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. 13, 2023:
Virginia crime lab director digging into allegations uncovered by podcast
Reported by VPM News’ Ben Paviour
The director of Virginia’s Department of Forensic Science said this week that allegations of misconduct at the state crime lab beginning in the 1970s and detailed in Admissible: Shreds of Evidence are under review.
Members of the Forensic Science Board’s Scientific Advisory Committee — an oversight board consisting of outside experts — recently heard a rundown of the podcast from DFS staff. The committee and the FSB itself were set up in 2005, in the wake of a national audit that found flaws in the lab’s post-conviction work in the case of Earl Washington Jr.
DFS’ current director didn’t commit to auditing thousands of cases, but said she’s taking the podcast’s findings seriously.
How much a healthy smile costs Richmond’s Latino residents
Reported by VPM News’ Keyris Manzanares
A recent free dental care clinic was sponsored by Mission of Mercy, the 2023 Special Olympics and Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Dentistry. The goal was to provide dental care to participants and individuals with intellectual disabilities in the Richmond area. But organizers opened the event to the public, and soon a flyer with event details in Spanish circulated on Facebook.
According to 2020 Census data, about 104,488 Latinos live in the Richmond region. Approximately 1 in 8 Virginia residents is an immigrant, according to the American Immigration Council. Overall, Latinos are the second fastest growing group in the United States, and several reports have found they face barriers to accessing oral health care.
In other news:
- Massive Scott's Addition building looks for revival (Richmond Times-Dispatch)*
In case you missed it:
- Charlottesville had — and lost — a shelter that social workers say could have helped hundreds of unhoused people (Charlottesville Tomorrow)
- RNC denies Virginia GOP’s request for cash ahead of 2023 elections (National Review)
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.
