VaNews
June 18, 2020

Read Online ([link removed]) 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])
Top of the News


** State health officials are still deciding how to safely reopen nursing homes. Providers say patients are suffering. ([link removed])
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By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury

Amy Fernandez considers her grandmother, 92-year-old Dolores Wilson, lucky. A “tough lady” from a tight-knit Italian family, Wilson has a window room at Manassas Health & Rehab Center, where her relatives still visit multiple times a week, Fernandez said. The nursing home is closed to visitors, but Wilson’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren often set up camping chairs outside the window and have meals with her.
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** Virginia Gov. Northam: 'There's been an awakening' on Black 'oppression' ([link removed])
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By GEOFF BENNETT AND BEN KAMISAR, NBCNews

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday called President Donald Trump’s police reform executive order a “step in the right direction,” but cautioned there’s “a lot” of work left to do to address racial bias in policing and the excessive use of force by some officers.
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** Stonewall Jackson Hotel owners pledge to change Confederate name ([link removed])
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By MONIQUE CALELLO, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

Aaron Barmer went to Stonewall Jackson Midde School. He went to Stonewall Jackson High School. And when he moved to Staunton about 20 years ago, one of the first things he thought after he arrived was, am I ever going to get away from Stonewall Jackson? “It’s been something that’s bothered me for some time,” he says while standing across the street from the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Staunton.
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** Loudoun County treasurer posts, quickly deletes 'Aunt Jemima' Facebook post ([link removed])
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By NATHANIEL CLINE, Loudoun Times

Loudoun County Treasurer Roger Zurn (R) on Wednesday posted and quickly deleted a racially insensitive social media post following word that the Aunt Jemima brand will be discontinued. Zurn, who is white and has served as county treasurer since 1996, posted on his personal Facebook page Wednesday morning: “Wondering if Aunt Jemima will change to Uncle Tom’s?”
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** Prince William County ends controversial immigration enforcement agreement ([link removed])
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By ANTONIO OLIVO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

The Prince William County-Manassas jail board Wednesday night allowed its 13-year-old cooperation agreement with federal immigration authorities to expire, stopping a controversial program championed by former Republican county board chairman Corey A. Stewart, which immigrant advocates said made the Virginia community a national symbol of intolerance.
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** Virginia Beach approves sea level rise plan, will require developers to take more flooding into account ([link removed])
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By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The Virginia Beach City Council took steps Tuesday to prepare for higher tides in the coming decades, passing a sea level rise plan that provides a sweeping vision for how to safeguard this coastal community and voting to require developers to account for more flooding.
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** Coming soon: New area code for Southwest Virginia ([link removed])
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By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The 540 area code is running out of phone numbers. But if you have one now, you can keep it. In an order Wednesday, the State Corporation Commission approved a second area code — 826 — for a region that includes the New River and Roanoke valleys and a swath of Western Virginia that stretches north to Winchester.
The Full Report
56 articles, 23 publications

Read Online ([link removed]) 10 Most Clicked ([link removed])


** FROM VPAP
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** VPAP Visual Lopsided Money Totals in GOP Senate Primary ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Daniel Gade, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, has raised $661,713 in the last year, more than seven times the combined total of his two rivals in next Tuesday's GOP statewide primary. The winner will face Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, who during the same period has raised $5.9 million.
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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.


** STATE ELECTIONS
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** Schools older than 40 years would be rebuilt under Lt. Gov. Fairfax's education plan ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

As Virginia leaders push for taking down monuments of Confederate leaders, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who is running for governor, wants to take down “living monuments.” That starts with crumbling school buildings. Fairfax on Wednesday announced a proposal to rebuild all K-12 public school buildings in the state that are more than 40 years old.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** After Riggleman loses GOP nomination, Dan River Region Democrats hope to capitalize on GOP discord ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

Local Democrats believe they could have a better chance of winning the race for the 5th Congressional District in November following the results of the drive-thru Republican convention held Saturday.
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** Meet the Democrats running to challenge Republican congressman Rob Wittman in November ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Two Democrats who tried, unsuccessfully, to flip the deep-red western shores of Chesapeake Bay in separate Congressional and General Assembly races are squaring off against each other to challenge Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland. Wittman’s 2018 challenger, Vangie Williams, and Qasim Rashid, who tried to unseat state Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, in 2019 face each other in the June 23 primary.
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** Meet the Republicans running to challenge Elaine Luria in November ([link removed])
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By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Three military veterans are hoping to bring the 2nd Congressional District back into Republican hands two years after newcomer Elaine Luria won and turned the Hampton Roads district blue. At least two names on Tuesday’s ballot should be familiar to 2nd District voters.
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** 10th District GOP will choose nominee Saturday to challenge Wexton on Nov. 3 ([link removed])
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By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Republicans in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District will hold a convention Saturday at Shenandoah University to select a GOP candidate to run against Democratic incumbent Jennifer Wexton in the Nov. 3 election. Virginia’s 10th Congressional District includes Clarke, Frederick, Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William counties as well as the cities of Manassas, Manassas Park and Winchester.
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** City of Williamsburg to hold Congressional Republican Primary Election in drive-thru style ([link removed])
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By KAYLYNN STEPHENS, WAVY

The City of Williamsburg announced on Wednesday, their June 23 Republican Primary Election for U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives will be held via drive-thru style at the Williamsburg Fire Department. The June 23 election was previously scheduled for June 9 but rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Here’s the 411: New 826 area code to overlap with 540 ([link removed])
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Associated Press

Consumers in southwest Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley may soon receive a new area code when they are assigned new phone numbers. The State Corporation Commission said Wednesday a new 826 area code will be created and overlap with the existing 540 area code.


** CONGRESS
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** Senate passes Great American Outdoors Act, conservation proposal championed by Sen. Mark Warner ([link removed])
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By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

The U.S. Senate passed landmark conservation legislation on Wednesday that would provide $9.5 billion to repair national parks and permanently direct $900 million a year for outdoor recreation on public lands. The Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act by a 73-25 vote, and House of Representatives members have said they will support similar legislation. Additionally, President Donald Trump has signaled support for the legislation.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** McLean-based Mars Inc. to change Uncle Ben’s rice brand ([link removed])
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By SYDNEY LAKE, Va Business Magazine

After weeks of racial inequity protests and the removals of Confederate monuments across the United States, McLean-based global food product manufacturer Mars Inc. announced Wednesday it is “evaluating all possibilities” for changing the branding on its Uncle Ben’s rice products.
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** Virginia tattoo shop offers to cover up racist, insensitive tattoos for free ([link removed])
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By ABIGAIL CONSTANTINO, WTOP

A Virginia tattoo shop owner is covering up racist, insensitive tattoos for free. Jeremiah Hirsch, who owns Electric Pair O’ Dice Tattoo in Fredericksburg, said that over the last few months his heart became heavier with reports of the deaths of African Americans involving law enforcement.


** HIGHER EDUCATION
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** Furloughs, pay reduction: W&M Board approves personnel contingency options ([link removed])
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Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)

The W&M Board of Visitors Tuesday approved the use of temporary personnel actions, including furloughs and pay reductions, if needed for the upcoming fiscal year. During the Board meeting, university leadership emphasized that personnel actions are not imminent and that thanks to a university-wide effort to reduce spending, William & Mary is in sound financial shape. However, uncertainty remains given the COVID-19 pandemic, state budget decisions and the economy.
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** U-Va. calls students back for fall, with assigned sinks, social distancing and other precautions ([link removed])
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By NICK ANDERSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Wear masks. Keep your distance. Now comes another edict: Use your assigned sink. Students heading to college in the fall know they will face unprecedented pandemic rules meant to safeguard the campus from the spread of the novel coronavirus. Among them is this one spelled out by the University of Virginia on Wednesday: Those who live in residence halls “will be assigned to specific sinks, stalls and showers.”
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** Hollins University announces plans to reopen in the fall ([link removed])
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By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Hollins University announced it will reopen its campus to students on Aug. 31 for the fall semester. The university is encouraging students to move into their residences by the time classes begin and to stay on campus until Thanksgiving break.
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** On and off campus, pressure mounts to rename several buildings at JMU ([link removed])
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By BRIDGET MANLEY, Harrisonburg Citizen

In a public ceremony in the fall of 1917, six buildings on Bluestone Hill — the center of campus for what was then the State Normal and Industrial School for Women — were renamed. And for the last 103 years, four of the six have borne the monikers of men who were slaveowners or confederates. Three of them — Matthew Fontaine Maury, Turner Ashby and Stonewall Jackson — took up arms against the United States of America in the Civil War.


** CORONAVIRUS
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** Percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in Virginia down to 7.3% from April high of 22% ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday that the statewide total for COVID-19 cases is 55,775 — an increase of 444 from the 55,331 reported Tuesday.
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** In Arlington juvenile court, a coronavirus outbreak closes the clerk’s office ([link removed])
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By TOM JACKMAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

An outbreak of covid-19 in the clerk’s office of the Arlington County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court has forced the court to close the office to the public and has concerned lawyers who practice there daily. Four of the seven clerks in the office have tested positive for covid-19, according to two clerks.
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** Nursing Homes Were a COVID-19 Hot Spot in Arlington ([link removed])
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ArlNow

Local nursing homes have reported dozens of coronavirus cases and deaths, federal data shows. As the number of new COVID-19 cases in Arlington continues to rise at a relative trickle — nine new cases and no new hospitalizations reported overnight — a look back at data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows the outsized role some nursing homes played during the peak of Arlington’s outbreak.
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** Virginia releases some data on nursing home, workplace testing ([link removed])
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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Virginia has completed about half of the requests it has received to do widespread testing of COVID-19 at nursing homes, workplaces and prisons and in the community. The Virginia Department of Health on Wednesday provided information on the point prevalence surveys it began to do in April with the help of the National Guard.
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** Mass COVID-19 testing of Chesterfield Jail inmates finds 15 infections, bringing total positive cases to 41 ([link removed])
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By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Mass testing of every inmate in the Chesterfield County Jail for COVID-19 has found 15 infected with the virus, bringing the number of prisoners who have tested positive in recent weeks to 41, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.


** VIRGINIA OTHER
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** Judge to weigh arguments on fate of Richmond’s Lee statue ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

A judge planned to hear arguments Thursday morning over whether to extend a temporary prohibition on the removal of a statue to rebel Gen. Robert E. Lee that towers over a major avenue in the former capital of the Confederacy.
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** Monument Avenue residents withdraw federal suit supporting Lee statue, want case consolidated locally ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Ahead of a hearing Thursday in Richmond Circuit Court that could decide the future of Richmond’s most prominent Confederate symbol, six Monument Avenue residents who filed a separate suit against Gov. Ralph Northam’s bid to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee have withdrawn their suit in federal court.
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** Plaintiffs drop 1 lawsuit, file another over Lee statue ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

A group of property owners along Richmond’s famed Monument Avenue dropped one lawsuit and immediately replaced it with another on Wednesday seeking to block the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, an attorney for the group said.
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** Concrete barriers installed around Lee statue in Virginia ([link removed])
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Associated Press

Concrete barriers were installed Wednesday morning around the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has been ordered to be removed from a prominent avenue in Virginia’s capital city, hours after demonstrators tore down a different Confederate monument.
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** Calls grow to replace Virginia's Lee statue in U.S. Capitol ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The statue of Robert E. Lee on Richmond’s Monument Avenue isn’t the only tribute to the Confederate general that could soon come down. In a letter to the committee that oversees the National Statuary Hall, where Lee represents Virginia along with George Washington, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, requested that statues honoring Confederate soldiers and leaders be taken down.
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** Loudoun Co. board chair wants Leesburg Confederate statue gone ‘the right way’ ([link removed])
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By NEAL AUGENSTEIN, WTOP

Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall wants the Confederate monument on the courthouse grounds in downtown Leesburg, Virginia, gone, but she wants those who have fought for racial equality to be able to savor the process of its removal. Randall told WTOP that she will make a motion on July 7 to the county Board of Supervisors to hold a public hearing about the future of the Confederate monument, erected in 1908.
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** Arthur Ashe statue vandalized with 'White Lives Matter' graffiti ([link removed])
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By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The lone tribute to a black man on Monument Avenue was vandalized Wednesday morning with “White Lives Matter” graffiti, amplifying concerns about racism and injustice in a city rocked by weeks of unrest.
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** ‘White lives matter’ painted on Arthur Ashe monument in Richmond ([link removed])
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By LAURA VOZZELLA AND APRIL BETHEA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A man angry over vandalism of this city's Confederate statues took credit Wednesday for spray-painting "white lives matter" and "WLM" on the statue of African American tennis legend Arthur Ashe that stands on Monument Avenue. "You put it on our statues, I'll put it on yours," the man, his face covered in an American flag bandanna, says on a video recorded by a woman who happened to be walking by and shared it with The Washington Post.
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** Protests embark on 19th night in Richmond; say firing of police chief is only first step ([link removed])
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By SABRINA MORENO AND JESS NOCERA, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Crystal Jones clutched her chest tightly on her porch Wednesday evening, holding back tears as she watched protesters stream by her Dunston Manor apartment in South Side. “Finally,” she said. “Everybody’s finally seeing what a lot of black people have been seeing for years.”
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** Curfew Arrests, Police Attacks Motivate Calls for Reform ([link removed])
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By YASMINE JUMAA, WCVE

While protests continue in Richmond, advocates are speaking out about a mass arrest of demonstrators on Sunday, May 31. Detainees were held on buses for hours and one said they were the target of anti-Muslim slurs while in custody. Police arrested more than 230 people for violating an 8 p.m. city-wide curfew implemented by Governor Ralph Northam earlier that Sunday.
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** At Newport News march, people rally for police reform and talk with the city’s top cop ([link removed])
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By JOSH REYES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Standing in front of Newport News police headquarters Wednesday night, demonstrators discussed times they’ve been profiled or mistreated by police and the distrust they feel for law enforcement. A group of about 30 marched from Huntington Park and proceeded to Jefferson Avenue before heading to the police building, where demonstrators spoke about legal rights, grassroots movements and the growing calls across the country to “defund” police and shift spending to social services.
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** After a less rainy spring, the Chesapeake Bay may see smaller dead zone than normal ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Thanks to a less rainy spring, the Chesapeake Bay’s “dead zone” is likely to be slightly smaller this summer than normal, though it will still be bigger than long-term targets for the nation’s largest estuary, scientists announced Wednesday. Ecologically, a dead zone is part of a body of water that is unable to sustain plant or animal life due to a lack of oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia.


** LOCAL
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** Arlington likely to supply police, deputies, fire marshals with body cameras ([link removed])
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By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Arlington County will buy body cameras for its police force, sheriff’s deputies and fire marshals in the coming budget year, spurred by protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the Arlington police department’s participation in the aggressive crackdown on peaceful crowds in Washington’s Lafayette Square.
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** Distance Learning Challenges Mental Health of FCPS Students, Staff ([link removed])
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By ASHLEY HOPKO, Reston Now

After COVID-19 disrupted Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) earlier this spring, teachers, staff and school board members are trying to find ways to offer more mental health support. Throughout the last several months of remote learning, the focus has been on a combination of peer-led programs, remote family check-ins with school-sponsored mental health staff and a message of “resiliency,” according to Bethany Koszelak, a mental health specialist for FCPS.
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** Fairfax County NAACP Town Hall Tackles Proposed Policing Changes ([link removed])
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By ASHLEY HOPKO, Reston Now

At last night’s town hall meeting by the Fairfax County NAACP, the organization’s president Sean Perryman met with local elected officials and community leaders to discuss the future of policing. Since the killing of George Floyd in police custody and outrage over racial inequities in the U.S., the NAACP compiled a list of policy changes for how to address how police use force and report actions to the public.
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** Prince William Schools: Up to $42.5 million needed in fall for COVID-19 ([link removed])
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By EMILY SIDES, Inside NOVA (Metered Paywall)

Prince William County School Board Chair Babur Lateef asked the board of county supervisors to dedicate $42.5 million to help the school division safely reopen schools in the fall. Lateef presented cost estimates Tuesday, but the board did not discuss the funding request.
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** Chapman Joins Trump for Policing Order Signing ([link removed])
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By RENSS GREENE, Loudoun Now

Loudoun Sheriff Michael L. Chapman joined President Donald Trump for the ceremonial signing of the president’s Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities.
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** Protesters tag Stoney's apartment building with graffiti and enter lobby yelling obscenities ([link removed])
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By REED WILLIAMS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

A crowd of 200 or more protesters on Tuesday night gathered outside Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s downtown apartment building and tagged the building with graffiti, and some of the demonstrators briefly entered the building’s lobby, the police said Wednesday.
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** Richmond Considers Staggered Classroom Schedules ([link removed])
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By MEGAN PAULY, WCVE

Richmond’s public school system is considering several scenarios for reopening schools in the fall. The current options all include staggered schedules: for example, having half of students come in the morning, and half in the afternoon. Or, having students alternate days – or weeks - of in-person and virtual instruction.
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** School board to consider changing schools’ names ([link removed])
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By JIM RIDOLPHI, Mechanicsville Local

Hanover County School Board members will meet on Tuesday, June 23, to discuss the names and mascots of Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School. Board chair John Axselle announced the intentions of the board to schedule a closed session meeting that will take place before members gather for their regular July meeting to address an issue that has been highlighted by recent protests across the nation.
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** Chesterfield school officials settle contentious contract with police ([link removed])
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By JIM MCCONNELL, Chesterfield Observer

As ongoing protests against police brutality and systemic racism prompt communities across the United States to reevaluate the role of police in society, some school systems have begun to rethink their use of school resource officers. Last Thursday, the city of Charlottesville joined districts in Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, in announcing plans to discontinue its SRO program on the grounds that a police presence in schools isn’t in the best interest of students. Meanwhile, Chesterfield County Public Schools has gone in the opposite direction, recently signing a new memorandum of understanding with the local police department that will maintain SROs in county schools.
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** Harriet Tubman statue proposed at Fort Monroe, where she lived briefly ([link removed])
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By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

As planning continues for a memorial at Fort Monroe to the first Africans to land in Virginia in 1619, a new effort seeks to also build a monument there to a woman who fought for freedom more than two centuries later ― Harriet Tubman.
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** Why a Norfolk nonprofit is moving to a flood zone — and hopes others will do the same ([link removed])
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By RYAN MURPHY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

As sea level rise has threatened homes and businesses in cities around the country, the philosophy has shifted from fighting the water to either living with it or retreating. In Norfolk, the government has taken steps to abandon some of the most flood-prone areas to rising tides.
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** Maury High and two other Norfolk schools named for Confederates could be renamed ([link removed])
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By SARA GREGORY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Norfolk, which has more schools named for Confederates than any other locality in the state, will consider renaming its three schools that honor secessionists. The three schools, Maury High, Ruffner Academy and Taylor Elementary, are among a dwindling number of Virginia schools named for men who fought for the Confederacy.
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** Stafford Board of Supervisors votes to recognize Juneteenth ([link removed])
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By HAILEY BULLIS, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Stafford County employees officially have this Friday off to observe Juneteenth. Following Gov. Ralph Northam’s lead, Stafford’s Board of Supervisors announced Tuesday that the county would recognize the day as an official paid holiday. Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County and King George County governments will also be closed to observe the holiday.
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** Danville to sell hydroelectric complex for $8.2 million ([link removed])
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By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

Danville is selling its Pinnacles hydroelectric complex in Patrick County to Northbrook Energy for $8.2 million and will buy the energy, capacity and renewable energy credits from the facility. But to at least one city councilman, the deal makes no sense.


** EDITORIALS
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** Is the U.S. having a 'color revolution'? ([link removed])
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Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

What just happened? What’s still happening? The events of the past few weeks have been exhilarating for some, disorienting for others, and distasteful for still others. Either way, it’s clear that something has happened in the country that has brought about a shocking amount of change in an equally shockingly short period of time.
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** Paycheck program’s failure leaves businesses in the lurch ([link removed])
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Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

In March, the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was heralded as the salvation of small businesses and their employees, as well as a lifeline for nonprofits and the self-employed. Instead, it has been a source of widespread frustration and disappointment, leaving small businesses and their vulnerable employees adrift as their bills piled up. It is an unforgivable failure in this pandemic, one that promises lasting reverberations.
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** Juneteenth should be a state holiday ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced he was introducing legislation to make June 19 a state holiday. The date, colloquially called Juneteenth, observes the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to seize control of the state and ensure all enslaved people were freed. Juneteenth, also referred to as Black Independence Day and Emancipation Day, marks the end of slavery across the United States.
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** Show some urgency on COVID-19 contact tracing ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

This past month, Virginia leaders set clear expectations for an ambitious expansion of COVID-19 contact tracing efforts. On May 19, The Times-Dispatch reported that $58 million in federal emergency aid would support the buildout of a deeper system run by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) through the end of 2020.


** COLUMNISTS
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** Johnston: Northam gets failing grade for plan for reopen state schools ([link removed])
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By DONNIE JOHNSTON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

No one will ever likely tear down a statue of Ralph Northam because unless the Virginia governor builds his own, there will never be one. To say that Northam has been a disappointment is an understatement. In fact, he may well wind up the most unpopular governor in the history of the commonwealth.
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** Schapiro: There are some rebels Republicans won't forgive ([link removed])
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By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia Republicans are adamant about keeping up Confederate statues, but they don’t hesitate pulling down rebel symbols of their own. Just ask the latest toppled by the grassroots: Denver Riggleman.
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** Vargas: Confederate statue debate says a lot about values ([link removed])
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By THERESA VARGAS, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

So much graffiti has been scrawled on the Robert E. Lee statue that overlooks Monument Avenue in Richmond that letters and numbers overlap, creating a tangle of unrestrained curses, overdue demands and insightful sentiments. But at one point, four words written on the granite base easily draw the eye: “How much more blood?” I wish I could tell you who scribbled those words.


** OP-ED
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** Shabazz: Virginia must work toward environmental justice ([link removed])
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By QUEEN ZAKIA SHABAZZ, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Everyone deserves to live in a healthy environment, breathe clean air, drink clean water and access affordable, clean energy. Unfortunately, that is not the reality for many Virginians. Instead, politicians have been bought by utility monopolies such as Dominion Power, passing laws that benefit the power company’s bottom line while leaving our communities behind.

Shabazz is coordinator of the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative, based in Richmond.
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** DaSilva: Accelerating secure technology during and after a pandemic ([link removed])
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By LUIZ A. DASILVA, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Time seems to compress during a pandemic. Two months ago, I returned to Virginia to lead the new Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) as its inaugural executive director. So much has happened since then that a few months can feel like several years.

DaSilva came to the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative from from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where he was a professor of telecommunications and director of CONNECT — the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Future Communications and Networks.
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