AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Two minor earthquakes have rattled parts of Virginia in the past two days. The U.S. Geological Survey’s website shows a magnitude-2.2 earthquake occurred at 2:10 a.m. Monday. The epicenter was 12 miles west-southwest of Courtland. Another magnitude-2.2 earthquake occurred at 1:08 a.m. Saturday. The epicenter was 5 miles south of Louisa. Saturday’s earthquake occurred in an area with a history of seismic activity in recent years. In August 2011, a magnitude-5.8 earthquake in Louisa County was felt from Georgia to Canada.
SWEET BRIAR, Va. (AP) _ The initial pieces of a rescue plan for Sweet Briar College are falling into place. Saving Sweet Briar Inc. says it has collected more than $2.5 million in alumnae donations and it’s well on its way to reaching another funding deadline on Aug. 2. The nonprofit is expected to deliver $12 million by early September to keep the women’s college open at least through the 2015-16 academic year. Thursday, a meeting of the school’s new board of directors is scheduled and Harrisonburg attorney Phillip Stone is expected to be appointed president. In May, Sweet Briar’s leaders said they would close the college in late August because of what they called insurmountable challenges. But the local county attorney and former students reversed that decision.
Patricia Welch
BEDFORD, Va. (AP) _ A perjury charge stemming from an investigation into the 1975 disappearance of two Maryland sisters is heading to a Bedford County grand jury. 65-year-old Patricia Jean Welch of Hyattsville, Maryland, waived her right to a preliminary hearing Monday. A judge sent the case to a grand jury, which will consider the charge July 7. Prosecutor Randy Krantz says Welch was charged after appearing before a special 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. 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. Patricia Welch declined to comment.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The controversial execution drug approved by the U.S. Supreme Court is used in Virginia, but no executions are scheduled and the state’s supply expires at the end of September. Midazolam is one of three drugs Virginia can use in step one of its three-drug execution protocol. Department of Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Kinney says the state doesn’t have either of the other two step-one drugs and is unable to obtain them. Also, it’s uncertain whether additional midazolam will be available after the current batch expires. The department has the drugs used in steps two and three. They don’t expire until next year. Virginia added midazolam to its protocol last year but hasn’t used it. The state’s last lethal injection execution was in August 2011
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — The Catholic dioceses in Virginia say the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriages fails to uphold marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Virginia’s Catholic bishops issued a joint statement Friday saying they are “deeply distressed” by the court’s decision. They say that redefining marriage does not advance anyone’s rights, especially children. The Catholic bishops say they are calling on all Catholics to pray, live and speak out about the “true nature of marriage.” At the same time, the dioceses say all people deserve dignity, love and respect. They say unjust discrimination is always wrong. Also on Friday, a group of gay and lesbian Catholics called Dignity USA celebrated the ruling. They say the court recognized that the love and commitment of same-sex couples is equal.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is hailing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows about 285,000 Virginians to continue receiving federal subsidies on health insurance plans purchased through on a federal marketplace. The Democratic governor says he hoped the ruling would allow state lawmakers to “put partisan politics aside” and expand Medicaid, another key provision of the Affordable Care Act. But it’s unlikely that state Republicans will drop their long-held opposition to expanding Medicaid, a government funded health care program for the poor. GOP House Speaker William J. Howell says the Affordable Care Act remains “deeply flawed” and Thursday’s Supreme Court decision does not change that. Virginia is one of 34 states that rely on the federal health insurance marketplace.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ A judge has set a July 2016 trial for the man charged with abducting and killing a University of Virginia student. Albemarle County Circuit Judge Cheryl Higgins scheduled Jesse Matthew Jr.’s trial date Thursday after rejecting a defense motion that she recuse herself from the case. Matthew’s attorney asked for another judge because Higgins approved search warrants that will be challenged at trial. He also pointed out that the judge’s daughter is a second-year student at U.Va., as was the young woman Matthew is accused of killing. Higgins denied having any bias but said she will ask another judge to rule on the search warrant motions as a precaution. Matthew is charged in the September abduction and slaying of 18-year-old Hannah Graham. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
HINTON, W.Va. (AP) _ Authorities have identified a Virginia man who drowned in the Greenbrier River while trying to help two swimmers. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources officers tell media outlets that 18-year-old Deven Butterworth of Shawsville, Virginia, was with a group of people along the river outside Hinton on Tuesday. Two members of the group were swimming when they tired and began to struggle. Officers say Butterworth and another member of the group went into the water to help. Butterworth then disappeared. His body was found in 8 feet of water
SWEET BRIAR, Va. (AP) _ The prohibitive favorite to be Sweet Briar College’s new president is not sitting on the sidelines until his appointment. Phillip Stone says that while he cannot act in an official capacity, he is encouraging faculty who stuck it out to stay at Sweet Briar for the upcoming academic year. Stone is the former president of Bridgewater College. He is expected to be named president by a newly reformed governing board. Sweet Briar was at the brink of closure but a determined group of former students rallied to save the 114-year-old women’s college. This week, a judge approved a mediated agreement to keep the college open at least through the 2015-16 academic year. Students can find resources at the website for Saving Sweet Briar Inc.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe says he’s forming a commission to study potential criminal justice reforms and whether Virginia’s parole abolition in the 1990s has been good for the state. McAuliffe said Wednesday on a monthly radio show that the commission will study whether Virginia is holding prisoners unnecessarily long and whether it’s doing enough to rehabilitate criminals. McAuliffe said the goal is to make sure Virginia is incarcerating people in the most cost-effective manner. He said the state spends more than $830 million annually to house more than 30,000 inmates. Former Republican Gov. George Allen and the legislature abolished parole in 1995. McAuliffe’s announcement comes a day after he announced policy changes making it easier for ex-felons to reclaim the right to vote, serve on juries and hold public office.