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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of June 9, 2023:
Virginia providers ask federal judge to shield abortion pill access
Reported by VPM News’ Whittney Evans
A federal judge in Charlottesville heard arguments Thursday from attorneys representing abortion providers in three states asking the court to shield them from further restrictions on the abortion drug mifepristone.
Specifically, providers want the FDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to abandon the set of restrictions known as a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (“REMS”), which has applied to mifepristone since it was approved 23 years ago. REMS regulates mifepristone in a similar way to chemotherapy drugs, which providers argue is unnecessary and misleading.
What the providers ultimately want is for the federal government to remove the REMS designation entirely. In the meantime, they’ve asked District Judge Robert S. Ballou for a preliminary injunction to prevent further restrictions and maintain the status quo. That’s the same protection a federal judge in Washington state granted to 17 states and the District of Columbia, whose attorneys general signed on to an abortion case there.
PlanRVA recommends Pulse line extension into Henrico
Reported by VPM News’ Ian Stewart
A possible extension of the Pulse rapid transit bus line along West Broad Street to North Parham Road is in the works.
But before any passenger can hop on, there’s a ton of infrastructure work that needs to be done, including making the stops accessible for people with disabilities, said Dan Motta, transportation planner with Plan RVA.
PlanRVA recently released its analysis of a proposed Pulse expansion to Short Pump. It found broad support for the project as well as several obstacles to its development, concluding that a phased approach would be best. The first phase would be extending the rapid transit line 4 miles further from its current end point at Willow Lawn.
In other news:
- A preview of Juneteenth events (Style Weekly)
- Advocates say ranked choice voting can 'save democracy' in Charlottesville and beyond (The Daily Progress)
- Weekend performances still planned at Altria Theater in wake of shooting (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
In case you missed it: