AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Health officials have designated two Virginia hospitals as Ebola treatment centers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services included the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville and Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond on a list Tuesday of 35 designated hospitals across the country.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A Democratic state senator and liberal advocates are pushing for an increasing to Virginia’s minimum wage. Sen. Dave Marsden of Fairfax County said at a Capitol news conference Tuesday that he hopes Virginia will join the increasing number of states that are increasing their minimum wages. Marsden has introduced legislation for the 2015 session that would gradually increase the state’s minimum wage to $10.10 by 2017. Marsden said his bill would help the poor become self-sufficient and promote spending that would help state businesses. A proposed minimum wage hike faces a steep climb in the General Assembly. Similar legislation failed to pass the GOP-controlled House during this year’s legislative session.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ The University of Mary Washington’s consideration of establishing a Greek fraternity and sorority system is on hold. President Richard Hurley has placed a moratorium on the proposal. The Free Lance-Star (http://bit.ly/1tzCCWk ) reports that Hurley announced the moratorium on Monday in a university-wide email. Hurley says it’s not the time to move forward on establishing a Greek system. The decision comes in the wake of an article published last month by Rolling Stone magazine that described a woman’s account of a gang rape at a University of Virginia frat house. Hurley says he has created a 15-member task force to recommend a plan that will ensure the University of Mary Washington is resolute in addressing issues of sexual assault.
William Howell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Republican House Speaker William J. Howell will face a primary opponent next year if he runs for re-election. Former Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairman Susan Stimpson announced Tuesday that she is running against Howell. A former ally of the speaker, Stimpson says in a news release that Howell has “lost his way” by supporting tax increases. Howell has not said whether he will run for re-election. The 71-year-old was first elected in 1987 and became speaker in 2003.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ An ethics panel created by Gov. Terry McAuliffe is recommending new gift rules for Virginia lawmakers. The panel sent interim recommendations to the governor Monday that includes broadening limits on the current $250 gift cap to lawmakers. The current $250 limit only applies to tangible gifts from certain persons, like lobbyists or those seeking state contracts. The panel recommends all types of gifts, including intangible items like meals, trips and entertainment, given by anyone be subject to the $250 limit. McAuliffe created the panel in September as part of an effort to improve Virginia’s image in the wake of former Gov. Bob McDonnell’s corruption conviction. The governor said he will review the recommendations before making final decisions on what kind of legislation he plans to pursue.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Energy provider Dominion Resources Inc. says a proposed pipeline that would deliver natural gas to the Southeast would provide more than $25 million in annual local property taxes.The Richmond, Virginia-based company said Monday that it has provided the property tax estimates to local governments regarding the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The 550-mile pipeline that would run through West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina is a joint venture between Dominion, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and AGL Resources. The property taxes range from more than $10 million annually in Virginia to $8 million in West Virginia and $6 million in North Carolina. Payments may begin as early as 2016. If approved by federal regulators, the pipeline is projected to be in service by late 2018.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ A preliminary hearing has been postponed for a man charged with abducting a University of Virginia student. Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr.’s hearing was scheduled for Thursday in Charlottesville. Media outlets report that the hearing has been rescheduled for March 26. Matthew is charged with abduction with intent to defile Hannah Graham. The 18-year-old U.Va. sophomore disappeared Sept. 13 after a night out with friends. Her remains were found Oct. 18 about 12 miles from the Charlottesville campus. Earlier this month, a hearing in Albemarle County for Matthew on a reckless driving charge was rescheduled for March 23. Matthew also faces trial March 9 in Fairfax County on attempted capital murder and other counts stemming from a 2005 sexual assault.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Search and rescue operations, illegal cigarette trafficking and “sexting” are among the items on a long agenda for the Virginia State Crime Commission. The commission holds its final meeting of the year Tuesday to make its recommendations to the 2015 General Assembly. The panel is considering several measures to improve the effectiveness of search and rescue efforts, which have received heightened attention following the massive search for missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. Her remains were found Oct. 18, about a month after she disappeared. Several proposals dealing with cigarette trafficking are on the table. One would require licensing of cigarette retailers, with enforcement by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The commission also is considering whether texting of sexually explicit photos by teenagers should be a specific crime.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia highway officials are urging motorists to be on the lookout for deer crossing the state’s highways. The Virginia Department of Transportation notes that deer-mating season runs through the end of December, increasing the chances of deer-vehicle collisions. The department says insurance industry figures show Virginia motorists have a one-in-88 chance of hitting a deer, making the state eighth in the nation for the likelihood of such crashes. The risk is greatest between dusk and midnight and just before and after sunrise. VDOT’s research division is conducting a three-year student to identify locations where it can employ various measures to reduce animal-vehicle collisions along Interstate 64 on Afton Mountain in Albemarle, Augusta and Nelson counties because of the high number of such crashes there.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia State Police say the state recorded its smallest number of Thanksgiving weekend traffic fatalities in more than two decades. Five people died during the holiday reporting period, which began at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and ended at midnight Sunday. That’s the fewest since five fatalities were recorded in 1992. The number was down from 12 last year. According to state police, this year’s fatalities occurred in the cities of Radford and Virginia Beach and the counties of Bedford, Middlesex and Roanoke. Alcohol was a factor in at least two of the deaths, and three of the victims were not wearing seat belts.