New Virginia laws begin July 1
A host of new laws will go into effect in Virginia on Friday, July 1, including laws regulating concealed weapons, fantasy gaming, new age minimums for marriage and smoking in cars. Here are some of them:
Gravely still in at state NAACP
Jack Gravely is still the interim executive director of the 16,000-member Virginia State Conference of the NAACP. “I am not planning to resign this week,” Mr. Gravely said Monday, denying a Free Press report published in the June 23-25 edition in which a source indicated Mr. Gravely was poised to depart.
Former congressional delegate Walter Fauntroy arrested
Civil rights leader and former congressional delegate Walter Fauntroy was released from a Virginia jail Tuesday following his arrest Monday at Dulles International Airport on a 5-year-old charge of writing a bad check in Maryland, authorities said. Mr. Fauntroy, 83, had been living abroad for the past four years, and relatives and friends had expressed concerns about his health. He told The Washington Post in a telephone interview last week that he was coming home and that he believed the bad check issue was resolved.
Decision removes guns from domestic abusers convicted of misdemeanors
The U.S. Supreme Court expanded protection for victims of domestic violence Monday by ruling that every misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence triggers the loss of gun ownership rights. The justices, in a 6-2 ruling issued amid fierce debate about reducing firearms violence in America, rejected arguments that a federal gun ownership prohibition should apply only to knowing or intentional conduct, but not to impulsive or reckless conduct.
Case closed on 1964 murder of 3 civil rights workers
JACKSON, MISS. One day short of the 52nd anniversary of the disappearance of three civil rights workers’ during Mississippi’s “Freedom Summer,” state and federal prosecutors said that the investigation into the slayings is over. The decision, announced June 20, “closes a chapter” in the state’s divisive civil rights history, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said.
No jail
U.S. Supreme Court overturns corruption convictions of former Gov. McDonnell
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell insisted that he never sold his office in exchange for the $177,000 in loans and gifts that a businessman seeking to promote a dietary product showered on him and his family.
Creighton Court area transformation moving forward
Gov. Terry McAuliffe is pitching in $2.5 million to assist Richmond in transforming the impoverished Creighton Court area of the East End into a model, mixed-income community. The governor went to the East End on Wednesday to announce Richmond as a winner of a Vibrant Community Initiative grant.
In clear: VSU accreditation
Virginia State University is back in the good graces of its accrediting agency. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) voted June 16 to remove VSU from “warning” status and restore the Petersburg area university to unblemished accreditation.
Student advocate arrested again
In the face of a federal probe, Chesterfield Public Schools is doubling down on its efforts to keep an advocate for disabled students from taking part in meetings to help develop individualized education programs (IEPs) for students. For the third time in the past 14 months, Kandise N. Lucas has been arrested at a Chesterfield school for trespassing. The latest arrest, on June 10 at Ecoff Elementary School in Chester, occurred when she went to the school for an IEP meeting a parent had invited her attend.
E-book purchasers may be due refund
Electronics giant Apple Inc. has begun coughing up refunds to e-book buyers in a price-fixing settlement. According to Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, the company began distributing $11 million to $15 million in account credits and checks Tuesday to state residents who purchased e-books, or electronic books, through the company’s site.
SOLD
Iconic Ebony, JET magazines no longer owned by Johnson Publishing Co.
Johnson Publishing Co. of Chicago has sold Ebony and JET magazines for an undisclosed price to Clear View Group LLC, an Austin, Texas-based private equity firm, to pay down debt and to concentrate on Fashion Fair Cosmetics.
First Amendment trampled by Trump
A free press has been the foundation of our democracy since the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1791. Yet, after 225 years, Americans may be taking it for granted. Donald Trump’s recent action “revoking” the Washington Post’s access to his campaign should remind us that the First Amendment is often under threat.
Morrissey wedding coverage gets thumbs up, down
Re “Meet the Morrisseys,” June 16-18 edition:
Kudos to committed Dominion workers
During the latest episode of storms, we had plenty of lightning, high winds and rain that caused power outages in many areas. Many of the trees and power lines had fallen, which caused a dangerous situation. Many of the Dominion workers worked double shifts around the clock until this situation was resolved. You could see Dominion employees working morning, noon and night.
Do black lives really matter?
In 1991, Latasha Harlins was shot in the back of her head and killed by Soon Ja Du, a Korean storeowner in Los Angeles. Ms. Du received a $500 fine, 400 hours of community service and five years’ probation from Judge Joyce Karlin, who ignored the penalty of 16 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. Ms. Du received no prison time for her callous act of murder — execution style — of a 15-year-old African-American girl over a $1.79 container of orange juice. This case, and the outrage it brought, foreshadowed the Los Angeles civil unrest now known as the Rodney King Riot in 1992.
Terrorist’s act a hate crime
The shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando was horrific. Nobody would argue that.
Trump and the First Amendment
Donald J. Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for president, has given us one more reason to call into question his judgment.
Blues revue at Unity Richmond
“Blues Gal,” a musical revue and showcase highlighting the private and public lives of women blues legends, will take place Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25.
Local radio station holds fundraiser
Local radio station holds fundraiser Preston Brown is hoping that listeners will help him raise $25,000 for improvements to the WCLM-AM 1450 station he has owned since 1996.
