VaNews
May 28, 2020

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** Charles Ryan Associates
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Top of the News


** Microsoft planning new R&D center in Northern Virginia expected to employ 1,500 people ([link removed])
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By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Software company Microsoft Corp. is planning to open a research and development center in Northern Virginia that is expected to create about 1,500 jobs, state officials said Wednesday.
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** Regulators warn utility disconnection moratorium ‘is not sustainable’ ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

More than two months after state regulators imposed a ban on utility disconnections for nonpayment of bills in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the State Corporation Commission is warning that the current situation “is not sustainable on an unlimited basis.” While acknowledging “the hardships faced by many Virginians as a result of jobs lost” due to the pandemic, the commission in a May 26 order warned that an ongoing moratorium could not only lead to customers being burdened with higher bills in the future but put smaller utilities like electric cooperatives at risk of running out of cash.
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** Top Virginia Department of Fire Programs official accused of defrauding education assistance program ([link removed])
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WFXR

Brenda Scaife, the chief administrative officer of the Virginia Department of Fire Programs, faces four felony counts after a year-long investigation into accusations that she defrauded the department’s education assistance program. According to Virginia State Police, an investigation into Scaife began last May after a referral from the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts and the Virginia Office of the State Inspector General regarding “financial discrepancies” linked to the department’s education assistance program.
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** Republicans reject Rep. Denver Riggleman's appeal alleging 'corrupt' convention process ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Republicans have rejected a last-ditch effort from Rep. Denver Riggleman to change the location of a convention less than three weeks away when he’ll face challenger Bob Good for the party nomination.
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** Norfolk decides proposed casino would not be on tribal land, so the city would get tax revenue ([link removed])
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By RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Norfolk still plans to play host to a major casino resort run by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe. But the City Council decided officially Tuesday it won’t be on tribal land — a key distinction that means the city will be able to collect tax revenue from the development.
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** 'The roadway basically collapsed' ([link removed])
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By MIKE GANGLOFF, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The 10-minute or so travel time between the Giles County towns of Narrows and Glen Lyn grew to more than an hour Wednesday evening — prompted by the ongoing shutdown of U.S. 460 due to a mudslide last week. All four lanes of Giles County’s largest highway are closed in an area called the Bluffs, where the road clings to the side of cliffs above the New River. U.S. 460 is expected to stay closed for at least several weeks.
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** Income Reduced, Local Woman Turns To Sewing ([link removed])
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By KATHLEEN SHAW, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Heather Lindstrom is a single mother who has worked full time as a bus driver for Harrisonburg City Public Schools for three years to support her family. When COVID-19 brought schools to a close, Lindstrom did not want to ask for government aid and instead turned to the internet and a lifelong hobby as a buoy to keep her afloat. Since March, she has made over 400 masks for friends and strangers near and far, selling each one for $7 over Facebook....Lindstrom said sharing her story and working through the hard times has garnered media attention and she has made enough to pay May’s rent and is currently earning toward June’s bills.
The Full Report
41 articles, 24 publications

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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual If Money Were Votes: Presidential Donors Mapped by Precinct ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

How much money have Donald Trump and Joe Biden raised in each of Virginia's 2,453 voting precincts? The answer can be found on this interactive map, which is color coded to show which candidate held the money edge or the largest number of donors between November and April.
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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 10:00 am.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Following months of workplace complaints, Northam proposes on-the-job safety rules for COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER AND SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Gov. Ralph Northam has directed the state labor commissioner to develop emergency workplace regulations addressing on-the-job safety concerns that have prompted thousands of employee complaints since the COVID-19 pandemic began. “These new workplace safety standards will apply to employers and should include use of personal protective equipment, sanitation, record keeping of incidents and hazard communication,” Northam said Tuesday.
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** How Virginia’s Mask Rule Will Be Enforced ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE

Virginians could face a misdemeanor charge for violating Gov. Ralph Northam's new order requiring masks in most indoor settings. But the administration and legal experts are downplaying the likelihood of many prosecutions. The commonwealth is set to join a handful of states that require masks in most indoor settings, including retail stores, public buildings and barbershops.
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** Disobeying Virginia’s mask order could carry a criminal charge, but Northam appears to be counting on compliance ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Timing wasn’t the only thing that set Gov. Ralph Northam’s new mask mandate apart. When he announced the emergency order on Tuesday, more than a month later than nearby counterparts including Maryland and New Jersey, Northam repeatedly emphasized that enforcement would be different than similar requirements in other areas.
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** Va. attorney general warns 114 businesses about charging 'unconscionable prices' on toilet paper, hand sanitizer ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

More than 100 Virginia businesses have been warned about price gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic, Attorney General Mark Herring’s office said. Herring has sent at least 114 warning letters to businesses in the state, with the attorney general receiving complaints on products including toilet paper, hand sanitizer and paper towels, among other things.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Local Representatives Have Mixed Reaction To Northam Order ([link removed])
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By JESSICA WETZLER AND IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Beginning Friday, Virginians will be required to wear a face covering in public indoor settings after Gov. Ralph Northam announced the mandate during Tuesday’s press conference, but local representatives in the Rockingham County area have mixed feelings regarding the measure. Within hours of Northam’s announcement, the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus released a statement decrying the governor’s face mask mandate, and state Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, was included in the statement.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Carroll Foy announces run for governor ([link removed])
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By JAMES SCOTT BARON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy never imagined she’d announce her run for governor in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic. “But COVID-19 has exposed what was already beneath the surface, that too many Virginians can’t earn a decent paycheck, afford their medical bills, or get ahead,” said Carroll Foy, who officially announced her run for Virginia’s highest office on Wednesday.
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** Carroll Foy formally launches bid for Virginia governor ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Democratic state Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy formally launched her bid for Virginia governor Wednesday, using email and social media to make an initial appeal to voters amid the social distancing constraints of the coronavirus pandemic.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** 5th District GOP denies Riggleman venue appeal ([link removed])
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By TYLER HAMMEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The 5th District Republican Committee has denied an appeal from U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman to change the upcoming convention’s venue after he protested a vote based on an allegation that three voting members of the committee are involved with his opponent’s campaign.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** VDH: Petersburg’s water compliance based on efforts to address issues ([link removed])
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By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health says Petersburg is now compliant with its directive to reconnect service to all water-utility customers regardless of any delinquencies in payment.
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** More than one-third of Virginia's prison inmates tested for COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By FRANK GREEN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Ten percent of more than 11,000 inmates held by the Virginia Department of Corrections thus far tested for COVID-19 have tested positive, officials said. One-third of Virginia’s roughly 30,000 inmates have now been tested, and with several more facilities to undergo “point prevalence” testing this week, the number of inmates testing positive is expected to climb again.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Dominion overstated need for high-voltage power line across James River, opponents’ study says ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

A study commissioned by opponents of Dominion Energy’s high-voltage Skiffes-Surry transmission line across the James River says the company overstated the need for power on the Peninsula in making its case for the controversial project.
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** Dozens laid off at Ferguson headquarters in Newport News ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

As part of cost-cutting measures related to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ferguson Enterprises plumbing supply company has laid off 84 workers at its Newport News headquarters. The majority of the jobs cuts are permanent, according to spokesperson Christine Dwyer.
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** Riverside Health System joins group buying a stake in country’s largest surgical mask manufacturer ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Riverside Health System is joining 14 other hospital groups and a healthcare data and consulting firm to buy a stake in the country’s biggest maker of surgical masks. The unusual, multi-million-dollar deal will help privately-held Prestige Ameritech boost production of its protective gear, including the N-95 masks that hospitals and first responders have scrambled to find during the pandemic.
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** Delta Dental to give Virginia dentists $3 million ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Delta Dental of Virginia and the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation said Wednesday they would donate $3 million to help dentists reopen their offices and ease the financial burden of safety protocols due to COVID-19. Delta Dental said the funds would be distributed to the more than 4,500 dentists in its network to cover expenses associated with safety guidelines, including purchasing personal protective equipment.
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** Va. lodging industry launches safety initiative as commonwealth reopens ([link removed])
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By A.J. NWOKO, NBC 12

With most of the commonwealth under phase one guidelines, a new initiative called “Safe Stay” is being implemented by Virginia’s lodging industry to focus on the enhanced practices, social interactions and workplace protocols in response to COVID-19 pandemic. The Safe Stay Initiative was created by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and was launched nationwide earlier this month.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Virginia Tech faces 5th lawsuit over cadet blood-pinning suspensions ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

A fifth former cadet is suing Virginia Tech over his suspension in a fall blood-pinning ceremony. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court alleges the university violated the due process rights of Christopher J. Dana when it disciplined him following a student conduct hearing on hazing.
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** U.Va.'s Fall 2020 undergraduate student survey finds most students support delayed semester ([link removed])
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By SEVY VAN DER WERF, Cavalier Daily

The results of the University’s Fall 2020 survey found that 73.66 percent of respondents agreed they could adapt to a semester delayed by a month, while 69.6 percent and 69.1 percent agree they could adapt to a semester that starts online or divide the semester up into two “modules,” respectively. Taking lecture classes online was also preferred to taking classes in person on weekends or late at night.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** As a Federal Coronavirus Expert Frets, the Capital Moves to Reopen ([link removed])
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By JENNIFER STEINHAUER, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

The leaders around the nation’s capital are pushing forward with plans to reopen the region, hoping they are close enough to their public health goals to move toward normalcy despite coronavirus infection rates that have alarmed federal officials. “I want to make sure we all understand that moving into Phase 1 means that more people can get infected,” Muriel E. Bowser, Washington’s mayor, said on Wednesday as she announced that parts of the city would begin to reopen on Friday. “It cannot be said enough: Every single one of us has a role to play.”
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** Small steps for D.C., Va. suburbs ([link removed])
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By FENIT NIRAPPIL, EMILY DAVIES AND OVETTA WIGGINS, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The District will join Northern Virginia suburbs Friday in taking tentative steps toward ending their prolonged economic shutdown, the start of a gradual reopening of the coronavirus-battered Washington region.
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** More federal aid for nursing homes in Virginia as testing push intensifies staffing challenge ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia nursing homes will receive almost $95 million in additional federal aid that they’ll likely need to pay for staffing and protective gear. The state is ramping up testing to identify residents and employees infected with COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the virus among its most vulnerable population.
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** COVID-19 cases in Virginia increase by 907 and surpass 40,000 ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday that the state has 40,249 COVID-19 cases, an increase of 907 from the 39,342 reported Tuesday.
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** As Fairfax County Passes 10,000 Cases, COVID-19 Trajectory Appears to Dip ([link removed])
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By FATIMAH WASEEM, Reston Now

The number of COVID-19 cases in Fairfax County surpassed 10,000 Wednesday. But the trajectory of cases appears to be on the decline as Northern Virginia gears up for phase one of its reopening plan on Friday. According to data released by the state’s health department, a slowdown in the number of new cases emerged this week.
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** Loudoun County to hold second COVID-19 mass testing event ([link removed])
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By STAFF REPORT, Loudoun Times

Loudoun County has scheduled a second round of free, drive-through testing for COVID-19 at Philip A. Bolen Memorial Park in Leesburg for Monday beginning at 10 a.m. Testing will end when the site reaches capacity or by 6 p.m.
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** Sentara forms partnership to bring free coronavirus testing to minority communities ([link removed])
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By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

Sentara Healthcare is now offering a new program to bring coronavirus testing to underserved minority populations. Sentara announced Wednesday it has partnered with local health departments, and the local chapters of the Urban League and NAACP chapters, as well as various community and faith organizations to provide free testing in minority communities.
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** Free Clinic must move by November as health district increases response to virus ([link removed])
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By BRYAN MCKENZIE, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The need to provide long-term testing and treatment for COVID-19 is forcing the relocation of the Charlottesville Free Clinic, making the organization the pandemic’s latest victim.
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** Lord Fairfax Health District sees 71 new cases overnight ([link removed])
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By RANDY ARRINGTON, Page Valley News

Daily reports from the Virginia Department of Health have been like a roller coaster ride in recent weeks, up one day and down the next. The fluctuating figures have left Virginia in a “steady” state at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic — showing no clear signs of improving or worsening. There have been only nine days since the pandemic hit Virginia in mid-February (first case reported March 7) when the Lord Fairfax Health District saw all six of its jurisdictions report new cases on the same day. Today was one of those days.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Plans for Landfill Threaten Historic School ([link removed])
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By SANDY HAUSMAN, WVTF

During the Jim Crow era, when public schools in Virginia refused to educate African-Americans, a prominent black educator – Booker T. Washington -- joined a northern philanthropist -- Julius Rosenwald -- to help build more than 5,000 schools in 15 southern states. In Virginia’s Cumberland County – west of Richmond – a rural community called Pine Grove provided land, money and labor for one so-called Rosenwald school that is now threatened by plans for a massive garbage dump.


** LOCAL
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** Small-scale, in-person graduations planned for Loudoun County Public Schools ([link removed])
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By JOHN BATTISTON, Loudoun Times

Loudoun County Public Schools staff have coordinated with division principals to develop a plan for holding individual in-person graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2020, according to LCPS Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Ashley Ellis.
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** Aug. 12 class start unlikely, superintendent says ([link removed])
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Fauquier Now

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Fauquier public schools probably will not resume classes as scheduled Aug. 12, the superintendent predicted Wednesday. “You can expect there is going to be a calendar change,” Superintendent David Jeck said in a video update. “I’m gonna go ahead go on record and say it’s pretty unlikely we’re gonna be opening Aug. 12. . . ."
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** Stoney says Richmond is ready to 'cautiously' enter Phase One Friday ([link removed])
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By MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Richmond is poised to ease COVID-19 restrictions Friday, a step Mayor Levar Stoney said the city was ready to take “cautiously” a day after the state rebuffed his request for a slower approach. “This does not mean we’re out of the woods, ladies and gentleman,” Stoney said at a news conference Wednesday at City Hall.
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** Roanoke school leaders were aware new superintendent faced ethics complaint in Baltimore County ([link removed])
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By RALPH BERRIER JR., Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Verletta White was in line to become the leader of the 25th-largest schools system in the United States. Now, she will be the superintendent of the 19th-largest — in Virginia. White, 52, was introduced as superintendent of Roanoke City Public Schools during Tuesday’s school board meeting.
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** Parts of Roanoke's city hall to reopen to the public June 8 ([link removed])
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By RALPH BERRIER JR., Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Roanoke’s Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building will reopen June 8 for residents who need access to the commissioner of the revenue and the treasurer’s offices, Mayor Sherman Lea announced Wednesday. The limited opening of city hall is part of Roanoke’s gradual restart of in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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** Upsized Botetourt County wind farm squeaks through ([link removed])
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By MIKE ALLEN, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

A divided Botetourt County Board of Supervisors gave a controversial wind farm project its second wind late Tuesday night. In October, Apex Clean Energy asked for a change to its permit that would allow for the construction of fewer, taller turbines.
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** Council selects Hard Rock Bristol as preferred casino operator ([link removed])
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By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Calling it a “game changer” and a “historic opportunity,” Bristol Virginia City Council unanimously selected Hard Rock International, The United Co. and Par Ventures as its preferred gaming operators at its Tuesday meeting.
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** Two SW Va. projects get $4.4M share of federal water funding ([link removed])
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By LEIF GREISS, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Scott County and Big Stone Gap in Southwest Virginia will receive a combined $4.4 million in grants and loans for water and sewer projects, thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture program.
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** Fitness club alters reopening plans ([link removed])
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South Boston News & Record

A South Hill fitness club drew the attention of local law enforcement this week after announcing plans to allow members inside the establishment to work out, in violation of the state’s coronavirus public health restrictions.

Today's Sponsor:


** Charles Ryan Associates
------------------------------------------------------------

CRA is smart brand communications – strategy, creative, digital, media and video. At charlesryan.com ([link removed]) , meet our team with decades of experience building, promoting and safeguarding brands.


** EDITORIALS
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** Distance learning and equity in education ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

On March 23rd, Virginia became one of the first states in the nation to shutter all public schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. The COVID-19 crisis forced school systems across the commonwealth, including in the Fredericksburg region, to plunge into “distance learning” with little time for preparation.
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** Loose ends in Northam’s mask policy ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Wearing a face covering can reduce the spread of COVID-19, especially when combined with other practices such as social distancing and avoiding large crowds. Masks are not a solution themselves, but health officials conclude that widespread adoption can make a difference in slowing the spread of infection.
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** Saving the bay is worth the cost ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

On May 18, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) joined with several other partners to file a notice of intent to sue the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to hold New York and Pennsylvania accountable for, essentially, not developing and achieving their 2025 Bay restoration goals.
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