AP
The latest on the detention of an American student in North Korea (all times local): 6:40 p.m. State-run North Korean television has broadcast a statement about the detention of an American student in Pyongyang. A KRT news reader said in a Friday broadcast that “according to information available from a relevant institution, Warmbier Otto Frederick, student of Virginia University of the U.S., was arrested while perpetrating a hostile act against the DPRK after entering it under the guise of tourist for the purpose of bringing down the foundation of its single-minded unity with the tacit connivance of the U.S. government and under its manipulation. He is now under investigation.” It was identical to an earlier dispatch from the North’s official Korean Central News Agency announcing the arrest. North Korea has sometimes listed English-language surnames first, in the Korean style. The University of Virginia’s online student directory lists someone named Otto Frederick Warmbier as an undergraduate commerce student.
(AP photo)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Gun groups are squaring off at the Virginia General Assembly. Pro-gun rights groups held a morning rally at the Capitol Monday, and gun control advocates held one a few hours later. Supporters of gun rights urged lawmakers to undo some of the policies put in place by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Mark Herring, which gun rights supporters said are unduly burdensome to law-abiding gun owners. Gun control advocates said GOP lawmakers are blocking common-sense measures that would reduce violent crime because they are beholden to the gun lobby. The debate on guns could be heated during the 2016 legislative session, but is unlikely to produce much movement. Republicans control both chambers of the General Assembly while McAuliffe wields a veto pen.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A legislative panel has rejected a bill to decriminalize adultery in Virginia. Media outlets report that the Senate Courts of Justice Committee killed the measure on a voice vote Monday. State law classifies marital infidelity as a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $250. Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell of Fairfax County proposed keeping the $250 penalty but making adultery a civil offense. Surovell said that in the last decade, there have been just eight successful prosecutions for adultery in Virginia. He said only about a dozen states treat adultery as a crime. Republican Sen. Ryan McDougle of Hanover County said that while there may not be many convictions, the charge can be a useful tool in prosecuting other offenses.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Supreme Court will hear former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell’s appeal of his public corruption convictions. The justices said Friday that they will review lower court rulings that upheld the convictions based on what McDonnell says is an overly broad definition of bribery. A jury in September 2014 convicted McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, of doing favors for wealthy vitamin executive Jonnie Williams in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans. Williams was seeking state university research on his company’s signature anti-inflammatory product. The Obama administration urged the court to reject the appeal, saying the jury had ample evidence of bribery. The case will be argued in April, with a decision expected by the end of June.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A federal judge has rejected a bid by Donald Trump supporters to block the use of a party affiliation statement in Virginia’s Republican presidential primary. U.S. District Judge Hannah Lauck declined to issue a preliminary injunction Thursday. GOP leaders last month persuaded the Virginia State Board of Elections to require voters in the party’s March 1 primary to sign a statement affirming that they are Republicans. Three black pastors are sued, arguing that the “loyalty oath” violates their civil and free-speech rights. In denying the request for a preliminary injunction, Lauck said the plaintiffs have failed to show a likelihood of success on the merits of their constitutional claims. Trump is not involved in the lawsuit but has criticized the pledge requirement, saying it will drive away new GOP voters.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A judge says she will rule Thursday on a bid by Donald Trump supporters to immediately block the use of a party affiliation statement in Virginia’s Republican primary. U.S. District Judge Hannah Lauck made the statement Wednesday at the end of a three-hour hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction. GOP leaders last month persuaded the Virginia State Board of Elections to require voters in the March 1 primary to sign a statement affirming they are Republicans. Trump has criticized the requirement, saying it would scare off new GOP voters. Three black pastors who support Trump filed a lawsuit against the state board a week ago, saying such a “loyalty oath” would violate their civil rights. Lauck on Monday added the state GOP as a defendant.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate held events at the Capitol before the start of the 2016 General Assembly session. Several Democratic lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, joined NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia to announce at a news conference Wednesday they had signed a “statement of intent” in support of abortion rights. Shortly afterward, several dozen anti-abortion advocates held an outdoor rally expressing support for legislation that would lessen public funding of Planned Parenthood. Debates over social issues like abortion could be heated this session, but are unlikely to produce much movement. Republicans control both chambers of the General Assembly while Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe wields a veto pen. Four years ago, anti-abortion lawmakers caused a national uproar after proposing to mandate medically invasive exams prior to abortions.
SALEM, Virginia (AP) – Officials are encouraging drivers in southwestern Virginia to watch out for slick roads as a winter storm moves through the area. The Virginia Department of Transportation says drivers should particularly be careful this afternoon on higher elevation roads in the New River Valley and Hillsville area and in the counties along the border with West Virginia. Officials say drivers should be extra careful on bridges, overpasses and elevated surfaces, which often become slick before other areas. The department says its crews are monitoring the roads and will respond as necessary.
(AP photo)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Newly released figures show Virginia State Police arrested more people than ever in 2015 for illegally attempting to buy firearms at state gun shows. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports state troopers arrested 91 people last year at 75 gun shows on charges related to someone being prohibited from possessing a firearm. That’s a 54 percent increase over 2014 and the most since 71 people were arrested in 2013. Twenty-six arrests were for people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, while 25 arrests were for those convicted of felony offenses as an adult or juvenile. Although the number of arrests increased, the percentage of people denied approval through background checks to buy firearms at Virginia gun shows who then were arrested dropped from 35 percent in 2014 to 33 percent last year.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ A man who has been charged with killing two college students in Virginia is set to appear in court. A pretrial hearing for Jesse LeRoy Matthew Jr. is expected to be held on Monday. Matthew has been charged with capital murder in the September 2014 disappearance and death of 18-year-old University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, whose remains were found about five weeks after she disappeared. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Matthew also faces first-degree murder charges in the 2009 death of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. Matthew is serving a life prison term for a 2005 attempted murder and sexual assault in northern Virginia. At a hearing last month, a judge approved the hiring of a mental health expert to examine Matthew before his trial.