Gov-elect Youngkin announces selection of Education Secretary

Gov-elect Youngkin announces selection of Education Secretary

RICHMOND, VA – Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin today announced he has chosen Aimee Rogstad Guidera to serve as the next Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia. “Aimee will be a critical partner in restoring expectations of excellence; overseeing a record education budget to invest in teachers, facilities and special education; rolling out innovation lab…Continue Reading

Virginia man pleads guilty in illegal gun sales plot

Virginia man pleads guilty in illegal gun sales plot

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiring to make false statements in connection with 45 firearms transactions, federal prosecutors said. From June 2019 through June 2020, Kevin Staton Jr., 23, of Chesapeake, engaged in the business of buying and selling firearms without a license, according to court documents. Staton…Continue Reading

Woman sentenced to 10 years in prison for $1.5M fraud plot

Woman sentenced to 10 years in prison for $1.5M fraud plot

ABINGDON, Va. (AP) — A Virginia woman who pleaded guilty to plotting to defraud the government out of more than $1.5 million in pandemic-related unemployment benefits has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution, federal prosecutors said. Farren Gaddis Ricketts, 31, of Jonesville, and her co-conspirators devised a scheme to…Continue Reading

Criticism resumes of proposed redistricting maps in Virginia

Criticism resumes of proposed redistricting maps in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Some residents and politicians criticized proposed redistricting maps for Virginia on Friday, telling the state’s Supreme Court that many communities would see their voting strength diluted by seemingly arbitrary political boundaries. Virginia’s Supreme Court is redrawing the state’s congressional and legislative maps after a new bipartisan redistricting commission failed to agree…Continue Reading

WFT game against Eagles moved to Tuesday

WFT game against Eagles moved to Tuesday

The NFL has moved three games because of COVID-19 outbreaks: Las Vegas at Cleveland from Saturday to Monday; and Seattle at the Los Angeles Rams and Washington at Philadelphia from Sunday to Tuesday. The Browns could have been without as many as 16 regulars on Saturday, so the game is now scheduled to kick off…Continue Reading

Police: 4 bodies found are victims of ‘shopping cart killer’

Police: 4 bodies found are victims of ‘shopping cart killer’

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Police in Virginia say the discovery of four bodies at two different locations in the state are the work of a serial killer who used a shopping cart to transport his victims’ bodies after meeting them on dating sites. At a press conference Friday, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis dubbed…Continue Reading

Suetterlein criticizes proposed district lumping Vinton with Staunton

Suetterlein criticizes proposed district lumping Vinton with Staunton

The deadline is drawing near for the State Supreme Court to complete its redistricting work. A Roanoke-area lawmaker says the preliminary plan does a great disservice to Vinton-area residents, and he hopes the final plan will change that. The court appointed two special masters to draw up the new Congressional and General Assembly lines, and…Continue Reading

Schools step up security in response to threats on TikTok

Schools step up security in response to threats on TikTok

Educators have announced plans to increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting and bomb threats at schools around the country Friday as officials assured parents the viral posts were not considered credible. The posts circulating online warned that multiple schools would receive shooting and bomb threats. The threats had many educators on…Continue Reading