Across Virginia

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.

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 third straight day. However, there are 37 new cases and 1 new hospitalization among Roanoke, Salem and Roanoke and Botetourt Counties in the latest 24-hour reporting period.State health officials report 13 new cases and 1 new hospitalization in Roanoke City, 16 new cases in Roanoke County, 5 new cases in Salem, and 3 new cases in Botetourt County.

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.

State health officials report 20 new coronavirus cases but no new hospitalizations for the Roanoke Valley in the latest 24-hour reporting period. There are also no new COVID-related deaths among Roanoke, Salem and Roanoke and Botetourt Counties. State health officials report 10 new cases in Roanoke City, 6 new cases in Roanoke County, 3 new cases in Salem, and 1 new case 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.

 

State health officials report 39 new coronavirus cases and 2 new hospitalizations for the Roanoke Valley in the latest 24-hour reporting period. There are no new COVID-related deaths among Roanoke, Salem and Roanoke and Botetourt Counties. State health officials report 21 new cases in Roanoke City, 13 new cases, and 1 new hospitalization in Roanoke County, 4 new cases in Salem, and 1 new case and 1 new hospitalization in Botetourt County.

State health officials report 34 new coronavirus cases and 6 new hospitalizations for the Roanoke Valley in the latest 24-hour reporting period. There is just one new COVID-related death among Roanoke, Salem and Roanoke and Botetourt Counties. State health officials report 16 new cases, 2 new hospitalizations, and 1 new death in Roanoke City, 14 new cases, and 1 new hospitalization in Roanoke County, 2 new cases and 2 new hospitalizations in Salem, and 2 new cases and 1 new hospitalization in Botetourt County.