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ROANOKE, VIRGINIA $2THURSDAY July 30, 2020

Four-day virtual eventkicks off Thursday

Lollapaloozais happening

Lost fall seasonsaddens ODACathletes

extravibe

By Mike Niziolekmike.niziolek@roanoke.com

981-3126

Throw out those 2020 VirginiaTech football schedules.

Same goes for the Virginia Cava-liers.

The ACC announced Wednesday

a new scheduling model for the 2020season that consists of 11 games —including an unprecedented 10 con-ference games. The league, whichmade these changes due to concernsrelated to the coronavirus pandemic,will begin play the week of Sept. 7-12.

Each team will also be permittedone nonconference game that must

be played within the home state ofthe ACC school.

And there’s one other twist: NotreDame will also play a 10-game ACCschedule this season and be eligiblefor the conference championshipgame.

All 15 members will be thrown in

one division, with the top two teamsbased on conference winning per-centage facing off in the ACC Cham-pionship game, which will be held onDec. 12 or Dec. 19 at Bank of AmericaStadium in Charlotte.

In a press release sent outWednesday afternoon, the ACCsaid the scheduling model came outof discussions over the last severalmonths between member schools

Hokies football schedule overhauledThe Atlantic Coast Conference announced comprehensivevirus-related changes Wednesday for the upcoming season.

By Lisa MascaroAssociated Press

WASHINGTON — Presi-dent Donald Trump onWednesday dismissed Dem-ocratic demands for aid tocash-strapped cities in a newcoronavirus relief package andlashed out at Republican alliesas talks stalemated over assis-tance for millions of Ameri-cans. Another lawmaker test-ed positive for the virus.

Republicans, beset bydelays and infighting, sig-naled a willingness to swiftlyapprove a modest package toprevent a $600 weekly unem-ployment benefit from expir-ing Friday. But House SpeakerNancy Pelosi, D-Calif., round-ly rejected that approach asmeager, all but forcing Repub-licans back to the negotiatingtable.

“As of now, we’re very farapart,” said Treasury Sec-retary Steven Mnuchin, theWhite House’s top negotiator.

Stark differences remainbetween the $3 trillion pro-posal from Democrats and$1 trillion counter from Repub-licans, putting aid for millionsof communities at risk. Moneyfor states and cites is a crucialdividing line as local govern-ments plead for help to shoreup budgets and prevent deep-er municipal layoffs as theyincur COVID-19 costs andshutdown economies.

Trump complained aboutsending “big bailout money”to the nation’s cities, whosemayors he often criticizes.

“It’s a shame to rewardbadly run radical left Demo-crats with all of this moneythey’re looking for,” he said atthe White House.

Democrats proposednearly $1 trillion for the localgovernments, but Trump andRepublicans are resistingsending the states and citiesmore cash.

Instead, the GOP offers

By Luanne Rifeluanne.rife@roanoke.com

981-3209

Virginia’s mental healthagency is dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks at three psychiat-ric hospitals and a training cen-ter that have infected dozensof patients and employees andhave caused five deaths.

Most of the state’s psychiat-richospitalshavemorepatientsthancapacityandareoperatingat critical levels, said AlisonLand, commissioner of the Vir-giniaDepartmentofBehavioralHealthandDevelopmentalSer-vices. She and Dr. Daniel Carey,the state’s secretary of health,last week wrote athree-page letter tolawmakers askingfor help.

Piedmont Geri-atric Hospital inNottoway Countyhas stopped admit-ting new patients.

“Unfortunately, we havehad five deaths at this hospitalrelated to COVID outcomes,”Angela Harvell, deputy com-missioner for facility services,said in a Wednesday phoneinterview.

Six of Piedmont’s patientsare now in a medical hospital.Another18patientsare infectedand remain at the Burkevillepsychiatric hospital. Nine staffmembers also have tested posi-tive for the virus.

“Theyjustrecentlytestedallthe other patients at this facil-ity, and they were negative. Sothe outbreak was contained toone unit, so we were fortunatein that regard,” she said.

The other state psychiatricfacilities with outbreaks areEastern State Hospital in Wil-liamsburg, Southern VirginiaMental Hospital in Danville,and the Southeastern VirginiaTraining Center in Chesa-peake. Western State Hospitalin Staunton has one patient andtwo staff members who testedpositive,but it isnotconsideredas having an outbreak.

Until now, the state hos-pitals had seen only isolatedcases among staff or patients.

“We were closed to visitorsearlyonintheprocess. Indoingso, we believe we were able to

Virus aidstalemateinfects topleaders

Outbreaksstress statepsychiatricfacilities

Neither political partynor the president canagree on the terms of anew financial package.

COVID-19 has causeddeaths and complicatedcare at Virginia’s mentalhealth care units.

See VIRUS, 4

CHARTINSIDEVirginiacasesup 999.Page 4

STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS | The Roanoke Times

Virginia radio stalwart Larry Dowdy of Roanoke retires from WLNI in Lynchburg on Thursday. He says hewon’t miss getting up at 1:45 a.m. for his shift. And, he said he will have to retrain his cats who are used toeating at this hour, too. He was live on his 8 a.m. morning news show on Tuesday talking about Gov. RalphNortham, COVID-19, help for businesses and the hot weather, among other current talking points.

By Tad Dickenstad.dickens@roanoke.com

777-6474

For the past 47 years, Larry Dowdy hasbeen behind a microphone in a radio booth,or on-air with a television crew.

This morning, he is broadcasting for thefinal time.

Dowdy is retiring from WLNI-FM (105.7FM), in Lynchburg, where he has spent thepast five years doing a morning news talkshow. Hear the broadcast at wlni.com, butdon’t expect a big to-do during his 6 a.m. to9 a.m. slot, “The Morning Line with LarryDowdy & Kenny Shelton.”

“I’m not a big person on goodbyes,”Dowdy, 63, said. “I’m like till the last day, let’skeep the show as close to what we normally

do as possible. I probably will mention it, justafter we come on the air at 6, and I definitelywill mention it like the last 5 minutes of theshow, just to thank the listeners.

“These folks get up, they start their day,they take time to text or call in to be part ofthe show. That means a lot to me.”

They’ve risen to hear Dowdy on the air in avariety of Roanoke-based settings, includingthe old WROV-AM, K92 (WXLK-FM, 92.3),Star Country (WSLC-FM, 94.9) and SunnyFM, even TV for a few years on televisionon WDBJ (Channel 7). Dowdy got his start atWROV while he was a student at the formerJefferson High School in Roanoke.

Dowdy said he didn’t have a specificreason for leaving, but he looks forward to

Familiar broadcastpersonality signingoff after long career

Larry Dowdy of Roanoke has occupied the localairways of radio and television for the past 47 years.

“He was on his game every time hestepped behind the microphone.”

Mike Stevens | Larry Dowdy’s former radio and television broadcast partner

See VOICE, 5

PresidentDonald TrumpCriticized bothpolitical partiesfor versions ofvirus financialrelief legislation.

See CONGRESS, 4

MORE INSIDEnUpdated UVaschedule includes5 challengingroad games.

n Virginia Tech’sCaleb Farleyannounces he’sopting out of2020 season.Sports 1

See FOOTBALL, 4

SportsW&L RB

Josh Breece