The university announced Tuesday that it will take the temperature of people entering its facilities and adhere to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in reopening.
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
The Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday that the state has 32,908 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 763 from the 32,145 reported Tuesday. But as the case numbers climb, VDH figures show the 7-day moving average has been on a downward trend since the start of May.
By FENIT NIRAPPIL AND ANN E. MARIMOW, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Children’s National Hospital is treating 23 children for an inflammatory syndrome associated with covid-19, a hospital spokesperson said Wednesday night. The illness, known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, is a recently discovered complication from the novel coronavirus. At least three cases of the syndrome have been reported in the District, officials said. One case has been reported to state officials in Virginia as of Wednesday night, and three cases have been reported to Maryland’s state health department, officials said.
By NEAL AUGENSTEIN AND RICK MASSIMO, WTOP
There were dozens of cars in line an hour before Loudoun County, Virginia, began free drive-thru coronavirus testing Wednesday morning at Philip A. Bolen Memorial Park. But shortly after 2:30 p.m., the Loudoun County government said in a statement that the site had already reached its capacity, and that anyone who got in line between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. would be turned away.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
The highly infectious novel coronavirus continues to spread through the Fredericksburg community, as evidenced by the number of outbreaks, local cases and people in yellow isolation gowns summoned for professional deep cleanings. Five office workers at a manufacturing facility in Caroline County tested positive for COVID-19 last week and have been quarantining at home. Meanwhile, the CVS on Chatham Heights Road in Stafford County is closed today for cleaning after an employee there tested positive.
By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury
Two sites linked to high-profile environmental battles were among seven selected by Preservation Virginia for its 2020 list of the commonwealth’s “Most Endangered Historic Places,” released Tuesday.
Fauquier Now
Preservation Virginia on Tuesday listed the state’s metal truss bridges — including two in Fauquier — among its “Most Endangered Historic Places for 2020.” The Warrenton-based Piedmont Environmental Council nominated those bridges for the designation.
By VERNON MILES, ArlNow
The County Board is directing $500,000 in federal coronavirus stimulus and recovery funding towards closing a digital divide that the pandemic has made impossible to ignore. “Broadband connectivity is not a luxury, it is essential for households,” County Board member Christian Dorsey said.
ArlNow
Masks significantly reduce the transmission of coronavirus, making their usage during the pandemic a public health priority. To encourage wider use of masks, Arlington County is planning to give them away for free.
By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times
With the signing of several gun control measures in Virginia this year, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors directed staff at Tuesday's business meeting to begin investigating how the legislation will or could impact the county.
By NICK IANNELLI, WTOP
A controversial program that allows Prince William County, Virginia, to cooperate with federal immigration authorities could soon be scrapped as county leaders voted to appoint several new members to the board that oversees the program. Three new members were appointed to the county’s jail board during a marathon session of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
By RICH GRISET, Chesterfield Observer
As Virginia begins the gradual process of reopening and allowing social gathering situations in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chesterfield County Public Schools is evaluating a range of options to keep its students on track academically.....For the new school year, Pope said the school system was designing multiple models for how it might conduct instruction, including a traditional return to school, an online-only return to school, and a hybrid option.
By RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Norfolk’s City Council unanimously passed an annual budget Tuesday for the next fiscal year that includes $40 million in spending cuts amid lingering uncertainty over the impacts of the coronavirus. The budget projects continued closures of most, if not all, libraries and rec centers, as well as a major scaling back of new capital projects and even more furloughs for city staff.
By ROBYN SIDERSKY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Each of the roughly 4,800 seniors graduating from Virginia Beach high schools will get their own graduation next month, the division announced Tuesday. Between June 17-20, high schools will have an individual graduation ceremony for each student, who can invite up to 10 guests and walk across a stage in a cap and gown, receive a diploma and have their picture taken.
By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)
While many high school seniors across the country are facing disappointment at not having in-person graduation ceremonies, York County School Division has devised a plan to make sure students still have a special day. Division officials announced its new plans for a drive-in commencement ceremony for students and families. The class of 2020 will have an outdoor ceremony from June 10-12 at the Bailey Field and Bruton High School parking lots. The ceremonies will also be live-streamed for those watching at home.
By JUSTIN FAULCONER, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
An Amherst councilwoman who was expelled from council last summer, then reelected a few months later, was unsuccessful in initiating a process to change the town’s charter last week to prevent a similar move from happening again. Janice Wheaton cast the only vote in favor of changing the charter during Amherst Town Council’s May 13 meeting, while councilors Kenneth Bunch, Ken Watts, Sarah Ogden and Rachel Carton opposed.
By RALPH BERRIER JR., Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Neither rain nor the coronavirus could keep Salem residents from casting votes — even if most of them did it by mail. About 18% of Salem’s eligible voters cast ballots during Tuesday’s city council election, although nearly two-thirds of them had already voted by absentee balloting. That turnout percentage was higher than either of the last two council elections in 2018 (16%) and 2016 (11%), according to Deputy Registrar Sharon Pratt.
By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the number of inquiries from business prospects asking about possible sites for locating an industry in the Dan River Region. Pittsylvania County Economic Development Director Matt Rowe said he has received fewer calls from less serious prospects, but interest from those with more solid plans remains strong.
By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
This month’s avalanche of absentee ballots mirrored — usually within a couple of percentage points — the final outcomes of local races both here and across Virginia. Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in March, state and local officials urged voters to use absentee ballots and “vote from home,” rather than congregating at polling places on Election Day in May’s series of more than 100 city and town elections across the state.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The three-member State Corporation Commission could be entering a period of transition with not one, but two new members potentially in the offing (assuming the accuracy of Richmond rumors) and a repeat legislative effort to expand the panel to five members. If so, the consequences could be quite significant. It might be a good time to ponder this state agency’s singular history.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Spring normally is the season when prospective college students are in the hot seat. After months of essays, recommendation letters, applications and waiting for admission decisions, high school seniors usually have around one month to pick a school and place a deposit. COVID-19 shifted stress to higher education institutions. Major revenue streams — tuition, housing, meal services, athletic events, etc. — are dry and uncertain.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
David Goldstein came to the polls at Ashland Town Hall Tuesday morning prepared to greet voters and hand out campaign material. In this new era of socially distant elections, that couldn’t happen. “All the candidates would love for people to come up and talk to them,” said Goldstein, one of six contenders for three Town Council seats. But unlike in elections past, no voters were stopping by.
By WARREN FISKE, WCVE
Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, says Democrats in the General Assembly have opened prison gates for the early release of thousands of violent felons. “VA Democrats authorized for early release over 4,000 violent felons, 60% of which are incarcerated for violent offenses,” he posted on his Facebook page on April 28. . . . We fact-checked the statements by Freitas, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the Seventh District congressional seat held by Democrat Abigail Spanberger.
By STEPHEN D. HANER, published in Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
To the modern environmental movement, natural gas is the Devil’s own breath. It must be opposed in every form on every front. This explains the existential battle being fought over what would otherwise be considered fairly minor capital enhancements to an existing gas pipeline connecting Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
Haner is a senior fellow for state and local tax policy at the Springfield, Va.-based Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.
By DANIEL SILEO, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of nearly everyone in Hampton Roads, both personally and professionally. As leaders wrestle with re-opening and an eventual full recovery, we will have to confront a “new normal” in the business community. Young professionals will be instrumental in driving us forward, catalyzing their employers to rethink their policies and procedures.
Sileo is chairman of tHRive, the young professional program of the Hampton Roads Chamber (ypthrive.org).
By SEAN POLSTER, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
These past few months have been heartbreaking for our state, our nation and the world. As a father and husband, I worry about my family. As a member of the Warrenton Town Council, I worry about my community. As a Virginia Municipal League board member, I hear from Alexandria and Bristol, Virginia Beach and Pennington Gap, Danville and Winchester, and all the communities in between. And I worry about them.
Sean Polster is a member of the Warrenton Town Council
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