Dogwood Daily: Roanoke School Staff Donates Food to Students During Coronavirus Closures

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all of today’s Virginia news coming right up.

But first…

The coronavirus pandemic has made finding paper products hard to find, especially for elderly customers. But Las Tapatias Mexican Kitchen in Roanoke is giving away a free roll of toilet paper to anyone over 60 years old. “It might sound small, but in a hard time, even a small gesture goes a long way,” restaurant reps wrote on Facebook. – WSLS 10

Five things you need to know today …

1. 67 cases of coronavirus in Virginia– With an increase of 15 cases, Virginia now has a total of 67 “presumptively” positive cases of coronavirus. The Virginia Department of Health says the state is starting to see more cases spread throughout the community, as cases emerged in 8 new counties, including Chesterfield, Arlington, James City and Goochland County. Gov. Ralph Northam banned restaurants and gyms from having more than 10 people at once and said he’s working with Attorney General Mark Herring on enforcement. –WSLS 10 and Dogwood
   
2. Chesterfield Inmates Removed From Jail- With concerns of insufficient medical care for inmates, Chesterfield county officials have begun to remove almost 200 inmates from the Riverside Regional Jail. Sheriff Karl Leonard said that he received daily messages from family members saying that their incarcerated loved ones are receiving poor medical care at Riverside. This is not the first time that Riverside Regional Jail has been accused of mismanagement. It’s currently under state probation for three years after the suicide of two inmates in 2017.- WTOP
   
3. Resident at Richmond Retirement Home Tests Positive for Coronavirus- A resident of Westminster Canterbury, a Richmond retirement community, was diagnosed with the COVID-19. The resident is a man in his 80s who recently returned from a trip to Florida. President and CEO John Burns states that he is currently working with the Virginia Department of Health to track everyone the resident may have come in contact with. The resident is currently being treated at VCU Medical Center and is in stable condition. – WRIC
   
4. Bills Expanding COmmonwealth’s Electricity Market Re-emerge- Two bills that could broaden Virginia’s electricity market were unexpectedly resurrected in the last few days of the General Assembly session. Since 2007, Virginia has been limited to buying its electricity from companies like Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power, which monopolize the energy market. But this legislation, which still need a signature from Gov. Northam, would allow residents to pick from other companies when it comes to where they get their electricity. – Virginia Mercury
   
5. Bus Drivers, Food Managers and Counselors are Making Sure Students Get Fed- About 30% of Roanoke County students are on free or reduced-price lunch, with many children relying on school lunch to be their one hot meal of the day. With Roanoke schools closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, many students could potentially go without enough to eat.  But bus drivers, food managers and counselors of Roanoke County school system are providing students with meals. On Monday alone their “cafeteria on wheels” delivered over 2,300 bagged lunches across the county. The Roanoke Times