Virginia officials relieved by new Florence track and other hurricane news; Stormy Daniels coming to Richmond club; Kaine, Stewart hold town halls

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

• President Trump declared a state of emergency, freeing up federal funding to pay for the response. – Associated Press
• Disaster planners ran a simulation of a Category 4 hurricane strike on the East Coast earlier this year and it did not go well.  – Associated Press
• Crews are working to shore up construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline ahead of the storm. Environmentalists warned of catastrophic damage from erosion along the steep terrain. – The Washington Post
• You can get technically get arrested for violating the governor’s mandatory evacuation order, but police agencies say they won’t be enforcing the order. One sheriff’s department posted on Facebook that it’s not the state’s job to order people to leave. – Richmond Times-Dispatch
• Lots of residents of Sandbridge in Virginia Beach say they’re planning to ride out the storm. – The Virginian-Pilot
• Roanoke County is handing out free sandbags to residents. – The Roanoke Times
• A team of 45 firefighters, doctors, engineers and dog handlers deployed to Virginia from Memphis, Tenn., to help with storm response. – Associated Press
• Experts say the wild horses that live on the Outer Banks shouldn’t have any problem weathering the storm. “Don’t worry about them. They’ve survived for hundreds of years, and we expect that they’ll be just fine.” – Associated Press
• Dogs and cats are being evacuated from Norfolk animal shelters to Washington to make room for animals displaced by the storm. – Associated Press
• The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, located in an evacuation zone, says it’s moving its animals into “permanent, secure buildings.” – The Virginian-Pilot
• People are keeping an eye on toxic sludge in coal ash ponds around the state as well as pig manure lagoons. – The Virginian-Pilot
• Staunton officials used jail inmates to move deed books out of a basement prone to flooding. – Staunton News Leader
• The governor, who owns a 1971 Corvette and a 1953 Oldsmobile, postponed a classic car show he had been planning to host. – Associated Press

• Five people died of heroin overdoses in three days in Chesterfield County. Police say they’re investigating whether there is a link. – Richmond Times-Dispatch
• TV ads about Democrat Abigail Spanberger’s brief stint as a teacher at a Northern Virginia Islamic school are dominating the airwaves in her race against Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Brat. – The Washington Post
• U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and his Republican challenger Corey Stewart will appear at two town halls: One on Sept. 20 at Liberty University and one on Oct. 3 at Hampton University. – Associated Press
• Stormy Daniels says she loves PaperMoon, the south Richmond strip club where she is appearing on Thursday. – RVA Magazine