RACIAL INJUSTICE-CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS

Confederate statues stored at Richmond waste water plant

At least some of the Confederate monuments that have been recently removed from places of prominence in Richmond, Virginia, are being stored on the grounds of a waste water treatment plant. That’s according to photos taken this week by The Associated Press and Richmond Times-Dispatch that show a collection of statues and other large objects under tarps at the facility just outside the city’s downtown. On July 1, Mayor Levar Stoney ordered the immediate removal of all Confederate statues on city property in Richmond, a onetime capital of the Confederacy. The City Council is expected to weigh in on what happens to them next.

TEEN-FATAL CRASH

Virginia teenager sentenced to six months in fatal crash

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A Virginia teenager will serve six months in jail for a fatal wreck in 2019 that killed a friend. The Roanoke Times reports 19-year-old Robert Author Smith pleaded no contest in Roanoke County Circuit Court on Tuesday to one count of reckless driving. An involuntary manslaughter charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. Authorities said Smith was driving his father’s pickup truck on May 31, 2019 when he drove the car into a sharp turn at an intersection that caused the truck to flip. Aaron Chilson McNair, who was riding in the bed of the truck, suffered a traumatic head injury and died at a hospital.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRGINIA

Virginia boosts enforcement as cases rise near beaches

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he’s ramping up enforcement of a mask mandate and social distancing measures at restaurants and stores because he’s concerned about a rising number in cases, particularly among young people, in areas near the state’s beaches. Northam said Tuesday that the state is doing well overall but he wants to avoid a spike in cases that other southern states, like Texas and Florida, are currently experiencing. The governor, a Democrat, said some restaurant owners and patrons are clearly flouting the state’s guidelines requiring wearing masks in public and limiting how bars operate in the Hampton Roads area, which is contributing to the increase.

SWATTING-NEO-NAZI

Former leader of neo-Nazi group pleads guilty to ‘swatting’

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A founder and former leader of a neo-Nazi group has pleaded guilty to conspiring to place hoax phone calls targeting an African American church, a Cabinet official and others. Twenty-six-year-old John C. Denton of Montgomery, Texas, faces up to five years in prison after entering a guilty plea Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria. Prosecutors say Denton led a group called Atomwaffen Division. Denton’s targets in 2018 and 2019 included the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Old Dominion University in Norfolk. Denton also placed swatting calls targeting news outlet ProPublica, which had identified Denton as an Atomwaffen leader.

BC-VA-VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESSMAN

U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith tests positive for coronavirus

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia says he’s tested positive for the coronavirus. The Republican congressman, who represents southwest Virginia, said he learned Tuesday he’d tested positive. He said he does not have “significant” symptoms and is self-isolating. Several other members of Congress have tested positive for the virus. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and even be fatal.

GUN BACKGROUND CHECKS-LAWSUIT

Virginia judge upholds much of new gun background check law

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — A Virginia judge has upheld much of a new state law that expands background checks for gun buyers but issued an injunction preventing it from being enforced on buyers between 18 to 20 years old. Attorney General Mark Herring’s office said Tuesday he intends to appeal the injunction. The law was one of seven gun control measures passed by the new Democratic majority at the General Assembly this year. It requires a background check for any gun sale, even between private individuals.

ELECTION 2021-LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Virginia delegate announces 2021 run for lieutenant governor

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A state delegate in Virginia is now running for lieutenant governor. Virginia Del. Hala Ayala made the announcement on Twitter early Tuesday morning. If she wins, she would become the first woman to hold the position. Ayala says Virginia families want someone who understands their experiences and can bring people together. The Washington Post reports Virginia Del. Elizabeth R. Guzman also may join the race, and former Virginia Del. Timothy D. Hugo has said he may run on the Republican side. Ayala was elected to represent Prince William County in Virginia’s House of Delegates in 2017 after taking on four-term Republican incumbent Rich Anderson.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Head of historical group in Virginia resigns over posts

DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — The president of a historical society in Virginia has resigned from his position following racist comments about a statue depicting a Black man posted on his social media account. The Danville Register & Bee reports Danville Historical Society President Mark Joyner vacated his post Monday. His resignation came after racist posts calling for the removal of Richmond’s Rumors of War statue was posted on his Facebook account on Friday. Joyner has denied writing the statements himself. He says a friend who borrowed his phone to make a call had accessed his account and wrote the comments. The historical society said on Facebook the comments were “repugnant.”