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.

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.”

BC-MD-CHESAPEAKE BAY-UNDERWATER GRASSES

Report: Chesapeake Bay underwater grasses declined last year

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A new report says that underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay have declined by nearly 40 percent. The Chesapeake Bay Program released a report last week that said a factor in the decline could be attributed to more water flowing from rivers into the bay following record rainfalls. Underwater grasses are a key indicator of the bay’s health and help to protect wildlife such as crabs. The increase in fresh water can reduce clarity in the bay and block sunlight from reaching the underwater grasses. The Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership of various organizations that are focused on restoring the bay’s health.

NATION’S CAPITAL-PSYCHEDELICS

Activists seek to decriminalize ‘magic’ mushrooms in DC

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite pandemic conditions that made normal signature-gathering almost impossible, activists in Washington, D.C., say they have enough signatures for a November ballot initiative that would decriminalize natural psychedelics such as certain mushrooms. Activists presented more than 36,000 signatures to the Board of Elections. They claim the plant-based psychedelics can successfully treat depression, trauma and addiction. The initiative would direct the police to treat such natural psychedelics as a low law-enforcement priority. But even if it passes, supporters acknowledge it will probably be blocked by Congress, which retains the right to alter or even overturn D.C. laws.

REDSKINS NICKNAME

Washington’s NFL team drops ‘Redskins’ name after 87 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington’s NFL team is shedding the “Redskins” name and logo after recent pressure from sponsors and decades of criticism that they are offensive to Native Americans. The change comes less than two weeks after team owner Dan Snyder launched an organizational review of the name. A new name for one of football’s oldest franchises must still be selected and it’s unclear how soon that will happen. Native American experts and advocates have long protested the name they call a “dictionary-defined racial slur.” The name dates to 1933 when the team was still based in Boston.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-VIRGINIA-STATUE

Descendant of J.E.B. Stuart wants statue at his birthplace

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A direct descendant of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart says he wants to bring his ancestor’s statue from Richmond to the cavalryman’s birthplace in Patrick County in southwest Virginia. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports Dr. James E.B. Stuart V, a Richmond orthopedic surgeon, formally asked Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and the City Council on Monday to allow the transfer of the statue to the J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust Inc. The trust is a 29-year-old nonprofit organization that operates Laurel Hill on a portion of the farm where the Confederate grew up in Ararat near the North Carolina border.