AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Rolling Stone is casting doubt on a young woman’s account of being gang-raped at a fraternity party at the University of Virginia. The magazine says in a statement posted to its website Friday that there now appear to be discrepancies in the account given by the woman, known publicly only as “Jackie.” The account was published in a lengthy article in Rolling Stone last month and has put a spotlight on the issue of sexual assault on college campuses in the U.S. The statement says “our trust in her was misplaced.”
Click here to read the full Rolling Stone statement.
PULASKI, Va. (AP) _ A former Pulaski County teacher has pleaded no contest to sex charges involving one of his students. The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/1zqYIhu) reports 32-year-old Jonathan Edward Bell entered the plea Thursday in Pulaski County Circuit Court to indecent liberties with a child under the age of 15, carnal knowledge and sexual battery. Prosecutors say Bell was a teacher at Dublin Middle School when he began talking with an eighth-grade female student in 2010. The relationship continued until they stopped seeing each other in 2012. Bell resigned in March as an assistant principal at Woodrow Wilson Middle
School in Roanoke.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The State Board of Health has voted to revisit Virginia’s hotly debated abortion clinic regulations. The board voted 13-2 at a Thursday meeting attended by hundreds of opponents and proponents of the regulations established under the McDonnell administration. Dr. Marissa Levine, the new state health commissioner appointed by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, has recommended that the board amend the regulations. The affirmative vote would start a regulatory process that could take up to two years. The most controversial regulation in the package that took effect last year requires all abortion clinics to meet the same strict building standards as new hospitals. Abortion rights supporters say the requirement is designed to put existing clinics out of business. Abortion opponents say it’s intended to protect women’s health.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Attorney General Mark Herring says Virginia will receive $15,000 from a multistate settlement with Sirius XM Radio Inc. Herring said Thursday that the money will be used to support consumer protection efforts. Herring says in a news release that Sirius XM agreed to pay a total $3.8 million to 45 states and the District of Columbia. Under the settlement, the company also must pay restitution to eligible consumers. The settlement resolves complaints that Sirius XM engaged in misleading advertising, billing and cancellation practices. To be eligible for restitution, customers must file a complaint by May 3, 2015 with Sirius XM or the with the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office will forward complaints to the satellite radio company.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A move to raise prices for liquor in Virginia is being delayed due to an outdated provision in state law that addresses price markups. The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board voted Wednesday to delay and change the pricing adjustments. The adjustments are part of Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s plan to plug a $2.4 billion gap in the two-year state budget. Last month, the board approved plans to raise prices on miniature bottles and double the $1 case handling fee. Those hikes are being delayed until Dec. 16. Media outlets report that an additional plan to round up the last digit of all prices is being delayed until Jan. 1. Altogether, officials say the changes are to raise the price for a $15 bottle by 25 to 30 cents.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The State Board of Health is considering whether to revisit Virginia’s hotly debated abortion clinic regulations. Dr. Marissa Levine, the new state health commissioner appointed by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, has recommended that the board amend the regulations established under the McDonnell administration. The board is expected to vote on that proposal Thursday. An affirmative vote would start a regulatory process that could take up to two years. The most controversial regulation in the package that took effect last year requires all abortion clinics to meet the same strict building standards as new hospitals. Abortion rights supporters say the requirement is designed to put existing clinics out of business. Abortion opponents say it’s intended to protect women’s health.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ State science leaders will gather in the nation’s capital for the Virginia Summit on Science, Engineering and Medicine. The meeting co-hosted by U.S. Sen Mark Warner, Virginia Tech and the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine will be held Friday at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Warner says the meeting gives Virginia academy members the chance to collaborate with representatives from government, industry and higher education institutions. Warner established the Virginia academy last year. The group is comprised of Virginia’s members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Former Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia says he’ll make a final decision in the next few months about whether to run for president in 2016. Webb says he’ll “move forward” if he gets the right kind of support and financial backing. The 68-year-old Vietnam War veteran served as Navy secretary under President Ronald Reagan and was a one-term senator. He says he’s “very concerned” about the country’s direction. Webb says the U.S. needs to reorient its national security and foreign policy while addressing economic problems faced by many. Webb could offer a challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the leading potential Democratic contender. Webb says he doesn’t want to comment on any others considering the 2016 race.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A Virginia woman has won the $1 million grand prize in the annual Pillsbury Bake-Off for her peanut-toffee pie crust recipe. The Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1AhrlOY) reports Beth Royals of Henrico County was announced as the winner Wednesday from among four finalists. Her recipe for Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters featured a Pillsbury pie crust that’s cut into squares, baked and then mixed with melted vanilla chips, shortening, toffee bits, peanut butter and cocktail peanuts. Voting was conducted on Pillsbury’s website.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia State Crime Commission has endorsed licensing of cigarette retailers as a way to combat illegal trafficking. The panel voted 8-5 Tuesday to recommend the proposal to the 2015 General Assembly. The legislation would give enforcement duties to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Department. A commission staff report says retailers will have more incentive to obey laws if they can lose their license to sell cigarettes. Opponents of the measure argued that more regulation is not the solution to the trafficking problem. The panel also backed several measures to improve the effectiveness of search and rescue efforts, including hiring more people to coordinate such operations. The commission postponed until next year a decision on whether texting of sexually explicit photos by teenagers should be a specific crime.