Across Virginia
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam’s office said Monday that he will push for legislation replacing Virginia’s statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee housed in the United States Capitol.
The governor filed a drafting request for a bill that would outline the process for removing the statue — one of Virginia’s two in the National Statuary Hall Collection — and selecting a replacement, Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said. The disclosure from Northam’s office came in response to questions about a letter from two Democratic members of Congress that called on Northam to make replacing the statue part of his agenda for the legislative session that begins next month.
“As Virginians, we have a responsibility to not only learn from but also confront our history,” U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton and A. Donald McEachin wrote in a letter released Monday. “As part of this responsibility, we must strive for a more complete telling of history by raising up the voices, stories, and memories of minorities and people of color.”
Yarmosky said Northam’s office had previously discussed the issue with McEachin and Wexton’s offices “and we look forward to continuing to work with them and all others who are committed to making Virginia open, inclusive, and equitable.”
She said additional details about the legislation would be announced later.
The National Statuary Hall Collection consists of 100 statues, two each from all 50 states, that honor notable people in their history. Virginia’s other statue is of George Washington.
“Virginia’s decision to donate the statue of Lee was a part of a national
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam’s office said Monday that he will push for legislation replacing Virginia’s statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee housed in the United States Capitol.
The governor filed a drafting request for a bill that would outline the process for removing the statue — one of Virginia’s two in the National Statuary Hall Collection — and selecting a replacement, Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said. The disclosure from Northam’s office came in response to questions about a letter from two Democratic members of Congress that called on Northam to make replacing the statue part of his agenda for the legislative session that begins next month.
“As Virginians, we have a responsibility to not only learn from but also confront our history,” U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton and A. Donald McEachin wrote in a letter released Monday. “As part of this responsibility, we must strive for a more complete telling of history by raising up the voices, stories, and memories of minorities and people of color.”
Yarmosky said Northam’s office had previously discussed the issue with McEachin and Wexton’s offices “and we look forward to continuing to work with them and all others who are committed to making Virginia open, inclusive, and equitable.”
She said additional details about the legislation would be announced later.
The National Statuary Hall Collection consists of 100 statues, two each from all 50 states, that honor notable people in their history. Virginia’s other statue is of George Washington.
“Virginia’s decision to donate the statue of Lee was a part of a national effort to rewrite the history of the South’s secession and rehabilitate the image of Confederate leaders,” said a press release from Wexton’s office.
Wexton and McEachin’s letter mentioned a number of Virginians who “would better represent our Commonwealth in the U.S. Capitol,” including civil rights lawyer Oliver Hill and educator and orator Booker T. Washington.
The two noted that other states have recently reconsidered their representation in the collection. Florida, for instance, recently replaced its statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith with one of civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune.
Christmas Eve is here, and that means millions around the globe are watching Santa’s journey in real time. NORAD Tracks Santa is back, this time with updated technology and mobile apps for real-time updates on Ol’ Saint Nick’s progress. For the young and young-at-heart, you can still call 1-877-HI-NORAD to get Santa’s whereabouts. The operation has become its own holiday tradition: For 64 years, NORAD, as the U.S.-Canadian air defense command is known, and its predecessors have kept close watch on Santa’s journey, assuring anxious children and adults alike that he’s on his way.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Police in Virginia say that two people have been arrested after a Confederate monument was vandalized in the city of Charlottesville. Charlottesville police spokesman Tyler Hawn said in an email that the arrests were made early Thursday morning at the statue of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Hawn did not release the individuals’ names but said more information will be released. The city’s Confederate statues have become the frequent target of vandalism in recent months. The statue of Robert E. Lee has also become a focal point of white nationalists after the city tried to remove the statue in 2017.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he wants to put more money into at-risk schools and give teachers a 3 percent raise. Northam, a Democrat, on Monday highlighted portions of his forthcoming two-year budget proposal. His plan also calls for increased funding for school counselors and more money to help children whose first language isn’t English.The governor plans to make his full budget public on Tuesday at a hearing before lawmakers. Passing a two-year state spending plan will be a top priority for the General Assembly during the 2020 session. During last month’s legislative elections, voters gave Democrats full control of the General Assembly for the first time in a generation.NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Law enforcement authorities in Virginia say two juveniles have been charged after a handgun accidentally discharged in a high school classroom.
Police in Norfolk on Saturday said the 17- and 16-year-old students are facing various charges, including possession of a firearm on school property and possession of a firearm by a minor. Both students attend Maury High School and are being held at the Norfolk Detention Center.
Authorities say the older of the two students had the firearm at school Friday and sustained a gunshot wound to the hand when it accidentally discharged. They say detectives later found out the younger student handled the gun after the accidental shooting.
No other injuries were reported. Norfolk Public Schools spokeswoman Barbara Hunter told news outlets Friday that the incident occurred in a science class. She said the injured student was treated by a nurse before he was taken to a local hospital.
The high school was temporarily placed on lockdown.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A student lit one or more bullets he was holding in his hand in a Virginia high school classroom, causing a minor explosion and requiring treatment for his injuries, a school system spokeswoman said.
Norfolk Public Schools spokeswoman Barbara M. Hunter told news outlets that the incident occurred in a science class at Maury High School on Friday afternoon. Hunter said the unidentified student was treated by a nurse before he was taken to a local hospital.
No other injuries were reported.
The high school was placed on a lockdown that was lifted around 2:45 p.m. Hunter said officials expected some delays in buses getting students home.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Grocery retailer Wegmans Food Markets plans to build a $175 million distribution operation in central Virginia that will create 700 new jobs.
Gov. Ralph Northam recently announced that the grocery chain picked Virginia over North Carolina to expand its East Coast distribution network. The governor said he met with company officials in Rochester, New York during a recent trade trip.
The company plans to build its operation in Hanover County, which is north of Richmond.
Northam approved a $2.35 million state grant for the project.
MGN
It is clear that Virginia’s elected leaders are preparing to enact some sweeping changes in state marijuana laws when the new Democratic majority takes power in the General Assembly. And groundwork appears to be under way for eventual legalization and sale. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring organized an all-day cannabis summit this week in Richmond, one looking at an initial goal of decriminalizing marijuana possession. Portsmouth Delegate Steve Heretick has been calling not only for that, but for full legalization.
The summit heard speakers from states that have already legalized marijuana use. Like Colorado, where Jim Burack oversees enforcement of its production — and sale.
The summit addressed many other aspects that would be involved in legalization, like taxation and product testing. Changes in Virginia marijuana law appear inevitable next year. The question now is how far and how quickly.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A new state report found that many Virginians on Medicaid often go to emergency rooms for dental issues that could have been prevented or treated at a dentist’s office. A recently released report by the Department of Medical Assistance Services found that about 16,000 Medicaid recipients visited emergency rooms about 19,000 times in 2018. More than half of those 16,000 were treated for “non-traumatic dental conditions” like tooth aches and loose teeth. The majority of emergency room visits were by adult Medicaid recipients, who do not qualify for preventative dental coverage like children do. Virginia has struggled to contain Medicaid costs, which have increasingly taken up a larger share of the state’s budget.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A former housekeeper at a historic Virginia Beach hotel was sentenced this week to 30 days in jail for stealing a guest’s $35,000 diamond ring.Chrystal Monique Gregory, 28, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in August. Prosecutors said she used an employee key to break into an Ohio couple’s suite at The Cavalier hotel. Once inside, she entered a master code to open a safe where the victims left the 2¼-carat diamond engagement ring. It featured a platinum and gold band and diamonds encrusted along the centerpiece, an appraiser found.
Police discovered photos on Gregory’s phone of the victim’s driver’s license, which had been in the safe, as well as pictures of other pieces of jewelry taken from the hotel, a police statement of facts obtained by new outlets said. The ring was never recovered, prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Macie Allen added.
State sentencing guidelines suggested probation for Gregory, the prosecutor’s office told The Virginian-Pilot. She had no prior criminal record.
The theft happened last summer, a few months after the 92-year-old luxury hotel reopened following an $85 million renovation. A marker outside the hotel describes The Cavalier as “emblematic of Virginia Beach’s transformation from small town to major resort during the Roaring Twenties.”