The Robert E. Lee Statue is Finally Coming Down!

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood. We’ve got a roundup of today’s Virginia news coming right up.

But First…

Over the past week, Americans outraged by the police killing of George Floyd have taken to the streets to protest in over 300 cities nationwide. This has given rise to a movement seeking to defund the police, but what would that mean? We explain the policies and approaches, and why supporters are pushing for it. — Dogwood

Five Things We Need to Know Today

1. The Robert E. Lee Statue is Finally Coming Down- Gov. Ralph Northam officially announced that the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee would be coming down. “Virginia has never been willing to deal with symbols, until now,” Northam said at a press conference Thursday. “Generations ago, Virginia made the decision not to celebrate unity, but to honor the cause of division.” The governor said the statue would come down “as soon as possible.”– Dogwood
   
   
2. Virginia’s Coronavirus Cases Increase by Over 900- There are currently 47,856 reported cases of COVID-19 in Virginia, an increase of 951 since yesterday. Currently, there are 4,957 people who have been hospitalized and 1,445 people who have died due to the virus, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The VDH also reported that 351,354 have been tested for COVID-19 statewide. — Dogwood
   
   
3. First Body Camera Law Coming to Virginia- Virginia’s first body camera law will go into effect on July 1, but many advocates are encouraging the state to take it a step further. The body camera requires localities to establish a written policy for operation, maintenance and storage of cameras, using a model mandated by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. “If you don’t have a policy, an officer can’t get punished,” Del. Mark Levine, who recently helped pass the law, explained. — WRIC
   
   
4. ODU Study Shows a Rise in Crimes and Abuse of “Older Persons” During Pandemic- An Old Dominion University professor found a big shift in patterns of fraudulent crimes committed against “older persons” during the pandemic. Professor of Criminology Dr. Brian Payne found the amount of money reported lost due to fraud among those 80 and older doubled in the first three months of 2020 compared to the first three months of 2019. — WAVY
   
   
5. Virginia Beach Cafeteria Helping Feed Students During the Pandemic- Even though this Virginia Beach school has closed its cafeteria doors, it’s still making sure that the kids get fed. The John B. Dey food service team has worked to provide free meals for children during the pandemic. They’ve even filmed and uploaded cooking tutorials on YouTube shortly after the school closed. — ABC 13