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 Oct. 4, 2023:
Virginia election officials acknowledge voters mistakenly removed from rolls
Reported by VPM News’ Ben Paviour
A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Elections said the state is working to resolve an issue that caused an unknown number of eligible voters to be removed from the state’s rolls. The move follows VPM News reporting that found people with probation violations lost their eligibility to vote under changes the department instituted over the last year.
ELECT spokesperson Andrea Gaines said state election officials were working with Virginia State Police to identify the names of people whose registration was “canceled in error,” a process she said began Tuesday. In an email, Gaines wrote that ELECT would then pass along those names to local registrars to immediately reinstate the voters.
“Whenever ELECT receives information about a problem with an individual’s registration, we work diligently to research and address the issue,” Gaines said.
She did not provide a timeline for reinstating all of the affected voters.
Warner highlights shutdown risks, urges Congress to pass permanent budget
Reported by WHRO News’ Laura Philion
Sen. Mark Warner was flanked by leaders of marine maintenance companies — defense contractors dependent on federal dollars — when he spoke in Norfolk about last week’s averted shutdown.
The Senate voted 88-9 Saturday night to extend the old budget by 6 weeks. Warner said he wasn’t happy with that result — in part because it’s a continuing resolution, meaning contractors will have to abide by last year’s spending levels.
“So, if you’ve got a ship repaired and you have finished your job, and you've got hope that somebody else is going to come into your dock shortly and be repaired, you can't even move the funds to do the repair,” he said. “This is the stupidest business decision ever. It costs the taxpayers money.”
In other news:
- For Virginia survivors, the scars of human trafficking may include a criminal record they can’t erase (The Virginian-Pilot)*
- Liberty University broke safety laws for years, government asserts (The Washington Post)*
ICYMI:
- Army officer pepper-sprayed during traffic stop asks for new trial in suit against police (The Associated Press)
- JMU professor receives fellowship to help tell story of Black Appalachians (Daily News-Record)*
- Federal officials again criticize diagnosis and treatment delays at Hampton VA hospital (Virginia Mercury)
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.
