|
"Copies of the reports will only be distributed as 'confidential working papers' to the governor, the speaker of the House of Delegates and the president pro tempore of the Senate."
|
The Virginia Board of Corrections wrapped up its first batch of inmate death investigations Wednesday, voting unanimously to clear about a dozen jails in 23 deaths that occurred in 2017 and 2018. But while the board is satisfied that the jails it has investigated so far acted appropriately, the public won’t get a chance to review those findings. The board told reporters no information about their reviews will be made public beyond the date of the death, the name of the facility in which it occurred and the internal case number of the investigation. Copies of the reports will only be distributed as “confidential working papers” to the governor, the speaker of the House of Delegates and the president pro tempore of the Senate. Likewise, the board has been hearing from their investigators and discussing findings in lengthy closed meetings. In each case, they justified the decision by citing the discussion of “medical and mental health matters.” The board’s vice-chairman, Bobby N. Vassar, said the board has no choice, citing federal regulations governing medical information.
Virginia Mercury
A lawsuit highlighting political divides between Bedford County leadership came to an abrupt end with a settlement days before the matter was scheduled to go to trial Wednesday. Gerald “Jerry” Earnest Craig was Bedford County’s tourism director from December 2014 until he was fired in May 2016. Almost a year after he was fired, he filed suit against Bedford County and four county officials, demanding $3 million in damages. He claimed he was wrongfully terminated for political reasons and the county violated his First Amendment rights to political association and free speech. Those claims arose from a Bedford County Republican Committee meeting in October 2014 where Craig participated in a censure vote of then-county supervisors Curry Martin, Steve Wilkerson and current supervisor Bill Thomasson for raising real estate taxes, according to his complaint. At the time, The News & Advance reported the censure vote also arose because the supervisors didn’t respond to a request for them to explain their decision to the committee.
The News & Advance
Construction has begun on one of two major natural gas pipelines in Virginia and state and local officials have already reported spending almost $126,000 responding to protests aimed at halting work. It’s a number that is only likely to rise this year as construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline progresses and work on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline begins, raising questions among some local officials about just who should pay for all that policing. At least two counties have discussed seeking reimbursements from the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s lead developer, EQT Midstream Partners. Other governments and agencies, including the Virginia State Police, said they’re planning to shoulder the cost themselves.
Virginia Mercury
|
