AP
Kevin Quick
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ Six people accused in the slaying of a Waynesboro reserve police officer will be tried in Roanoke. U.S. District Judge Glen Conrad shifted the trial location Wednesday. The six accused in Kevin Quick’s slaying in 2014 were initially tried in Charlottesville in May but a mistrial was declared after one of the defendants obtained a complete list of the jury pool. Conrad said he moved the trial to Roanoke on the basis of cost and security. The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 1. Jurors’ names will be known only to opposing attorneys. Quick’s body was discovered in woods west of Richmond in February 2014. He went missing days earlier when he went to visit his girlfriend and baby daughter in Albemarle County.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is lagging behind his GOP predecessor in big donor fundraising going into a key election season. McAuliffe’s political action committee has raised nearly $1.4 million from donors who gave more than $10,000 during the first half of 2015, his second year in office. Former Gov. Bob McDonnell raised nearly $1.9 million during the corresponding time in his governorship, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. McAuliffe hopes to raise and spend significant amounts of money to help Democrats take control of the state Senate in November’s legislative elections. Recent major donors to McAuliffe’s PAC include $100,000 from BET founder Robert L. Johnson and $50,000 from Doug Band, a longtime personal aide to former President Bill Clinton.
LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) _ Washington and Lee University has appointed a search committee to select its next president. The Lexington school announced Wednesday the formation of a 14-member committee to conduct a national search. It includes members of the Board of Trustees, faculty and administration. Trustee B. Craig Owens will head the committee. Board of Trustees rector J. Donald Childress says the committee will begin reviewing applications early this fall. Kenneth P. Ruscio announced in May that he is resigning effective next June after 10 years as president.
SANDSTON, Va. (AP) _ About 450 members of the Virginia National Guard are being deployed to southwest Asia. Maj. Gen. Timothy Williams, the state’s adjutant general, said Wednesday that soldiers based in Winchester, Leesburg, and Suffolk will begin active duty on Sept. 8 and will be mobilized for about a year. He says the soldiers will support ongoing overseas contingency operations. They will train at Fort Pickett for about three weeks and report to Fort Bliss, Texas, for additional training before deployment.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Dunkin’ Donuts says franchise groups plan to develop 51 new restaurants in Virginia and West Virginia. The company announced multi-unit store development agreements with seven franchise groups on Wednesday. Dunkin’ Donuts says in news release that 46 restaurants will be located in Virginia and five will be located in West Virginia. The Virginia locations include Roanoke, Lynchburg, Blacksburg, Harrisonburg, Richmond, Gainesville, South Riding, Culpeper and Tyson’s Corner. The West Virginia locations are Charleston and Beckley. There is no word on exactly when or where the new restaurants will open.
BEDFORD, Va. (AP) _ A Maryland woman faces a perjury charge in Virginia stemming from an investigation into the disappearance of two sisters in 1975. Media outlets report that a Bedford County grand jury indicted 65-year-old Patricia Jean Welch of Hyattsville, Maryland, on Tuesday. Welch is accused of lying to a grand jury investigating the case of 10-year-old Katherine Lyon and 12-year-old Shelia Lyon. The girls disappeared after walking to a shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland in March 1975. Authorities have named Patricia Welch’s husband, Richard Allen Welch, and his nephew, Lloyd Welch, as “persons of interest” in the case. Neither man has been charged. Welch’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 13.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) _ A state commission has released a report detailing how Virginia can help grow the military’s presence in the state. The military is a major driver of the economies of northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. In 2013, the Defense Department spent more than $58 billion in Virginia. While the Defense Department has called for a new round of base closures and realignments because of excess infrastructure, Congress has repeatedly rebuffed those efforts. The report aims to put Virginia in a better position to grow its military presence and protect what it has should base closures occur in the future, among other things. The Governor’s Commission on Military Installations and Defense Activities made 20 distinct recommendations in its report Tuesday. It says the majority of them can be achieved within seven years.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia State Police say four people died in traffic accidents over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. State police say it’s the lowest number of fatal wrecks since 2002. Eleven people were killed in traffic accidents over the three-day holiday weekend in 2014. While fatal accidents declined, state police say arrests for driving under the influence rose by almost 20 percent, from 77 in 2014 to 96. Troopers investigated a total of 690 wrecks and cited 8,942 drivers for speeding. Another 2,259 drivers were cited for reckless driving. Troopers also issued citations for 822 safety belt violations and 327 child safety seat violations. The fatal accidents occurred in Carroll, Henrico, Pittsylvania and Washington counties.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Festival of the Book is accepting submissions from authors to participate in the 2016 festival. The festival is encouraging authors to submit new books published in 2015 or early 2016 for consideration. The festival also is accepting proposals for programs. Guidelines for participants and programs are posted on the festival’s website at VaBook.org. The 22nd annual Virginia Festival of the Book will be held at more than 50 locations in Charlottesville and Albemarle County from March 16, 2016, to March 20, 2016.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is doling out more than $84,000 in grant money to support alcohol education and prevention efforts. Officials say the money is being given to 14 organizations and colleges throughout Virginia as part of its Alcohol Education & Prevention Grant Program. Officials say the funding will be used to support programs that prevent underage and high-risk drinking. Among the recipients are Blue Ridge Community College, Longwood University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University.