When Barbara Harrisâs mother was 35 years old, she was sterilized by the Commonwealth of Virginia. âShe could have a desire to get married, and have a family with her new husband. But she was not able to do that,â Harris said. âThat choice was taken away from her.â Women and people who can become pregnant across the U.S are now facing a reality where their reproductive rights are at risk in light of the Supreme Courtâs recent Dobbs v Jackson Womenâs Health decision, which nullified Roe V. Wadeâs constitutionally protected abortions under the right to privacy. But for Black women, from Harrisâs mother to her daughters and granddaughters, lack of choice is nothing new: reproductive care has always been less accessible to Black Virginians. Read more in the Sunday Main News section 
Over four times as many prescriptions for COVID-19 treatment pills were filled in rich Virginia ZIP codes than the ZIP codes with the lowest state income last month. The Virginia Department of Health is trying to figure out exactly why as there are gaps in the data. In Virginiaâs richest ZIP codes, 14,740 prescriptions were filled, while in the middle income ZIP codes, 5,974 prescriptions for COVID-19 oral treatments were filled and in the lowest income ZIP codes, 3,296 prescriptions for the treatments were filled as of the month ending July 8, according to data provided by the Virginia Department of Health. âItâs something weâve been tracking very closely since the launch of antivirals,â said Alexis Page, health care therapeutics coordination colead for the VDH COVID-19 task force. There are several issues with the data though that make it difficult to tell if the disparity is because of actual need for the treatments or issues with access for working and struggling Virginians, she said. Read more in the Sunday Main News section Letâs say you trade in your old cell phone -- and upgrade to a new one -- and neglect to wipe its contents. Can a police officer who finds the phone start scrolling through it -- accessing the treasure trove about your life -- without a search warrant? Thatâs a question attorneys want the U.S. Supreme Court to take up in a Hampton case. Though the case stems from a 2018 shooting at Peninsula Town Center, attorneys contend it has far broader implications. Police are generally allowed to search âabandonedâ cell phones without getting warrants -- just like they can search someoneâs trash or a junked car. But privacy advocates question whether cell phones should can ever be assumed abandoned -- and they want tighter limits in any event. Read more in the Sunday Main news section Norfolk Public Schoolâs budget for the new fiscal year puts an emphasis on employee compensation. However, the more veteran employees say they arenât getting paid for their time with the division. âOur salaries need to not only be commensurate with our experience, but just with our time and effort and energy,â Sheronda Conyers, a Richard Bowling Elementary School teacher, said. The budget includes raises that average nearly 6% for teachers, 7.5% for classified employees and just over 4% for administrators, as well as $1,000 bonuses for employees. Thereâs also the first round of funding for a multi-year plan to address pay equity concerns that stem from a lack of movement up the pay scale for some employees. This has led some employees with years of experience in teaching to not be compensated the way they believe they should be, and they are saying people are leaving the division because of it. Read more in the Sunday Main News section
Of the many feats Harriet Tubman accomplished, none awes me more as a historian than the estimated 13 trips she made to Marylandâs Eastern Shore. Each time, she stole family and friends from enslavement in much the way she secreted herself away to freedom in 1849. Born on the Eastern Shore, Tubman grew into a fearless conductor along the perilous routes of the Underground Railroad, guiding enslaved people on journeys that extended hundreds of miles to the north, ending on the free soil of Pennsylvania, New York and Canada.
This year commemorates the 200th anniversary of her birth, and tributes abound, including those set in the landscape of her native Dorchester County, about 3 ½ hours from Norfolk. I headed to the Eastern Shore to learn how people there remember this Black American freedom fighter, only to discover that the rising waters of climate change are washing away the memories of Tubman that are embedded in the coastal marshland she knew so well. Read more in the Sunday Break section
Many Virginia Beach Oceanfront business owners, but not all, have seen a good start to the summer season. Entrepreneurs and Hampton Roads natives Julie Aubrey and Chris Johnson, owners of Splash House VB, an experiential painting studio on 17th Street, are feeling a bit frustrated. They said they believe in the city where they live and work but feel more needs to be done to make it more family-friendly and encourage tourists to come back. Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section
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