AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia officials are working to connect schools, students and agricultural producers throughout the state. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Virginia Department of Education say schools across the state are participating in Virginia Farm-to-School Week. The annual program seeks to bring more fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy from Virginia farms to the state’s K-12 schools, colleges and universities. Officials say Virginia’s public elementary, middle and high schools serve 670,000 lunches, 250,000 breakfasts and 7,240 afterschool snacks each day. As part of Virginia’s efforts, state agriculture officials also were recently awarded a grant of $20,750 for a statewide Farm-to-School Conference. That event is scheduled for March 2015.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Fifteen climate scientists from five Virginia universities are offering to help Gov. Terry McAuliffe develop the state’s plan for meeting federal carbon reduction goals. In a letter Monday, the scientists also told McAuliffe that Virginia is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change. They offered to help the governor draft Virginia’s response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which sets state-specific goals for carbon reductions from existing power plants. The scientists said Virginia could meet its obligation under the proposed rule simply by achieving its efficiency and renewable-energy goals. McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said the governor strongly supports reducing carbon emissions, and he and his team are finalizing Virginia’s comments on the Clean Power Plan.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Attorney General Mark Herring says his inaugural committee has donated $50,000 in leftover funds to 11 Virginia charities. Herring announced Monday that nine organizations received $5,000 each. They are the Laurel Center in the Winchester area, Total Action for Progress in the Roanoke area, ADAMS Compassionate Healthcare Network in northern Virginia, the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program, FeedMore Central Virginia Food Bank, Girls Inc. of the Greater Peninsula, the UP Center in Hampton Roads, the Urban League of Hampton Roads and the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter. The Virginia Capitol Foundation and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership received $2,500 each.
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) _ Police say a Massachusetts man has died after being hit by a Norfolk Southern train in Virginia. The accident occurred Saturday on a trestle in Lynchburg. Lynchburg police tell media outlets that 21-year-old Jonathan Gregoire of Wilbraham, Massachusetts was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say a woman who was with Gregoire, 21-year-old Victoria Bridges of Newport News, suffered non-life threatening injuries. She was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman tells media outlets that there are no trespassing signs at either end of the trestle. It’s the third fatal accident on the trestle since November 2011.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ State lawmakers are set to return to Richmond to vote on a new Virginia Supreme Court justice and make a final tweak to the budget. Legislators will be at the Capitol on Monday to also vote on two new judges for the Virginia Court of Appeals. Republican Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment has also introduced a bill aimed at allowing Virginians to renew health insurance plans that did not meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act. A similar bill passed the GOP-controlled House earlier this year but did not pass the Senate when Democrats controlled the chamber. The surprise resignation of a Democratic state senator in June flipped control of the upper chamber to Republicans.
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ The Blue Ridge Parkway is seeing an increase in visitors. More than 1.9 million people visited the Blue Ridge Parkway in October. That’s the highest number for a single month in three years. The Roanoke Times reports that October was the eighth consecutive month that the parkway had attracted more visitors than the same month in 2013. The parkway would approach 14 million visitors for the year if that trend continues. While that’s ahead of last year’s 12.9 million, it would still be still the second-lowest total since 1981. October 2011 was the last time the parkway had more than 1.9 million visits in a month. The 469-mile scenic byway connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ It’s going to cost less to feed the pilgrims this Thanksgiving. The Virginia Farm Bureau has released its annual Thanksgiving survey of grocery stores. It indicates that feeding a group of 10 adults will cost $46.45. That’s $3.56 less than last year. The menu includes turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas and cranberries. It also includes a relish tray of carrots and celery and, of course, pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Prices were reported using no promotional sales or coupons. The cost could be higher or lower depending upon location. The survey found the highest average cost for a Thanksgiving meal was in Middlesex County at $58.08. The cheapest was $41.43 in Wythe County.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s Executive Mansion is being featured on the latest holiday ornament celebrating the state’s Capitol Square. First lady Dorothy McAuliffe and leaders of the Virginia Capitol Foundation unveiled this year’s official Capitol Square ornament Thursday at the Executive Mansion. The official Capitol Square ornament program was established in 2012. It celebrates the landmarks of Capitol Square and raises funds to support their preservation and interpretation. All three ornaments are available for $23.50 each. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Virginia Capitol Foundation. The first two ornaments featured the Virginia State Capitol and the Bell Tower. Officials say the Executive Mansion was chosen as the subject of the third ornament in the series because of the importance of the building and its prominence on Capitol Square. It opened in 1813.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) _ A forensic analysis shows that DNA recovered from underneath the fingernail of a sexual assault victim in 2005 matches that of the man accused of abducting University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. The report from the Virginia Department of Forensic Science notes that authorities compared DNA samples taken from the 2005 victim in Fairfax City with samples taken from 32-year-old Jesse Matthew after he was charged with abducting Graham. Graham’s remains were found in October after a monthlong search. Authorities already had announced a forensic link between the 2005 attack and Graham’s abduction _ and the 2009 disappearance and death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. But the documents filed in Fairfax provide details on how authorities obtained DNA in the 2005 assault.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia voters have overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to provide a real estate tax exemption to the surviving spouses of U.S. military members killed in action. The General Assembly had to approve the proposal twice, with a House of Delegates election in between votes, to have it placed on Tuesday’s statewide ballot. It was sponsored by Republican Del. David Ramadan of Loudoun County. The exemption applies only to the spouse’s principal home. It ends if the surviving spouse gets remarried. A surviving spouse doesn’t have to be a Virginia resident at the time of the service member’s death to receive the exemption. In 2010, Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to provide the real estate tax break to veterans with a permanent, service-related disability.