Lieutenant governor candidate questioned over vaccine status and more Virginia headlines

NEWS TO KNOW
Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.

• In the lieutenant governor’s race, Democrat Hala Ayala went on the attack against Republican Winsome Sears after Sears refused to disclose her vaccination status.—Washington Post

• Though the suburbs remain Virginia’s main political battleground, Republicans are targeting a pair of House Democrats from more rural areas.—Associated Press

• Gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin participated in a televised roundtable that covered education, abortion, policing and more.—WAVY

• A new poll from CNU found Democrats with “small but narrowing leads” in the three statewide races, with independent voters breaking for Republicans.—Wason Center

• Fairfax County officials are asking Gov. Ralph Northam to again waive the witness signature rule for absentee ballots due to the pandemic with early voting already underway.—WTOP

• School officials in Virginia Beach are considering banning six books due to “pornographic” content.—Virginian-Pilot

• An LGBTQ student group in Fairfax is objecting to a decision to pull two controversial books from high school libraries.—WTOP

• Archaeologists at Colonial Williamsburg have uncovered the original structure of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches.—Virginia Gazette

• A Fredericksburg coffee shop canceled a “Coffee with a Cop” event over tensions surrounding law enforcement. A police spokesperson called the decision “hard to swallow.”—Free Lance-Star

• A type of freshwater mussel that hasn’t been seen in Virginia rivers since the 1980s was officially declared extinct.—Virginian-Pilot

• Harrisonburg police say someone stole an entire house.—Daily News-Record