The VPM Daily Newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of April 27, 2023:
No ruling in pretrial hearing over Charlottesville's Lee monument
Reported by Calvin Pynn for VPM News
A Tuesday pretrial hearing in a lawsuit regarding the fate of Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee monument ended without a ruling. Instead, a Charlottesville Circuit Court judge will review more information related to the suit.
The Lee statue was removed from city property in 2021 and donated by the city to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. The organization intends to smelt it and use the material for a future art installation, as part of its “Swords Into Plowshares” project. Two organizations that had bid for the property sued in response.
“Our intent is to move forward, and this event is not deferring our actions in the project at large,” Andrea Douglas, the center’s executive director, told reporters in a press briefing following the hearing.
Longtime Hanover school board member will retire
Reported by VPM News’ Lyndon German
John F. Axselle III, chairperson of the Hanover County School Board, announced plans to retire after his term concludes on June 30. Hanover’s Board of Supervisors heard nominations to fill his seat, which he’s held for 28 years, during a public hearing Wednesday.
Axselle’s most recent term was marked by controversy starting in July 2022, when the Hanover County NAACP published an open letter to the school board detailing concerns about specific school board members: John Redd of the Mechanicsville District and Axselle.
In other news:
- Prosecutor wants 1 trial for 10 charged in patient's death (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
In case you missed it:
- Stanley's hoagie bar opens in former Robin Inn spot in the Fan (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- Virginia expects largest oyster harvest in three decades (The Washington Post)