AP
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Supreme Court is signaling it probably will reject a Republican appeal over congressional districts in Virginia. The court’s liberal justices sounded skeptical Monday about a challenge brought by Republican members of Congress who want the Supreme Court to reinstate a districting map that had been tossed out by a lower court. The lower court said Virginia illegally packed black voters into one district to make adjacent districts safer for Republican incumbents. A 4-4 tie would uphold the lower court ruling.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is announcing a new public-private partnership on solar power. The governor said at a news conference Wednesday that the state plans to buy electricity produced from a proposed Dominion Virginia Power 20-megawatt solar plant, with Microsoft offsetting the extra cost associated with solar energy. Microsoft representative Jim Hanna says the company is willing to pay an undisclosed amount as part of the company’s commitment to clean energy. McAuliffe touted the arrangement as a big step forward for solar power in Virginia, which gets virtually none of its power from solar energy. The proposed plant would produce the equivalent of enough power to serve 5,000 homes.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ University of Virginia health officials say that students at the school are seeking out psychological help in record numbers. Executive Director of Student Health Dr. Chris Holstege tells The Daily Progress that the number of U.V.A. students seeking appointments at the university’s office of Counseling and Psychological Services, rose 25 percent in the past year. He says the increase follows a 19 percent rise over the past 10 years, with appointments outpacing student growth. That trend is echoed in a Center for Collegiate Mental Health survey that shows students’ use of psychological services to have grown by about 25 percent at 93 major universities in the past six years.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Smoking cigarettes in a vehicle in the presence of young children may soon be illegal in Virginia. The Daily Progress reports that the bill awaiting the governor’s signature would make it illegal to smoke in a motor vehicle with children under 8. Violators could be hit with a $100 fine. The House voted in favor of the bill in February, and the Senate passed it March 3. It’s now in the hands of Gov. Terry McAuliffe. If signed, the law would take effect July 1. McAuliffe has until April 11 to act. The violation would be a secondary offense, meaning it would affect only drivers already pulled over for other reasons.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Republican state Del. Glenn Davis is running for lieutenant governor in Virginia. The tech entrepreneur and former Virginia Beach city councilman announced Thursday he’s running to “turnaround” the state’s economy. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports Davis will make improving Virginia’s business climate a centerpiece of the second-term delegate’s campaign. Davis joins a growing field. State Sens. Jill Vogel and Bryce Reeves have already announced their bid to be the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in the 2017 election.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia high school students will get the chance to learn about the cybersecurity industry this summer. The Virginia Department of Education announced this week that the state is funding 32 “summer cybercamp” programs that will teach students about career opportunities in the fast-growing field. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has said he wants to make Virginia the “cybersecurity capital of the nation.” The Department of Education says the camps will offer at least 70 hours of instruction. Students will get to participate in field trips and hear from guest speakers, among other things. The state is providing $62,500 in funding for each camp.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia lawmakers have approved elevating Court of Appeals Judge Stephen McCullough to the state Supreme Court. McCullough’s election Thursday ends a bitter months-long political battle over the vacant high court seat that has infuriated Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Democratic lawmakers. Republican leaders initially sought to put Court of Appeals Judge Rossie Alston on the bench after rejecting McAuliffe’s selection for the high court. The governor and Democrats want to elect Justice Jane Marum Roush. But Republicans failed to get enough support for Alston and put McCullough’s nomination forward Wednesday. Several Democrats said while they believe McCullough is qualified, they couldn’t support his nomination because of the way the situation was handled.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia lawmakers are set to give themselves potentially significant pay raises by boosting their take-home for attending official meetings when the legislature is not in session from $200 to $300 a day. A new budget proposal set to be approved Friday includes $213,065 extra each year for the pay bump, which amounts to about $1,500 extra per lawmaker a year. But senior lawmakers who are on more committees and attend more meetings could see a much bigger increase. Initially, only the Senate wanted the pay increase. House Appropriations Chairman S. Chris Jones said the House did not want the raise, but said Senate budget negotiators were insistent.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed a bill that seeks to prevent local governments from moving Confederate and Civil War monuments. McAuliffe said in his veto message Thursday that communities across Virginia are having “difficult and complicated” discussions about whether to remove symbols of the Confederacy. McAuliffe said he opposes taking away localities’ ability to make those decisions. Virginia law already bars local governments from removing war monuments. The law specifically prohibits the replacement of Confederate monuments with Union ones. But Republican Del. Charles Poindexter, the bill’s sponsor, told the Daily Press this month that a judge recently said that the law protects only monuments raised since 1998.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has withdrawn his name for consideration for the state Supreme Court. Senate Republicans proposed putting Cuccinelli on the court on Tuesday after the General Assembly rejected their other pick. But Republican Sen. Ryan McDougle said Wednesday that Cuccinelli isn’t interested in sitting on the high court. Court of Appeals Judge Rossie Alston was initially the top choice of Republican leaders, who rejected McAuliffe’s selection for the high court. The governor and Democrats want to elect Justice Jane Marum Roush. The nomination of Cuccinelli, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2013, infuriated liberal groups.