As Virginia gets set to further relax social restrictions due to COVID-19, local cities cancel their big July 4 th fireworks displays… Meanwhile, the number of new cases of the disease in Virginia stay steady at just over 500 per day, on average… Governor Northam launches a statewide rent and mortgage relief program….

Last week’s criticism of protesters by Charlottesville’s police chief has some other city officials concerned… Meanwhile, lawmakers in the House of Delegates will hold three meetings on police and criminal justice reform later this summer… Researchers at UVa conduct lab tests on a new treatment for one of the deadliest types of brain tumors, and they say the results are promising….

Charlottesville Police charge four protesters with vandalism after allegedly spray painting slogans on the street in front of the police department during a protest on Sunday… Governor Northam launches a new program to help people struggling to pay their rents or mortgages… Even as the governor says he wants to further relax public restrictions, the number of new cases of COVID-19, and deaths, is ticking back up in Virginia….

A look at state health department data on COVID-19 in local nursing homes… Now that the primaries are over, what does Virginia’s U.S. Senate race look like?... Pro-gun activists challenge Virginia’s new background checks law….

In Tuesday’s primaries, Democrats choose a UVa doctor to run against the Republican in the fifth district’s open congressional seat, and Republican Daniel Gade will run against Senator Mark Warner… Governor Northam says he plans to further relax COVID-19 related restrictions next week, even though new cases have stopped declining... Virginia's Supreme Court is ending the moratorium on evictions that had been in place due to the pandemic….

JMU says it wants to change the names of three campus buildings that honor confederates, but not the school’s name itself, even though James Madison enslaved more than 100 people… Confrontations between protesters and police in Richmond continue, and state officials restrict access to the big Lee Statue… Virginia holds pandemic primary elections….

A 120-year-old confederate statue in Farmville comes down after a unanimous town council vote, cops in Richmond prevent protesters from doing the same to another one there, and protesters in Charlottesville march to defund local police… In a sign that Virginia is now a blue state, whoever wins Tuesday’s GOP nod to challenge Democrat Mark Warner will likely have an uphill battle… Goochland High students enjoy a rainy drive-in graduation during a pandemic….

Unemployment benefits will be suspended for thousands of Virginians who won’t return to work during the pandemic The University of Virginia announces coronavirus-related modifications for the fall semester The Virginia Department of Health will release more data on COVID-19 outbreaks at long term care facilities And a program at Harrisonburg High School helps refugees develop leadership skills and adapt to their new home

The Juneteenth holiday, long celebrated by African Americans, is being more widely recognized The injunction barring the removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee in Richmond is extended The Virginia Department of Health releases a backlog of tens of thousands of COVID-19 test results And a new area code is coming to the 540 zone

The mayor of Richmond asks for – and accepts – the resignation of the city’s police chief More statues are toppled in the capitol of Virginia Latinos and Hispanics make up just 9% of the population in Virginia, but almost half the cases of COVID-19 A possible new source of funding for criminal justice reform in the commonwealth