Virginia Records Highest Number Of Crash Fatalities; More Headlines

A Virginia Mercury Staff Report

April 20, 2022

• Virginia recorded its highest number of crash fatalities on state roads since 2007 last year, and crash deaths appear to be increasing further this year.—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• “A Virginia appeals court on Tuesday voided the convictions of a man who served more than two decades in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting his two young sons in the 1990s, finding that medical testimony presented at the time is now considered unreliable.”—Associated Press

• Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill designed to rein in slumlords by allowing local governments to take legal action against landlords who don’t address serious code violations in a reasonable amount of time.—VPM

• After abuse of the “Farm Use” license plate on vehicles, a new state law will require farmers to obtain a numeric placard from the DMV and have liability coverage on their vehicle.—NBC12

• During a Tazewell County visit, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D) said President Joe Biden’s insistence on using U.S.-made steel and iron could be a boon to Virginia coal production, since the state has increasingly been producing the high-quality metallurgical coal used in steelmaking.—Bluefield Daily Telegraph

• As Democrats brace for congressional midterms, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Henrico called the “defund the police” slogan “a terrible idea” that confused voters and obfuscated the meaning of police reform.—Politico

• In a “long, scathing, and insulting email,” former Democratic congressional candidate Andy Parker blamed two other people for his campaign’s failure to meet a signature requirement needed to make it on the primary ballot in Virginia’s 4th congressional district.—Virginia Scope

• A number of Virginia public transportation systems are making masks optional after a federal judge in Florida struck down a nationwide mask mandate that applied to airplanes and other forms of public transit.—WRIC

• Three sailors on the carrier USS George Washington, which is being refueled and overhauled at Newport News Shipbuilding, died within a single week.—Virginian-Pilot

• The U.S. Department of Labor found yet another Hampton Roads business violated labor laws by failing to pay several employees more than $3,500 in overtime wages and violating child labor laws. Earlier this month the department ordered a local restaurant chain to pay more than $176,000 in unpaid overtime to workers.—Virginian-Pilot

• Employees at five Richmond-area Starbucks stores voted overwhelmingly in support of unionizing Tuesday, joining a growing national unionization movement. Employees “hope the effort will result in higher pay and safer working conditions.”—WVTF

• A former Albemarle teacher is suing the school district, saying she faced a racially hostile work environment and was eventually forced to resign after she complained about anti-racism training.—Daily Progress

• A fight over whether an Albemarle Staffordshire bull terrier named Niko should be put down has lasted more than six years but may end with his release after a Virginia Court of Appeals ruling.—Daily Progress

• The Fairfax home being sold for $800,000 with the caveat that someone is living in the basement got five offers and is now under contract.—Fox 5

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This story was originally published by the Virginia Mercury. For more stories from the Virginia Mercury, visit Virginia Mercury.com.