AP
(AP photo)
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) _ Fracking will be allowed in parts of the largest national forest on the East Coast under a new federal management plan. The U.S. Forest Service originally planned to ban fracking in the 1.1-million-acre George Washington National Forest. But energy companies cried foul after a draft of the plan was released in 2011. It would have been the first outright ban on the practice in a national forest. Robert Bonnie is the Agriculture Department’s undersecretary for natural resources and environment. He says fracking is already allowed at other national forests throughout the country, and the forest service didn’t want to change the policy. Environmental groups fear drilling could pollute mountain streams that provide drinking water to 250,000 people in the Shenandoah Valley.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) _ A draft state report predicts taxis will be outnumbered by ride-sharing drivers after Virginia begins regulating the industry. The Virginian-Pilot obtained a copy of the draft report by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The newspaper says the draft recommends regulations that appear to be slightly more stringent than temporary agreements allowing ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft to operate in Virginia. The DMV is studying ride sharing to help legislators determine how to regulate such companies. Frank Azzalina with Hampton Roads Transportation Inc. tells the newspaper that the taxi industry will continue to lobby for stricter regulation of ride-sharing companies. Ride-sharing companies use smartphone apps to dispatch drivers who use their personal vehicles to give people rides. The drivers then share the fares they collect with the companies.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia high school students are getting hands-on assistance in applying for college as part of Virginia College Application Week. The event that began Monday is part of a national initiative designed to increase the number of first-generation and low-income students pursuing higher education. This year officials say 43 Virginia high schools in 32 districts participating in this program. State education officials and groups are joining with principals, counselors, coordinators, and volunteers to provide help to more than 8,600 students. Gov. Terry McAuliffe is encouraging students to pursue higher education in order to build a 21st century global economy.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Two screenwriters and a newspaper reporter are the winners of the 2014 Virginia Screenwriting Competition. The Virginia Film Office announced the winners Monday in a news release. They are Dawn Wise of Lynchburg, Neil Harvey of Roanoke and Eric Carlson of Williamsburg. Wise’s entry, “The Poem” is about a teenage journalist who interviews a heiress on her deathbed about her affair with a poet. Wise is a screenwriter and founder, creative director and playwright of Old City Cemetery Candlelight Tours in Lynchburg. Harvey’s entry, “Charter Arms,” is about residents of a suburban cul-de-sac whose lives intertwine. Harvey is a reporter for The Roanoke Times. Carlson’s entry, “Semple’s Gold,” is about an attempt to smuggle gold from the Confederate treasury. Carlson is a screenwriter and director of the Virginia Screenwriter’s forum.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ State health officials are investigating an illness that sickened more than a dozen University of Virginia students. Media outlets report that 15 students have sought medical treatment since Sunday for vomiting and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Student health executive director Dr. Chris P. Holstege says a possible cause is a fast-spreading stomach virus. He says most students are recovering within 24 hours. University spokesman Anthony de Bruyn says there’s no evidence at this point that the illness was food-related.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Farm Bureau and an area law firm are being sued over the auction conducted to by the State Fair of Virginia in 2012. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that New Kent County-based Mini-USA Inc. filed court papers in Richmond’s Circuit Court on Friday. Mini-USA says the farm bureau and the Williams Mullen law firm thwarted its efforts to purchase the fair. It’s asking for at least $14 million. The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County and the fair’s name were purchased by Universal Fairs at a foreclosure auction after the nonprofit that ran the fair filed for bankruptcy protection. In July 2012, the Virginia Farm Bureau became 50 percent owner of the fair and bought the remaining 50 percent of the fair in March 2013.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginians will pay at least 24 cents more on average for a bottle of booze starting Dec. 8. The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board approved three pricing adjustments Monday as part of Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s plan to plug a $2.4 billion gap in the two-year state budget. Board chairman Jeffrey Painter said the average price of a bottle of liquor at state-run stores is $15. That will increase by 24 cents to 29 cents per bottle. The board rejected an across-the-board increase in the markup. Instead, it raised the markup only on miniature bottles, doubled the $1 case handling fee and agreed to round up the last digit of all prices to 9. The actions will raise about $5 million this fiscal year and $9 million in fiscal year 2016.
Hannah Graham
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) _ Laughs mixed with tears as students, friends, and family gathered to remember University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, whose disappearance two months ago prompted a massive monthlong search that ended in tragedy and criminal charges. Nearly 1,000 members of the community attended a celebration of life ceremony Saturday at West Potomac High School, Graham’s alma mater. Friends shared stories of Graham’s sharp, dry wit. Her parents thanked the community for its support. She was reported missing in mid-September, and her disappearance drew national attention and prompted an intense search effort. Last month, her remains were found in Albemarle County, a few miles from where she had last been seen in downtown Charlottesville. Thirty-two-year-old Jesse Matthew has been charged with her abduction. Authorities have also linked him to other crimes.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The latest Virginia crop report forecasts gains in soybean, cotton and peanut production. But corn production is expected to be down compared to 2013. The report says 49.7 million bushels of corn are expected to be produced this year. That’s down 10 percent from 2013. Corn producers are expected to harvest 350,000 acres, a decline of 10,000 acres from last year. Peanut production is expected to be 76 million pounds, up 20 percent from 2013. Cotton and soybean production also is up. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says the forecasts are based on conditions as of Nov. 1. The source is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ State records show one of Virginia’s richest state lawmakers and his politically connected father made a Civil War-themed movie last year that received $1 million in tax credits and grants. Henrico County Republican Del. Peter Farrell was an investor, co-producer and played a Union Army officer in “Field of Lost Shoes,” an independent movie that focuses on the role of cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in a Civil War battle in the Shenandoah Valley. The movie was the brainchild and labor of love of Farrell’s father, Thomas Farrell II, who is president and CEO of energy giant Dominion Resources Inc. Peter Farrell says the actor’s union required he be paid nearly $2,000 because he had a speaking role in the film.