Black Lives Matter Marches Continue Statewide, Republicans Oust Riggleman, Black Alums Urge Vmi To Acknowledge Racism, And More Headlines

From the Virginia Mercury:

By Ned Oliver

NEWS TO KNOW
Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.

• For a second consecutive weekend, thousands rallied and marched in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.—VPM, The Daily Progress, Smyth County News & Messenger, Culpeper Star-Exponent, The Free Lance-Star, Martinsville Bulletin

• “Police in Richmond used what appeared to be pepper spray on demonstrators twice late Sunday after hundreds protested an incident Saturday evening in which a city police vehicle hit several people while driving through a group.”—The Washington Post

• Bob Good, a conservative activist and former Liberty University employee, won the GOP nomination for the 5th Congressional District, ousting sitting U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman, who had outraged some members of his party when he officiated a same-sex wedding. “We look forward to making the district bright red again,” Good said. “This is a strong, conservative 5th District.”—The Roanoke Times

• Background check requests, a proxy for gun sales, were up 77 percent in the first five months of this year. Merchants say buyers were motivated first by state Democrats’ pledge to pass gun control bills then by fears of unrest due to COVID-19 and stimulus checks that made it easier for some to afford their purchases. Now they say mass demonstrations that have occasionally turned violent have prompted the biggest spike yet.—The Virginian-Pilot

• “Richmond police detained several people equipped with assault-style rifles, handguns, ammunition and body armor early Friday after a confrontation at the Robert E. Lee monument.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• “Black alumni of Virginia Military Institute are speaking out against racism at their alma mater, asking the state-funded military school to acknowledge that racism exists among the ranks and to make changes, starting with the removal of the statue of Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson that sits in front of the barracks.”—The Roanoke Times

• Armed protesters in Alexandria demonstrated against a proposed ordinance to ban firearms in municipal buildings and parks.—The Washington Post

• “State Health Commissioner Norman Oliver said in an interview Friday that the state plans to meet its goal of deploying 1,270 contact tracers by the end of June, as he acknowledged ‘hiccups’ in the process have led to the hiring of just 316 tracers statewide.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• The state has so far spent more than $44 million on masks, gloves, gowns and other protective equipment.—Daily Press

• As Virginia Beach prepares for sea level rise, officials have adopted an unofficial policy of not talking about the cause of the problem they’re rushing to address, with the words climate change “unofficially verboten at meetings.”—The Virginian-Pilot

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