Transparency News, 1/26/2023
Thursday
January 26, 2023
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state & local news stories
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A former chair of the Virginia Parole Board broke numerous laws and policies during a “parole-granting frenzy” in early 2020 and could have been “charged criminally” if those in power at the time had taken her alleged misconduct seriously, according to Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares. At a news conference in Richmond Wednesday announcing the release of an investigative report, Miyares said he and his team had found numerous instances of former Parole Board Chair Adrianne Bennett, who is now serving as a judge in Virginia Beach, falsifying official records. But because state law treats that as a misdemeanor offense, Miyares said, the one-year statute of limitations had already expired by the time his office’s investigation began. Miyares also confirmed that Bennett’s 2021 suspension from the bench was related to her actions on the Parole Board, but he said it would be up to the General Assembly to decide whether she should keep her job as a judge. The 69-page document released Wednesday, Miyares said, shows the situation was “actually worse than we thought.” The report is based on interviews with 38 people and “full access” to government records of the Parole Board, OSIG and the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Virginia Mercury
The Newport News School Board has voted to part ways with Superintendent George Parker III. Parker faced a barrage of criticism after the Jan. 6 shooting of first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner at Richneck Elementary. The shooting is the third on school property in 18 months, following the 2021 shootings at Heritage and Menchville high schools. The vote comes after a series of closed-meeting discussions the board has held in the past two weeks. Board member Gary Hunter, who voted against the separation agreement, likened firing Parker to throwing out the bus driver maneuvering a “busload” of kids down a hill with brakes squealing. A brief, heated exchange occurred when the father of Justice Dunham — who was shot and killed outside Menchville High School in 2021 — stood at the podium and tried to interrupt while Hunter spoke. Hunter made a comment that implied children are misbehaving because parents also misbehave. He later apologized, telling the man he did not know he was Dunham’s father. Though they voted for the agreement, Brown and board member Rebecca Aman expressed concerns with the financial terms of the separation. The agreement states that Parker will receive severance pay equal to two years of his current base salary plus benefits. Parker’s current salary is $251,057.
Daily Press
More than a year after it was completed, an independent report commissioned by Loudoun County Public Schools about the student-on-student sexual assault may be closer to being released. On Tuesday, school board members tentatively scheduled to vote on disclosure at their Feb. 14 meeting, after the December release of a damning special grand jury report on the scandal led to the firing and subsequent indictment of ex-Superintendent Scott Alan Ziegler and the indictment of LCPS spokesman Wayde Belmont Byard. Board members have said much of what is in the grand jury report is in the 32-page independent review which was done by Blankingship & Keith, a Fairfax-based law firm whose attorneys include those who specialize in education law.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
Virginia can brag about many things. The state is, after all, believed to be the original home of the first viable streetcar, one of the nation’s first mental health facilities, and most recently, one of the nation’s youngest local officials. In June of 2022 Maeve McCulloch was your average 18-year-old. A month later, she found herself sitting on Ridgeway’s town council as its newest and youngest member. “‘Oh my gosh, this is crazy,’ I guess was my immediate reaction,” McCulloch said about learning Ridgeway officials had appointed her to sit on the council that serves a population of 746. Her efforts proved successful. According to canvas data from Virginia’s Department of Elections, McCulloch garnered 17 or 3.4% of the votes. With three candidates on the ballot seeking six seats, this placed her fourth.
Cardinal News
Middlesex County was founded in 1668 but it took centuries to establish that date. Even today, some of the signage in the county, along with the official county website, have the incorrect date of establishment as 1673. By the time Middlesex County was settled by the English in the 1640s, British culture and customs of civilization were well established in the New World and were a part of the lives of the first Middlesex County residents. The courts, courthouse system and county clerk were all part of our county’s beginnings, but permanency has not always been the case.
Southside Sentinel
