Northam Announces Virginia’s Colleges to Reopen in The Fall With Guidelines

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

But First…

Historic uprisings throughout Virginia over racial injustice and police violence has led to several Confederate monuments getting taken down or being scheduled for removal. But do you know why these monuments were put up in the first place? We talked to an expert who explained why Virginia’s Confederate memorials were originally built, and it wasn’t about celebrating America’s history. — Dogwood

Five Things You Need to Know Today

1. Jefferson Davis Statue Taken Down by Protesters- Protesters tore down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis along Richmond’s Monument Avenue Wednesday night. The statue was toppled shortly before 11 p.m. Richmond police were on the scene and videos on social media showed the monument being towed away as a crowd cheered.– Dogwood 
   
   
2. Northam Announces Virginia Colleges Will Reopen in the Fall- Gov. Ralph Northam announced that colleges will reopen in the fall with comprehensive public health plans in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The guidelines differ from the ones put in place for K-12 schools, which are focused on three phases for reopening.  The college reopening guidelines require schools to monitor the virus and create plans to reduce the spread. — Dogwood
   
   
3. Suit Seeking More Execution Transparency Tossed Out by Judge- A lawsuit filed by several Virginia media outlets seeking official and media witnesses to view Virginia’s execution procedures was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne. Payne cited decisions in other states to hold up the decision that the First Amendment doesn’t require witnesses and the media to see the execution process. — Richmond Times-Dispatch
   
   
4. Virginia Sees No Spike in Coronavirus Cases- There are currently 52,647 reported cases of coronavirus in Virginia, an increase of 470 since yesterday. According to the Virginia Department of Health, there are 5,360 people who have been hospitalized and 1,520 people have died due to the virus. Also according to the VDH, 405,025 people have been tested for COVID-19 in the state so far. During a press conference, Northam said the state has seen no spike in cases. — Dogwood
   
   
5. CVS Health Opens 37 Additional COVID-19 Testing Locations- CVS Health announced that 37 additional drive-thru coronavirus testing locations across Virginia are set to open Friday. With the new sites, there will be over 75 COVID-19 CVS testing sites in the state. “The new sites will utilize self swab tests and will help enable the company’s goal processing up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity,” said CVS in a statement. — NBC 12