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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of Friday, August 27, 2021:
Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine say they are closely monitoring the situation in Kabul. Both hold positions on senate committees regarding intelligence and foreign affairs. Warner described the bombing as quote “horrifying,” adding that he will continue communicating with intelligence and white house officials to learn more about what happened. Kaine also says it’s important to prioritize the evacuation of U.S. citizens and at-risk Afghan allies.
While evacuation efforts continue to evolve, state officials say Virginia is prepared to support more Afghans leaving their home country. Patrick Larsen has more.
The American Civil Liberties Union announced yesterday that the Gloucester County School Board has agreed to pay over $1 million in attorney’s fees and costs to resolve former student Gavin Grimm’s case. For six years, Grimm challenged the school board’s policy regarding transgender students’ access to bathrooms. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court declined to review lower court decisions ruling that the bathroom policy violated Title 9 and the Constitution. In a statement, Grimm said he hopes this outcome quote: “sends a strong message to other school systems, that discrimination is an expensive losing battle.”
The Republican Party of Virginia has filed a lawsuit to get Democrat Terry McAuliffe off the ballot, arguing his elections paperwork is incomplete. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the lawsuit alleges the former Virginia governor didn’t provide a signature on his declaration of candidacy, and that two staffers falsely said they saw him sign it. McAuliffe’s campaign disputes these claims and is calling the lawsuit a quote “desperate attempt” to make way for his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, but state health officials say Virginia families are falling behind on their shots. Dr. Tiffany Kimbrough is a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. She says people see a lot of information about all kinds of vaccines that can be hard to sort through. When kids fall behind on normal immunizations, like mumps and measles, that puts schools at risk of outbreaks, on top of existing COVID concerns. Kimbrough says if you’re unsure of your child’s immunization status, reach out to your family physician.
Three Virginia educational institutions are one step closer to creating a joint school of public health. Jonah Grinkewitz, from our partner station WHRV, has more.
