2020 News Ticker
▸ Feb. 3: The Board of Supervisors approves construction of a cell tower off Route 522 in Scrabble. But the board voted against another tower that would have been erected on the Eldon Farms property in Woodville.
▸ March 12: Gov. Ralph Northam declares a state of emergency in response to COVID-19.
▸ March 14: The Rappahannock County Office of Emergency Management issues its first notice on COVID-19, offering advice to residents for preventing spread of the virus.
▸ March 16: The county’s public schools close for what’s expected to be a two-week period. A week later, all in-person learning ends for the rest of the school year.
▸ March 17: Rappahannock County declares a local state of emergency.
▸ March 21: Country Café Pit Stop opens on Route 211 in Sperryville.
The Country Café, long a fixture in Washington, had closed in October 2019.
► March 27: Congress passes and President Trump signs into law a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES.
► March 27: Huntly resident Rosa Crocker organizes a mask-making e ort, distributing face coverings for free at stores around the county.
► April 3: The U.S. Small Business Administration launches the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which gives forgivable loans to help businesses cover payroll and other expenses.
► April 5: First COVID-19 case reported in Rappahannock.
► April 6: The Board of Supervisors meets via Zoom for the first time.
► April 8: After receiving a letter from the local health district recommending a full closure, Shenandoah National Park temporarily shutters.
► April 16: The PPP program runs out of funding. It receives another injection of funding at the end of the month.
► April 24: County puts up “No Access to Park Trails” signs along Route 211.
► May 23: Shenandoah National Park begins to reopen access to Skyline Drive and trails.
► May 26: Local courts reopen with new COVID-19 precautions and face a backlog of cases from the several months-long judicial emergency closure.
► June 28: As the nation reacted to the killing of George Floyd, hundreds attended the Community Gathering for Peace and Justice in Woodville.
► June 30: First COVID-19 case is tied to an outbreak at the Massanova Pentecostal Church in Castleton. In the following days, a significant number of the county’s cases to date were linked with the church.
► July 2: O cials break ground at the new post o ce site in Washington.
► July 4: Rappahannock’s traditional
Independence Day fireworks celebration isn’t held due to the pandemic.
► July 20: Board of Supervisors approves plan for distributing the county’s allocation of $643,000 from the federal government’s CARES Act
funds. The majority of the money is passed on to the public schools to cover costs of preparing for their reopening.
► July 31: The additional $600 a week enhanced federal unemployment benefits expires.
► Aug. 24: Farmer Mike Massie builds 170-foot wide “Farmers for Trump” sign out of hay bales on his property along Route 211.
► Aug. 24: Rappahannock’s public schools reopen with a hybrid schedule of in-person and online learning.
► Aug. 26: A Rappahannock County High School student tests positive for COVID-19.
► Sept. 4: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues an order to temporarily halt evictions for certain people until Dec. 31 to stop the spread of COVID-19.
► Sept. 14: Early voting in the 2020 election begins.
► Sept. 18: Verizon service becomes operational from monopole on Woodward Road in Sperryville.
► Nov. 3: Rappahannock County votes, and a majority chooses Republicans. President Trump carries the county with 56.6 percent of the vote. Bob Good wins the contentious Fifth District congressional race, beating. Dr. Cameron Webb.
► Nov. 10: RCPS Athletic Director Courtney Atkins announces that sports programs will restart on a reduced schedule in December.
► Dec. 7: The Board of Supervisors approves an updated version of the county's Comprehensive Plan. It's the first major revision since 2004.
► Dec. 27: After criticizing a $900 billion bipartisan stimulus bill, President Trump ultimately signs it, extending unemployment benefits, providing more small business loans and sending direct payments to many residents.