Public-health officials caution that shutting schools is not a cure-all for the flu epidemic. Under some circumstances, doing so can cause other social problems, they say.

As the two men campaigning for Virginia governor make last-minute sound bites to get out the vote on Tuesday, the virtual cocktail parties they host on their Facebook fan pages have exploded in activity. Both campaigns have rolled out Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, YouTube videos and other social media tools to reach voters over the course of the race, in addition to their primary Web sites.

Richmond metropolitan health facilities are largely, if temporarily, out of H1N1 flu vaccine. “In the region, all the local health departments are out of vaccine except for a small stock held off to the side primarily for pregnant women,“ said Dr. Donald Stern, director of the Richmond Health District. “We hope to get another shipment at the end of this week,“ Stern said yesterday. “The key word here is patience. It’s on its way.“

Chesterfield County police are investigating the thefts of 34 catalytic converters that were cut from new vehicles at two Chester car dealerships. The loss was estimated at $80,000. The converters were taken sometime between 9 p.m. last Saturday, Oct. 17, and 9 a.m. Monday from Colonial Honda at 2100 Walthall Center Drive and Priority Honda at 2000 Walthall Center Drive. The vehicles hit included new Honda Pilots, Honda Elements, Honda Ridgelines, Toyota Tundras and RAV4s.

The housing market in Virginia, including the Richmond area, has steadily improved this year and prices are stabilizing in some areas—but not yet here, the Virginia Association of Realtors reported yesterday. Sales rose in 14 of 26 areas in Virginia in the third quarter from the same period a year ago, the report said. But prices fell in 17 regions, including the Richmond area, where prices dropped nearly 12 percent from a year ago.

While acknowledging parts of a Northrop Grumman fix-it plan for the government’s troubled IT network could work, Virginia is not retreating from its claim that the giant company has violated its contract with the state. Northrop Grumman, hired under a 10-year, $2.3 billion contract that is at least a year behind schedule, is asking for more time and a freer hand to complete Virginia’s switch to a privately managed information-technology system.

Acouple dozen Virginia Commonwealth University students are off on a flight of fancy this weekend. Kind of. They can’t actually fly, you know—life as a muggle does have its drawbacks—but that’s about the only thing that’ll keep them grounded as they head to Middlebury, Vt., for tomorrow’s Intercollegiate Quidditch Association World Cup III.

Extra computers are headed to health offices as part of Virginia’s response to swine flu after the company providing IT services to the state initially resisted supplying the gear because it was uncertain it would be paid. Northrop Grumman attributes the holdup to a misunderstanding. The Virginia Health Department blames confusion that, once cleared up, led to a better deal for the agency.

The Little Sisters of the Poor in Richmond are quite serious about their mission of caring for the elderly. Their selfless nature typically keeps them out of public view, but the recent canonization of their order’s founder, Jeanne Jugan, and their own 135th anniversary have them planning a rare celebration or two. They are returning to the Fan tomorrow, Jugan’s 217th birthday, for an open house at the Warsaw Condominiums, their home from 1877 to 1976. They will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for the canonization of Jugan on Thursday at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. They also will host a touring stage production about Jugan next month.

Federal recognition for six Virginia Indian tribes is tantalizingly closer to reality than ever. Two bills that have passed the House were approved Thursday by the U.S. Senate’s Indian Affairs Committee and sent to the full Senate, where Virginians Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner support them. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine also backs the effort and enjoys a close relationship with President Barack Obama.

An Amelia County child has died of causes related to swine flu. Meanwhile, a private elementary school in Henrico County continues to remain closed today because of the spreading illness. Heaven Wilson had tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the state Department of Health said yesterday, and she had no known underlying high-risk medical conditions.

More than 250 people gathered last night on a youth football field in Highland Springs to remember a mother and her two children, all of whom died in a fire this week at their home.

No more chatter.  No more waiting.  The Richmond Folk Festival is ready to launch tomorrow with its eclectic lineup that will commandeer the downtown riverfront area for three days.  To make sure you’re fully prepared, we thought we’d break down the basics to help you navigate your time there. HOURS

The GRTC Transit System bus driver charged in the death of a pedestrian last week faced another reckless-driving count for a separate incident in a personal vehicle less than five months earlier. Officials with the agency said they were unaware until contacted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch yesterday that Teresa L. Jones had a previous reckless-driving charge before Wednesday’s accident that took the life of Loucendia Reed Lambert.

In another candid-camera moment for Virginia politics, one of Republican Bob McDonnell’s most prominent backers for governor has been caught on video mocking Democrat R. Creigh Deeds’ stammer. Sheila C. Johnson of Middleburg, the billionaire co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, imitated Deeds’ halting speaking style during a recent appearance in Norfolk with McDonnell.