Community Corner
Roanoke Region Sees Major Spike In COVID-19; Herring Announces Re-Election Campaign; Birthday Acts Of Kindness; More Headlines
This is "News to Know," our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.
By Robert Zullo
December 17, 2020
NEWS TO KNOW
Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.
Find out what's happening in Across Virginiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
• The Roanoke region has seen a major spike in COVID-19 cases. “This is very likely due to the Thanksgiving surge that we were expecting,” one health official said.—WVTF
• Attorney General Mark Herring formally launched his re-election bid, though he faces Democratic opposition.—Richmond Times-Dispatch
Find out what's happening in Across Virginiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
• Nine Norfolk Southern cars derailed in Roanoke.—Roanoke Times
• A Henrico doctor who admitted inserting his own sperm into a woman during a fertility treatment also has nearly a hundred pages of “complaints/grievances” from his contract work providing gynecological services to inmates at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland. But the Department of Corrections is keeping them secret.—WRIC
• The keel has been laid for the $500 million vessel that Dominion Energy hopes will help Hampton Roads become the fledging U.S. offshore industry.—Virginian-Pilot
• Virginia Tech’s football players voted to skip a bowl game after a rollercoaster 5-6 season hampered by COVID-19, ending a streak that goes back to 1993.—Roanoke Times
• Charlottesville has seen a sudden increase in homicides since November, including “ambush-style” attacks that have involved dozens of gunshots.—Charlottesville Tomorrow
• An advisory commission has recommended replacing a statue of Robert E. Lee in the U.S. Capitol with one of Barbara Johns, who led protests against segregated schools in Farmville.—Washington Post
• Arlington is also changing its logo and seal to remove Lee’s old mansion, Arlington House.—Washington Post
• The Richmond area is seeing a spike in demand for COVID-19 testing before the holidays.—NBC12
• A Roanoke woman performed 53 acts of kindness for her 53rd birthday. “It’s one of the hardest times in my history, so I figured why not make other people smile,” she said.—Associated Press
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This story was originally published by the Virginia Mercury. For more stories from the Virginia Mercury, visit VirginiaMercury.com.
