Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn Endorses Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe announced on Monday morning that he has received the endorsement of the Speaker of the House of Delegates to run for Governor.
“I have known Terry McAuliffe for decades and have seen up close his determination to push our Commonwealth forward. I was incredibly thankful he joined us at 140 events across the Commonwealth last year as we flipped the House of Delegates and were able to pass the most progressive laws in Virginia’s history tackling racial, health, and education disparities,” said House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax. “As Terry has shown already in this campaign, he will bring that bold vision to the Governor’s Office once again to ensure our kids have an equitable, world-class education. I am proud to endorse him and excited for what we can get done with his bold vision and our Democratic majority.”
Democrats choose HD-02 candidate to replace Foy – Virginia Scope
After Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-Prince William) announced last week that she was resigning from the second district House of Delegates seat, Democrats rushed to nominate a candidate after four people entered the race.
Kessler revives FOIA lawsuit in new venue – Daily Progress
by Tyler Hammel
Unite the Right organizer Jason Kessler has revived a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, filing the latest iteration in Charlottesville Circuit Court and expanding his claims.
Kessler, the primary organizer of the 2017 white nationalist rally, has filed several lawsuits against the city in years past, mostly centered around alleged violations of his constitutional right to free speech.
Was Thanksgiving a ‘super spreader?’ Some pandemic researchers think maybe. – Virginian-Pilot
A surge in the pandemic following Thanksgiving has reached Hampton Roads, leaving 36 people dead last week, the highest death toll reported for the region in months.
The local spike in COVID-19 fatalities mirrors a rise seen across Virginia — a 5% jump over the past week from a total of 4,160 suspected deaths to 4,370.
As gun crimes mount, Roanoke anti-violence efforts spread into the community – Roanoke Times
By Alicia Petska
The gathering was smaller this year by necessity. Pandemic precautions meant scaling back the scope of Roanoke’s annual anti-violence vigil last week and limiting attendance to just a few.
A livestream was instead set up to invite in the wider community virtually. There had been talk of deferring the program altogether for the year but that prospect didn’t sit well with anyone.
Virginia says it will stop cutting off unemployment benefits without investigations– Virginia Mercury
Facing the threat of a class-action lawsuit, Virginia officials said this week they will stop halting unemployment benefits after they’ve been started without first conducting a review.
The Charlottesville-based Legal Aid Justice Center says the decision means payments will resume for thousands of unemployed Virginians who had their benefits cut off after, for instance, an employer disputed their eligibility for benefits or reported they refused a job offer.
Virginia lawmakers focus on racial equity as they debate marijuana legalization – Virginia Mercury
by Ned Oliver
Del. Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, said it wasn’t just a pungent odor that struck him during a recent visit to the city’s newly opened medical marijuana dispensary.
“I saw all that marijuana and I was looking over my shoulder waiting on the feds to run in and get us all because there was so much cannabis in there,” said Scott, a lawyer, who contrasted the scene to a court hearing three days later where he witnessed “a young brother get sentenced to five years for possession with intent to distribute marijuana” — a disparate approach to the drug he called absurd and hypocritical.
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