Tag: virginia

Virginia GOP Governor Claims Legalizing Marijuana Sales Would Harm Children And Increase Crime

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) emphasized during his State of the Commonwealth address that he’s not interested in cooperating with lawmakers to legalize marijuana sales in the state, claiming that doing so would hurt children, worsen mental health and increase violent crime.

“Strong communities work to prevent harmful drug use,” the governor said during the speech on Monday.

Use, possession and limited cultivation of cannabis by adults are already legal in Virginia, the result of a Democrat-led proposal approved by lawmakers in 2021. But Republicans, after winning control of the House and governor’s office later that year, subsequently blocked the required reenactment of a regulatory framework for retail sales. Since then, illicit stores have sprung up to meet consumer demand.

Supporters of regulating commercial sales in the state say the move would not create a cannabis market in Virginia but instead regulate the state’s existing illicit market, which some estimates value at nearly $3 billion. But Youngkin has rejected the idea, issuing a veto of a legal sales measure passed by lawmakers after Democrats retook control of the legislature last year.

“Everyone knows where I stand on establishing a retail marijuana market,” Youngkin said in his speech. “Let’s work together on other issues where we can find common ground.”

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FBI Discovers Largest Homemade Explosives Cache in History at Virginia Man’s Home — Allegedly Used Biden Photos for Target Practice

A Virginia man, Brad Spafford, 36, was arrested earlier this month after authorities discovered what they claim is the largest stockpile of homemade explosives in FBI history.

Spafford, who reportedly used images of Joe Biden for target practice, is being labeled by federal agents as an “extreme danger to the community.”

During a search of Spafford’s 20-acre property, authorities found over 150 homemade explosive devices, including pipe bombs labeled as “lethal.”

The arrest initially stemmed from a comparatively minor charge of possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle, Court Watch first reported.

In a sworn affidavit, an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agent alleged that Spafford had disfigured fingers from a homemade explosion dating back to July 4, 2021.

The agent also noted suspicions that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammunition for some time, making him a “clear and present danger.”

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Police Raid Pro-Palestine Students’ Home in FBI-Led Graffiti Investigation

In the early morning hours of November 7, more than 12 police officers showed up outside at an address in Springfield, Virginia, knocked, broke down the door, and raided the family home of two Palestinian American students at George Mason University.

University and Fairfax County police refused to show the family the warrant. One Fairfax County detective with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force — cross-designated as a local and federal agent — was also present. The family and Mason faculty supporting them, however, believe they know what the FBI-led investigation was about: the young family members’ pro-Palestine activism.

Two of the Palestinian American family’s daughters attend George Mason. One is an undergraduate student and the co-president of Mason’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. The other is in a master’s program at Mason and a former president of the school’s SJP chapter.

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Protective Nets To Shield F-22s Eyed For Airbase Swarmed By Mystery Drones

U.S. Air Force officials at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia are looking at installing anti-drone nets to help protect F-22 Raptor stealth fighters on the flightline. This comes nearly a year after the base was subjected to waves of still-mysterious drone incursions, which The War Zone was first to report. It also underscores the U.S. military’s continued lag when it comes to responding to the very real threats posed by uncrewed aerial systems, at home and aboard, and particular hurdles to doing so domestically.

Langley’s 633rd Contracting Squadron put out a notice on October 4 asking for information about potential counter-drone netting that could be installed around up to 42 existing open-ended sunshade-type shelters at the base. Langley, now technically part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, is one of a select few bases to host F-22s and is a key component of the Air Force’s posture to defend the U.S. homeland.

The 633rd “is in the process of determining the acquisition strategy to obtain non-personal services for the Unmanned Ariel Services (UAS) Netting for East Ramp Metal Sunshades,” according to the contracting notice. “The intention of the netting is to deter and ultimately prevent the intrusion of UAS’s near airmen and aircraft. This initial sunshade netting installation on the metal sunshade (bay Alpha 1) shall serve as a proof of concept for the remaining sunshades.”

The “netting should be capable of disabling a Group 1/ “Small” Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), such as the DJI Matrice 300 RTK, while remaining attached,” the notice explains. Per the U.S. military’s definitions, drones in Group 1 can have weights of up to 20 pounds, fly up to 1,200 feet, and reach speeds of up to 100 knots.

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Virginia Prosecutors Fight to Uphold Life Sentence for Man Found Not Guilty

In 1998, someone shot and killed police officer Allen Gibson in the woods behind an apartment complex in the small town of Waverly, Virginia. Police arrested Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne for Gibson’s murder days later—despite a lack of physical evidence linking them to the crime and the presence of another possible suspect. 

In 2001, a jury found them not guilty of murder. A judge sentenced them to life in prison anyway. 

Richardson and Claiborne have been fighting to prove their innocence ever since.

In February, the Virginia Supreme Court gave Richardson a chance to make his case by ordering a new hearing to examine potentially exculpatory evidence. Richardson’s legal team says this material was never shared with his original defense attorneys—a violation of a U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Brady v. Maryland. (Richardson’s case is following a separate procedure than Claiborne’s.)

The innocence claim centers around three pieces of evidence: an anonymous call to a police tip line identifying someone other than Richardson as a suspect, a photo lineup administered to a 9-year-old witness, in which she identified a suspect other than Richardson, and a statement made by her on the day of Gibson’s death in 1998 describing someone whose hairstyle did not match Richardson’s.

At the hearing in Sussex County Circuit Court this May, Richardson’s legal team set out to prove that this evidence could have changed the outcome of the case. But they were derailed by what Richardson’s attorneys have characterized as a deliberate effort by state prosecutors and federal law enforcement officials to undermine Richardson’s innocence claim.

“Terence and Ferrone are innocent,” Jarrett Adams, an attorney for both Richardson and Claiborne, told The Appeal. “They are not innocent by accident.”

For Richardson and Claiborne, the hearing was perhaps their best chance to bolster their innocence claims with recently unearthed evidence. But ultimately, the judge allowed only one item to be admitted as evidence before the Virginia Court of Appeals—the same court that had previously dismissed his case.  With Richardson’s case now once again set to go before the potentially unfriendly Appeals court, his legal team fears he faces an uphill battle to prove his innocence.

“We’re up against the impossible,” Adams said.

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Virginia County’s Election Manual Says People Who Show ‘Noncitizen’ ID Cards Can Still Vote

An election officer training manual issued by Prince William County, Virginia, appears to instruct poll workers that people who show ID cards which are issued “only to non-citizens” may still vote if they fulfill additional requirements, none of which provide evidence of citizenship.

As the manual states, the Virginia Driver Privilege Card “is not acceptable because it is given only to non-citizens.” Driver Privilege Cards (DPCs) are issued to non-U.S. citizens who are unable to demonstrate any sort of legal presence in the United States, so most holders are likely illegal aliens.

The manual instructs election workers that people who show a Driver Privilege Card may still cast “a regular ballot if (1) they are in your pollbook and (2) have another valid ID or sign an ID Confirmation Statement.” Neither of these requirements proves the would-be voter’s citizenship.

(If the voter can’t even meet those requirements, Prince William County says he may “vote a provisional ballot.”)

Although positive evidence of citizenship is not required to vote in Virginia, the presentation of a card that is only issued to noncitizens suggests that person is not eligible to vote. It is a federal crime — across the entire United States — for any noncitizen to cast a ballot in a U.S. federal election.

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Mysterious black ring appears in the sky over Virginia

 A mysterious black ring appeared in the sky over southeastern Virginia on Tuesday.

Nexstar’s WAVY started receiving messages shortly after 11 a.m. as viewers of reached out with images and video of the ominous looking ring floating in the sky.

Ron Stepp, who sent in video, said he was working in the vicinity of Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg when it appeared overhead. He described it a huge smoke ring and said it disappeared after about 10 minutes.

Another person in the area of Old Mooretown Road stopped to snap some photos of it.

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Virginia Democrat Councilman Charged With Election Fraud, Illegal Voting

Police arrested a Virginia Democrat this week on felony charges of election and voter fraud.

Blacksburg Town Councilman Liam Watson, a 24-year-old Democrat operative, allegedly committed three counts of election fraud and one count of illegal voting in an election in August 2023, according to online court records. The Montgomery County grand jury “handed up” the charges on Tuesday, and Watson turned himself in to the Virginia State Police (VSP) on Wednesday, according to VSP Public Relations Director Corinne Geller.

“The United States Postal Inspection Service assisted the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation with this matter,” Geller said in an email. “The investigation remains ongoing.”

Watson allegedly “feloniously and intentionally” made false statements or entries last year on his Virginia voter registration application, on a statement of organization candidate committee, and on a declaration of candidacy form, according to indictments obtained by The Federalist. He also allegedly “feloniously and intentionally” voted in an election in which “he was not qualified to vote.”

All of the crimes were allegedly committed in Montgomery County, which contains the town of Blacksburg.

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Lynchburg City Council Candidate Challenges Legitimacy of Republican Primary Results, Citing Irregularities and Potential Tampering

Peter Alexander, a candidate for the City Council of Lynchburg, Virginia, has lodged a formal complaint in the Lynchburg Circuit Court, questioning the legitimacy of the recent Republican primary election results.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported the campaigns of Peter Alexander and Chris Faraldi, both candidates in the June 18th primary for City Council in Ward 4, have reported multiple irregularities, including issues with mail-in ballots and potential breaches in the chain of custody.

There are significant concerns regarding the chain-of-custody of ballots collected from drop boxes. Additionally, absentee ballot processing began before observers were permitted to monitor the process. Records also show that ballot box seals were broken before observers could watch, suggesting potential tampering or mishandling of ballots.

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What’s Happening in Lynchburg, Virginia? Shocking New Video Reveals Ballot Dropbox Left Open for Days, Mail-In Ballots Collected After Election, and No Security Camera Present!

As reported last week at The Gateway Pundit, the integrity of the Republican primary in Lynchburg has been called into question following a series of alleged procedural breaches.

The campaigns of Peter Alexander and Chris Faraldi, both candidates in the June 18th primary for City Council in Ward 4, reported multiple irregularities, including issues with mail-in ballots and potential breaches in the chain of custody.

According to the Lynchburg City Registrar, the race remains too close to call, with incumbent Chris Faraldi holding a narrow lead of 21 votes over Peter Alexander for the Ward 4 seat.

Concerns about the Lynchburg Republican primary center on several key issues. Primarily, there are significant concerns regarding the chain of custody of ballots collected from drop boxes.

Additionally, absentee ballot processing began before observers were permitted to monitor the process. Records also show that ballot box seals were broken before observers could watch, suggesting potential tampering or mishandling of ballots.

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