Search
Norfolk City Council unanimously adopts shoplifting ordinance
Norfolk City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to adopt a new ordinance that will give the city the power to prosecute shoplifters themselves. The ordinance adds a new section to the city code giving city attorneys that power in the wake of higher larcenies in the city, though prosecution is a duty the Commonwealth's Attorney — a separately-elected entity — currently oversees.
Arlington approves plan to scale back cooperation with ICE
Arlington’s board has unanimously approved a plan to scale back the police department’s communication with federal immigration officers in the Northern Virginia suburb. At a Tuesday afternoon meeting, leaders voted to make changes to the county’s Trust Policy. The tweak specifically removes the portion of the policy titled Section 7, which detailed instances in which Arlington police can inform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about an arrest. The change comes as board members said people are becoming increasingly reluctant to call 911 when they need help.
Innocence petition for Terence Richardson of ‘Waverly Two’ denied by Court of Appeals of Virginia
Terence Richardson — one of the two men known as “the Waverly Two,” who were acquitted of a Waverly police officer’s 1998 murder but still sentenced to life in prison — was denied a writ of actual innocence in the Court of Appeals of Virginia on Tuesday. Richardson had spent decades there for Allen Gibson’s murder, despite a federal jury finding both him and Ferrone Claiborne, the second of the Waverly Two, not guilty. A rare legal maneuver by the federal judge allowed him to sentence them to life in prison for their federal drug convictions because of their previous state pleas and his personal certainty of their guilt.
What the six Democratic candidates for Virginia lieutenant governor say on the issues
It’s a big election year in Virginia, with the statewide office of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general on the ballot, plus all 100 seats in the House of Delegates. With just one candidate declared for each party, neither Democrats nor Republicans in Virginia are holding a primary contest in the commonwealth’s closely-watched governor’s race. And Republicans already have presumptive nominees for lieutenant governor (plus a write-in candidate) and attorney general. That leaves the Democratic primary to pick nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general as the only competitive statewide races on this year’s June primary ballot — and of those, the lieutenant governor race has by far the largest field, with six candidates running for the party nod.
Virginia’s new dashboards track pregnancy risks. But advocate says data alone won’t fix disparities.
Virginia is taking a closer look at what's putting new and expectant mothers at risk, and what it will take to keep them alive. On April 17, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced the Virginia Department of Health's updated Maternal and Child Health Dashboard and two new dashboards on maternal mortality and pregnancy-associated deaths. The public dashboards track maternal health and infant outcomes across the Commonwealth, monitoring data like preterm births and low birthweight.
USDA Staffing and Funding Cuts Would Threaten Virginia’s Ability to Reach Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Goals
Lee Good grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania and raises cows, calfs, crops and hay on about 200 acres in the foothills of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Good, 55, previously farmed as a hobby but now makes his living in Rockingham County, the top contributor to the state’s top private industry—agriculture. He cares about clean water and air while still being profitable, and he wants to protect the environment in both his local community and the Chesapeake Bay at the other end of the state, which recreators, crabbers and fishermen all rely on.
Poll: Amid rising costs, Republican and Democratic voters value Va.’s colleges and universities
An overwhelming majority of voters are proud of Virginia’s colleges and universities and feel they are equipping young people to succeed, even as, across the country, frustrations mount due to rapidly shifting federal education systems and rising tuition costs. According to poll results released by Virginia Business Higher Education Council (VBHEC), 90% of respondents both Democrats and Republicans in Virginia are proud of the colleges and universities in the commonwealth because they see a “strong connection” between the work on Virginia’s campuses, the prospects for the state’s economy to grow and for young people to succeed in the job market.
Virginia Beach board votes to keep suspension of DEI in place
The Virginia Beach School Board voted 6-5 Tuesday to move forward with its initial vote to suspend diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. This is the third vote the board has taken on the matter. “I want to thank the public for coming to the school board meetings repeatedly to voice your overwhelming support for our educational practices that support all students in our division,” District 5 board member Melinda Rogers said in a Facebook post on the vote. “While the board majority voted in favor to remove needed supports, I will continue to work to support ALL staff and students, including listening to my constituents and educating myself in the policies and data that best support our community so I can make informed decisions on the dais.”
Lawsuit that seeks to overturn Roanoke's gun law delayed by judge
A Roanoke judge on Monday paused through the end of this year a lawsuit filed by Second Amendment advocates who are seeking to strike down a city ordinance that bars guns from public buildings and parks. Circuit Judge David Carson granted a motion filed by the city to stay the proceedings while a federal appeals court considers a similar case in Fairfax County. Awaiting the outcome of that case would conserve judicial resources, the city argued. . . . In 2021, the Roanoke City Council passed an ordinance that makes it a misdemeanor to have a gun — whether concealed pursuant to an individual permit or carried openly — in city-owned buildings and parks. Offenses are punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
These non-traditional candidates say they represent the evolving politics of Virginia
As GOP Lt. Governor candidate John Reid paves the way for Virginia political candidates of different backgrounds, others from both parties are following suit and having their lifestyles thrown into the spotlight. On the western side of the state a Democratic candidate for House of Delegates recently announced she was ethically non-monogamous in a social media post now seen by hundreds of thousands. And in the eastern side, a Republican delegate-hopeful had her background in the fetish community exposed. Both are facing down what might have been campaign ending scandals just a few years ago.