AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ State lawmakers are set to return to the Capitol on Monday for what’s expected to be a contentious fight over congressional redistricting and a Virginia Supreme Court appointment. Republican leaders of the GOP-controlled General Assembly plan to elect Rossie D. Alston Jr., effectively removing Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s newly appointed pick, Justice Jane Marum Roush. Also Monday, lawmakers will begin the process of drawing new congressional maps. The GOP has indicated it will focus on redrawing parts of the 3rd Congressional District, which a federal panel found had been drawn illegally. McAuliffe said he wants new maps for all 11 of the state’s congressional districts. If the General Assembly and McAuliffe can’t find a compromise, federal judges may just impose their own boundaries, as they’ve done in other states.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine is embarking on a five-day tour of Virginia that focuses on job creation and economic development. The Democrat plans to start the tour Monday at the Hampton VA Medical Center. He and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner are expected to speak at a Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce forum later Monday in Virginia Beach. Kaine also has a visit to Richmond on his schedule Tuesday. He’ll meet with black business leaders before visiting the Amazon facility in Chester. On Wednesday Kaine will start a two-day tour along U.S. Route 58 with stops planned in Emporia, South Hill, Boydton, South Boston, Danville, Martinsville, Hillsville, Galax and Pulaski. He’ll participate in a discussion on prescription drug abuse in Radford on Friday before making stops in Roanoke and Lexington.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ The University of Virginia says its computer network is back online after being shut down for two days due to a cyberattack originating in China. The university says the network was restored Sunday after a system security upgrade. Administrators say no personally identifiable information was accessed and no sensitive research material was compromised. The Daily Progress(http://bit.ly/1LgqcAm) reports the attack on the university’s information technology systems targeted the email accounts of two employees. U.Va. Chief Operating Officer Patrick D. Hogan says the university is adjusting its password change program to guard against further security breaches.The university says federal authorities tipped the school of the breach, identifying the country of origin as China.
Bob and Maureen McDonnell
(Associated Press photo)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A federal appeals court is waiting for prosecutors to respond to former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s request to remain free while he appeals his public corruption convictions. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the response by 5 p.m. Friday. The court refused Tuesday to reconsider a three-judge panel’s decision upholding McDonnell’s convictions. However, the judges didn’t say whether a previous order allowing McDonnell to remain free on bond will remain in force while he appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. A jury in September found McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, guilty of doing favors for a wealthy businessman in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans. Bob McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison, his wife to one year and one day.
vdacs.virginia.gov
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s corn crop is expected to increase 5 percent this year compared to the 2014 crop. Production of soybeans also is anticipated to be higher, but forecasts of winter wheat, barley and cotton are expected to drop. The forecast is based on Aug. 1 conditions as surveyed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says the average corn yield is expected to be 157 bushels per acre, up 12 bushels from 2014. Soybean production is expected to increase 8 percent to 27.7 million bushels. Production is expected to drop 31 percent for barley, 20 percent for winter wheat and 5 percent for cotton. Increases are forecast for peanuts and dark fire-cured tobacco.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Commonwealth University is welcoming its largest freshman class. The incoming class is expected to total just over 4,000. The freshmen begin arriving in Richmond on Friday to move into residence halls. VCU will enroll an estimated 31,500 students this fall. Of the freshman class, 90 percent is from Virginia. Minority students represent 51 percent of the freshman class. Richmond-area freshmen will begin moving in on Friday. Saturday, all other freshmen will move in. VCU officials are warning of street closures during the arrival of students.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A Virginia elections official says a proposed revision of the state’s voter registration form needs more work. Media outlets report that Virginia State Board of Elections chairman James Alcorn notified elections officials across the state on Tuesday that he is removing the proposal from the board’s September agenda. He said in an email that the proposal needs reworking and input from “the broader elections community.” The proposal would have made several questions on the form optional, including those asking whether they are U.S. citizens or felons whose voting rights haven’t been restored. People still would have to affirm they are eligible to vote by signing the form. The Department of Elections has said the intent was to help otherwise eligible voters who forgot to check a box on the form.
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ A former worker at a Virginia oil change shop who admitted taking a photo under a customer’s skirt has been sentenced to four months in jail. Media outlets report 37-year-old Christopher James Laduke was sentenced Tuesday in Roanoke County Circuit Court for his guilty plea to a misdemeanor. Police investigators say a customer in the shop’s bay area was reviewing work being done to her vehicle when she noticed Laduke take a photo from underneath her car. Laduke was arrested on April 9. The victim testified Tuesday that the incident has made her more leery of letting people get near her in public places.
A former Franklin County General District Court employee has pleaded no contest to embezzling about $4,000 from the court clerk’s office. Jennifer Nicole Phillips also agreed to pay restitution. The Roanoke Times reports that the 31-year-old Rocky Mount resident entered her plea on Tuesday in Franklin County Circuit Court. Under the plea agreement, a forgery charge and another embezzlement charge were dismissed. If Phillips complies with the court’s requirements and has no further offenses for 18 months, she will be convicted of misdemeanor embezzlement. She will receive a 12-month suspended sentence against three days she’s already served in jail. Phillips is scheduled to appear in court again in February 2017.
Bob and Maureen McDonnell
(Associated Press photo)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A federal appeals court has declined to review the case of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, letting his convictions on public corruption charges stand. The 15-member 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the decision Tuesday. A three-judge panel of the Richmond-based appeals court unanimously upheld McDonnell’s convictions in July. The full court says it won’t reconsider that panel’s ruling. A jury in September found McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, guilty of doing favors for a wealthy businessman in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans. The former Republican governor was sentenced to two years in prison. His wife was sentenced to one year and one day. Both have been free on bond while pursuing appeals. It’s unclear whether Bob McDonnell will now be required to report to prison. He can still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.