Across Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Some residents and politicians criticized proposed redistricting maps for Virginia on Friday, telling the state’s Supreme Court that many communities would see their voting strength diluted by seemingly arbitrary political boundaries.
Virginia’s Supreme Court is redrawing the state’s congressional and legislative maps after a new bipartisan redistricting commission failed to agree on maps earlier this year. The state’s high court began holding public hearings on the proposed maps on Wednesday.
Many of the speakers at Friday’s public hearing, which focused on redrawing legislative and congressional districts, raised concerns about Richmond and its suburbs being carved into three congressional districts.
For example, Amelia County would no longer share a congressional district with Richmond’s western suburbs and instead would be grouped in with more rural counties to the south. The county is currently in Virginia’s extremely competitive 7th Congressional District.
“I’m an independent voter living in a deep red county, which at times is a challenge,” Amelia County supervisor Roger Scott said. “But being part of a swing district, as we have been, has allowed all of Amelia’s people to be represented and heard, not only the conservatives.”
Scott said that Amelia County is a bedroom community of the Richmond metro area. He said the new congressional district map would “squelch the voices of the more moderate and liberal voters of Amelia, most of whom are people of color.”
Concerns were also aired about other parts of the state. Maurice Hawkins, a U.S. Air Force veteran who lives in Virginia Beach, criticized plans to “excise portions of the city of Norfolk from the 2nd Congressional District.”
Norfolk, Hawkins noted, is home to the world’s largest Navy base. And he said it has more in common with neighboring Virginia Beach when it comes to concerns about tourism, the environment and flooding wrought by sea-level rise.
“Our military personnel may work in Norfolk but live in Virginia Beach and vice versa,” Hawkins said. “They do business in Virginia Beach and in Norfolk. Their children go to school in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. And it’s paramount that we maintain congressional representation … that’ll speak to these issues.”
The redistricting maps that were proposed under the Supreme Court’s purview were released earlier this month. They were prepared by two special masters — one each nominated by Democrats and Republicans — in accordance with an order from the state’s highest court.
The draft maps for new congressional districts would provide Democrats a strong chance to win a majority of the state’s 11 seats. But they also draw Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger out of the 7th Congressional District in the Richmond area.
The proposed redistricting maps also would constitute a significant reduction in the number of majority Black districts in the General Assembly. How to protect minority voting rights has been one of the key points of contention in this redistricting cycle, as well as past ones.
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Police in Virginia say the discovery of four bodies at two different locations in the state are the work of a serial killer who used a shopping cart to transport his victims’ bodies after meeting them on dating sites.
At a press conference Friday, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis dubbed the suspect, 35-year-old Anthony Robinson of Washington, D.C., the “shopping cart killer” and said police are working to determine if there are other victims.
Davis said Robinson, who was taken into custody in Rockingham County last month, has lived in multiple locations, including New York and Maryland, in recent years.
Police in Harrisonburg arrested Robinson last month and charged him with two counts of murder after finding two bodies in a vacant lot in the city.
“The good thing is he’s in custody. The challenge that remains is identifying other victims,” Davis said.
Evidence uncovered after Robinson’s arrest led police to search an area near the Moon Inn in Fairfax County south of Alexandria.
During the search, detectives noticed a shopping cart and recalled that a cart had been used to transport the bodies in the Harrisonburg cases, said Ed O’Carroll, commander of the major crimes unit in Fairfax County.
Near the shopping cart was a large plastic container that held the remains of two women. One has been tentatively identified as Cheyenne Brown, 29, whose disappearance had been under investigation by Washington, D.C., police. The second body found in Fairfax County has not yet been identified.
The three victims who have been identified all went missing in the last few months. Police say they are trying to research Robinson’s life going back many years to see if there might be more victims.
“That’s what worries us,” Davis said. “He didn’t suddenly turn into who he is three months ago.”
Harrisonburg Police Chief Kelley Warner said Robinson has not given police any kind of cooperative statement since his arrest. Police arrested him relatively quickly after the bodies in Harrisonburg were found, based on video surveillance and cellphone records, Warner said.
Robinson’s lawyer, Louis Nagy, declined to comment on the substance of the charges against his client in Harrisonburg. Robinson has not yet been formally charged in Fairfax County, but police said charges are forthcoming.
All three victims who have been identified met Robinson through dating websites. Police believe his dating history may provide clues into any additional victims.
Police did not say whether the victims were sexually assaulted, but Davis stated bluntly during the press conference that the suspect did “unspeakable things with his victims.”
The two victims who were found dead in Harrisonburg were previously identified as Tonita Lorice Smith, 39, of Charlottesville, and Allene Elizabeth “Beth” Redmon, 54, of Harrisonburg.
A scheduling hearing in Harrisonburg is set for Dec. 27
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Police in Virginia say they’ve arrested an 18-year-old high school student following a shooting that killed a 17-year-old outside a school in Newport News.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that Demari Batten was arrested early Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder and related counts. The teen who died was identified as Justice Dunham.
Police said that the teenagers attended a high school basketball game on Tuesday night. The teens exchanged “gestures” from opposite sides of the gym before an altercation in the parking lot.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said that Dunham went to the vehicle he had arrived in. Batten then approached Dunham, police said, before the altercation occurred and a gun was fired.
The shooting occurred at Menchville High School, which is one of five high schools in the city. Dunham was a junior and standout football player at Woodside High School. Batten attends Warwick High School.
It’s unclear if Batten has hired an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
A suspect has been taken into custody following a standoff this morning on Main Street in Southwest Roanoke between Kerns and Welton Avenues. 29-year-old Jared Ford is facing several charges including assault and battery. All roads are back open and there is no ongoing threat to the community
Roanoke Police have charged the owner of a dog that was found tied to a pole at a local park last month. There is no word on what the dog’s previous owner is charged with or why the dog named Luna was tied to the pole. Officials with Angels of Assisi say Luna is on antibiotics to treat Lyme disease and will undergo surgery to remove a mass on her side.
A northern Virginia library has removed a display that placed the Bible alongside two books activists have sought to remove from school libraries as pornographic and obscene. The library display in McLean included “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison and “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe alongside the Bible and a number of troll dolls. The display was removed Tuesday. Fairfax County’s public library director said the display was intended to highlight the “freedom to read” and not meant to offend. A critic said it mocked Christians and concerned parents alike. The books were removed from school libraries amid complaints earlier this year, but later returned to the shelves.
An albino deer and her fawn were shot and killed illegally in Patrick county, and the sheriff is offering a reward for information leading to whomever is responsible. Game warden Dale Owens told the Martinsville Bulletin that whoever shot the deer didn’t have permission to hunt on the property and were shooting from the roadway. He said it’s believed the shooting occurred between midnight and 5 a.m. on Monday. Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith’s office is offering a$350 reward to anyone who can provide information about the illegal killing.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – A World War II veteran who was the last surviving officer of “Easy Company,” which inspired the HBO miniseries and book “Band of Brothers,” has died. Edward Shames was 99. An obituary posted by a funeral home said Shames, of Norfolk, Virginia, died peacefully at his home on Friday. Shames was involved in some of the most important battles of World War II. He made his first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day as part of Operation Overlord. He also fought with Easy Company in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. Shames was the first member of the 101st to enter Dachau concentration camp, just days after its liberation.