VaNews
June 17, 2020

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** Virginia won't enter Phase Three this week, Northam says ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Virginia will not enter its third COVID-19 reopening phase this week, Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday. Much of Virginia entered Phase Two on June 5, with Richmond and Northern Virginia lagging behind by a week. Under that phase, restaurants can be filled to 50% capacity indoors and gyms can open at 30% capacity.
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** Virginia’s proposed workplace safety rules would make social distancing mandatory ([link removed])
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By NED OLIVER, Virginia Mercury

Virginia workplace safety regulators are proposing emergency COVID-19 rules for businesses that would make social distancing mandatory and require employers to notify their employees within 24 hours if a coworker tests positive for the virus. The proposed rules, published Friday and scheduled to go before the state Safety and Health Codes Board on June 24, represent the state’s first step toward implementing across-the-board safety regulations for employers and employees in response to the virus.
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** Think you’ve had coronavirus already? Antibody testing drive launches in Hampton Roads ([link removed])
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By ELISHA SAUERS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Through a massive outreach that will include locations throughout the region, the American Red Cross will now test all blood donors to determine whether they’ve already had the coronavirus. The tests, offered by the organization for a limited time, will detect the presence of COVID-19 antibodies — specific proteins found in blood that indicate whether a person has fought the virus in the past, even someone who never developed symptoms.
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** Northam announces support for Juneteenth as official Virginia holiday celebrating the end of slavery ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said Tuesday that he will support legislation to make Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery, a state holiday in Virginia. He gave executive branch state employees the day off Friday — June 19 — in recognition of the event.
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** Richmond mayor announces police chief’s resignation ([link removed])
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By DENISE LAVOIE AND SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Richmond’s mayor said Tuesday that he has asked for and accepted the resignation of the city’s police chief, saying Virginia’s capital needs “a new approach” to public safety after repeated violent clashes between police and protesters.
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** Senate Democrats replace Republicans on advisory bodies ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The victors are setting the rules in the Virginia Senate, where newly empowered Democrats voted Tuesday to replace Republican senators on a number of high-profile state advisory bodies. The Senate Rules Committee excluded Republican senators from more than a dozen of the 102 commissions, boards and councils with new appointees — including the Virginia State Crime Commission, which could play a role in shaping police reforms that House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn has promised to propose in an upcoming special legislative session.
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** From housing to dining, Virginia Tech to require students to 'adult in a very different way' ([link removed])
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By HENRI GENDREAU, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

When students arrive at Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus in two months, day-to-day life, beyond academics, will be constricted in various ways to slow the spread of COVID-19. Hundreds more students than usual won’t be able to live in university housing. Students living off-campus won’t be allowed to have traditional meal plans. Buses will run at reduced occupancy, and riders must wear face coverings.
The Full Report
53 articles, 21 publications

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** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual Low Exposure, High Unemployment ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

These 13 Virginia localities have had relatively few confirmed cases of COVID-19, but saw their unemployment rates soar in April. Topping the list was Bath County, which has seen its economy hit the skids even though it's had zero confirmed cases.
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** From VPAP Maps, Timeline of COVID-19 in Virginia ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Our COVID-19 dashboard makes it easy to track the latest available data for tests performed, infections, deaths and hospital capacity. There's a filter for each city and county, plus an exclusive per-capita ZIP Code map. Updated each morning around 10:00 am.


** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Virginia will not move into phase 3 this week, Gov. Ralph Northam says ([link removed])
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By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Gov. Ralph Northam said at a press conference in Richmond Tuesday afternoon that while COVID-19 cases are trending down, the state will not move into phase 3 of reopening. Tuesday morning, there were 52,917 confirmed cases and 2,414 probable cases in the state.
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** Virginia Beach native Pharrell joins Gov. Northam to announce Juneteenth will be a state holiday ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES AND AMY POULTER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Juneteenth, the day commemorating slavery’s end in the United States — which falls on Friday this year — will be a paid holiday for state employees, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. Joining Northam in Richmond for the announcement was Virginia Beach native and singer-producer Pharrell Williams, who has long been a proponent for increasing the visibility of Juneteenth through activism and creative works.
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** Northam calls for making Juneteenth a paid state holiday ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Juneteenth, a day that marks the end of slavery in the U.S., could soon become a state holiday in Virginia. Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he would introduce legislation to make June 19 a paid holiday for state employees. The governor has ordered that executive branch employees will have the day off Friday in recognition of the day.
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** Virginia governor to propose Juneteenth as state holiday ([link removed])
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By ALAN SUDERMAN AND DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he’s making Juneteenth — a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. — an official holiday in a state that was once home to the capital of the Confederacy.
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** AG Herring urges judge not to extend Lee statue injunction ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

In a court filing Tuesday, Attorney General Mark Herring asked a Richmond judge not to extend an injunction barring removal of the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Democratic legislators take majority on tobacco commission, wipe out Senate GOP presence on some panels ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Democratic legislators have secured a majority of representation on the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, replacing Republicans who represent most of the rural Southwest and Southside regions where the commission focuses its work .
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** Martinsville-area legislators unhappy with the new majority in Richmond ([link removed])
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By BILL WYATT, Martinsville Bulletin (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

The annual post-legislative event sponsored by the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce is usually a luncheon followed by remarks from those who represent the area in Richmond. This year’s event didn’t start until 3 in the afternoon, and there was no lunch.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Riverside Regional Jail board selects new superintendent ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A retired Virginia Department of Corrections administrator has been tapped to become Riverside Regional Jail’s new superintendent, four months after the facility’s former leader resigned in frustration after only nine months on the job.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Hilton slashes 2,100 corporate jobs ([link removed])
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By JEFF CLABAUGH, WTOP

McLean, Virginia-based Hilton Worldwide has eliminated 2,100 corporate jobs, or about 22% of its global corporate workforce, affecting employees at its McLean headquarters and elsewhere as it copes with the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on hotel occupancy.
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** Wegmans pulls out of planned Loudoun shopping center, developer scales back retail ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL NEIBAUER, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

Wegmans has pulled out of a long-planned retail development southern Loudoun County and the developer may substantially reduce the retail there to make way for light industrial buildings, a reflection of more than a dozen years of largely unsuccessful courtship of prospective shops.
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** Ship repair company plans to bring 300 jobs to Newport News’ Southeast Community in $64 million investment ([link removed])
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By JOSH REYES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

A Hampton Roads ship repair and fabrication company plans to invest $64.4 million to build a facility in Newport News’ Southeast Community. With the facility will come 332 skilled jobs and a training center just blocks from Ridley Place and other neighborhoods that are the focus of a major redevelopment project by the city and its housing authority, officials said.
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** IT company to bring 147 new jobs to Virginia Beach ([link removed])
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By TREVOR METCALFE, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A national information technology company will bring 147 new jobs to Virginia Beach as part of a plan to move its headquarters to the Richmond area. ASGN plans to spend $12.4 million to move its corporate headquarters from Calabasas, California, to Henrico County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Tuesday. The company also plans to create 700 jobs in several cities in Virginia.
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** ‘Drunk Wives Matter’ merchandise pulled from Va. bar after online criticism ([link removed])
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By MEGAN CLOHERTY, WTOP

A Loudoun County, Virginia, bar owner has removed a T-shirt for sale in his restaurant that read “Drunk Wives Matter” following growing criticism on social media. Jason Bursey, the owner of Parallel Wine & Whiskey Bar in Ashburn, said it was a regular patron who first brought his attention to the insensitivity of a T-shirt for sale in his restaurant.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** U.Va. moves to allow undocumented students to enroll this fall ([link removed])
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By BRYAN MCKENZIE, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The University of Virginia this fall will consider all students for admission regardless of citizenship or immigration status, President Jim Ryan announced Tuesday. The new policy is in keeping with a new Virginia law that takes effect July 1 making eligible all students whose parents have filed state tax returns for the two years prior to their application to a state college or university, whether or not students are documented immigrants or U.S. citizens.
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** All HU students and employees will be tested for COVID-19 when classes start Aug. 10 ([link removed])
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By MATT JONES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

When Hampton University students return to campus in August, they’ll be required to wear face coverings in all public places and get COVID-19 tests. Those details were included in a letter President William Harvey sent to students Monday giving an overview of the university’s plans to return to campus.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Three months into the pandemic, Virginia’s Dickenson County records first coronavirus case ([link removed])
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By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

With its first documented COVID-19 case, Southwest Virginia’s Dickenson County has dropped off the small list of counties still showing no confirmed presence of the new coronavirus despite the roughly 55,000 cases statewide. Dickenson, a rural county of about 14,300 people, had been one of just three counties with no confirmed cases before reporting its first case Tuesday.
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** Coronavirus Testing Is Still Restricted In D.C.’s Suburbs, Despite Economic Reopening And Protests ([link removed])
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By MARGARET BARTHEL, DCist

Two Saturdays ago, Chelsea Serrano Piche took a bus from her home along Columbia Pike up to North Arlington. There a crowd of protesters, led by the local NAACP chapter, gathered and marched together over Memorial Bridge into D.C. to join thousands of demonstrators calling for an end to police violence and racism. She wore a mask and noticed that most of the people she marched with did the same. Piche didn’t think much about trying to get tested for COVID-19 until later in the week, when her employer requested that she get tested before returning to the office.
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** Percentage of positive COVID-19 tests continues downward trend in Virginia ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Tuesday that the statewide total for COVID-19 cases is 55,331 — an increase of 445 from the 54,886 reported Monday.
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** As businesses reopen, COVID-19 spreads through 5 Roanoke-area restaurants ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Five Roanoke-area restaurants are dealing with outbreaks of COVID-19 among their staffs, as the number of new infections continues to increase week over week in the Roanoke Valley, health officials said.
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** Unemployment Rules Leave Some Workers In Limbo ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE

As Virginia businesses re-open, workers who have been collecting unemployment benefits are being called back in to their jobs. Advocates say that can leave workers who are worried about their safety in a bind: either return to work and risk their safety, or lose unemployment benefits.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** 'Ready to move in a new direction': Stoney forces resignation of Richmond police chief ([link removed])
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By ALI ROCKETT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Tuesday afternoon that, at his request, Richmond Police Chief William C. Smith has resigned. Stoney, who also announced longer-term police reforms, did not address whether the change at the top of the Richmond Police Department would immediately temper what appeared to be escalating clashes between protesters and police officers in recent days.
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** Richmond mayor ousts police chief after days of protests, clashes ([link removed])
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By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER AND LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Mayor Levar Stoney said he had requested and accepted the resignation of Police Chief William Smith after two nights of tense demonstrations that involved chemical gas and rubber bullets outside the city's police headquarters.
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** Protesters file federal class action lawsuit against Richmond police officers ([link removed])
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By JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Five protesters who attended a June 1 protest where Richmond police officers deployed tear gas at the Robert E. Lee monument are suing the officers for their actions.
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** Confederate Howitzer monument torn down on VCU campus ([link removed])
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By EDUARDO ACEVEDO, HANNAH EASON AND ANDREW RINGLE, Commonwealth Times

Demonstrators at VCU removed a statue honoring Confederate soldiers Tuesday night after marching for hours in the rain through downtown Richmond. More than 150 protesters gathered in the park space near Harrison and Grove streets at 11 p.m. Many cheered as the Howitzer Monument was pulled from its stone foundation with rope.
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** Protesters Demonstrate Outside Mayor Stoney's Apartment, Pull Down Confederate Statue At VCU ([link removed])
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By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE

Richmond protesters took to the streets again Tuesday night, following the forced resignation of Police Chief William Smith. Despite the pouring rain, hundreds of protesters met at Monroe Park. They marched to Mayor Levar Stoney’s downtown apartment building, chanting “Sell out Stoney” and banging pots and pans. They demanded he speak up on the police use of tear gas and pepper spray on protesters near Richmond Police Department headquarters Sunday and Monday night.
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** Protesters tear down another Confederate statue in Richmond ([link removed])
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By HOLLY PRESTIDGE AND JOHANNA ALONSO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The statue that stood on the Richmond Howitzers Monument, erected in 1892 to commemorate a Richmond Civil War artillery unit, was toppled from its pedestal by protesters using rope. The monument is at the intersection of Harrison Street and Grove Avenue, adjacent to VCU's Monroe Park campus. This is the third Confederate statue and fourth statue overall taken down during protests in recent weeks.
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** Public defenders gather in Portsmouth to denounce systemic racism ([link removed])
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By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Against heavy wind and cold rain, at least a dozen public defenders marched down Olde Towne Tuesday evening as demonstrators here and around the nation continue to denounce police brutality. They hoisted cardboard signs wrapped in plastic and blared music from a truck, echoing the chants of the Black Lives Matter movement:
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** Loudoun Clergy and Faith Leaders Group call for Leesburg Confederate statue's removal ([link removed])
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Loudoun Times

The Loudoun Clergy and Faith Leaders Group is calling for the removal of the Confederate monument in downtown Leesburg. In a letter to the Times-Mirror, the coalition of 26 faith leaders say the statue has given "public honor to the systemic racism of its era in its most terroristic and overt form."
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** Group withdraws request to fly Confederate battle flag ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

Prior to a public hearing Tuesday by the Chesterfield Planning Commission, a Sandston-based group withdrew its rezoning application to erect a Confederate battle flag near Interstate 95 in Chester. The Virginia Flaggers were seeking a conditional-use permit and exceptions to the county’s zoning ordinance to erect a 112-foot flagpole on less than an acre of private property along Old Bermuda Hundred Road.
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** Feds to take Arlington land by eminent domain for cemetery’s expansion ([link removed])
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By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Justice Department plans to condemn nine acres of land adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery to add about 60,000 new graves and a columbarium that could extend the life of the cemetery beyond 2050.


** LOCAL
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** Arlington Co. introduces funding plan for police body cameras ([link removed])
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By MICHELLE BASCH, WTOP

When police in Virginia’s Arlington County tested body cameras in 2016, they didn’t launch a long-term program. Now, amid nationwide calls for more police accountability, plan has been introduced to launch a body camera program. Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz told the county board Tuesday night that if it’s approved, the program will start in January.
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** Fairfax School Board Talks Safety, Childcare With Reopening Proposals ([link removed])
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By CATHERINE DOUGLAS MORAN, Reston Now

Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has three scenarios for reopening schools this fall. In May, a task force was created to prepare recommendations for FCPS reopening. On June 9, Gov. Ralph Northam unveiled his phased reopening plan, which provides flexibility for schools in Virginia.
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** Manassas Park moves ahead with $39.9M city center plan; fate of home with Civil War ties unknown ([link removed])
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By JARED FORETEK, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)

Manassas Park City Council approved a $39.9 million plan Tuesday night for a public-private partnership to construct a new city hall, as well as residential and commercial units downtown, giving the green light to phase three of a long-running, four-part City Center development plan.
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** Rodgers outraises competitors weeks into her bid to unseat Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

New campaign finance reports show Alexsis Rodgers, who announced her bid for Richmond mayor earlier this month, could be a formidable challenger in this year’s election. Within a week of announcing her candidacy, Rodgers received $58,440 from more than 700 contributors, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.
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** Richmond City Council to begin process of renaming Robert E. Lee bridge ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

With Richmond officials anticipating the removal of Confederate statutes on Monument Avenue, the City Council also will weigh renaming the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge. On Tuesday, a City Council committee endorsed a request by 5th District Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch to initiate the process.
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** Virginia Beach to consider diversity campaign with a nod to the Black Lives Matter movement ([link removed])
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By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A group of business, faith and civic leaders have reached out to two City Council members and the interim chief of police with ideas to make Virginia Beach a more welcoming and diverse city. At Tuesday’s informal city council meeting, Councilman Aaron Rouse said a movement is afoot to change the perception of Virginia Beach to one that says, “We are open; we are inclusive; we are a city that values everyone; that values black lives,” Rouse said.
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** Virginia Beach hires its first black city manager ([link removed])
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By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

City Council hired Patrick Duhaney Tuesday as Virginia Beach’s first black city manager. Duhaney comes to Hampton Roads from Cincinnati, where he was city manager for the past two years.
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** Group offers to move Virginia Beach’s Confederate monument ([link removed])
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By BRETT HALL, WAVY

A group has come forward looking to relocate Virginia Beach’s Confederate monument from the Municipal Center to private property. Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson announced at Tuesday’s City Council workshop that the Sons and Daughters of Confederate Veterans have approached her and several others on council about taking possession of moving the 115-year-old statue that has always stood outside the historic Princess Anne Courthouse.
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** Newport News reopening buildings after nearly three months of being closed in pandemic ([link removed])
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By JOSH REYES, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Many Newport News facilities that have been closed to the public for nearly three months reopened to the public again Tuesday. The city’s announcement comes more than a week after the state entered Phase 2 of reopening in the pandemic. Officials said previously that the city may open most of its facilities at its own discretion.
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** Norfolk relaunches Lime scooters after suspending the program during pandemic ([link removed])
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By SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Lime scooters will hit Norfolk streets again Wednesday after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the city to suspend the program, according to a news release. During the hiatus, Lime worked on new measures to keep riders safe, like new sanitation procedures and scooter maintenance.
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** Portsmouth sheriff, city will wait for final ruling in city jail case ([link removed])
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By MARGARET MATRAY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Portsmouth sheriff and the city will wait awhile longer for a judge’s final ruling over the fate of the city’s jail — specifically whether the sheriff will be required to send inmates to the Hampton Roads Regional Jail. Following an hours-long hearing Tuesday in Circuit Court, Judge Johnny Morrison took the case under advisement so he could review transcripts, exhibits and court documents before issuing a final decision. The two sides are due back in court Sept. 1.
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** Albemarle to consider restricting public uses in front of courthouse ([link removed])
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By ALLISON WRABEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

New rules for how the public may use the land around the Albemarle County courthouse could be adopted Wednesday. On the Board of Supervisors consent agenda for Wednesday’s meeting are proposed rules for the property, which is bordered by East High, Park and East Jefferson streets and the city’s Court Square Park.
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** Harrisonburg schools superintendent suggests revising relationship with police department ([link removed])
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By RANDI B. HAGI, Harrisonburg Citizen

Harrisonburg City Public Schools will review — and potentially revise — the district’s relationship with the Harrisonburg Police Department, which has four school resource officers placed across the schools. Superintendent Michael Richards brought the item to the school board’s work session on Tuesday. And Richards said he intends to create a temporary, revised agreement with the police for the 2020-21 school year and will gather public input on a more permanent agreement going forward.
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** More than 200 protest racial inequalities outside Montgomery County school office ([link removed])
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By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

More than 200 people showed up in the rain outside of the Montgomery County Public Schools main office Tuesday evening to protest racial inequality. The crowd was a mix of parents, students, teachers and community members who came to support the Black Lives Matter movement, while also expressing their displeasure with the racial inequalitie
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** Petition urges Franklin County to remove Confederate soldier statue from courthouse ([link removed])
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By MIKE ALLEN, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

A Franklin County native has started an online petition to have the statue of a Confederate soldier removed from its perch in front of the county’s courthouse. Tuesday afternoon, Lekeith Tolliver, 37, stood before the Franklin County Board of Supervisors and read from that petition, which has accumulated more than 3,000 electronic signatures since he posted it last week.


** EDITORIALS
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** Argument against James River lines lacks power ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Batteries. It jumps off the page — in the same way “plastics” leapt off the screen in the film “The Graduate.” It’s a one-word answer to the future. Go there, grab it, be rewarded. Only in the movie, the “plastics” line is a joke. The push on “batteries” is not.
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** Cautionary tales of reopening amid COVID-19 ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

On Saturday afternoon, customers at Short Pump Town Center in Henrico County walked the mall’s beautiful outdoor grounds with a sense of ease compared to a few weeks ago.


** OP-ED
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** Lopez: Trump Set The Stage For Economic Disaster: Now, Virginians Are Feeling The Pain ([link removed])
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By ALFONSO LOPEZ, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

“It’s been flawless so far, beyond our expectations.” That’s how Donald Trump described the small-business lending program that his administration was supposed to be using to deliver hundreds of billions of dollars to struggling businesses that had to virtually shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But like most other pronouncements he’s made during this crisis, it was far from the truth.

Lopez represents the 49th District (parts of Arlington and Fairfax) in the Virginia House of Delegates and serves as Majority Whip.
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** Haner: Who pays the rent? ([link removed])
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By STEPHEN D. HANER, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

There may be a second wave of COVID-19 disease coming, but the secondary effects of various pandemic economic decisions may hit us sooner. Rent an d utility bills customers can delay paying because of the crisis will eventually come due. But for whom?

Haner is Senior Fellow for State and Local Tax Policy with the Thomas Jefferson Institute.
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** Kiggans: Virus shows need to improve long-term care in Virginia ([link removed])
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By JEN KIGGANS, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Long before COVID-19, our long-term care facilities have struggled with staffing, funding and substandard living conditions. Families are frustrated by their loved one’s care and staff feel overworked, underpaid and under-appreciated. The residents in these facilities, especially those who rely on Medicaid, live in small rooms with multiple people, share the attention of a stressed nurse or care assistant, and are isolated from a society who chooses to put them away to not be bothered by their inconveniences.

Virginia Sen. Jen Kiggans represents the 7th District, which includes parts of Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
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** Piepgrass and Dore: COVID-19 means reassessment of public meeting obligations ([link removed])
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By STEPHEN C. PIEPGRASS AND MIRANDA A. DORE, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

As Virginia enters and moves through Phase 2 of COVID-19 recovery, public bodies must reassess the propriety of continuing to conduct electronic meetings. Attorney General Mark Herring issued an opinion on March 20 that Virginia’s open meetings laws would only allow local government meetings by electronic means if the subject of the meeting has a tangible nexus to the ongoing emergency.

Piepgrass is a partner at Troutman Sanders, where he primarily represents clients interacting with and being investigated by state attorneys general, local governments and other enforcement bodies. Dore is an associate at Troutman Sanders.
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