By LUANNE RIFE, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The Virginia Department of Health on Monday reported 1,505 new cases of COVID-19, marking the second-highest daily increase since the pandemic arrived in the state. Monday’s case count was nearly triple the number of daily cases on July 1 when Gov. Ralph Northam lifted restrictions to allow for larger crowds, indoor dining and the return of most commerce. Northam warned over the weekend that he might impose restrictions. He plans Tuesday to hold a briefing on the coronavirus as cases rise to the same level as May’s peak.
By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Charlottesville and Albemarle County have approved stricter restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In virtual meetings Monday, the City Council and Board of Supervisors approved similar ordinances targeting the virus. The ordinances make masks mandatory in public, limit restaurants to 50% occupancy indoors and restrict certain public and private in-person gatherings to a maximum of 50 people.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Brian Moore never completely closed Chez Max, his French restaurant on Patterson Avenue in western Henrico County, and he gave all of his employees the opportunity to stay on payroll during a pandemic that has crippled his industry. Now Moore finds himself caught between two federal emergency programs that have given relief to unemployed workers, stricken businesses, and the economy they help to sustain.
By GREG GIESEN, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The Virginia High School League’s Executive Committee voted Monday to implement a condensed schedule to reopen high school sports. There will be no sports competition until December, the football regular season kicks off in March, and every sport gets to play.
By MEGAN SHINN, WVEC
Last week, the Virginia Beach City Public Schools superintendent recommended a plan for reopening the district that starts online. However, at least three school board members said they don’t agree and are proposing something different. School Board member Victoria Manning said she worked with her colleague Caroline Weems to come up with an “alternative,” proposed plan for reopening schools. Both of them, plus board member Laura Hughes signed the proposal.
By MAURA MAZUROWSKI AND PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
Amid national scrutiny of the legacy of the Confederacy, some Virginia lawyers are questioning whether clients can get a fair trial at courthouses with statues and portraits paying homage to the so-called “Lost Cause.” A Louisa County judge is being asked to reconsider his refusal to remove a life-sized portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee from a prominent place in his courtroom in anticipation of a capital murder trial. A Giles County judge is being asked to consider the effect of a courthouse Confederate soldier statue on jurors who recommended a 30-year sentence for an African American drug defendant.
By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
President Donald Trump is nominating Mark Christie, chairman of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, to fill a seat at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In announcing the move, the White House called Christie “one of the nation’s longest-serving utility regulators,” noting that he has served on the SCC for 16 years.
The Full Report
44 articles, 21 publications
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 LISA VERNON SPARKS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday that Hampton Roads has become a hot spot in Virginia for coronavirus cases — and hinted that tougher restrictions are coming. “We’re looking at options like decreasing the size of gatherings from 250 to 50. We’re looking at what’s going on when people are congregating in bars and restaurants ... and really ignoring our guidelines,” he said. “We have people coming from a lot of other states ... and what we’re seeing is people gathering in these private parties and social gatherings, paying no attention to wearing masks, social distancing … between that and the bars and restaurants, that’s where the problem is, as we talk to our tracers. And that’s where we’re going to need to make some adjustments.”
By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Rasoul informed the public about his diagnosis Monday morning on social media. “My family and I are recovering and completing our isolation period,” wrote Rasoul, who has three children.
By PETER DUJARDIN, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
A group of nearly a dozen elected Virginia prosecutors are backing significant changes to the state’s criminal justice system as lawmakers begin debating reform. The 11 commonwealth’s attorneys want to restrict “no-knock” search warrants, end the mandatory 6-month driver’s license suspension for drug convictions and increase accountability over police conduct, among several other measures.
By VICTORIA CHAMBERLIN, DCist
Fairfax County NAACP president Sean Perryman announced an “exploratory” bid for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in a Twitter thread on Monday morning. Perryman told DCist/WAMU that he’s serious about the run, but won’t officially confirm the decision until he knows he has the broad support of Virginians throughout the commonwealth. “I come from a community advocacy background, so that’s the most important to me,” Perryman said. “That I’ll be able to serve all people to come in.”
By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Theresa “Terri” Young counts herself lucky for never having had to lean on social programs until now. This time, though, has been different. There were no options, no other way to work things out to get back on solid financial footing. Like hundreds of thousands of other Virginians, she found herself in need of income in mid-March as the pandemic was entering everyone’s collective minds and businesses began scaling back and closing.
By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
A Chesterfield County man faces a possible jail term of up to 12 months if he is convicted under a new Virginia gun law that boosts the punishment for “recklessly” leaving a loaded firearm near a child. Radell J. Bolden, 36, of the 500 block of Cattail Road, was charged last week with leaving a loaded firearm where a juvenile male related to him had access to the weapon. The boy retrieved the gun and inadvertently shot himself in the hand, police said. The child did not suffer a life-threatening injury.
By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
Arlington County is the latest battleground over the power of judges to veto a prosecutor’s decision to drop most marijuana possession charges. An Arlington County circuit judge has rejected the notion that a prosecutor has discretion to dismiss all simple possession of marijuana charges without specific explanations. A 10-page opinion from Judge Daniel S. Fiore II reflects ongoing tension between Arlington judges and the county commonwealth’s attorney, who ran for office last year on a promise to end prosecution of simple possession of marijuana.
By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury
A new bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly this year aimed to add transparency to the state’s execution process by declassifying the sources of its lethal injection drugs. But the Virginia Department of Corrections recently denied a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Mercury for the names of its suppliers over the last decade, noting that the new law doesn’t apply to contracts that were already signed by the state.
By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
The executive committee of the Virginia High School League made official Monday morning what had been suspected for weeks, that there will be no public high school sports in Virginia this fall. The committee voted 34-1 to play all sports between December and June, canceling the fall football season and altering the schedules of every sport. In the past two months, new cases of the coronavirus in Virginia have climbed from 569 on June 8 to 1,127 on Friday.
By YANN RANAIVO, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Tech company Modea will invest $100,000 to grow its town operation and is set to create 20 new jobs, according to an announcement Monday from Gov. Ralph Northam. “Modea’s success in Montgomery County is demonstrating that growth in the tech industry is happening across diverse regions of Virginia,” the governor said. “This pandemic continues to highlight the value of digital health solutions like those that Modea offers its customers.
By JEFF STURGEON, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Bus service has resumed between Blacksburg and Washington, D.C., after a COVID-19 outage. The Virginia Breeze suspended its Blacksburg route in April, but the buses were running again as of Friday, according to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. There’s one northbound and one southbound run daily between Squires Student Center at Virginia Tech and Union Station, except in bad weather. Round-trip tickets were priced Monday at about $104.
By JULIA MARSIGLIANO, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)
In a time of uncertainty, the College of William & Mary is preparing its students to return to campus during the coronavirus. The university updated its policies about mask use on campus, mandatory testing for students prior to returning and social distancing measures. But what about students who plan to dorm on campus? What will happen if the school closes early? Well, there's a clause for that.
By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)
One of the most selective schools in the nation, Newport News Shipbuilding’s Apprentice School, has won the right to issue college degrees in its own name. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia this month formally approved the Apprentice School’s request to operate as a postsecondary institution.
By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
The Virginia Department of Health reported 1,505 new coronavirus cases Monday, the largest single-day increase since the end of May. The state’s tally now stands at 86,072. At least 2,082 Virginians have died from the virus as of Monday morning, up four from Sunday. Of all new cases in Virginia, 33% come from Hampton Roads.
By ALI WEATHERTON, WVEC
The surge in COVID-19 cases in our area shows no signs of letting up. Mayor, Bobby Dyer wants to take action. He sent a letter to the Governor Ralph Northam with a list of recommendations to help get the numbers down.
By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
The Fredericksburg area is part of a region with the lowest increases of COVID-19 cases in the state, based on weekly averages. One of the key measures on the Virginia Department of Health’s website tracks the five health regions in the state to see where new virus cases are clustered. A week’s worth of new cases is averaged to determine what’s called a seven-day moving average.
By JOHN CRANE, Danville Register & Bee
Another facility in Danville has been hit with a COVID-19 outbreak. Four clients and four staff members at Southern Virginia Mental Health Institute have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
By SARAH WADE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
Seven officers and a dispatcher at the Bristol Virginia Police Department have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Bristol Virginia City Manager Randy Eads. Eads said that the city government learned of the positive cases on Thursday, July 16, and said that all eight of those staff members began to quarantine around that time. He added that some of them had sought testing after experiencing symptoms linked to the virus. None of them have been hospitalized.
By MICHELLE BASCH, WTOP
More than half of the Diocese of Arlington’s Catholic schools in Virginia are planning to welcome students back to school buildings for all of their fall classes. The rest are planing a mix of in-person and online classes. Almost all have announced their plans for the coming school year.
By ALI SULLIVAN AND ZACH JOACHIM, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Police swarmed a group of roughly 50 people and cleared Monroe Park late Sunday, making 17 arrests throughout a second night of flare-ups between demonstrators and officers. Speaking at Richmond police headquarters against the backdrop of a city dump truck that had been lit ablaze over the weekend, Police Chief Gerald Smith characterized officers’ actions as proactive in response to a flyer advertising Sunday’s demonstration.
By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
City police arrested 23 people over the weekend after demonstrations for social justice turned violent on Saturday and Sunday nights, interrupting more than three weeks of largely peaceful protests. Officials blamed outsiders for an escalation that saw about $100,000 in damage to windows at Virginia Commonwealth University, a city dump truck set ablaze and one man caught on video firing a gun into the ground in a confrontation with protesters.
By LAURA PETERS AND MONIQUE CALELLO, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)
The Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center removed the Confederate general's name from the front of the hotel. Now the hotel just reads, "Conference Center." According to hotel guests, the front lettering of the hotel was removed Monday morning. The large neon sign that says, "Stonewall Jackson Hotel" still remains atop the hotel and conference center.
By ALICIA PETSKA, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The man charged with tipping over the Robert E. Lee monument in downtown Roanoke said Monday he acted in an effort to prevent civil strife. William Clay Foreman, 70, said he’s watched with worry as tensions mounted in other places nationwide, including in Richmond, where Foreman was born and where protests have been unfolding near the capital city’s statues of Confederate figures.
Bristow Beat
The Prince William County Democratic Women’s Caucus has issued a statement and a, “call for action.” regarding arrests made during a Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police rally outside the McCoart Building on July 14. Police arrested four individuals that afternoon, charging three with assault & battery and one for disorderly conduct. They include three women and two men of various ethnicities between the ages of 20 and 31.
By RANDI B. HAGI, Harrisonburg Citizen
A few hundred people knelt in silence in Heritage Park in Broadway earlier this month. Drops of sweat beaded on their brows amid the muggy early evening air as eight minutes and 46 seconds passed quietly. The silence was meant to honor George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis and whose death has sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the globe. It was interrupted by a counter-protester on the ridge overlooking the park.
By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Three people who described themselves as anti-racist activists raised a U.S. flag on Monday over a Civil War site on Virginia 419 in their bid to overshadow a nearby monument showcasing two Confederate flags. A statue of George Morgan Jones, a Confederate veteran, sits just off Virginia 419 at the Hanging Rock Battlefield in Roanoke County. The monument was brought to the battlefield in 1999 to become part of a small county park that commemorates fighting between Union and Confederate troops that happened June 21, 1864.
By CAROL VAUGHN, Eastern Shore Post
Parksley officials will hold a public hearing on their proposal to sell a plot of land and the Confederate monument standing on it to the Virginia division of Sons of Confederate Veterans. The hearing, which likely will be scheduled for the August town council meeting, is required by law. The Parksley Town Council in June voted to sell the property, which is at the corner of Cassatt Avenue and Mary Street, for one dollar.
By ELIZABETH TYREE & KAICEY BAYLOR, WSET
An organization in Halifax County is petitioning the Halifax County Board of Supervisors to remove the confederate monument outside Courthouse Square. According to a change.org petition, One Community - Halifax County wants county leaders to remove the Confederate soldier statue that sits outside Halifax County Circuit Court on Main Street. "We want to see this community united and having Confederate statues and iconography is very hurtful to a large section of the community," said Hope Harris-Gayles, co-chair of One Community.
By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
When the summer heat rises, so does the ocean temperature, providing a breeding ground for a loathed sea creature: the jellyfish. Squishy dark red blobs have been seen floating in the surf and washed up on the shore at the Oceanfront over the last several days. And they sting.
By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
The Richmond City Council agreed Monday to advance a pair of police reforms but drew a line at what two council members described as a move to “defund the police.” After the nightly street protests turned violent over the weekend — resulting in fires, damage to buildings and nearly two dozen arrests — the City Council agreed on first steps to establish a civilian review board for police and new protocols for police responding to a person experiencing a mental health crisis.
By MEGAN PAULY, WCVE
Newly-released documents reveal details about arrests of students in Richmond schools. Obtained by VPM through a public records request, the documents paint a picture of the types of incidents that result in assault charges filed against students. If convicted by a judge, these charges could stay on the young person’s record until the age of 29. That means a fight at school as a 14-year-old could have far-reaching effects on the student’s life 15 years later.
By GORDON RAGO, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Under a plan approved Monday night by Chesapeake School Board members, all students — regardless of what option they or their families choose — will start the year learning online. The virtual start was attributed to a high number of coronavirus cases in the region, and follows other districts in Hampton Roads that are opting for an all-online fall semester.
By ALEXA DOIRON, Williamsburg-Yorktown Daily (Metered paywall - 3 articles per month)
Students in Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools will be staying home for the first part of the school year. WJCC Superintendent Olwen Herron announced in an email to staff Monday the district would move forward with remote learning for all students in the first nine weeks of the school year.
By CALVIN PYNN, Harrisonburg Citizen
Winnette Dickerson was still adjusting to life in the pandemic at the beginning of April, when she lost her job, fell behind on rent and found herself facing eviction – an experience that felt like being “tied upside down.” Initially, Dickerson, a Harrisonburg resident who was working as substance abuse counselor, was able to stay in her apartment thanks to a temporary statewide moratorium on evictions that took effect in early June. Still, she was concerned about the possibility of homelessness – especially given her 15 years of volunteering at Our Community Place, a nonprofit serving people in that same situation.
By CLAIRE MITZEL, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Roanoke County Public Schools, local nonprofits and area churches have formed a task force in order to connect families with low-cost day programs during the 2020–21 school year, addressing an increased need for child care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizations plan to work together to expand day programs and assist families in finding care for children, especially students in third through sixth grades, who will be in the classroom only two days per week.
By MIKE ALLEN, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The Franklin County School Board heard pushback from parents and teachers who felt the system’s school reopening plan is overcautious during a public hearing Monday evening. For 50 minutes, speaker after speaker told the board that the county’s children need in-person instruction.
Roanoke Times Editorial (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Get ready for a new type of election in Virginia. At least three counties will hold advisory referendums in November on whether to take down their Confederate statues — Franklin, Lunenburg and Tazewell. Others, such as Floyd, could join that list before the deadline of Aug. 14. All these are rural counties in Southwest and Southside, where enthusiasm for tampering with Confederate symbols has been, shall we say, more muted than in certain other parts of the state that have already taken down their monuments.
Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn contends she was within her right last week to order the removal of several statues from the Old House Chamber in the State Capitol building. That may be true, but just because her office had the authority to relocate those objects doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do. Certainly not when the emotional debate over Virginia’s Confederate history would be served by serious, substantive discussion and more citizen engagement.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Police stood in front of a utility vehicle that was set on fire by protesters during a demonstration Saturday night outside the Richmond Police Department headquarters on Grace Street. Let us be clear: Saturday night’s violence was a planned riot. Before the July 25 event, flyers promoting mayhem under the guise of “Richmond Stands with Portland” circulated around the internet. Concerned citizens forwarded to friends, family and news media the angry, expletive-loaded circular urging people to meet at Monroe Park at 9:30 p.m.
Washington Post Editorial (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has offered admission to the class of 2024 to 486 students. Want to know how many of those students are black? Fairfax County officials won’t say, but the number is so small — fewer than 10 — that officials claim its disclosure could lead to potentially personally identifiable information about individual students. That tells you all you need to know about the system’s abject failure to expand educational opportunities to students of color.
By JUDY SMITH, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
HB 972 was passed recently in Virginia by the governor’s recommendation. This bill makes the possession of no more than an ounce of marijuana a civil penalty going forward with a fine of $25. This will not be on record and will not affect a background check. The ultimate goal is to pave the way for legalization of marijuana in Virginia.
Smith is a retired teacher. She lives in Washington County.
By RON JENKINS, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Virginia logging and forest trucking contractors have joined a national effort seeking federal relief for their industry at a time when COVID-19 and its economic impacts are threatening the survival of the companies depending on the entire U.S. forest economy. In Virginia, many loggers reported seeing problems with markets in early to mid-2019. Weekly and daily quotas were placed on loggers’ production and some finished their deliveries to plants by Wednesday morning.
Ron Jenkins is executive director of the Virginia Loggers Association. Contact him at: [email protected]
By ANDREAS ADDISON, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
A deep fissure has opened in Richmond. More than ever, we have felt an extraordinary tension between all of us. For more than 45 consecutive days, protesters have taken to the streets, and they have demanded action, specifically from their elected officials. In response, City Council has introduced a slate of legislation, the mayor has removed monuments to the Lost Cause all across Richmond and the General Assembly has called a special session next month. Still, the tension within Richmond has not subsided. It has become clear that we must strengthen the relationship between our local government and city residents.
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