Clark Palmer
Trey Falwell, the son of former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr is no longer vice president of Support Services at the university. LU officials tell Politico the decision was made this week but they did not discuss circumstances behind it. The school also did not comment on whether or not Falwell Jr.’s other son, Wesley, or his daughters-in-law were currently employed. The announcement comes nearly eight months after his father resigned as president of the school amid allegations of inappropriate personal behavior and financial self-dealing.
PRESS RELEASE FROM VDH :(Richmond, Va.) — This afternoon, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) confirmed to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) that it is examining the March death of a Virginia woman as part of its investigation into possible adverse side effects from the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The Virginia death was reported to the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and a report can be found by searching the system for VAERS ID 1114806-1. No additional details will be provided during the investigation.
Earlier Tuesday, the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for a pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six recipients in the United States developed a rare disorder involving blood clots within about two weeks of vaccination. This pause was recommended out of an abundance of caution, as these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. To date, more than 6.8 million people in the United States have received Johnson & Johnson vaccines and six recipients are known to have developed a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.
CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday, April 14, to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases.
Virginia will stop using the Johnson & Johnson vaccines until this investigation is complete. This pause is reassuring in that it demonstrates that the systems that are in place to monitor vaccine safety are working. Virginia’s vaccine rollout will continue with the other two authorized vaccines, developed by Pfizer and Moderna.
People who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider, or call 911 if it is a medical emergency.
According to the latest numbers from the Virginia Department of Health, there are no new coronavirus deaths being reported in the Roanoke Valley for a second straight day. However, there are 50 new cases and 2 new hospitalizations among Roanoke, Salem and Roanoke and Botetourt Counties in the latest 24-hour reporting period.State health officials report 26 new cases in Roanoke City, 13 new cases and 2 new hospitalizations in Roanoke County, 8 new cases in Salem, and 3 new cases in Botetourt County.
RICHMOND – Tonight, the Virginia NAACP announced a renewed commitment to finally ending qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. After investigating multiple officer-involved incidents over the past five months, the Virginia NAACP has had enough and is demanding real change.
“We watched with horror the so-called traffic stop in Windsor,” said Virginia NAACP President Robert N. Barnette, Jr., referring to the now widely-circulated video clip of Caron Nazario, a Black Army second lieutenant who was pulled over in Windsor, Virginia. Despite being in uniform, Nazario immediately had guns drawn towards him by two town police officers.
In the clip, Nazario is frightened, stating that he is “honestly afraid to get out.” The officer then responds: “Yeah, you should be.” President Barnette reacted: “The fact that an officer who is supposed to ‘protect and serve’ felt embolden enough to state this is the root of the problem. This isn’t the first officer we have seen without fear of consequences for their actions.”
The issue of improving interactions between Black Virginians and law enforcement has been at the forefront of the Virginia NAACP’s advocacy and policy agenda this year. Just last week, the Virginia NAACP announced a renewed effort to find ways to ensure justice and transparency in officer-involved shootings.
In the wake of this recent incident, the Virginia NAACP hopes Virginia officials will use this as an opportunity to make real change. “While we applaud the immediate reactions of Virginia’s government officials, we believe that now is the time for Governor Ralph Northam to call a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to pass House Bill 2045 sponsored by Delegate Jeff Bourne to finally end qualified immunity,” said Virginia NAACP Executive Director Da’Quan Marcell Love. He went on to say: “The Virginia NAACP strongly believes that the Commonwealth must end qualified immunity NOW. Black Virginians can’t wait until next January.”
Expressing a renewed sense of urgency, the Virginia NAACP has issued a call to its more than 100 local units to begin fundraising immediately to support this advocacy campaign’s lobbying efforts. A campaign website has been launched at http://endqiva.org to accept individual contributions.
Amid a reported increase of Anti-Asian hate and violence, Virginia’s Democratic Attorney General is putting more resources towards addressing this problem. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has this In-Depth Report.
