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By MATTHEW BARAKAT,
Associated Press
A jury on Wednesday rejected a woman’s lawsuit seeking tens of millions of dollars from Virginia’s largest school system over allegations that she was raped multiple times as a middle schooler.
The woman, who was identified in court papers only by her initials, sued Fairfax County Public Schools under Title IX, a law that guarantees girls and women equal educational access. The lawsuit alleged school officials at Rachel Carson Middle School in Reston ignored her complaints that she endured sexual harassment and sexual assaults inside and outside of the school back in 2011 and 2012, when she was a seventh-grader.
VaNews April 25, 2024
Virginian-Pilot
Editorial
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When the commonwealth enters into an agreement on a large-scale, multi-year economic development project, it’s essential any agreement be structured in a way that protects taxpayers. The nature of such initiatives means that plenty can change over time and Virginia shouldn’t be obligated to pay if things don’t pan out.
The Amazon headquarters in Northern Virginia is one such example. The online retailer has slowed hiring there amid an economic landscape roiled by the pandemic, and it’s a credit to lawmakers that the deal they struck didn’t commit the commonwealth to pay for empty offices if the company misses its job-creation targets.
VaNews April 25, 2024
By TAFT COGHILL JR.,
Fredericksburg Free Press
There weren’t any tense exchanges during the forum for Democratic candidates seeking the 7th Congressional District seat Wednesday night at the Fredericksburg Convention Center.
The seven candidates who took the stage at the event sponsored by the Fredericksburg Free Press largely expressed similar views when it came to issues such as supporting gun control, U.S. globalism, the federal legalization of marijuana and the potential banning of TikTok, among other concerns.
So, when providing closing remarks, candidates made their pitch explaining how they are best equipped to defeat a Republican challenger in November, keep the ultra-competitive 7th District in the hands of a Democrat and potentially turn the U.S. House of Representatives blue.
VaNews April 25, 2024
By RYAN NADEAU,
WRIC-TV
There are nearly 1,800 registered sex offenders who live, work or go to school in the City of Richmond — but it still isn’t the community with the most registered sex offenders per capita in Central Virginia, according to new data from Virginia State Police.
Following a recent report stating that the City of Richmond has the highest rate of registered sex offenders per capita among over 430 total major cities surveyed, 8News investigated more local cities and counties to learn how many registered sex offenders are in the Richmond region and some surrounding localities.
As the 8News team looked into this topic, multiple issues were discovered in how Virginia’s sex offender registry returns information to users.
VaNews April 25, 2024
By MAIMAH KARMO,
published in
Virginian-Pilot
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It’s been almost two decades since I heard the words “breast cancer” come out of my doctor’s mouth. I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly hard-to-treat type with low survival rates and limited treatment options. During my second round of chemotherapy, I vowed that if I survived, I would start an organization to advocate for women like me. Today, my organization, Tigerlily Foundation, does just that. We envision a future in which cancer is no longer a death sentence for so many, but rather a treatable condition. Recently, Virginia legislators sought to pass a law that would have stifled that dream — all while exacerbating health inequities. Thankfully, Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed that bill with just hours to go before the deadline.
Karmo of Reston is a breast cancer survivor and is the founder and CEO of Tigerlily Foundation, a national women’s health and oncology organization.
VaNews April 25, 2024
By HAWES SPENCER,
Daily Progress
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For the first time, a jury will get to consider one of the felony intimidation charges against a participant in the torch-bearing mob that marched across University of Virginia Grounds in 2017. The early June trial of Jacob Joseph Dix, who marched with at least 200 others the night before the violent Unite the Right rally-turned-riot in Charlottesville, will be a public test of the prosecutorial discretion of Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Hingeley, who has lodged the charges against Dix and his fellow marchers. However, Hingeley has been sidelined and replaced by Henrico County’s commonwealth’s attorney, Shannon L. Taylor.
VaNews April 24, 2024
By MICHAEL PAUL WILLIAMS,
Richmond Times-Dispatch
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After protesters toppled Confederate statues on Monument Avenue and then-Gov. Ralph Northam announced his intent to remove the Robert E. Lee monument, an NPR reporter asked me for a vision of what could take their place. “They could be monuments to reconciliation. They could be monuments to the African American struggle, which until recent years was not told in statuary,” I replied. ... With the Lee statue’s removal in September 2021, Richmond had a blank canvas to reinvent a historic street long defined by a mythology that recast subjugation and defeat as virtue and triumph. Mayor Levar Stoney had most if not all of his second term to launch a conversation about what that might look like.
VaNews April 24, 2024
By STACY PARKER,
Virginian-Pilot
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Virginia State Sen. Aaron Rouse, a Virginia Beach Democrat, announced Tuesday he will run for lieutenant governor in 2025. Two other Democrats are also in the running for the seat, which is currently held by Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney also announced Tuesday that he’s dropping his campaign for governor to run for the lieutenant governor role instead. Babur Lateef, a Northern Virginia eye surgeon and chair of the Prince William County School Board, is a third candidate in the race.
VaNews April 24, 2024
By ANDREW CAIN,
Richmond Times-Dispatch
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In dropping out of the contest for governor, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney entered another contest that is anything but a sure thing, according to Virginia political analysts. State Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, a former NFL football player and Virginia Beach City Council member, announced Tuesday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in 2025.
VaNews April 24, 2024
By LAURA VOZZELLA,
Washington Post
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Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney announced Tuesday that he is dropping out of next year’s race for Virginia governor and running for lieutenant governor instead.
Stoney, who has faced a tough contest against U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (Va.) for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, had been calling donors, supporters and others in recent days to say he would bow out of that race. He made it official with an early-morning news release Tuesday.
VaNews April 24, 2024
