A Slew Of New Laws To Take Effect Today, Richmond Judge Won’t Limit Police Use Of Tear Gas, Covid-19 Cases Spike In Southwest Va.; More

From the Virginia Mercury:

By Graham Moomaw

July 1, 2020

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

• A slew of new laws passed by Virginia’s Democratic majorities in the General Assembly take effect today.—The Virginian-Pilot

• One new law, the Community Policing Act, will require police to gather and report racial information on the people they stop.—Prince William Times

• “In naming Richmond’s third police chief in three weeks, Mayor Levar Stoney deviated from a vetting process laid out by his own administration.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• A Richmond judge denied the ACLU of Virginia’s request for an emergency order restricting police use of tear gas against protesters.—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• On the eve of Virginia’s entrance into Phase 3 of its reopening plan, Gov. Ralph Northam changed his mind about letting patrons be served at bars.—Associated Press

• Phase 3 means looser rules for gyms and recreational activity.—The Daily Progress

• The state’s coronavirus-related budget shortfall may not be as bad as initially feared.—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• As reopening continues, COVID-19 numbers are spiking in Southwest Virginia.—Roanoke Times

• The Virginia Employment Commission ordered employees to work from home after a worker at its Henrico headquarters tested positive for COVID-19 — the fourth in the past three months.—NBC12

• A former bank president whose fraud scheme caused the collapse of Bank of the Commonwealth is being let out of federal prison on compassionate release after serving less than a third of a 23-year sentence.—Virginian-Pilot

• Virginia Tech researchers have been trying to solve the mysteries of flying snakes.—CNN

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