AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s Republican-controlled Senate has failed to overturn Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s veto of legislation that sought to give lawmakers more say in the implementation of federal pollution rules. The Senate voted 21-19 on Thursday, falling short of the support needed to overturn a veto. Under the bill, the General Assembly would have to sign off on how Virginia implements the Clean Power Plan. Republicans say that’s necessary to protect Virginia’s economy, particularly its coal mining industry in southwest Virginia. McAuliffe said the bill would violate the separation of powers guaranteed under Virginia’s Constitution. Virginia is moving forward with plans to put the new federal rules in place despite a recent U.S.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
Morgan Harrington
Hannah Graham
A Virginia man has avoided a possible death sentence by pleading guilty to first-degree murder and abduction with intent to defile for the slayings of two college students. Jesse LeRoy Matthew Jr. entered the pleas Wednesday in Albemarle County Circuit Court and received four consecutive life terms. Matthew already was serving three life terms for a 2005 sexual assault in northern Virginia. The former hospital orderly pleaded guilty in the September 2014 killing of 18-year-old University of Virginia student Hannah Graham and the 2009 slaying of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, who vanished after a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia. Through his attorney, Matthew said he was sorry and loves his family very much.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s Senate has approved a bill requiring schools to notify parents if their children will be assigned to read a book that includes sexually explicit material. The bill backed by Republican House Speaker William Howell would also require schools to provide an alternative if the parent objects. The measure passed with a 22-17 vote Tuesday after a spirited debate. It unanimously passed the House last month. If it’s enacted, a library expert says it would be the first state law forcing schools to notify parents about explicit material. Democratic Sen. Adam Ebbin called the bill the “first step toward encouraging censorship.” Supporters said nothing would prevent teachers from still using those books in the classroom.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have won their party’s respective presidential primaries in Virginia. Exit polls show Clinton easily defeated Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary Tuesday with overwhelming support from African-Americans, women, and older voters. The polls show Trump narrowly defeated Marco Rubio in a tight Republican race, thanks in large part to strong support from Virginia’s evangelical, rural, lower-income and less educated voters.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
Morgan Harrington
Hannah Graham
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A prosecutor says a former hospital worker is expected to plead guilty in the high-profile slayings of two college students in Virginia. Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Tracci announced the plea agreements in Jesse LeRoy Matthew Jr.’s cases Monday. Matthew is due in Albemarle County Circuit Court on Wednesday. Matthew is charged with murder in the deaths of 18-year-old Hannah Graham and 20-year-old Morgan Harrington. Without the plea agreement, he could have faced the death penalty in the Graham case had he been convicted at trial. He’s already serving life in prison for a sexual assault in Fairfax County. Graham was a University of Virginia student who disappeared in September 2014. Harrington was a Virginia Tech student who vanished after attending a Metallica concert at U.Va. in 2009.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed legislation that seeks to allow home-schooled students to participate in public-school sports. The governor said in his veto message Monday that the measures would “disrupt the level playing field” of public school sports competitions. McAuliffe vetoed similar legislation last year. The so-called “Tebow bill” is named for Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback who was home-schooled and allowed to play football for his local high school. Several home-school families visited the Capitol last week to urge McAuliffe to sign the legislation this year. Republican Del. Rob Bell, who sponsored one of the bills, said a similar version of the legislation has been introduced for more than two decades.
LEESBURG, Va. (AP) _ The final-days sprint to Super Tuesday is erupting into a feud over a white supremacist as Donald Trump’s Republican rivals scramble to stop the billionaire businessman from becoming an “unstoppable” force in the 2016 presidential contest. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio continued to hammer the GOP front-runner’s character and lack of policy specifics in a series of attacks while courting voters across the South. But it was Trump’s refusal to denounce an implicit endorsement from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke that dominated the narrative less than two days before Republican voters across 11 states head to the polls. The new focus comes as Trump’s rivals acknowledge that time is running out to prevent the former reality television host from becoming the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee.
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) _ A 12-year-old is charged in northern Virginia with threatening her school with a social media message using emojis of a gun, a bomb and a knife. Emoji symbols, used on mobile devices, sometimes replace words. The Washington Post reports the student at Sidney Lanier Middle School in Fairfax posted an Instagram message in December. It contained the words “Killing” and “meet me in the library Tuesday.” According to a search warrant, the girl acknowledges she posted the messages under another student’s name. She’s charged with threatening the school and computer harassment. Her mother says the girl posted the messages in response to being bullied in school, and is “a good kid’ who’s “never been in trouble.” The mother says the girl shouldn’t have been charged.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A Virginia legislative panel has killed a bill that would have allowed the government to keep the names of police officers secret from the news media and the public. A House subcommittee voted unanimously to table Republican Sen. Cosgrove’s bill Thursday, effectively killing the measure for the year. The bill put open records advocates up against law enforcement groups in a fierce debate about government transparency. It was introduced in response to a recent court ruling directing the state to turn over the names and employment dates of thousands of law enforcement officials to The Virginian-Pilot. Supporters of the bill said the release of such information could put officers in danger. Open records advocates have said they’re unaware of another state with a law of this scope.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Republican lawmakers and advocates are hoping Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has a change of heart and signs legislation to allow home-schooled students to participate in public-school sports. Del. Rob Bell appealed Thursday to home-schoolers around the state to write letters to McAuliffe asking him to approve the so-called “Tebow bill,” named for Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback who was home-schooled and allowed to play football for his local high school. Bell said a similar version of the legislation has been introduced for more than two decades. Last year, the legislation passed the General Assembly, but was vetoed by McAuliffe.