Briefs
Gov. Northam calls a special session to redraw House districts
The General Assembly will reconvene Aug. 30 under an order from Gov. Ralph Northam to redraw 11 House of Delegates districts that were deemed unconstitutional. Virginia has been in court over the 11 disputed districts since 2013. Twelve voters claimed the state packed black voters into the district during the regular redistricting process in 2011. […]
Regulators getting cozy with gambling interests? Also Nic Cage, poop and a Roanoke riverwalk
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. How cozy are state regulators with the company hoping to bring casino gambling to Virginia? So cozy that, when accused of being too cozy, the chairman of the Virginia Racing Commission let the company’s representatives ghost write the first draft of a letter […]
Scooter share says it’s operating legally in Richmond, plans meeting with city
The company behind a dockless, electric scooter rental business that popped up in Richmond without warning Thursday says it believes it’s operating legally in the city. Bird, a well funded California tech company, dropped a fresh batch of scooters around the city Friday, less than 12 hours after city officials began impounding the first wave […]
New potential source of money for schools; a moon over Roanoke County and other headlines
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.Internet sales tax for schools?State Sen. Bill Stanley is pitching a plan to direct a coming windfall in state internet sales tax collections to repairing and replacing public school buildings. A 2013 study found more than three out of five of Virginia’s 2,030 school […]
Richmond is impounding electric scooters that popped up overnight
That didn’t last long. This morning, about 100 electric scooters that people can rent using a smartphone app had been dropped on sidewalks around downtown Richmond and VCU. By close of business, city officials said they were rounding up the scooters because the company hadn’t gotten permission to roll out the system. “The company been advised […]
New Atlantic Coast Pipeline suit takes aim at FERC approval, which underpins the whole project
A federal court in Richmond that has served as a major legal battlefield this summer over federal and state permits for the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines got a new case added to its docket Thursday. The Southern Environmental Law Center and Appalachian Mountain Advocates filed a challenge to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s […]
Dockless electric rental scooters dropped onto Richmond sidewalks overnight. They may not be here for long
Update: A Bird spokeswoman says the company’s entry into Richmond is only temporary. She described it in an email this afternoon as a “pop up” timed to coincide with the beginning of fall classes at VCU. But she didn’t respond to questions about what exactly the company means by pop up and how long they plan […]
Was Blackbeard’s killing extrajudicial? Also: Dominion seeks a way around pipeline stop-work order
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. A defense attorney is trying to get an MS-13 murder trial moved out of Bedford County, arguing local news coverage combined with national debate over the gang and immigration have prejudiced potential jurors. – The News & Advance A Charlottesville couple is suing the […]
Elections board clarifies stand-by-your-ad policies
The Virginia Board of Elections has approved a new policy to clarify how candidates who had incorrect disclosure statements were to be notified of violations, how the board would determine how many times a candidate broke the law and how to continue a hearing, among other changes to how the board enforces Virginia’s stand-by-your-ad law. […]
D.C. spent at least $2.6 million policing rally; A tree falls at Mount Vernon and other headlines
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. Washington D.C. estimates it spent at least $2.6 million policing the white nationalist rally Sunday, which drew about 20 attendees and thousands of counterprotesters. – The Washington Post The Roanoke School Board is trying to raise $185,000 to cover the cost of renaming Stonewall Jackson […]
Blast freezing chickens; Officers allegedly assaulted in Charlottesville and other news
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. Norfolk Public Schools accidentally posted detailed school security plans online that included teacher cellphones and identified students with medical needs who might require special help. – The Virginian-Pilot A new cold storage facility planned for Rockingham County is expected to create 88 new jobs and […]
Bob Goodlatte’s son wants a Democrat to take his father’s seat
The son of Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte is supporting the Democratic candidate running to replace his father. Goodlatte announced his plan to retire after serving 13 terms in November. Waynesboro mental health professional Jennifer Lewis, a Democrat, is taking on Ben Cline, a Republican House of Delegates member, to represent the western part of the […]