Virginia Public Radio

  People line up to be screened and tested for COVID-19 at a event held in Richmond by the public health department. (Credit Mallory Noe-Payne)

Experts agree widespread testing for coronavirus is key to prevent future surges of the virus.

In Virginia an effort is underway to make sure testing is reaching all parts of the state, including communities that may be harder hit by the virus.

Mallory Noe-Payne visited a testing event in Richmond and has this report.

  B. Frank Gupton is CEO of the Medicines for All Institute at VCU and Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. Chair in Pharmaceutical Engineering. (Credit Virginia Commonwealth University)

Making pharmaceuticals is a labor intensive job. So more than 70% of the medications Americans take are coming from China and India, where labor costs are low.

Now, however, Virginia Commonwealth University has set out to bring the process home as Sandy Hausman reports.

Courts are slowly reopening in Virginia, but should they continue collecting fines and fees during the downturn?

Michael Pope reports.

  Holiday Lake State Park in Appomattox.
(Credit: Virginia State Parks)

This weekend many campgrounds in Virginia’s state parks re-open.

Over the past two months day use in the park system has actually increased.

Mallory Noe-Payne has these tips on how to stay safe and healthy outdoors.

  At VCU’s medical center in Richmond, 40% of patients are now being seen via telemedicine. (Credit Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center)

COVID-19 remains a threat here in Virginia, but officials have told hospitals it’s okay to resume normal operations.

That won’t mean going back to the way things were three months ago.

As Sandy Hausman reports, medical care may never be the same.

Confronting the COVID crisis meant big changes for Virginia hospitals — new expenses and cancelation of elective procedures and tests.

Now, those medical centers are trying to recover even as they prepare for the future.

Sandy Hausman reports on their path to financial health.

  The PAP test brought a dramatic reduction in cases of cervical cancer. (Credit University of Virginia)

Fifty years ago, cervical cancer was one of this country’s most common diseases, but development of the pap test and a vaccine have dramatically cut the occurrence and toll it takes.

Now, however, experts say the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the number of women taking preventive action as Sandy Hausman reports.

(Credit: Virginia Dept. of Elections)

Tuesday is Election Day in many places across Virginia.

As Michael Pope reports, it’ll be an election unlike any other.

(Credit: CDC)

Congress is considering a bill that will spend billions of dollars helping set up a system of contact tracing.

And, as Michael Pope reports, a Virginia congressman is supporting the bill in the House.

Many congregations in Virginia are taking a cautious approach to restarting church services. And Arlington County is considering whether to make itself a test case for a new way of deciding close elections.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link.

More now from Fred Echols.

Many of Virginia’s courts will resume hearing non-emergency cases on Monday. That includes eviction lawsuits.

With judges facing a backlog of cases, tenants and legal advocates are bracing for what’s to come.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has this report.

(Credit: CDC)

Most of Virginia will begin the process of reopening for business Friday, although with strict restrictions from the governor.

Michael Pope has this report about one Virginia sheriff who says he won’t cooperate with enforcement.

  Rod Parker tests asparagus. Behind him H-2A workers sort and pack asparagus after spending the morning in the field picking it. (Credit Pamela D’Angelo)

Virginia’s farms and seafood processors rely heavily on foreign workers.

But the federal visa system to get them is complicated and doesn’t always work, even when there’s not a global pandemic underway.

Pamela D’Angelo reports on the difficulty with H-2A visas.

Virginia’s farms and seafood processors rely heavily on foreign workers with thousands of visas issued each year.

But Chesapeake Bay seafood processors that pick crabmeat and shuck oysters are limited by a different federal visa system that has a history of problems and this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it worse.

Pamela D’Angelo reports on H-2B visas.

As businesses prepare to reopen on Friday, COVID-19 continues to infect Black and Latinx people at disproportionate rates.

Some say the plan is moving too fast and putting communities of color at risk in the process.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

Covid-19 restrictions are forcing candidates in local elections to come up with new ways of getting their messages out. And summer school in Virginia, if it happens at all, may be different this year.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link.

More now from Fred Echols.

Virginia has gotten the green light from federal officials to give extra food money to families in need.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, more than half a million children in Virginia qualify.

Voters will be heading to the polls or casting absentee ballots next month in a Republican primary to take on incumbent Senator Mark Warner.

Michael Pope has this look at the candidates.

Governor Ralph Northam speaks during Monday’s news conference in a screen capture from the governor’s video stream.

Some Virginia businesses may be able to open by the end of next week. Governor Ralph Northam made that announcement Monday.

Mallory Noe-Payne has details.

One of the unexpected consequences of people staying at home is more trash going into landfills.  And the first school system in Virginia to shift entirely to a year-round schedule is wondering how the pandemic might affect its plans.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past month at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link.

More now from Fred Echols.

  Kitty Gray and her family finding ways to stay connected during the pandemic.
(Credit Kitty Gray)

More than half of coronavirus outbreaks in Virginia are at long term care facilities, and those outbreaks can be especially deadly.

Mallory Noe-Payne has this look at why nursing home residents are vulnerable and how their families are coping.

When April First came around, many weren’t able to make rent after being laid off in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday is May First and the problem is set to repeat itself.

Jahd Khalil has more on how landlords and tenants are dealing with paying, or not paying, rent.

Covid-19 is disrupting education in ways other than current school closings… and Harrisonburg will have to wait a little longer for a second high school.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link.

More now from Fred Echols.

  Speaker of the House of Delegates Eileen Filler-Corn speaks at the temporary rostrum.
(Credit Mallory Noe-Payne)

A surreal scene at the state capitol Wednesday.

Almost 100 members of Virginia’s House of Delegates outside under a giant tent for their one day veto session.

Mallory Noe-Payne is there and has this report.

(Credit: U. S. Census Bureau)

The coronavirus pandemic may have stopped a lot of things – but one thing it hasn’t stopped is the Census.

Mallory Noe-Payne has more on what the state is still doing to make sure Virginians fill out that form.

Senators meet inside the Science Museum of Virginia.

The minimum wage in Virginia is about to go up, although the economic crisis is postponing the increase a few months.

Michael Pope reports on one of the actions from Wednesday’s General Assembly session.