Ian Price
Claims by Bedford County Sheriff Mike Miller that THC makes marijuana addictive don’t hold water, according to Virginia’s head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws – or NORML. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Photo: Blue Ridge Hydroponics Facebook page
A business that started in 2004 expects to really take off on July 1st when Virginia’s marijuana prohibition is lifted. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
CORRECTION: As of July 1st, Virginians will be legally allowed to grow four cannabis plants per household. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated it was four plants per person.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia state government continues to bring in more revenue than expected, with a new report showing the state has brought in more than 98 percent of its anticipated annual revenue with a full month remaining in the fiscal year.
The monthly revenue report issued Friday by Virginia Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne shows that through the first 11 months of the fiscal year, the state has brought in $21.97 billion in revenue.
Projected revenue for the entire fiscal year, which ends June 30, is $22.32 billion.
That puts the state on course for a revenue surplus exceeding $1 billion.
May revenue was up 66 percent over May 2020. That’s largely because the state income tax deadline this year was May 17. Last year the deadline was pushed back to June 1.
In a press release Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam celebrated the news as a sign of a strong economy. He also announced that Deputy Secretary of Finance Joe Flores will take over as secretary beginning July 1, when Layne is scheduled to leave his post for the private sector.
An upcoming annual race – 4 on the Fourth – will benefit a local organization that has been reopened since last July – and which has put a tremendous strain on resources. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
An upcoming Supreme Court decision could provide the first glimpse of how its 6-3 conservative majority will shape the future of LGBTQ rights. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
We’ve heard about some of the Democrats running for Governor already – today we’ll learn more about a candidate from another part of Virginia and hear the latest from a former Governor seeking another term. WFIR’s Ian Price has this “Longer Listen” on gubernatorial candidates Delegate Lee Carter and Former Governor Terry McAuliffe.
Delegate Lee Carter and former Governor Terry McAuliffe are two of the five Democrats seeking to represent the party in the November election against GOP gubernatorial nominee Glenn Younkin.
Courtesy of US Senate Historical Office
Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Kaine says he is stunned by the loss of former Virginia Republican U.S. Senator John Warner, who died last night at the age of 94. Kaine says Warner and his father-law, Linwood Holton built the Virginia Republican Party from irrelevance into a formidable force, competed against one another in the 1978 Virginia Senate race, and always found time for new projects and humorous reminiscence.
(The full statement from U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s office can be read below:)
WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the passing of former U.S. Senator John Warner:
“I am stunned at the loss of John Warner. Virginia has lost an unmatched leader, and my family has lost a dear friend.
“John Warner and my father-in-law, Linwood Holton, interrupted their college studies to join the Navy during World War II. Each served in the Pacific theatre, and they met when they returned to Washington and Lee at the close of the war. Their fraternity brother days started a friendship that lasted 75 years. Lin and John worked together, built the Virginia Republican Party from irrelevance into a formidable force, competed against one another in the 1978 Virginia Senate race, and always found time for new projects and humorous reminiscence.
“When I married Anne in 1984, I entered the large circle of John’s friends. From his thirty-year post in the Senate, he helped me as Mayor and Governor again and again. In particular, I will never forget his advocacy that helped save the Metro Silver Line from the brink of extinction. His advice on matters large and small (mostly solicited but occasionally offered even though I hadn’t asked!) was always farsighted, patriotic, and delivered in pithy and memorable phrases.
“Once I came to the Senate, I understood even more deeply the influence of John Warner. I came to know John McCain, Carl Levin, and so many others who served with him and attested to his integrity and outsized influence in a body he loved so dearly. In particular, John’s service in the Navy during World War II, as a Marine during the Korean War, and as Secretary of the Navy, made him a steady hand as Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. And in this new chapter in my life, John’s advice again became essential.
“I consider it a deep honor to represent Virginia on the Armed Services Committee as John did, and I often think of him during Armed Services deliberations, wondering how he would handle the dilemmas of the day. Shortly after I was elected to my first term, I asked John to lunch in the Senate Dining Room. He hadn’t been in many years. When he walked into the room, the place absolutely lit up, and a steady stream of Senators and Senate staff made a path to the table to visit with a person they loved so much.
“John and I once talked about how the Senate of today was more partisan and less relationship-based than during his years of service. But at the end of our conversation, he told me: ‘But Tim, it’s not in the water supply or sick building syndrome. It’s in the character and priorities of the people who walk into the building every day. So you have a chance to walk into the Capitol and make it better each day.’
“Not having John Warner to go to for advice leaves a big hole in my life. But we can all celebrate a public servant who stood on principle, made us proud, and exemplified the best of what politics can be.
“My condolences go out to Jeanne and the entire Warner family.”