(ABC7) MGMonline – Several police departments are investigating a series of break-ins and burglaries at gun stores in the Richmond, Va. area. Police say three separate break-ins have occurred on March 21 where numerous handguns were stolen. Police believe all three burglaries are related. The three locations are: Hopkins Gun and Tackle located at 8151 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Mechanicsville, Va. Southern Police Equipment a FFL located at 7609 Midlothian Turnpike, North Chesterfield, Va. Cross Tactical Supply a FFL located at 375 E. Williamsburg Road, Henrico, Va. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) along with the National Shooting Sports…
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Virginia Department of Forestry – Escalated fire weather conditions will be present over the Commonwealth of Virginia today and Thursday. “Strong, dry winds will combine with above-normal temperatures and low relative humidity to increase the potential for fast-spreading wildfires,” said John Miller, director of resource protection for the Virginia Department of Forestry. “Wildfires occurring under these conditions represent a dangerous threat to people and property. Care should be used when considering any outdoor activities that could lead to an accidental fire start,” Miller said. The Virginia Department of Forestry has wildland firefighting resources across Virginia and is working with local…
By Grant Smith – Capital News Service A score of environmental activists practiced their putting Wednesday outside the headquarters of the state Department of Environmental Quality, highlighting the recent controversy over Dominion Virginia Power’s paying for DEQ Director David Paylor’s trip to the Masters golf tournament in 2013. The protesters, dressed in golf attire, displayed a Masters-inspired banner that read “Dominion & DEQ, a tradition unlike any other.” Meanwhile, other protest members boarded golf carts, shuttling between the DEQ office and Dominion’s headquarters several blocks away. On March 14, WAMU, a public radio station in Washington, reported that Dominion paid for…
Virginia’s lawmakers passed a bill which will allow for the eventual production and distribution of low THC marijuana oils in the Commonwealth. After lengthy discussions and negotiations in both houses, SB701, Cannabidiol oil and THC-A oil; permitting of pharmaceutical processors to manufacture and provide, passed the House of Delegates unanimously on Monday. The bill returned to the Senate Tuesday with amendments and passed with a vote of 39-0. The bill now goes to the Governor’s desk for his signature. “Providing this medication to Virginians is absolutely the right thing to do,” said Senator Dave Marsden, the sponsor of the legislation.“THCa and CBD oils have…
By Grant Smith Capital News Service: If the governor adds his signature, Virginians could be fined $100 for smoking in a car in the presence of children. The Senate joined the House by giving final approval to a bill that would make smoking in a motor vehicle with passengers younger than 8 a violation punishable by a civil penalty of $100. The violation would be a secondary offense, meaning it would affect only individuals who have already been pulled over by police for a traffic violation or other offense. The Senate passed House Bill 1348 in a vote of 27-12 on…
By Rachel Beatrice – Capital News Service Bicycling advocates are happy that legislators have killed a bill requiring all bicyclists under 18 to wear helmets in Virginia. Helmets can keep riders safe, but mandatory helmet laws are counterproductive, according to the Virginia Bicycling Federation. “While the Virginia Bicycling Federation encourages helmet use,” said Champe Burnley, president of the organization, “we believe that mandatory helmet laws discourage people from riding bikes, make basic transportation less accessible and as a matter of public policy, do not significantly increase bike safety.” Last week, the House Transportation Committee tabled House Bill 1360, which sought to…
By James Miessler – Capital News Service The black vulture of Virginia has found itself in the crosshairs of legislation passed by the Senate this week. Senate Bill 37, sponsored by Sen. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson, would authorize the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to make agreements with government agencies and with farmers and other people to control the black vulture population. The Senate voted 39-1 on Wednesday in favor of the bill. The lone dissenter was Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath. SB 37 now goes to the House of Delegates for consideration. Carrico said the vultures have become a…
On February 2, 2016 Virginia Parents for Medical Marijuana will hold a Press Conference at 11:15 am in front of the Virginia General Assembly Building in Richmond. The group, composed of parents and their children with intractable epilepsy, will be in Richmond to lobby members of the Assembly in support of Senate Bill (SB) 701, “Cannabidiol oil and THC-A oil; permitting of pharmaceutical processors to manufacture and provide.” The group was successful last year in helping to pass Senator Dave Marsden’s bill, SB1235 and Delegate Dave Albo’s bill, HB1445 which provided an affirmative defense to patients with intractable epilepsy taking Cannabidiol oil (CBD)…
Legislative Showdown Looms Over Guns By Rachel Beatrice and Matt Chaney, Capital News Service The political battle over guns in Virginia is shifting to the state Capitol as the General Assembly convenes Wednesday for its 2016 session. The state’s leading Democrats fired the latest shots: In October, Gov. Terry McAuliffe banned weapons from state buildings. Then last month, Attorney General Mark Herring announced that the commonwealth would no longer recognize concealed handgun permits issued by 25 states that he said do not meet Virginia’s standards. Those moves outraged Republican legislators. Del. Todd Gilbert of Shenandoah, for example, accused Herring of…
The Virginia Senate this week has decided to move the public’s business farther from the public. The Virginia Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Virginia Press Association, and the Virginia Coalition for Open Government are disappointed by Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment’s action to refuse to allow journalists onto the Senate floor to cover the General Assembly proceedings, as reported by The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Washington Post and others. Norment has banished the press to cramped quarters where it is difficult to do its job. The press serves as the public’s eyes and ears in General…