AP
TOANO, Virginia (AP) _ The Justice Department is seeking criminal charges against Lumber Liquidators in an ongoing investigation over imported products. Shares are plunging, down 13 percent before the opening bell. In March a report on CBS’ “60 Minutes” said that Lumber Liquidators’ laminate flooring made in China contains high levels of formaldehyde. Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. has said that it complies with applicable regulations for its products. In a regulatory filing Wednesday, Lumber Liquidators said that the Justice Department was seeking criminal charges against it under the Lacey Act. The company, based in Toano, Virginia, also disclosed that it is aware of more than 100 pending class-action lawsuits against it related to its Chinese-made laminate flooring.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is keeping active in state politics. The Republican has been an advocate for civil liberty-related legislation this year. He testified before a General Assembly committee about a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution restricting unreasonable search and seizures. And he penned an editorial with the American Civil Liberties Union about the need to restrict the use of police surveillance technology. Cuccinelli also recently re-opened his state-level PAC and seeded it with $75,000 from his old gubernatorial account. Behind the scenes, Cuccinelli has given advice to Republican party operatives on ways to make life uncomfortable for high-ranking Democrats, according to emails obtained by The Associated Press. Cuccinelli said he currently has no plans to run for another elected office but could in the future.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Supreme Court Justice Leroy F. Millette Jr. has announced his retirement. In a news release issued by the court Tuesday, Millette said he will retire July 31. The 65-year-old Millette says he wants to spend more time with his family. Millette will continue to serve as a senior justice. That means he can still hear cases _ typically as a replacement for an active justice who has been recused. Then-Gov. Tim Kaine appointed Millette to a 12-year term in 2008, and he was confirmed by the Virginia General Assembly. He previously served on the Virginia Court of Appeals and as a district court judge and a circuit court judge in Prince William County.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A group of state lawmakers is calling for the Virginia attorney general to investigate Sweet Briar College’s use of state funded tuition assistance in light of the college’s recent decision to close. Lawmakers announced Tuesday they are circulating a letter that calls on Attorney General Mark Herring to investigate the small, private women’s college “acceptance and management” of about $770,000 in Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant funds in 2015 while the school’s board of directors was considering closing the school. The letter does not allege any wrongdoing. The lawmakers circulating the letter are Dels. Ben Cline and Christopher Peace and Sens. Tom Garrett and Chap Petersen. Sweet Briar is scheduled to close Aug. 25. The college’s board announced the closing on March 3, angering alumnae and current students.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) _ Miranda Lambert and husband Blake Shelton will perform in concert during this year’s Greenbrier Classic golf tournament. Officials of the PGA Tour event said Tuesday the country music stars will perform Friday, July 3, at the State Fair of West Virginia’s amphitheater in Fairlea the day after the tournament begins at the White Sulphur Springs resort. The July 4 concert act will be announced later. The $129 price for a tournament badge includes admission to the golf course the entire week and a lawn seat to each concert. Other weekly badges for the tournament, golf course hospitality tents and the concerts start at $179. Concert tickets aren’t sold separately. Last year’s badges were $60 and included admission to one concert.
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) _ A search-and-rescue team from Fairfax County has gone to Nepal to look for survivors of a devastating earthquake. A team of 57 men and women, plus six search dogs, left for Nepal on Sunday from Dover Air Force Base. The Fairfax County team is one of two in the country that deploys to international disasters in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The other team, from Los Angeles, has also deployed. The search-and-rescue teams are entirely self-sustaining for periods of two weeks or more. Fairfax County’s team was in the midst of a multi-day training exercise over the weekend when the earthquake struck in Nepal. More than 3,700 people have been killed. The Fairfax team last deployed internationally in June 2014 in response to flooding in Paraguay.
LURAY, Va. (AP) _ An increase in entrance fees at Shenandoah National Park goes into effect this week. The fee increases are being implemented in two stages. Beginning Friday, the fee for an annual park pass will increase from $30 to $40. The fee will increase to $50 on Jan. 1, 2017. Motorists will pay $20 per vehicle for up to seven days, up from $15. The fee will increase to $25 on Jan. 1, 2017. A similar fee for motorcyclists will increase from $10 to $15, and then to $20 on Jan. 1, 2017. There also will be a $10 per-person fee for visitors participating in special van tours to Rapidan Camp, President Hoover’s former retreat and a National Historic Landmark located within the park. There’s no charge for children 12 and under.
PULASKI, Va. (AP) _ A Pulaski woman will spend seven years in prison after pleading no contest to child neglect stemming from her infant son’s death. Samantha Anna-Jane Taylor, also known as Samantha Warden, entered her plea and was sentenced Monday in Pulaski Circuit Court. Taylor’s son, Cory Cole, was found dead in woods in Draper on Jan. 30, 2014, a day after he was reported missing. The infant’s father, Howard Cole, is awaiting trial on charges of capital murder and illegal disposal of a body.
SALEM, Va. (AP) _ An 85-year-old Roanoke veteran has received the Purple Heart six decades after he was wounded during the Korean War. Media outlets report that Herman Prillip received the Purple Heart on Saturday during a ceremony at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem. Prillip says he was accidentally shot in August 1950 when his sergeant fired during an ambush. He decided at the time not to seek the Purple Heart. When he decided decades later to seek the award, he says U.S. Army representatives told him his records had been lost. Representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars tracked down documents so that Prillip could be recognized.
SALEM, Va. (AP) _ A Salem brick company has suspended operations and furloughed most of its workers until further notice. C.W. McNeely, the president of Old Virginia Brick, announced the move in a letter to employees. The letter says decision comes after a seven-year decline in demand for its products. Old Virginia Brick produces bricks and pavers, including wood-molded lines that serve a niche market. McNeely says in the letter that the 125-year-old business is considering its options for the future, including filing for bankruptcy and finding new investors. When McNeely bought the company in 2006, it employed about 170 people at locations in Salem and Madison Heights. It’s unclear how many people the company still employs.