AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia will continue to get relief from federal education requirements and No Child Left Behind-era sanctions. The Virginia Department of Education says federal officials have approved the state’s request for a four-year extension of its Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility waiver originally approved in 2012. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven Staples extension allows Virginia schools to plan through the 2018-2019 school year with goals for narrowing achievement gaps and improving teaching and learning in under-performing schools. Without the waiver, most Virginia schools would be labeled as failing for not meeting the law’s goal of 100-percent proficiency for all students by 2014. Staples says the waiver has allowed state schools to focus federal funds and other resources on “smart interventions that are producing positive results for students.”
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Officials have decided that a delegate charged with fabricating a document is not certified to run as a Democrat in the race for Virginia’s 16th District Senate seat. The 16th District Democratic committee unanimously voted Tuesday to accept a finding that only 222 of the 972 signatures on former Del. Joe Morrisey’s petition were acceptable. The vote follows a review by district registrars. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that barring a successful court challenge, that means only two names will appear on the June Democratic primary ballot. Morrissey won re-election to his Richmond-area House seat in a January special election. He had resigned the seat after he was convicted in December 2014 of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He still faces felony charges stemming from that case.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The U.S. Forest Service is again extending the public comment period on whether portions of the Jefferson National Forest can be surveyed for a possible pipeline route. A special use permit would be required before surveying could be done in the national forest for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Forest Service’s original deadline for comments was Feb. 13 and had been extended until April 2. On Tuesday the Forest Service extended the deadline to April 17, saying it wants to give residents of Craig, Montgomery and Roanoke, Virginia, and Monroe County, West Virginia, time to discuss the routes with the company. The pipeline would transport natural gas from Wetzel County, West Virginia, to another pipeline in Pittsylvania County. You can fax your comments to (540)265-5145, hand deliver or mail them to the USDA Forest Service office on Valleypointe Parkway in Roanoke, or email them to comments-southern-georgewashington-jefferson@fs.fed.us
SWEET BRIAR, Va. (AP) _ The Amherst County attorney is asking a judge to block the closing of Sweet Briar College and remove its president and board of directors. Ellen Bowyer sought the injunction in Amherst Circuit Court on Monday. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Bowyer’s complaint says the closure “is not only precipitous and unwarranted, it is also unlawful.” It asks that a special fiduciary be appointed to take control of the college’s assets. An attorney for the college did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages from The Associated Press seeking a response. Sweet Briar has announced that the Class of 2015 would be the final graduating class at the 114-year-old college. President James F. Jones Jr. cited financial reasons for the closure. An alumnae group also is fighting the closure.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Gov. Terry McAuliffe is courting Indiana businesses in the wake of that state’s governor signing legislation that’s been criticized as unfriendly to gay and lesbian workers. McAuliffe’s office issued an open letter to Indiana corporations Monday saying Virginia is a business-friendly state that does “not discriminate against our friends and neighbors.” Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act last week. The act prohibits state laws that “substantially burden” a person’s ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. In his letter, McAuliffe touted his record of promoting equal rights and preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also sent a letter to about a dozen businesses leaders Monday asking them to consider moving.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A civil liberties group is blasting Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe for trying to amend legislation aimed at protecting personal privacy. The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia sent McAuliffe a letter Monday accusing him of trying to gut bills that would restrict the use of drones by police and limit data collection by automatic license plate readers. The General Assembly passed several measures earlier this year with support from lawmakers across the political spectrum that was aimed at reining in the power of police to carry out surveillance on citizens. The ACLU said McAuliffe’s proposed amendments to some of those bills would are the equivalent of vetoes. Lawmakers are due back in Richmond on April 15 to consider the governor’s vetoes and amendments.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Once banned, hemp will be the focus of research at Virginia State University and Virginia Tech. Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed legislation in March to clear the way for the research. The law is effective July 1, with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services designated as the licensing agent for the state. The research has the backing of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. Hemp was once a versatile farm crop. It was used to make fabric, rope and paper. It was among the 100 plants members of the Virginia Company were ordered to grow 400 years ago. Industrial help was grown in the U.S. until 1945. It 1970, all forms of the cannabis plant were banned under the Controlled Substances Act.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Tech says increasing tuition and fees is necessary to offset budget cuts and state-mandated costs. The university’s Board of Visitors voted on Monday to increase undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees by 3.9 percent, or $468. Room and board fees will increase by 3.8 percent increase, or $302/. In-state graduate students will pay an additional $531 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state graduate tuition and fees will rise by $1,097. Virginia Tech says in a news release that the state has mandated several costs, including increases in faculty and staff retirement contributions. The university’s operating budget will lose about $6 million in state funding in both the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years. But the state is providing an additional $1.97 million in the 2015 fiscal year for enrollment growth.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Gov. Terry McAuliffe has approved the design phase of a planned $300 million renovation at the state Capitol. McAuliffe had suspended work on the project in June 2014, citing other budget needs. The Democratic governor allowed the state to issue bid requests earlier this month for architectural and engineering designs. Plans call for a new office building and parking deck for state lawmakers and the renovation of Richmond’s Old City Hall. McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy says construction work hasn’t yet been authorized.
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Supreme Court says a lower court must take another look at a ruling that said Virginia state lawmakers packed too many black voters into one congressional district. The justices on Monday said the lower court should reconsider the case in light of the high court’s ruling last week in an Alabama redistricting case. In the Alabama case, the justices said the lower court failed to consider claims that the new districts limited minority voting power. Eight current and former Republican Virginia congressmen had urged the high court to reverse the lower court’s ruling faulting the Virginia plan. The 2-1 ruling last year ordered the General Assembly to draw new boundaries. At issue is the state’s 3rd Congressional District, which has had a black majority since 1991.