Dogwood Download: Things You Should Know For Monday, April 5

By Megan Schiffres

April 5, 2021

Some Virginia health districts move to Phase 2, debate over building name at University of Richmond intensifies, and a drive-thru cannabis dispensary is opening in Richmond.

Daily Number

700,000,000 – That’s the number of peeps Americans buy, on average, every year on Easter. They’re also the most popular Easter candy in Virginia.


Some Virginia Health District Move to Phase 2

Some health districts in Virginia are already moving onto Phase 2 in the Commonwealth’s vaccination plan. Under Phase 2, all Virginians 16 and up are eligible to receive the vaccine.

As of Sunday, 11 health districts including Lord Fairfax, Rappahannock-Rapadian, Central Virginia, West Piedmont, Pittsylvania/Danville, Southside, Eastern Shore, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Portsmouth are vaccinating Phase 2 patients.

Dogwood Download: Things You Should Know For Monday, April 5
Virginia Department of Health

To check if your county is already moving to Phase 2, click here. If you haven’t already pre-registered for the vaccine, you can do it here.


Debate Over Building Names At University of Richmond Continues

The debate over the renaming of two buildings on the University of Richmond campus escalated again this weekend.

Students are calling for for the renaming of Ryland Hall and Freeman Hall. Ryland Hall is named after the founder of the university Rev. Robert Ryland, who was a slave owner. Freeman Hall’s namesake, Douglas Southall Freeman, advocated for segregation and eugenics during his time as a university trustee. That’s all according to reporting by the Washington Post.

According to the Post, following over a month of student-led protests over the issue, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution urging the university to rename the buildings. That was on March 19. A week later, the university’s Board of Trustees reaffirmed their decision not to rename the buildings.

Following the board’s discussion, seven faculty leaders who were present wrote an account of the meeting which included sharp criticism of the university’s rector, Paul Queally. Queally has been a strong supporter of continuing to honor Freeman and Ryland with a namesake on campus, according to the Post. The account by faculty members reported that during discussion of the issue Queally said he wanted “to help Black, brown, and regular students.”

On Friday, the Faculty Senate once again spoke up about the issue. They approved a censure of Queally, citing his behavior on March 26.

The motion censured Queally for “his decisions regarding the renaming of Ryland and Freeman Halls, his disrespectful treatment of university employees, and his reference to White students as ‘regular students.’” according to the Post.

To keep up to date with protests and other ways to contribute to the effort to rename these buildings, follow The university’s Black Student Coalition at @protectourweb on Instagram. You can learn more about the coalition’s demands by visiting www.linktr.ee/protectourweb/.


Virginia Becomes 12th State to Ban ‘Panic Defense’

On Friday, Virginia became the first Southern state to ban the ‘panic defense’ in the US.

The ‘panic defense’ is a temporary insanity plea in which the defendant claims that they were overcome with homophobic and/or transphobic panic when they murdered or assaulted of someone after learning their gender identity or sexual orientation. Attorneys use this defense successfully to lessen the sentences against people convicted of killing and assaulting transgender and other queer people.

Del. Danica Roem (D – Manassas), who sponsored the legislation, said on Twitter her motivation for proposing it was a message from a teenage constituent.

For a more in-depth look at this legislation, check out our story on the passage of the bill by the General Assembly.


Question of the Day: What’s Your Take on the University of Richmond Debate?


Drive-Thru Cannabis Dispensary Opening in Richmond

A drive-thru medical cannabis dispensary is coming to Richmond.

Green Leaf Medical, a marijuana dispensary company with locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio, is opening the new location. The company already has a storefront in the Southside of Richmond. That one doesn’t have a drive-thru option, however.

The new dispensary will be located at 11190 W. Broad St. The building Green Leaf purchased was formerly a combined KFC and Long John Silver’s.

According to reporting by Richmond BizSense, Grean Leaf CEO Phil Goldbert is in the process of getting approval from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy to begin operating the new drive-thru model.

“We’re not already doing drive-thrus so we’re under the impression we need approval before we move forward,” Goldberg said. “A lot of rules and regulations are based on how they handle prescription drugs on the pharmacy level.”

So, what can you get at Green Leaf? They offer THC cartridges, rosin, edibles, and vaporizers to customers with a medical marijuana card.


Saturday’s Trivia Answer: Twins

If you guessed the answer to this trivia question, I applaud your twingenuity! Since the ’80s, the twin birth rate has increased by one-third. It is believed that the use of vitro fertilization, which has a higher than usual twin birth rate, is the source of this change.

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