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By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to announce next week that the state can enter Phase 3 as early as Friday. This would remove restrictions for inside restaurants and stores, allow gatherings of up to 250 people, increase capacity in gyms, open swimming pools and allow up to 1,000 people to visit zoos and outdoor recreational spaces. What it doesn’t do is remove the threat of the virus.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
June McBain has entered the hospital room of many Latinos being treated for COVID-19 and helped them—by speaking a language they understand. “Despite my being covered in a gown and goggles and shield and mask and everything, they still can see into my eyes, which is different than speaking on the phone” to an interpreter, McBain said. “I can explain things, hold their hand, comfort them and give them the support they need.”
By JENNA PORTNOY, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Democrats in central and Southside Virginia are choosing a nominee for an open congressional seat that the party thinks it could win for the first time in more than a decade. Republicans last week ousted freshman Rep. Denver Riggleman in favor of Bob Good, who calls himself a “biblical conservative,” to the delight of Democrats surveying their field of well-funded hopefuls competing in Tuesday’s primary.
By ERIC KOLENICH AND ALI SULLIVAN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
A .45-caliber handgun was tucked in the waistband of Jasmine Kelley’s shorts Sunday night as she stood outside the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue. She purchased it for about $475 last week, and it hasn’t been fired yet. As the protests against racial prejudice began three weeks ago, Kelley, 29, quickly decided her role would be to protect others. She started by calling other protesters to check on their safety. Then, they were given walkie-talkies so they could communicate faster. Then, other protesters started showing up with guns in an effort to protect others.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
A federal appeals court judge in Richmond has taken public aim at a legal doctrine the U.S. Supreme Court created to provide "qualified immunity" to police officers who violate people's civil rights.
By HANNAH NATANSON, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Come fall, students in Loudoun County could attend school in person two days a week and spend three days learning virtually at home, according to a plan released by the superintendent last week. The plan is tentative and meant only to “explain how schools might function,” Superintendent Eric Williams wrote in a message to families Thursday.
By PETER DUJARDIN AND SALEEN MARTIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
David Bryce walked up to a Norfolk office of the Department of Motor Vehicles with a title in his hand Friday afternoon. Because of the state’s coronavirus-inspired procedures, he’d made an appointment weeks ago. He’d bought his son a car and needed to finalize the paperwork. But Bryce then realized the doors were locked. Gov. Ralph Northam, with three days notice, had deemed Friday a holiday for most state employees.
The Full Report
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The Virginia Public Access Project
The only statewide election set for tomorrow is a Republican U.S. Senate primary. How will GOP turnout stack up against statewide primaries in the last 31 years? VPAP lists them all with voter participation ranging from a high of 14.9 percent of registered voters to a low of 2.6 percent.
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.
By ALAN SUDERMAN AND SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday that he will release the names of nursing homes that have had a coronavirus outbreak, a reversal from his previous stance that releasing the information could violate patients’ privacy. Northam said he is directing the Virginia Department of Health to release the names on its website.
By JESSICA NOLTE AND MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday afternoon that Virginia will direct an additional $246 million to support long-term care facilities responding to the coronavirus pandemic. He also released the names of nursing homes with reported COVID-19 infections, which he has until now refused to do, citing patient confidentiality.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
On the same day that Virginia’s COVID-19 deaths reached 1,000 in long-term care facilities, Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday that the state will devote $246 million in mostly federal money to help nursing homes and assisted living facilities cope with a public health emergency that has hit them hard.
By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday released the names of nursing homes and assisted living facilities where COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred and claimed the lives of 1,000 Virginians. Their deaths represent 62.4% of Virginia’s 1,602 fatalities from the coronavirus.
By ANA LEY, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Ever since protesters ripped apart Portsmouth’s Confederate monument last week as police, public officials and reporters watched, people in and around the city have accused state Sen. Louise Lucas of inciting a riot and encouraging people to deface the granite structure. What her supporters are calling lies have fueled efforts from a Virginia Beach attorney and gun shop owner to remove the longtime senator from office.
By CJ PASCHALL, NBC 29
When the Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law was founded one year ago,, its task was simple: find racially discriminatory laws still on the books in the commonwealth and recommend they be removed. Now, with racial tensions rising in the state and across the nation, the body is taking aim at current laws that may have unintended discriminatory impacts, with the goal of making recommendations before the general assembly meets to discuss policing reform in August.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, claimed in a since-deleted Facebook post Thursday that Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, “is NOT for ALL Virginians” immediately after citing McClellan’s position as the vice chairwoman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. The controversy, with one Richmond-area gubernatorial candidate criticizing another, came on the day McClellan announced her bid for the Executive Mansion.
By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press
For the second time in two years, no big-name Republicans in Virginia are bothering to try and win a seat in the U.S. Senate. Once a hotly contested swing state where Senate elections were decided by small margins, Virginia has swung solidly blue in the Trump era as voters in the state’s growing suburbs reject the president’s agenda.
By STAFF REPORT, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Democrats in the Fredericksburg region will go to the polls Tuesday to select a nominee to challenge veteran Congressman Rob Wittman, while Republicans will choose a candidate to take on U.S. Sen. Mark Warner. In the Democratic primary, Stafford County human rights lawyer and author Qasim Rashid and King George County defense contractor Vangie Williams are vying to carry the party’s banner in the 1st District congressional race. W
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Republicans in Virginia will nominate a candidate Tuesday to run against heavily favored U.S. Sen. Mark Warner in a primary overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic. In the Richmond area, a Democratic challenger takes on Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th and two Democrats vie for the right to challenge Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, whose district includes Hanover County.
By JOSH JANNEY, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Marine Corps veteran Aliscia Andrews will challenge Democratic incumbent Jennifer Wexton in the Nov. 3 election for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. On Saturday night, Andrews won the final round of voting in the 10th Congressional District Republican convention, securing the GOP nomination. The convention was held outside Shenandoah University’s James R. Wilkins Jr. Athletics and Events Center. Andrews received 57.5% of the vote, defeating fellow Republican candidates Jeff Dove, Rob Jones and Matthew Truong.
By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Democratic voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to pick their congressional nominee in what suddenly became an open seat in central Virginia. The winner of the primary will take on Republican Bob Good in November in a race that Democrats are planning to sink money into to win the seat.
By MARIE ALBIGES, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Three political newcomers from Hampton Roads are hoping to bring a fresh perspective to Washington, and are vying for the opportunity to challenge a longtime Democratic incumbent in the Third Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott has represented the district — which includes parts of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton and Suffolk, plus all of Newport News, Portsmouth, Franklin and Isle of Wight County — for 27 years.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
In a brief speech to Virginia Democrats on Saturday, presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden highlighted the state’s importance come November. Biden, who served as vice president under Barack Obama, formally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination earlier this month, aided by a strong showing on Super Tuesday that included a decisive victory in Virginia.
By ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA, WCVE
Virginia Democrats held their state convention over the weekend and for the first time they met virtually because of coronavirus concerns. After opening remarks from Gov. Ralph Northam, then panels on how to campaign online, Democrats turned to the issue of criminal justice reform on Friday. Congressman Bobby Scott, who represents Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District, called for the demilitarization of local police.
By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury
Even in car-clogged Northern Virginia, nothing stops traffic like a 10-foot-deep sinkhole. And that’s exactly what happened — twice — last spring on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, one of Virginia’s most visible national parks, after a culvert pipe beneath the road failed.
By JOHN REID BLACKWELL, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Virginia’s job market rebounded a bit from April to May, but unemployment remained historically high as the coronavirus pandemic kept some businesses closed and hundreds of thousands of people out of work. The state’s jobless rate stood at 9.4% in May, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Friday. That was down from 11.2% in April.
By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Once again, developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline say it will take longer and cost more to finish a natural gas pipeline that has long invoked acrimony along its path through Southwest Virginia. But all five energy companies in the joint venture seem determined to ride it out, despite contracts signed years ago that allow them to withdraw if the project was not completed by June 1.
By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
More than two years into the arduous task of building a natural gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia, Mountain Valley Pipeline has won approval for an extension into North Carolina. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized the company to build what it calls MVP Southgate, which would start at the 303-mile pipeline’s terminus in Pittsylvania County and run south for another 75 miles.
By CALEB AYERS, Danville Register & Bee
Pittsylvania County is slated to receive more than $1.25 million for an easement and right-of-way that will run through the county landfill. “It does displace some planned expansion area,” Pittsylvania County Administrator David Smitherman said of the project.
By TIM DODSON, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
As the coronavirus swept across the globe this spring, Southwest Virginia’s coal industry felt the pandemic’s impacts as companies furloughed employees and idled production at several sites amid safety concerns and reduced demand for electricity and steel. COVID-19 is the latest challenges for an industry already under pressure from cheap natural gas, a rise in renewable energy sources and big bankruptcies, among other factors.
By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Every summer, more than 1,000 international students come to Virginia Beach to work in hotels, shops and restaurants — many of them in the resort area. But the coronavirus pandemic has temporarily quashed the J-1 Visa Student Work Travel program, leaving many employers without an integral part of the workforce they’ve long relied on during the busy tourist season.
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury
Traffic is back. Car and truck volume trends in Virginia are moving back toward normal after plummeting during the COVID-19 shutdown, according to numbers released Friday by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
By JEREMY M. LAZARUS, Richmond Free Press
Virginia State University has become a prime example of the financial hits historically black colleges and universities are taking because of the coronavirus. The 138-year-old institution is heading into the fall semester facing a potential 10 percent drop in enrollment, big losses in dorm and cafeteria revenue because fewer students will be allowed on campus and a potential $26 million operating deficit, according to information provided June 12 to the VSU Board of Visitors.
By SAM WALL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Two options for Radford University budget reductions over the upcoming two fiscal years — across-the-board cuts and a more strategic plan — were detailed in a Thursday memo signed by President Brian Hemphill.
By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury
Some Virginians — and Gov. Ralph Northam’s political opponents — were surprised when Northam announced the state wouldn’t be proceeding into its third phase of reopening, despite significant improvements in COVID-19 metrics since the start of Phase 2 earlier this month.
By PETER COUTU, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
The percentage of coronavirus tests that come back positive continues to decline, with the seven-day average falling below 7% for the first time on Sunday, state data shows. As of Sunday, a reported 543,186 viral tests had been done in the state — an increase of 14,272 new tests reported from the previous day, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health. It’s the third day in a row of more than 10,000 new tests being reported, which Gov. Ralph Northam identified as a goal for reopening.
By CHARLES WILBORN, Danville Register & Bee
The director of the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District believes the rise in COVID-19 numbers — 10 new cases were reported Saturday alone — is linked to a relaxed social behavior of residents, including a lack of face coverings.
Associated Press
Federal workers from the Centers for Disease Control will be going door to door in two northern Virginia cities to conduct a survey of needs related to the coronavirus pandemic. . . . Beginning Monday, CDC workers will be going door to door in the area with a 30-question survey conducted in Spanish.
By CHARLES FISHBURNE, WCVE
Statewide, Latinos make up about 9% of the population, but 45% of COVID-19 cases. The Richmond and Chesterfield Health Districts are working with the CDC to better address these disparities. Richmond Health Director Dr. Danny Avula says hispanic and Latino residents often work in essential jobs like childcare, healthcare and food services. "The reality is that so many of our front-line residents are doing the front line work," Avula said.
By SHEN WU TAN, Washington Times
A child in Prince William County contracted a pediatric illness linked to the coronavirus, the county’s first case, the Virginia health system said Friday. The child has recovered from the multisystem inflammatory syndrome after a short hospitalization last month, the Virginia Department of Health said Friday. The health department did not provide more information about the patient.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Five members of James Monroe High School’s Class of 2020 who attended a socially-distant graduation ceremony on Monday have tested positive for COVID-19. Because the students “may have had direct exposure with others in attendance,” Fredericksburg School Superintendent Marci Catlett notified families and school staff Friday about the cases.
By ZACH JOACHIM, ALI ROCKETT AND CHRIS SUAREZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Upward of 500 people gathered beneath the Robert E. Lee statue Friday night for a peaceful demonstration and celebration of Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Around 8:15 p.m., recording artist Trey Songz’s entourage arrived chanting “Black Lives Matter.”
By ALEX PERRY, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
People gathered in Colonial Williamsburg on Friday to celebrate Juneteenth, marking the emancipation of the last enslaved people on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. Colonial Williamsburg hosted special programming for the holiday, which started 9 a.m. Friday outside of Bruton Parish Episcopal Church on West Duke of Gloucester Street.
By JOANNE KIMBERLIN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Step into the stream and feel the energy. It flows through this river of humans — all ages, all skin colors — rolling through Newport News Saturday. Power. Unity. Resolve. Fittingly, the morning rain has cleared before the 200 or so demonstrators take their first steps. As they head down Jefferson Avenue, the city’s chief of police, Steve Drew — now in his 22nd straight day of duty — walks with them.
By ALICIA PETSKA, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
A cold, hard rain was opening up overhead but the line of people that assembled on Gainsboro Road only grew with each passing minute. The crowd, which numbered more than 100 strong, had gathered to march in unity to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Roanoke, where a commemoration of Juneteenth, the anniversary of the end of slavery in America, would follow.
By ROBERT SORRELL, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Hundreds of Bristolians gathered Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth — the day the last slaves were freed 155 years ago. The Future Black Leaders Coalition hosted the event at Cumberland Square Park in Bristol, Virginia. “As far as I know this is the first community-wide Juneteenth event,” Bristol Tennessee Mayor Margaret Feierabend said. “I’m honored to be here today.”
By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Police used chemicals to disperse protesters Sunday night during another tense stand-off on this city’s historic Monument Avenue, where protesters tried to pull down a statue of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart using ropes. Police declared an unlawful assembly about 9:20 p.m., following the attempt to topple the statue, and ordered the large crowd to disperse.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
A 38-year-old officer with the Richmond International Airport Police Department was arrested and charged with trespassing after he was taken into custody at a building overlooking the Lee monument Saturday morning.
By ANDREW RINGLE, Commonwealth Times
Richmond and Virginia State police officers deployed what appeared to be pepper spray, flash bangs and tear gas on demonstrators and reporters at the J.E.B. Stuart memorial on Sunday. Protesters attempted to pull down the statue with rope before officers from the Richmond Police Department responded. Police announced through bullhorns that the gathering had been declared “unlawful,” urging protesters to disperse or face arrests or chemical agents.
By JUSTIN MATTINGLY AND ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Richmond City Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch, who represents the 5th District, said in a tweet after midnight Monday morning that she and 9th District council member Michael Jones are calling for immediate removal of the monuments for “public safety reasons.” Under state law, the city doesn’t control the statues until July 1.
By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
The crowd gathered at the Stafford County Courthouse Saturday afternoon seemed smaller and less boisterous than earlier Black Lives Matter protests that have sprung up in the area in recent weeks. Music was played and more than a dozen speakers—adults, teens and children—addressed the gathering.
By ALLISON WRABEL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
More than 100 people marched down the Downtown Mall Sunday to call for defunding area police departments, in the fourth weekend of protests since George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis May 25. Protesters stopped at the patios of open restaurants and encouraged patrons to join them in the march.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Persistent public appeals to end racism continued Sunday as a group of mostly white people standing as allies to people of color walked from Washington Park to the Roanoke Police Department, where they chanted and held signs. Fifty people made up the group, acting under the banner of No Justice No Peace Roanoke, and guided by a written credo that said white people will shield Black people if conditions deteriorate and somebody declares, “White People to the Front.”
Danville Register & Bee
Several hundred people gathered inside and outside of Hope Church on Friday evening for a Juneteenth Extravaganza. With traditional African music, an expo for local Black-owned businesses and a food truck, the event was intended to celebrate Juneteenth, which is the day the last slaves in the United States were freed.
By ASHLEY SPINKS, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
A peaceful Juneteenth vigil dubbed “#FloydforFloyd” in memory of George Floyd and other victims of racial violence that drew 200 people to the Floyd County Courthouse on Friday evening turned tense when a white man who had been pacing along a police line waving a Confederate battle flag began to threaten attendees.
By JOSH GULLY, Northern Virginia Daily
A Saturday march opposing white supremacy began at a symbolic location, the former Warren County High School that was closed down in 1958 as part of a “massive resistance” effort against integration. When the massive resistance was ruled unconstitutional and the schools were forced to open, the Rev. James Kilby was one of the 23 Black students who on Feb. 18, 1959, walked past 150 protesters and through the schools’ doors to begin learning alongside white classmates.
By LANE KIZZIAH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
The tow truck driver took a drag from his cigarette as he circled the thick stone pedestal. In the otherwise untouched park at the corner of Park and Grove avenues, the 8-foot slab stands out. It’s covered in green, white, black and orange spray-paint inscriptions — ACAB, BLM, a sinister-looking drawing of a pig — as well as thick streams of red paint that’s been poured down the side. And it stands alone.
Farmville Herald (Paywall)
Farmville's Confederate soldier statue was taken down from its pedestal on High Street Thursday evening, June 18. The Farmville Town Council voted unanimously at its continued council meeting Thursday to remove the Confederate statue located at the intersection of High and Randolph streets, according to a Thursday evening press release from the town of Farmville.
By SABRINA MORENO AND ZACH JOACHIM, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Three weeks ago, coats of spray paint had yet to completely coat the pedestal of the Robert E. Lee monument. At the time, the removal of locally controlled Confederate monuments was still illegal in Virginia, pending legislation set to take effect July 1, and Lee’s statue — a representation of oppression and racism — stood tall along the avenue’s mile-long stretch.
By MIKE ALLEN, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
A crowd of about 80 protestors gathered Saturday afternoon at the street corner where two Roanoke County police officers shot and killed 18-year-old Hidden Valley High School student Kionte Spencer in 2016.
By RALPH BERRIER JR., ALICIA PETSKA AND JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
The protest that swept through Roanoke on May 30 started not long after a Roanoke minister prayed for justice and unification. “Bless us now, oh God, as we leave this place,” the Rev. David Jones invoked before a large crowd gathered at Washington Park. “But we never leave the place of solidarity, the place of unity and the place of love and peace.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
A police inquiry aided by citizens will examine a complaint challenging the use of pepper spray to temporarily halt a Black Lives Matter event in Roanoke last month. But unless an exception is made, the confidential investigation won’t produce a public report. Though it involves one of the few civilian review boards in the state, the review is taking place behind closed doors.
By STAFF REPORT, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Another statue was torn down in Richmond this weekend. The statue atop the First Virginia Regiment Monument in Meadow Park in the Fan District was toppled from its pedestal. The park is at the intersection of Park Avenue, Meadow Street and Stuart Avenue in the Fan. It’s roughly a block away from the Lee statue on Monument Avenue.
By PATRICIA SULLIVAN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
The Alexandria City Council on Saturday passed legislation that from July 1 bans guns on city property and streets where special events are being held, making it the first city to take advantage of new Virginia laws that tightened gun restrictions this spring.
By MICHAEL LARIS, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was praised by many for ordering huge letters spelling out Black Lives Matter painted on 16th Street near the White House. But a girl's attempt to call attention to racism through her chalk art has angered and saddened those in her Arlington neighborhood after a complaint led officials to wash it away. The fact that the episode happened on Juneteeth, a day celebrating the end of slavery in Texas, was an added affront for a community that prides itself on inclusiveness.
By JUSTIN JOUVENAL, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
The Fairfax County police unveiled a new policy Friday that will further decrease the department’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in helping enforce noncriminal deportation orders.
By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE
Over the past weeks, thousands of protesters of different races, ages and backgrounds have taken to the streets of Richmond to protest police brutality. An often repeated chant is the call to “Defund the police.” That demand has led to a nationwide conversation about the role of policing in communities, and has even drawn the attention of two Richmond City Council members. . . . But what exactly would defunding the police look like in Richmond?
By JOHANNA ALONSO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Trey Songz returned to his hometown of Petersburg this weekend— along with big-name partners like former NBA player Ricky Davis, music producer Tony Draper and rapper Pusha T — to provide fresh produce and other groceries to thousands of its residents. The event was the second Feed Your City Challenge, the first of which Pusha T debuted in Norfolk two weeks ago.
By AMY POULTER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Listen. Learn. Love. That’s what the world needs to do now, according to a collective of business, civic, faith and arts leaders. And they want to make sure the movement begins right here in Virginia Beach.
By JONATHAN EDWARDS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Amid outcries for more police accountability and transparency, the Norfolk Police Department and city officials are choosing to keep secret thousands of records that show how officers beat, Taser, pepper spray and shoot people. Earlier this month, The Virginian-Pilot used the state’s open records law to request every police use-of-force report from the past decade. The department and the city denied every one, citing a state law that lets them choose whether to release them.
By ADELE UPHAUS–CONNER, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Federal authorities are suing a northern Virginia county over zoning regulations that prohibit an Islamic organization from developing a religious cemetery on land it had purchased for that purpose. The Justice Department said Friday that the lawsuit alleges that Stafford County violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act by enacting overly restrictive regulations blocking the proposed cemetery.
By KEITH EPPS, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Jerine McConnell was a rising high school senior in the summer of 1960 in Fredericksburg when she and countless other young people participated in sit-ins at segregated lunch counters throughout the South. On Friday, McConnell participated in a re-creation of those civil rights-era protests as part of the Juneteenth celebration, which became an official state holiday just this week.
By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
Spotsylvania County joined the growing chorus of communities talking about and condemning systemic racism and deadly police force used against African Americans. About two dozen people spoke during Thursday’s community meeting hosted by the Board of Supervisors. Speakers quoted Biblical passages and the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Nearly two years after Charlottesville kicked off the process to create a police oversight panel, a permanent board has been scheduled to hold its inaugural meeting. But both publicly and behind the scenes, it appears the board may already be running into some of the same problems that plagued its predecessor.
By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Roanoke County is seeking proposals for broadband expansion in five areas of the county with unserved residents and businesses. The county issued a formal request for proposals Wednesday. Internet providers will have until July 16 to present their proposals to provide broadband in rural areas of the county.
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
In 2002, when President Bush turned his attention toward invading Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell warned about what was frequently called “the Pottery Barn rule” —“you break it, you bought it.” Our analogy today isn’t exact, because we’re not talking about an invasion, but the point still holds for our purposes here.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
To people who live in Norfolk or Virginia Beach — those who try to earn a living, pay taxes, send children to school, deal with local regulations and take advantage of the basic amenities — the differences in the two cities might seem clear, even stark.
Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
A serious challenge to Gov. Ralph Northam’s COVID-19 emergency executive orders is coming from an unlikely place: a senior legislator in his own party. On June 9, state Sen. Chap Petersen, D–Fairfax, asked the Virginia Supreme Court to order the governor and executive branch to refrain from taking any “unconstitutional actions” against businesses shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
On Tuesday, voters will cast their ballots in congressional primaries across the state. Not everyone actually will go to the polls, however. Because of the global coronavirus pandemic, many voters are taking advantage of the state’s push to send in an absentee ballot. The primary will mark Virginia’s second experience with voting during the public health crisis.
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Today is the first day of summer. Our concept of when summer really begins is different from what the calendar says, but here’s why this year’s beginning of summer was supposed to be a big deal. Back in April, The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation produced a model that said the COVID-19 virus would be virtually gone by now — with the last virus-related death in the U.S. projected for tomorrow, June 21. So much for models, eh?
By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Alexsis Rodgers is 28 years old. She has worked full time in politics since she was graduated from college in 2013. Rodgers’ employers have included a student lobbying organization, an abortion rights group, a lieutenant governor who’s now governor and a labor-rights program. For Rodgers, running for office always was the next logical step.
By DAN CASEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Beverly Bromfield of Roanoke feels fit to be tied. So far, she said, she’s placed hundreds of phone calls to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, trying to arrange an appointment so her husband, Thomas, can get his driver’s license renewed. It expired April 3, and under agency regulations, Thomas has to renew in person this year. But with DMV offices around the state shuttered for months this spring because of the pandemic, that was impossible. Those began reopening May 18.
By BURSON AND PETE SNYDER THE SNYDERS ARE ARE COFOUNDERS OF THE VIRGINIA 30 DAY FUND. THEY ARE BASED IN CHARLOTTESVILLE., published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Some of Virginia’s most hardworking heroes are in desperate need of help – and hope. While recent weeks and months have shown us an amazing array of heroes — from first responders, to medical professionals and frontline workers — we’re talking specifically about the men and women whose small businesses make up the backbone of our economy.
The Snyders are are cofounders of the Virginia 30 Day Fund. They are based in Charlottesville.
By ROLAND LAZENBY, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
I wonder where the Virginia Military Institute would be today without its black alumni. When I entered the school in 1970, I was in awe of the willingness of its African-American cadets to endure a climate still tied to the traditions of the Confederacy, all entwined in a singular place where the challenges came so furiously there were no easy days.
Lazenby is a VMI graduate, class of 1974. He lives in the Roanoke Valley.
By BOB GIBSON, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
In the winter of 1992, cocaine dealing was the fastest growing felony in Charlottesville and it resulted in average sentences almost four times longer than those given burglars. Drewary J. Brown, a Charlottesville civil rights leader, warned that the community was losing a generation of black youngsters whose potential as future husbands and job-holders was going up in smoke as they were sent to prison on drug felonies.
Gibson is communications director and senior researcher at the University of Virginia’s Cooper Center for Public Service.
By KIM BOBO, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Employers and workers alike are in uncharted waters during the COVID-19 pandemic. What are employers’ responsibilities to protect workers from COVID-19? What can workers expect when they return to their jobs? Answers might be coming.
Kim Bobo is executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
By ANNE HAYES, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
At St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond, a stained-glass memorial to a young victim of the 1918 influenza pandemic provides inspiration during this challenging time. The so-called Spanish flu virus quickly spread to Richmond from Camp Lee in the fall of 1918, where nearly 48,000 soldiers were training during World War I.
Anne Hayes of Henrico County is a 10-year member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond.
By DAVID MARSDEN, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
The catch phrase, “I’ve got your back,” has become ubiquitous in American culture — and mostly it connotes good things. On the battlefield, it means I’m not going to leave you behind; I’m going to lay down covering fire to protect you and expose myself to danger to get you out of a precarious position. Unfortunately, “I’ve got your back” also can be interpreted to mean, “I’m not going to say anything about violations of military law or your unethical conduct surrounding the treatment of noncombatants.
David Marsden, D-Fairfax, represents the 37th District in the Virginia Senate.
By DAVID REID, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe once said, “The budget is about priorities.” As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I’ve expanded on his statement to say, “The budget is about priorities and a vision for Virginia’s future.” As I reviewed this years’ 601-page budget, I applied this standard to every new initiative Gov. Northam proposed: “Why is this a priority?” or “How will this shape Virginia’s future?”
Reid represents Virginia’s 32nd district in the eastern portion of Loudoun County in the House of Delegates.
By TERRON SIMS, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
Recently, it was announced that Virginia will receive nearly $67 million in emergency education fundingas a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress passed March 27.
Sims is a former Army Captain and Security Fellow with the Truman National Securioty Project. He lives in Arlington.
By DEL. TERRY KILGORE, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
New England is a nice place this time of year. It is certainly a bit cooler than Virginia summers, and there is plenty to explore and see. There are a lot of nice people in New England, too, even if Patriots football coach Bill Belichick is a bit grumpy. But for all the things New England has going for it, I am not sure the people of Southwest Virginia, or the commonwealth for that matter, want New Englanders setting Virginia energy policy.
Kilgore represents the First District in the Virginia House of Delegates. His district consists of Lee County, Scott County, part of Wise County, and the City of Norton. He is a Republican from Scott County.
By LEVAR STONEY, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
I, like many other Black men in America, have heard the words “you fit the description” after being wrongly identified and told to put my hands on the hood. It is terrifying. It makes me angry. But, most importantly, it shatters trust in a system where the core mission is to serve and protect.
Levar Stoney is mayor of the city of Richmond
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