Virginia Beach protesters are arrested, there’s good news for Portsmouth, Fairfax needs help and what is an Octothorp anyway?
Daily Number
1967 – This actually is geared more toward last Saturday, but important enough to highlight. On April 10 in 1967, oral arguments started in the U.S. Supreme Court case “Loving vs. Virginia.” In their final decision, justices struck down state laws banning interracial marriages.
Protesters Arrested During Rally in Virginia Beach
Members of The Underground 1865 went to Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront on Saturday, determined to stage a peaceful rally at the same point where Donovan Lynch was shot and killed. Instead, some ended up receiving tickets from Virginia Beach Police.
In Virginia Beach, it’s illegal for someone to march (or walk) in the street. As a result, officers started arresting people who were doing just that. By the end of the march, they had arrested five people. The five were eventually released, after each being given a summons to appear in court.
Residents still have plenty of questions when it comes to Lynch’s death. The 25-year-old UVA-Wise graduate was shot and killed by a Virginia Beach police officer March 26. However, it took 48 hours for even the department’s homicide detectives to talk with the officer involved, as he pleaded the fifth. It was only after two days of negotiations with the officer’s lawyer that detectives were allowed to interview him.
People also want to know why the officer never turned on his body cam. Rev. William Barber and Lynch’s cousin, Grammy winner Pharell Williams, have both called for federal investigations into the case. Earlier this month, Virginia Beach Police turned the investigation over to the Virginia State Police.
Switching to Phase 2
Some good news to start off the week, as multiple areas are moving into Phase 2 today. That means in Portsmouth and the Western Tidewater Health District, all residents over 16 are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Western Tidewater covers the cities of Suffolk and Franklin, as well as Southampton and Isle of Wright counties.
Now a couple of notes to go along with this. First, you can’t just walk in. You have to make an appointment through the state vaccination website. Also, if you’re under 18, you have to be accompanied by an adult to get the vaccine.
Can You Help Vaccinate People in Fairfax?
Also today, Fairfax County needs some help to vaccinate people. The county is looking for volunteers to work for at least 42 days, Monday through Friday. There are two daily shifts, running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Even if you can’t commit to the full week, they’re still interested in talking with you.
Officials say they need a number of positions filled, including:
- Exterior directional flow
- Line management
- Patient access assistance
- Pharmacy runner
- Patient monitoring area (non-clinical)
- Vaccination station assigner
- Welcome position
Out of the entire county, there’s an immediate need at the Inova Vaccination Center. What skills do you need? You must be fluent in English, have the ability to stand on your feet for extended periods of time, and be able to push an adult in a wheelchair.
Interested? You can sign up here.
#ThisIsVirginia Series Continues For Dogwood
We’ll Start Seeing Impact of Vaccine Shortage Today
Due to a manufacturing mistake, Virginia’s allotment of Johnson & Johnson vaccine will significantly drop, starting today. How much? The Commonwealth will only get 14,800 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week, instead of the 124,000 originally scheduled. The retail pharmacy partnership will see a drop too, with only 13,100 doses coming in.
So what will that mean for Virginia’s distribution plans? Dogwood’s Amie Knowles explains it all here.
Friday’s Trivia Answer: Is There an Octothorp In The House?
On Friday, we asked if you could tell us the technical name for a hashtag. The answer is octothorp.
Where does that come from? Well first, let’s just give a brief explainer on what a hashtag is. This refers to the symbol deployed in front of a word or phrase on social media. When you type #viginiavaccine or #virginiastorms, people who click that hashtag will be taken to the latest mentions of the subject.
So for this, we go to the Oxford English Dictionary. It say the hashtag or “octothorp” comes from octo, refering to the eight points in the figure and Thorpe. The OED is a bit less clear on where the Thorpe part comes from. By that, we mean it doesn’t mention him or her at all.
