AP
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Tech says undergraduate applications for admission have increased 7.6 percent. The university says it has received nearly 22,500 freshman applications for admission to the Class of 2019, compared to 20,897 applications received last year. Applications for admission to the Pamplin College of Business increased 16 percent, while applications to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences rose 13 percent. Virginia Tech says it has received more than 9,000 applications for an estimated 1,650 spaces in the College of Engineering.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Senate has overwhelmingly approved a proposal to legalize two derivatives of the marijuana plant for treating severe epilepsy. The legislation offered by Sen. David Marsden, a Fairfax County Democrat, would allow legal possession of cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil when a doctor determines that a patient has a debilitating epileptic condition. The 37-1 vote came after lawmakers heard emotional testimony from families of children who suffer frequent epileptic seizures and have experienced serious side effects from taking legal drugs. A similar measure from Del. David Albo, a Fairfax County Republican, has won a unanimous committee vote and is headed to the floor of the House of Delegates. Current Virginia law allows the use of medical marijuana only for treatment of cancer and glaucoma.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia apparently will not be backing a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution this year. Del. Scott Lingamfelter withdrew his resolution urging Congress to call a constitutional convention Thursday. He said the measure did not have enough support in the House or the Senate to pass. A similar proposal is pending in the Senate, but Lingamfelter’s move means that measure is likely doomed as well. The Prince William County Republican said he will try again next year. Lingamfelter said the Constitution needs to be amended to rein in a federal government that has become too powerful. Opponents fear that a constitutional convention would do more harm than good. Only three states have petitioned Congress for a constitutional convention. It takes 34.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ University of Virginia police say they’re investigating a report that a student was sexually assaulted at an on-campus residence hall. A letter to students from Police Chief Michael Gibson says the department received information Thursday from the Dean of Students about the allegations. The letter says a student reported the assault Jan. 30. No further details were immediately available. A spokeswoman for campus police couldn’t immediately be reached. The investigation comes after Rolling Stone magazine published a story describing a culture of sexual violence at the school. That article _ which focused on an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house _ was later discredited by the magazine’s editors, but campus and fraternity leaders have been under pressure to propose reforms. State lawmakers are weighing legislation to mandate reporting of alleged campus sexual assaults.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Legislation to assure that sexual assaults on college campuses are reported to authorities is advancing in the House of Delegates. A measure is headed Thursday to the full House Court of Justice Committee for a vote after revisions in a subcommittee a day earlier. It would require college faculty and administrators who become aware of an act of sexual violence to report it to the school’s coordinator of compliance with the federal Equal Opportunity in Education Act, commonly known as Title IX. The information would have to be reported to local law enforcement if it was deemed necessary to protect the health or safety of the victim or campus. The measure is one of many prompted by a series of alleged sex crimes at state colleges and universities in recent months.
Joseph Morrissey
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A Virginia lawmaker who spends his nights in jail is opposing a measure aimed at keeping pornography out of the hands of inmates. Del. Joe Morrissey voted Wednesday against a bill that would prohibit inmates from possessing obscene material. The bill passed by a broad majority and its sponsor said the state’s wardens support the measure so that they can keep “hard-core” pornography out of the hands of inmates. But Morrissey told reporters that the measure won’t survive legal challenges and noted that he is a former constitutional law professor. The 57-year-old was sentenced to six months in jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He is on a work-release program that allows him to spend his days in the General Assembly and his nights in jail.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Community leaders from across Virginia are being honored for tackling the issue of homelessness among veterans. The leaders being recognized Thursday participated in the 100 Day Challenge, which was aimed at getting veterans off the streets and into permanent housing. At the conclusion of the challenge, 462 veterans had made the transition. They were among 620 homeless veterans who were counted in January 2014. Gov. Terry McAuliffe is scheduled to address the community leaders from Richmond, Roanoke, south Hampton Roads and the state’s Tidewater region. The recognition ceremony will be held at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. A personal testimony from a once-homeless vet is also part of the program.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Tech is planning ceremonies, exhibits and other events to mark the eighth anniversary of a mass shooting that left 33 dead. The university announced plans for the annual Day of Remembrance on Wednesday. A student gunman killed 32 students and faculty before taking his own life on April 16, 2007. The commemoration will begin at 12:01 a.m. on April 16 with the ceremonial candle lighting at the April 16 Memorial on campus. The names of the victims will be read aloud. There also will be exhibits of memorials, tributes and gifts received in 2007. The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will stand watch for the first and final 32 minutes of the day. Virginia Tech also will host the 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance in Blacksburg on April 18.
RADFORD, Va. (AP) _ A former instructor on two Virginia college campuses has pleaded guilty to 68 counts of carnal knowledge with a 13-year-old girl. Arthur William Jones II entered his plea Wednesday in Radford. The charges stem from a sexual relationship with a Pulaski girl he met on a website in 2013. She initially claimed to be in her 20s. The 44-year-old defendant worked at Virginia Tech as a military science instructor. He also previously worked at Radford University as a ROTC instructor until 2011. Jones is scheduled to be sentenced May 29. He faces between two and 10 years on each charge, plus a $100,000 fine per charge. He has been held in the New River Valley Regional Jail since he was arrested in January 2014.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ An overhaul of Virginia’s ethics laws governing public officials is advancing in the General Assembly. The legislation was prompted by the conviction of Republican former Gov. Bob McDonnell last year on federal corruption charges. A Republican-controlled House of Delegates subcommittee endorsed a measure Wednesday that would reduce the current $250 cap on gifts to public officials to $100. The bill would also eliminate the exemption in current law that places no cap on so-called intangible gifts such as meals, travel and entertainment. The measure, sponsored by Republican Del. Todd Gilbert of Shenandoah County, does not include Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposal for an independent ethics commission that would investigate alleged violations and, if warranted, refer them for prosecution. Instead, Gilbert’s bill calls for an advisory council without such sweeping powers.