Dogwood Download: Things You Should Know For Friday, March 12

We talk about King James, a free clinic is coming and Southwest Virginia hits an important milestone.

Daily Number

3 – This stands for charter #3. On March 12, 1612, King James I issued the third charter of the Virginia Company of London. The charter would hold another 12 years, until the company was dissolved and Virginia became a royal colony. 

Free Clinic Coming to Rockingham County

The pandemic has been hard on everyone, especially those without health insurance. Too many times, people put off doctor visits simply because they couldn’t afford to go. There is some help coming next month, however, to Central Virginia. 

Remote Area Medical is what’s known as a “pop-up clinic” provider. The operation recruits medical staff and travels to different areas, setting up for one or two days at a time. It’ll do that April 10 and 11 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds, 4808 S. Valley Pike in Harrisonburg. A couple things to know: 

😷 All medical services are free, offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

✍ You do not have to give your ID or any information 

✅ Everyone can get medical services, but you will have to choose between vision & dental

🔑 The parking lot opens at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and will stay open until the clinic closes Sunday night. 

✅ Clinic doors open at 6 a.m. both days. 

❌ You don’t have to be a Rockingham County resident to get treatment.

The clinic will offer general medical exams, foot care, skin exams, women’s health exams, and mammograms. On the dental side, staff will provide cleanings, fillings, extractions and X-rays. As for vision, you can get an eye exam, eyeglass prescriptions written and eyeglasses made on site. The group will also provide glaucoma testing. 

No New Deaths For Southwest Virginia

As more Virginia residents get vaccinated, the daily reports from the Virginia Department of Health keep looking better. That’s especially true in Southwest Virginia. Thursday’s data showed no new deaths from COVID-19 and only 52 reported new cases of the virus. 

Currently, the seven-day positive test rate stands at 11.1%. That’s down dramatically from just two months ago. In mid-January, the region reported 35% positive test rates. In talking with Dogwood’s Ashley Spinks Dugan, local officials said the drop came when people started wearing their masks and practicing social distancing. Vaccine distribution has helped the numbers drop that much lower. 

Overall, while the numbers are dropping, Virginia’s still not out of the woods. The state reported 1,251 new cases Thursday and five deaths. Since the pandemic started, we’ve seen 590,625 cases and 9,902 deaths in the Commonwealth.

‘Take What You Need, Give What You Can’

So When Are Those Debates, Again?

Later today, you’ll be able to read Dogwood’s coverage of the latest forum involving Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor. But what about the big seat? There will be four debates leading up to the Democratic primary in June.

The debates will be:

• April 6, hosted by WTVR 
• May 6, hosted by WCYB
• May 20, hosted by WRC-TV
• June 1, hosted by WVEC 

There are five candidates in the Democratic field. They include former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, current State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, current Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, current Del. Lee Carter and former governor Terry McAuliffe.

In case you’re wondering why there’s no mention of the Republican side’s election plan, it’s because their state committee still hasn’t decided how they’ll choose statewide nominees yet. As soon as that’s set, we’ll release it here in the Download and on our social feeds.

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: Let’s Talk About Weight

So yesterday, we asked how much a cloud weighs. Anyone want to take a guess? To get an answer on this one, we had to go to the U.S. Geological Survey team. Each cloud particle has a density of 0.5 grams per cubic meter.

Breaking out the calculator, if a 1 cubic kilometer cloud contains 1 billion cubic meters, then that adds up to 500,000,000 grams of water droplets inside. Stick with us, we promise there won’t be much more math. Now those 500,000,000 grams of water translate into 500,000 kilograms or 1.1 million pounds.

So how much does an average cloud weigh? Enough to make you a millionaire, if it turned into dollars.

Don’t Share Your Card

We mentioned something similar a couple weeks ago, but law enforcement agencies and the Virginia Better Business Bureau are asking for a gentle reminder. Don’t post your vaccination card to social media. State officials say you could be causing a few problems if you do.

The card contains your full name and birthday, as well as information about where you were vaccinated. As with most things, scammers can pull down that data, edit and sell it. Already, reports have come in of people trying to sell fake vaccination cards on eBay and Tik Tok.

BBB officials also point out that someone could steal your identity by combining the information on that card with material already on your social profile.

 Instead of sharing pics of the entire card, the BBB suggests just showing your vaccination sticker. Or, if you’re determined to share the card, block out your personal information.

#ThisIsVirginia Series Continues

We’re sharing more #ThisIsVirginia stories through our Instagram account. You can head over there to check out our daily posts, featuring regular Virginia residents who are simply sharing a story about their life, their job, their family or a combination of all three. Here’s one of ours from Thursday.

UVA Law Students Win Case Using Sign Language

We wrap up today’s Download with a story about a unique court case, one that doesn’t involve any politics. Two University of Virginia School of Law students recently found themselves in court. No, they weren’t in any type of legal trouble. Rather, the two ladies seized an opportunity to hone the skills they learned in the classroom.

Jehanne McCullough and Nina Oat landed a real-life court case, inside a real courtroom, with a real judge. And they argued for their client by using sign language, as Dogwood’s Amie Knowles explains.