Across Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) A Virginia judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking the enforcement of a law that banned electronic betting machines that had proliferated in gas stations, bars and other locations around the state. The injunction puts the so-called skill game ban on hold until a trial set for May. That’s according to Bill Stanley, a GOP state senator and attorney representing former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler. Sadler’s truck stop and gas station company brought the lawsuit. The suit was filed against Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring. Spokeswomen for the two officials declined comment.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has announced that his administration will remove an enormous pedestal that until earlier this year held a statue of Confederate Gen.Robert E. Lee. The announcement marks a reversal in course from September, when the Richmond statue was removed but the Democratic governor said the40-foot-tall graffiti-covered pedestal would stay. His administration also announced plans to transfer ownership of the grassy island in the middle of a traffic circle where the statue was located to the city of Richmond. The move comes about a month before Northam leaves office. Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin will be sworn in next month and has expressed less enthusiasm about the statue’s removal.
A Virginia Tech insider is reacting to the Hokies hiring Penn State’s Defensive coordinator to be their new head coach. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has that story.
Statement from Penn State Head Football Coach James Franklin :“I’m truly excited for Brent and his family. I know Blacksburg has held a special place in Brent’s heart since his time as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech. Coach Pry and I have a relationship dating back to my college playing days, and I know how hard he’s worked for this opportunity. I will forever be grateful for Brent’s friendship, support and loyalty. He’s a passionate leader who will inspire his team to play their best football; but his greatest strengths are his dedication, relatability and humility. It’s those characteristics combined with his deep understanding of X&O’s that will serve Virginia Tech and the entire Blacksburg community best. I will forever be a fan of Brent Pry and look forward to cheering him on as he takes this next step in his career.”
PREVIOUS: Current Penn State Defensive Coordinator Brent Pry is rumored to be the frontrunner to become the next head football coach at Virginia Tech. Yahoo Sports is reporting while no deal has been reached yet, the hire is expected to be announced soon. Pry was a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech in the mid-1990s.
The Virginia Index of Consumer Sentiment (VAICS) continued to slide, falling 2.6 points over the final quarter of 2021. The index value is 72.4 this quarter, the second-lowest value on record. Concerns about the current economy are driving the loss, primarily the rising cost of food and fuel. Virginians’ worries about the future economy were stable.
Consumer sentiment fell 2.6 points over the fourth quarter of 2021 to 72.4, the second-lowest value on record. Since the start of the pandemic, the index lost almost 25 points. Nationally, the October unemployment rate was 4.6%; the rate in Virginia is 3.8%, down nearly three points over the past 12 months and well below the pandemic highs. Concerns about rising prices and reduced purchasing power drown out the good news about the rapidly recovering labor market.
Respondents from the Commonwealth are more concerned about the current economy as measured by the Virginia Index of Current Conditions (ICC). In November, the VA ICC is 66.1, almost 7.5 points below the national number and down 6.5 points since the last quarter in Virginia. Close to 28% of respondents say that their household finances are better now than a year ago, while almost 40% say they are worse off. Despite plans for robust holiday spending, over 60% of respondents believe that business conditions are worse today than a year ago.
Although sentiment is low in the Commonwealth, there is considerable optimism about the future relative to the current conditions. The Virginia Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE) is 76.5, which is 12 points above the national number and statistically unchanged since the third quarter. About 45% of respondents believe that the coming few years will witness an improved economy. Respondents are vastly more optimistic about their finances over the coming year, with almost 80% anticipating improvement.
Virginians anticipate an increase in overall prices in 2021 and beyond, although the degree of concern moderated over the year’s second half. Both the short- and long-term price expectations remain slightly above historical averages in Virginia. Individual beliefs about prices are heavily influenced by what one regularly sees, for example fuel and food prices. Supply chain issues and labor shortages are contributing to rising prices and fueling respondents’ concerns.
Analysis
“Consumer sentiment in the Commonwealth dropped since last quarter but at a much slower rate than we saw between the second and third quarter,” says Dr. Alice Louise Kassens, John S. Shannon Professor of Economics and Senior Analyst at the Roanoke College Institute for Policy and Opinion Research. “The economy continues to strengthen, with the state unemployment rate dropping to 3.8% in September. Unfortunately, concerns about rising prices are overwhelming the economy’s positive aspects, and the Omicron variant of the coronavirus might further worsen concerns through added uncertainty. Markets should continue to work out supply chain issues, and prices should eventually return to normal levels. COVID continues to be the great unknown force disturbing the economy and makes predictions all the more challenging.”
Methodology
Interviewing for The Roanoke College Poll was conducted by The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, between Nov. 7 and Nov. 17, 2021. A total of 648 completed interviews came from random telephone calls to 412 Virginians, and 236 responses were drawn from a proprietary online panel of Virginians. Telephone interviews were conducted in English. Cellphones constituted 55% of the completed phone interviews. Marketing Systems Group provided the telephone dialing frame, and Lucid, LLC facilitated the online panel.
Questions answered by the entire sample of 648 respondents are subject to a sampling error of plus or minus approximately 4.0% at the 95% level of confidence. This means that in 95 out of 100 samples like the one used here, the results obtained should be no more than 4.0 percentage points above or below the figure that would be obtained by interviewing all Virginians who have a home telephone or a cellphone. Where the results of subgroups are reported, the sampling error is higher.
Quotas were used to ensure that different regions of the Commonwealth were proportionately represented. The data were statistically weighted for gender, race, and age. Weighting was done to match Virginia census data. The margin of error was not adjusted for design effects due to weighting.
ROANOKE, Va. – Sean Denzel Guerrant, a Roanoke man who led the Rollin’ 30s Crips in Roanoke, pleaded guilty today to one count of racketeering conspiracy that included responsibility for a murder as well as a separate count involving a conspiracy to murder a different victim. During his plea hearing, Guerrant admitted to leading the criminal street gang whose members committed a murder in June 2017.
Guerrant, a.k.a. “Harlem Dunk” and his co-conspirators,Trayvone Raycron Kasey, Chauncey Dion Levesy, and Demonte Rashod Mack, were members of the Rollin’ 30s Crips, which also called itself the “Dirt Gang.” The Rollin’ 30s Crips are a national street gang founded in the greater Los Angeles, California area with smaller sets in other cities throughout the United States. The Roanoke set of the Rollin’ 30s operated primarily in northwest Roanoke, centered in and around the Lansdowne neighborhood.
“There is no higher priority for my Office than prosecuting murders stemming from gang violence. If you shoot and kill another person because of, or in furtherance of, some gang affiliation, you can know that the United States Attorney’s Office, and our partners in law enforcement, are going to investigate and bring federal charges where appropriate.” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “This case also sends a message to those perceived leaders of criminal enterprises. It makes no difference under federal law whether you personally committed the murder, or whether you encouraged, directed, or ordered another person to commit an act of violence. You are going to face the same consequences as those who pull the trigger. I am thankful to the FBI and the Roanoke City Police Department for their continued dedication to their work on this difficult but important mission.”
“While nothing can erase the pain that the family and friends of this young man feel after his life were taken, we hope this plea brings some level of peace and comfort to them. This joint investigation with our federal, state and local partners resulted in the successful conclusion of this homicide investigation. This is a clear and direct message to those who continue to choose to engage in gun violence and organized crime in Roanoke: we are going to do everything we can to hold you accountable for your actions. The Roanoke Police Department and our partners at every level of the judicial system are committed to doing our part to keep Roanoke safe,” said Chief Sam Roman, Roanoke Police Department
“Today’s result is the culmination of a multi-year, coordinated investigation by the FBI, City of Roanoke Police Department and our law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond Division. “This conviction shows that the FBI and its partners continue their commitment to investigate and disrupt those individuals and organizations who victimize our communities.”
Guerrant admitted today that he, Kasey, Mack, Levesy, and others conspired to conduct a pattern of racketeering activity, including multiple threats and acts of violence. Specifically, Guerrant ordered N.L., a seventeen-year-old, to kill D.F. to atone for N.L.’s gang violations and perceived disloyalty to the gang.
In the early morning hours of June 15, 2017, Kasey drove N.L. to pick up D.F., while Levesy and Mack followed them to a nearby Roanoke apartment complex. After arriving at the apartment complex, everyone except Levesy exited their vehicles while D.F. ran away and hid, leaving Mack, Kasey and N.L. together in one of the parking areas. At that time, N.L. refused to hand over his firearm to Kasey until Mack pointed his own firearm at N.L. and told him to give it up. After handing over his firearm to Kasey, N.L. ran away in an attempt to escape, but both Kasey and Mack chased him and ultimately shot N.L. twice in the back. According to the Medical Examiner, N.L.’s murder resulted from the two shots that entered his back.
After the shooting, Mack, Kasey, and Levesy returned to the gang’s “trap house” and met up with Guerrant and other Rollin’ 30s gang members, at which time everything that occurred was reported to Guerrant.
The City of Roanoke Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Task Force investigated this case along with other law enforcement assets from the Virginia State Police, the Roanoke County Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Miller, Coleman Adams, and Michael Baudinet are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders, and partners with locally-based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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A recent state police truck safety enforcement operation on Interstates 81and 77 found about 7% of trucks inspected had safety violations, and they were immediately placed out of service. And 9% of drivers checked were immediately taken off the highways, mostly for exceeding federally-allowed hours behind the wheel. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
NEWS RELEASE: To enhance the safety of our interstates in western and southwest Virginia, the Virginia State Police Safety Division’s Motor Carrier Safety Units partnered with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol to conduct a commercial vehicle enforcement operation on the entire Interstate 81 through Virginia and Interstate 77 in both Virginia and North Carolina.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – A university professor in Virginia has announced they’ll resign in the wake of threats made over their recently published book. It includes interviews of more than 40 adults who are sexually attracted to minors. The book argued that destigmatizing that attraction would allow more people to seek help and ultimately prevent child sexual abuse. Allyn Walker is an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University. They say in a statement that their research was mischaracterized by some in the media and online and in part because of their transgender identity. The preface to Walker’s book says they were not downplaying sexual abuse against children or trying to normalize it. Similar research is being conducted at other universities.
The Roanoke Times might be changing ownership. Hedge fund Alden Global Capital, one of the country’s largest newspaper owners with a reputation for intense cost cuts and layoffs, has offered to buy the local newspaper chain Lee Enterprises for about a 141-million-dollars – that according to The Virginian-Pilot which is owned by Alden Global Capital. They also own the Daily Press and if this deal went through, they would own the Richmond-Times Dispatch as well as the Roanoke Times.