News
Governor Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed legislation that would allow people to carry concealed switchblades and a bill that would allow home-schooled students to participate in public-school sports.The governor announced the vetoes Monday. He also vetoed a bill that would lower the allowable age of conceal handgun permit holders from 21 to 18 for active duty military members and veterans.McAuliffe vetoed a similar school sports bill last year, saying it would create an uneven playing field. The so-called “Tebow bill” is named for Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback who was home-schooled and allowed to play football for his local high school.Though Republicans control both chambers of the General Assembly, they do not have enough votes to overturn McAuliffe’s vetoes.
William Howell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – One of Virginia’s most powerful politicians is stepping down.Republican House Speaker William J. Howell said yesterday he is retiring and will not seek re-election when his term ends in January.House Majority Leader Kirk Cox is expected to be Howell’s successor, though other Republicans may try to challenge him.Elected as speaker in 2003, Howell helped grow a near GOP supermajority in the House thanks in part to the favorable legislative boundaries drawn during the last redistricting.The 73-year-old has promoted conservative, business-friendly policies while helping thwart parts of three Democratic governors’ agendas, including Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s push to expand Medicaid.The quick-witted speaker has not been ideologically inflexible. He helped former GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell pass tax increases to pay for a transportation-funding overhaul.
Virginia DMV officials say they took a look at what similar departments in other states were doing before changing real-time wait information on the department’s web site. You now get information on the waits for each particular transaction at each office, rather than an average wait for all transactions. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Click here to access the DMV’s wait time information page. Enter your zip code, select the office on the map, then click the prompt for estimated wait times.
Chris Hurst
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) – A former Virginia news anchor whose girlfriend was fatally shot during a live broadcast in 2015 says he’s raised more than $30,000 during the first week of his campaign for the House of Delegates.The Roanoke Times reports that Chris Hurst announced the fundraising total during a campaign kickoff event on Saturday. He has yet to file a campaign finance report.Hurst quit his job as an anchor at WDBJ-TV to run as a Democrat in Virginia’s 12th District, which is currently represented by Republican Del. Joseph Yost.Hurst’s girlfriend and colleague, Allison Parker, was fatally shot while reporting for the station. Hurst said he considered running for office as he struggled emotionally to report on gun violence.Republicans have criticized him for his pro-gun control stance.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Virginia Republican hopefuls for governor have played nice during their first debate.The candidates avoided attacking each other Saturday at an event in Charlottesville and instead stuck largely to GOP talking points.Corey Stewart, a one-time chairman of President Donald Trump’s campaign in Virginia, has blasted former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie several times in interviews and social media accounts.But Stewart ignored Gillespie during the debate, which only featured a handful of questions and speaking opportunities.State Sen. Frank Wagner and distillery owner Denver Riggleman are also running.Virginia’s widely watched contest for governor is seen by many as a potential referendum on Trump’s first year in office and an early test of opposition groups aligned against him.
From Virginia State Police: Virginia State Police A. B. Absher is investigating a fatal crash that occurred at 8:26 p.m. February 17, 2017 on Route 501, seven tenths of a mile of a mile north of Route 122 in Bedford County.A 2004 Buick Rainer was traveling south on Route 501, when the driver lost control and ran off the right side of the roadway, striking a wall and a utility pole, overturning several times ejecting the occupants.The 2004 Buick was driven by Brian Edward Dabney, 24, Buena Vista, VA. Mr. Dabney was not wearing his seatbelt and was transported for injuries received in the crash.55 year old Darlene Spinner was a passenger in the vehicle. Ms. Spinner was not wearing her seatbelt and was transported for injuries received in the crash.25 year old Candice Paige Clark, of Nellysford, VA was not wearing her seatbelt and died at the scene.The Virginia State Police Accident Reconstruction Team was called to assist with the crash.Alcohol and speed were a factor in the crash, charges are pending.The crash remains under investigation.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A federal appeals court has rejected a Virginia company’s bid to end the state’s decades-long ban on uranium mining. A panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond on Friday upheld the ruling of a district judge who threw out a lawsuit from Virginia Uranium Inc. challenging the ban. The Pittsylvania County company wants to mine a 119-million-pound deposit of the radioactive ore beneath the rolling hills of Southside Virginia. It argued that a federal law should pre-empt state regulations, but the courts disagreed. Attorney General Mark Herring hailed the ruling. Neither an attorney nor a representative for the company immediately responded to requests for comment. Virginia Uranium has also filed a separate lawsuit in a state court. A trial date in that case hasn’t been set.