Richmond, VA – In an incredible end to a historic week in the Virginia House of Delegates, President Joe Biden congratulated newly sworn-in Speaker Don Scott during a phone call this past Friday night. Speaker Scott told The Grio that Biden also extended an invitation to visit the White House with his family in the coming weeks.
Speaker Scott, an ardent supporter of the president, told The Grio, “The president does not get full credit for all of the work that he’s done [and] all of the investments that he’s made. We have been the beneficiaries of Biden’s policies here in the commonwealth.”
“This was a canary in the coal mine and a bellwether for him to let him know that he’ll be fine in this next election,” Speaker Scott continued.
Thursday, Jan 18: Micro Business Marijuana Presser
On Thursday, January 18th there will be a press conference focused on micro-business opportunities in legislation proposed during this 2024 General Assembly session. Legalizing marijuana in Virginia is an issue that has yet to be fully resolved on a policy level.
According to advocates, “several of the current Virginia medical marijuana operators have joined efforts to help the cannabis industry become much more inclusive for all Virginians.”
🚩 There will be a press conference on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. at the General Assembly Building in the Senate Briefing Room on the 4th floor, 201 N. 9th Street, Richmond.
Richmond Judge: Report on High School Shooting at Public After City Blocked It
In a big public records win for Josh Stanfield, CBS6 Richmond and The Richmond Times Dispatch, Judge Reilly Marchant has ruled that an internal report on the 2023 mass shooting at Huguenot High School’s graduation be made public.
The report must be released with minimal redactions by 1 p.m. today (January 17, 2023). Black Virginia News consulted two esteemed attorneys in Virginia on the matter of the blocked mass shooting report as to why the City of Richmond might be trying to hide the information from the public. Their answer was the same: Legal liability. It’s likely the city will be sued for negligence and the findings in the report will be used against them in a civil lawsuit.
On June 6, 2023, Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Lorenzo Smith, were killed at the high school graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School. The graduation took place at the Altria Theater on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Amari Pollard, 19, was later arrested in the mass shooting.
On Friday, January 12, Judge Reilly Marchant heard testimony all day on the question of why then city was blocking the report from the media and the public. Judge Marchant then ruled that the city provide him with a copy. of the unredacted report. On Jan. 16, Judge Marchant handed down the ruling, which is downloadable above.
Seven other people were shot that day. The shocking mass shooting stunned the city and made national news.
Richmond Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras completed an internal report on the shooting but a majority of the Richmond School Board voted for an external report citing problems with the Kamras report. The report was shown to school board members in closed session during a meeting on Nov. 6, 2023 — but board members were no permitted to keep copies of the document and the public was prohibited from seeing it.
Washington: Deal on Expanding Child Tax Credit
On Jan. 16, senior leaders in Congress announced a bipartisan deal that would expand the child tax credit in exchange for tax breaks for businesses. The child tax credit could lift over 400,000 children out of poverty. The child tax credit is currently $1,800 per qualifying family.
Republican House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith and Senate Democrats, led by Finance Chair Ron Wyden, are saying the $78 billion tax agreement will be a rare point of agreement in a closely divided Congress. Republicans only have a two seat advantage in the U.S. House. The Child Tax Credit lowered the childhood poverty rates in the U.S. after congressional democrats pushed it through in
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