Judge Pauses Lee Statue Removal, Henrico Weighs Hate Crime Charges In Attack By Klan Member, 17-Year Cicadas, And More Headlines

From the Virginia Mercury:

By Ned Oliver

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

• “A judge in Richmond issued an injunction preventing Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration from removing an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee for 10 days. The order says the state is a party to a deed recorded in March 1890 in which it accepted the statue, pedestal and ground they sit on and agreed to ‘faithfully guard’ and ‘affectionately protect’ them.”—Associated Press

• Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor said her office is weighing hate crime charges against a self-identified Ku Klux Klan leader who drove his car through a crowd of protesters Sunday.—The Washington Post

• Local governments in Virginia will soon have the authority to ban firearms in parks, government buildings and other municipal properties.—Daily Press

• “The University of Virginia will spend nearly $400,000 to purchase masks and protective gear in an effort to safely reopen in the fall.”—The Daily Progress

• “Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. on Monday issued a rare apology for invoking Gov. Ralph Northam’s blackface scandal while attacking the state’s new mask requirements — a controversial episode that helped spark protests across the city and prompted at least four black employees to resign from the Christian institution.”—The News & Advance

• Ferrum College said it rescinded an incoming freshman’s offer after being made aware of his racist social media posts, and Virginia Tech says it’s reviewing offensive posts made by 10 current and incoming students.—The Roanoke Times

• The Catholic Diocese of Richmond says it’s investigating allegations four priests sexually abused children.—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• The police chief in Abingdon retired suddenly after a Facebook post resurfaced from earlier this year in which he made observations about white supremacy that he now calls satirical.—Bristol Herald Courier

• Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy says he’s now open to renaming 10 bases and facilities named for Confederate leaders, including Forts Pickett, A.P. Hill and Lee in Virginia.—Politico

• “The symphony of one million weedeaters? A chorus of chain saws? The high-pitched hum of an alien spaceship from a cheesy 1950s sci-fi movie?” The 17-year cicadas are emerging.—The Roanoke Times

Sign up here to get these headlines and the Mercury’s original reporting delivered to your inbox daily in News to Know, our free newsletter.

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