VaNews
May 23, 2020

Today's Sponsor:


** Rappahannock CASA
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In honor of our volunteers, who have been speaking up for abused and neglected children for 30 years.

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Top of the News


** Pandemic pushes Virginia's jobless rate to 10.6% in April - highest level in at least four decades ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Virginia’s unemployment rate surged into double digits in April as the coronavirus pandemic hit every industry in the state, forcing businesses and schools to close and putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work.
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** Sentara cuts doctor pay, blames pandemic for at least $778 million loss ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Some Sentara Healthcare employees are facing shrinking paychecks and no money going into their retirement accounts — part of the deep cuts the company says it is imposing because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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** Virginians could be required to wear masks in public soon, Northam hints ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia’s governor hinted Friday that masks soon may be required to be worn when going out in public. “Be ready on Tuesday to go out and about in your business when it’s essential with facial protection,” Gov. Ralph Northam said at a news conference in Richmond. “Make plans for you and your other family members to have facial protection.”
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** Meet the Republicans looking to unseat Sen. Mark Warner ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Virginia Republicans have not won a statewide election in more than a decade. In a June primary, three GOP hopefuls, all rookies in Virginia politics, are seeking a chance to break that drought by defeating Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in November. There's a big, added challenge for candidates without statewide name recognition - campaigning amid COVID-19, which has killed more than 1,000 Virginians, according to state data.
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** Virginia officials prepare for surge in mail-in voting after practice is used widely in municipal elections ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY AND ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Tuesday's voting in municipal contests across the state gives an early indication that - at least for now - many Virginians would rather vote absentee than stand in line with other voters amid COVID-19. The Virginia Public Access Project reports that voters cast 61,220 ballots via mail for the municipal elections, a drastic increase over the 1,452 submitted through the mail in 2016.
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** VPAP Visual Amid pandemic, voter turnout was a mixed bag ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

The percentage of voters who participated in municipal elections Tuesday across Virginia was down slightly compared to four years ago. But even with the coronavirus pandemic, turnout was up in many cities and towns. VPAP has calculated the rate of change in each of the 115 localities.
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** Distance Learning to Start School Year ‘Very Probable,’ APS Says ([link removed])
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ArlNow

Arlington Public Schools will “likely” start the new 2020-2021 school year with students staying at home, the interim superintendent told families Friday afternoon. In a School Talk email, Cintia Johnson — who is soon to be succeeded by newly-hired superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán — said that APS is planning for three scenarios to start the fall: in-home distance learning, a return to classrooms, or a hybrid of the two.
The Full Report
43 articles, 24 publications

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** FROM VPAP
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** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Data from the Virginia Department of Health includes a timeline of when COVID-19 cases were confirmed, a statewide map showing the number of cases and deaths by locality and per-capita cases by ZIP Code. VPAP has added daily hospital utilization numbers from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Updated each morning before 11:00 am.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Northam signals coming order on wearing masks ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam is weighing the details of a statewide order requiring people to wear face masks to contain the spread of COVID-19, with an announcement planned for Tuesday. “Face coverings are an important part of the next steps. We’ll have more on that next week,” Northam said Friday, adding that his “homework” for Virginians is to procure face coverings for themselves and their families over the weekend.
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** Free online tool launches for Virginians concerned about coronavirus symptoms ([link removed])
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By JESSICA NOLTE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam announced a free online service Friday to help Virginians self-screen for the coronavirus. COVIDCheck asks a series of questions about the individual’s demographics and symptoms before recommending next steps, such as self-isolation, seeing a doctor or seeking emergency care.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Va. Parole Board grants release to another convicted killer ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The attack that killed Gerald "Jerry" Hall a decade ago was as brutal as it was nonsensical. His killer, Donald Lee Brooks - who became enraged after learning Hall said he would date a woman not of his own race or ethnicity - challenged Hall to fight after the two had been drinking beer and playing pool at a small restaurant and grill in Amelia County on April 12, 2010.
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** 4 inmates, 2 employees test positive for COVID-19 at Riverside Regional Jail ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Four inmates at Riverside Regional Jail have tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain in quarantine away from the facility’s 1,300 other inmates until they recover, jail officials confirmed Friday. Two staff members at the facility have also tested positive. The four inmates were tested after complaining of cold-like symptoms, Sgt. Viola Spratley, a jail spokeswoman, said in an email. Tests performed on additional inmates are pending, she added.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** High Unemployment Saps Virginia’s Trust Fund ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE

Virginia’s unemployment rate surged to nearly 11% last month, according to new data from the Department of Labor, up from around 3% in March. The Virginia Employment Commission has processed over 700,000 claims from workers so far this year, with payouts totaling over $2 billion since March 15. Those claims are taxing Virginia’s unemployment system, according to VEC Commissioner Ellen Marie Hess. In a presentation to lawmakers on Tuesday, she said the state’s unemployment trust fund will run out of money in the third quarter of this year.
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** Virginia’s unemployment rate grows past 10 percent in April ([link removed])
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By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

As the COVID-19 pandemic fueled the closure of businesses across the country, the unemployment rate in Virginia rose in April to the highest level recorded. The Virginia Employment Commission reported Friday that the rate rose to 10.6% in the month, up from 3.3% in March. The number is likely to grow in May and June, said Sonya Ravindranath Waddell, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.
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** Arts park Wolf Trap scrubs entire summer concert series for first time in history ([link removed])
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By DAVID R. SANDS, Washington Times

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts said Friday it will go entirely dark this summer, canceling all concerts at its Vienna, Va., site for the first time in its nearly 50-year history. Citing the COVID-19 lockdown and the impossibility of staging large-crowd events for the foreseeable future, officials at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts said all concerts and events at the Filene Center and the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods planned for May through September have been scrubbed.
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** Phlow contract crowns Virginia push to become 'leader in innovation' ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

When Frank Gupton traveled to San Francisco with then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2017, he was hoping for a major financial boost from a high-profile backer of research at the Medicine for All Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had given almost $15 million over the three previous years to the institute, part of what is now the VCU College of Engineering, to develop new ways to produce medicines to fight AIDS and other diseases across the world.
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** Saint Germain and Pourhouse close permanently in Norfolk, casualties of the coronavirus pandemic ([link removed])
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By MATTHEW KORFHAGE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Two of the most distinctive restaurants in downtown Norfolk have closed. Saint Germain and Pourhouse, which neighbored each other on Granby Street in Norfolk, were very different spots — a yin/yang of upscale bohemia and down-and-dirty drinking, respectively. Both were helmed by the brother-sister team of David Hledik and Tiffany Kidwell.
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** Thousands of jobs in the Roanoke and New River valleys have dried up in pandemic, economists say ([link removed])
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By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The COVID-19 crisis has hit with widespread economic impact in the Roanoke-Blacksburg region, according to a dismal jobs report Friday that a top economic official depicted as “a real tragedy.”
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** Dining on DoG Street is now a reality ([link removed])
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By ALEX PERRY, Virginia Gazette (Metered Paywall - 4 Articles per Month)

Patrons in Colonial Williamsburg can now enjoy public seating under umbrella shade with new tables sets that have been “added to the existing pedestrian nature of the street to enjoy what Williamsburg has to offer," according to an email from interim city of Williamsburg spokesman Steve Roberts Jr.
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** 21-story office tower in downtown Richmond to be imploded on May 30; public urged to stay away ([link removed])
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By GREGORY J. GILLIGAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The loud boom will sound like a thunderstorm over your head for 20 seconds, followed by a billowing cloud of dust. When the cloud clears, the vacant 21-story office tower on East Cary Street in downtown Richmond will be reduced to a pile of rubble. It is expected to take 20 seconds from the time the first explosion goes off until the building comes down. That’s what is expected to happen around 7 a.m. on May 30 when Dominion Energy implodes its One James River Plaza office tower.


** TRANSPORTATION
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** Dulles Airport workers want a safety plan and health care before returning to work ([link removed])
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By MEGAN CLOHERTY, WTOP

Workers who clean, disinfect and transport passengers around our area’s airports are concerned for their safety when they return to work, as the coronavirus pandemic continues. “Safety comes first for our co-workers,” said Gebrish Weldemariam who works at Dulles International Airport.
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** Businesses Frustrated By Upcoming Silver Line Shutdown And Orange Line Closures ([link removed])
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By JORDAN PASCALE, WAMU

Metro is closing six Orange Line stations and the entire Silver Line starting Saturday and Northern Virginia business groups are not happy with the rollout. The closures will affect nine stations: four on the Orange Line (Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church, East Falls Church) and five on the Silver Line (Wiehle-Reston, Springhill, Greensboro, Tysons Corner, McLean).


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virginia football taking cautious approach after NCAA approves voluntary workouts ([link removed])
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By GENE WANG, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The NCAA voted Wednesday to allow athletes in Division I football and men’s and women’s basketball to participate in voluntary on-campus workouts beginning June 1, ending a ban enacted in mid-March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. It wasn’t necessarily good news for Virginia Coach Bronco Mendenhall, who is not bringing players back to Charlottesville out of an abundance of caution while awaiting direction from state government officials and university leadership.
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** Tidewater Community College freezing tuition and fees in the fall ([link removed])
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By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Students at Tidewater Community College won’t have to worry about rising tuition and fees, at least not during the fall. The State Board for Community Colleges announced Thursday that it made a unanimous decision to freeze tuition and fees for the fall 2020 semester, according to a release from the college.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** 813 new coronavirus cases reported Friday morning, 37 new deaths, according to state data ([link removed])
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By ROBYN SIDERSKY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Data released Friday morning showed 813 new cases of the coronavirus were reported overnight, according to the Virginia Department of Health. It brings the state tally to 34,950 cases. Of those, 33,208 are confirmed and 1,742 are probable cases.
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** White House says D.C. region among worst in country ([link removed])
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By JULIE ZAUZMER, COLBY ITKOWITZ AND GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The lead coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force said Friday that the District and its suburbs have the highest rate in the country of people testing positive for the infection, despite implementing the same restrictions and stay-at-home orders as other states.
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** Northam: Va. planning 44 community testing events next week ([link removed])
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By ZEKE HARTNER, WTOP

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in a Friday news conference that community testing events around the commonwealth saw over 4,000 tests conducted with 44 more community testing events planned for next week. Between Woodbridge, Manassas and Leesburg, 4,377 tests were conducted at community testing events, Northam said.
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** Rare COVID-linked symptoms in children raise alarm among parents amid many unknowns ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A list of seemingly disconnected symptoms turned Olivia Akkerman’s motherly worry into fear that whatever was afflicting her 8-year-old son, Henry, was rare, and possibly tied to COVID-19. A week and two hospital visits later, the Fredericksburg mother doesn’t have many firm answers.
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** Trump lashes out at UVa-funded study, scientists whose findings contradict him ([link removed])
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By JILL COLVIN, Associated Press

“A Trump enemy statement,” he said of one study. “A political hit job,” he said of another. As President Donald Trump pushes to reopen the country despite warnings from doctors about the consequences of moving too quickly during the coronavirus crisis, he has been lashing out at scientists whose conclusions he doesn’t like.
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** Trump sends $4.9 billion to nursing homes, nothing yet for assisted living ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Federal financial aid is finally coming for nursing homes, but no relief is yet in sight for assisted living facilities and other long-term care providers stricken by COVID-19 in the coronavirus pandemic.
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** Answering the call ([link removed])
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By REGINALD STUART, Richmond Free Press

When Gov. Ralph S. Northam’s call went out for volunteers to help with COVID-19 efforts, Matilde Badillo responded. The 59-year-old registered nurse, who works in Chesterfield County elementary schools, has been on the front lines helping at several community coronavirus testing sites in Richmond. She is among the estimated 1,800 volunteers who have signed up since March to help with the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps.
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** 8 test positive in local health district outbreak; 23 affected so far ([link removed])
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By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Health departments in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties remain closed in the wake of a COVID-19 outbreak that involves 23 workers of the Rappahannock Area Health District.
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** COVID-19 testing still limited in Lynchburg area as health officials look to expand contact tracing ([link removed])
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By RICHARD CHUMNEY, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

More than two months after the novel coronavirus spread to the Lynchburg area, testing capacity for COVID-19 still is limited, making it difficult to know the true extent of the pandemic’s effect on the region. As of Friday, nearly 1.7% of people living in the Hill City and the surrounding counties have been tested for the disease, according to figures released by the Virginia Department of Health.
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** Why the Justice Department Is Backing This Small Virginia Church in the Country's Reopening Debate ([link removed])
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By TESSA BERENSON, Time Magazine

On April 5, three weeks after President Donald Trump declared the novel coronavirus to be a national emergency, Pastor Kevin Wilson decided to go ahead and hold Palm Sunday service at the Lighthouse Fellowship Church, located in a low-slung brick building on the island of Chincoteague, Virginia. Without any internet to broadcast the service online, Wilson felt he had to let his congregants come in. He ministers to people who have struggled with drug addiction, mental health, poverty and prostitution, keeping a trashcan at the altar where people can throw away cigarettes and alcohol to surrender them to God.
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** Little information available on most recent COVID-19 death, additional outbreaks in region ([link removed])
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By CALEB AYERS, Danville Register & Bee

The second death caused by COVID-19 in Danville was reported by the Virginia Department of Health on Friday morning, and though state data shows the person was over the age of 80, no other data is immediately available. “We cannot provide info for a specific incident,” Virginia Department of Health spokesman Robert Parker wrote in an email.
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** Virginia hotel uses empty rooms to illuminate messages of hope for commuters ([link removed])
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By RICK MAESE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Midday approached as Ken Kruger pulled his brown cart down the darkened hallway of the empty hotel building. “Okay, 1207,” he said, parking his operation in front of a hotel room door. “We got an open window in here that needs to close.”


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Virginia approved for SNAP online shopping pilot program ([link removed])
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CBS 19

More than 740,000 Virginians will be able to pay for groceries online and have them delivered now that Virginia has been added to a pilot program. Governor Ralph Northam announced on Friday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved Virginia to join the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Online Purchasing Pilot Program.
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** Shenandoah National Park to increase access to Skyline Drive and trails ([link removed])
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Page Valley News

Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Shenandoah National Park is increasing recreational access. The National Park Service (NPS) is working servicewide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.
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** Ex-Lancaster prosecutor faces disciplinary hearing in fatal boating case that killed Graham McCormick ([link removed])
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By ALI ROCKETT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A Virginia State Bar subcommittee says the former Lancaster County prosecutor violated its rules of professional conduct for his handling of a fatal boating crash case. Jan Smith had negotiated a controversial plea deal in the 2017 death of 31-year-old former Richmonder Graham McCormick.


** LOCAL
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** Arlington Parks to Partially Reopen Saturday ([link removed])
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ArlNow

Exactly two months after closing amid the pandemic, Arlington’s parks are partially reopening in time for Memorial Day weekend. Arlington County made the announcement shortly before 1 p.m., noting that a number of park amenities will remain closed.
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** Loudoun County commits $5.7M of CARES Act funding to replenish Business Interruption Fund ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Loudoun Times

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved $5.7 million in additional grant funding for the COVID-19 Business Interruption Fund to support small businesses adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
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** Protesters Demand Northern Virginia Reopening Now ([link removed])
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By PATRICK SZABO, Loudoun Now

Northern Virginia should begin reopening next Friday, but dozens of residents feel that should already be happening. For a second week in a row, close to 50 protestors lined Loudoun Street late Friday morning outside the county government building displaying signs with messages demanding that businesses in the Northern Virginia region, specifically in Loudoun, be allowed to reopen along with the rest of the Commonwealth.
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** Beach ambassadors: They don’t police, but they play a role in keeping Virginia Beach safe ([link removed])
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By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Before the coronavirus, Karen Bryson worked security at concerts at the Oceanfront and as an usher at Norfolk’s Scope. But when entertainment options shut down, Bryson, 64, signed up for a new job in Virginia Beach. She is still doing what she loves most — interacting with people — but she also is helping protect them against the spread of the coronavirus.
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** Newport News, Hampton school boards freeze millions of dollars from budgets ([link removed])
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By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Anticipating decreased state money due to the COVID-19 pandemic, school boards in Newport News and Hampton have frozen raises and other items from next year’s budget. Newport News has frozen or cut $5.4 million from its initially approved $330 million budget. Hampton has reduced its $262 million budget by about $8.1 million.
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** Portsmouth schools will give teachers and other employees 2% raises ([link removed])
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By SARA GREGORY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Portsmouth schools will give employees a raise next year, the first district in Hampton Roads that hasn’t walked back plans for raises because of coronavirus-related budget disruptions.
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** What a rollercoaster: WJCC announces outdoor graduation ceremonies at Busch Gardens ([link removed])
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By JULIA MARSIGLIANO, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Seniors from the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools can have a “normal” graduation ceremony this year despite the coronavirus pandemic. The school district announced Friday the 2020 graduates can receive their diploma in person and walk across the stage in an outdoor ceremony –––at Busch Gardens.
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** Glazed and confused: Cops shut down Krispy Kreme giveaway ([link removed])
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By SUSIE WEBB, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

I was so close, I could taste it. After waiting in line for 90 minutes, I finally pulled up to the Krispy Kreme, ready for my free donuts. It was then, my car the next in line, that the police came and closed the sale, directing everyone to go home. On May 19, Krispy Kreme ran a promotional sale offering a dozen free specialty donuts to high school and college seniors in the graduating class of 2020.
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** After divided start, Charlottesville officials coalesce around pandemic response, emails show ([link removed])
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By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

After sparring over Charlottesville’s response to the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic, the city’s elected officials and top administrators settled into a routine and appeared to improve communication as the pandemic widened. The Daily Progress obtained emails between the the city councilors and City Manager Tarron Richardson related to the pandemic from March 25 to April 30 through a request under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
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** Sale of hydro complex nixed by Danville City Council ([link removed])
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By CALEB AYERS, Danville Register & Bee

They needed seven votes. They got six. The sale of the out-of-town Pinnacles Hydro Complex — the lone power- generation plant Danville Utilities owns — to Northbrook Energy for $8.2 million failed during a virtual Danville City Council meeting Thursday night.

Today's Sponsor:


** Rappahannock CASA
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In honor of our volunteers, who have been speaking up for abused and neglected children for 30 years.


** OP-ED
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** Federici: Designate food workers as first responders ([link removed])
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By MARK P. FEDERICI, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

“Are we essential or are we sacrificial?” That’s the profound question recently asked by a grocery worker and member of our union, United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400. We all know what the answer should be. But Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s actions in reopening the commonwealth suggest a view of our members as more sacrificial than essential.

Federici is president of UFCW Local 400, representing 35,000 workers in Virginia, as well as Maryland, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
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