AP
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Terry McAuliffe has become the first Virginia governor to preside over a same-sex wedding ceremony. McAuliffe officiated Friday at the wedding of a lesbian couple, Renee Bradley and Katherine Bradley-Black of Northern Virginia, and says he feels honored to be part of the “important occasion.” The U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage in Virginia on Monday by declining to review a lower court ruling striking down the state’s ban on same-sex marriages.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is sending notice to local social services divisions that married gay couples can now adopt children. McAuliffe’s office announced Friday that it was formally recognizing that same-sex couples can legally adopt. The U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage in Virginia Monday, prompting several gay couples to get married around the state. McAuliffe said he hopes the legalization of gay marriage will lead to more children finding loving families. The Democratic governor also planned to officiate a gay wedding ceremony in northern Virginia Friday.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia is holding its eighth annual sales-tax holiday on energy-efficient products. From Friday through Monday, residential consumers can save money by buying sales-tax exempt heat pumps, dishwashers, washing machines, insulation, toilets and other products. They must be $2,500 or less and certified as being energy efficient with the Energy Star and WaterSense designations. A complete list of tax-exempt items can be found at http://www.tax.virginia.gov.
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — Applicants for city jobs in Roanoke will no longer be required to divulge their criminal history. City officials say Roanoke is joining 10 other Virginia localities in dropping the question from job applications. Proponents of the “Ban the Box” movement say the question discriminates against ex-offenders trying to get their lives back on track. Defenders of the question counter that it’s a useful tool for employers to avoid the risks of hiring workers who could hurt their business or endanger other workers. The Roanoke Times reports the change is being made without a formal vote by the city council. Assistant City Manager Sherman Stovall says the city will continue to perform background checks on applicants.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia’s governor says the disappearance of college student Hannah Graham reinforces the mission of his task force on campus sexual assaults. Gov. Terry McAuliffe mentioned the missing University of Virginia student in his remarks to the task force, which held its first meeting Thursday in Richmond. A 32-year-old Charlottesville man, Jesse Matthew, has been charged with abduction with intent to defile, or sexually assault, the 18-year-old Graham. Officials have said Matthew was accused of rape on two Virginia college campuses but did not face criminal charges in either case. McAuliffe says his task force will strive to create college campuses free of the threat of sexual violence. The panel will report recommendations to McAuliffe by June 1.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia state senators say they met with FBI officials for a private briefing on how not to run afoul of federal corruption laws shortly after a jury found former Gov. Bob McDonnell guilty of selling the influence of his office. Senate Democratic Leader Richard L. Saslaw told The Associated Press on Wednesday that leaders from both party caucuses helped organize a closed-session meeting with FBI officials to ask questions about “what’s kosher and what’s not” in public service shortly after the conviction. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were found guilty in early September of accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s dietary supplements. Their sentencing is set for Jan 6.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A Virginia task force addressing sexual violence on college campuses is set to hold its first meeting. The Governor’s Task Force on Combating Campus Sexual Violence is scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon in Richmond. Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed an executive order in August creating the task force, which will include campus administrators, advocates, law enforcement, higher education attorneys, health professionals and others. The task force is chaired by Attorney General Mark Herring. The task force will discuss ways to prevent and respond to sexual violence and provide a final report to McAuliffe by June 1.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is going to college campuses around the state to talk to students and others about preventing alcohol and drug abuse. The tour will begin Oct. 24 at James Madison University. The conference is free to all college students. Other stops will occur Nov. 7 at the University of Richmond, Feb. 21 at Virginia Tech, March 21 at the College of William & Mary, and March 24 at George Mason University. Registration for each regional conference is available on the ABC website.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Attorney General Mark R. Herring says Virginia will receive $356,779 for its participation in a settlement with AT&T. The $105 million multistate settlement announced Wednesday resolves allegations that the company unlawfully billed wireless customers for tens of millions of dollars in bogus charges. The practice is known as cramming. The Federal Trade Commission says AT&T subsidiary AT&T Mobility LLC billed millions of customers for charges from third-party companies. The charges were for services people never asked to receive or were duped into subscribing to, such as horoscope texts. AT&T agreed to pay $80 million to the FTC for consumer refunds. Herring says the amount of refunds that Virginia consumers will receive for improper charges hasn’t been determined.
Hannah Graham
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Analysts reviewed aerial images while about three dozen searchers looked for any trace of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. Dawn Eischen of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management says six employees of defense and security giant BAE Systems were examining the aerial images Wednesday. The images were taken over the weekend from an airplane provided by Woolpert, Inc., an engineering and design firm in Dayton, Ohio. Eischen says all of those corporate resources were donated. Meanwhile, Charlottesville Police Capt. Gary Pleasants says 30 to 40 people are searching daily for the 18-year-old Graham, who disappeared Sept. 13. Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. has been charged with abduction with intent to defile. Pleasants says detectives are double-checking to ensure that they haven’t missed anything about Matthew’s movements.