Lawsuit To Open Legislative Offices Moved to Federal Court
Virginia s legislators have offices in Downtown Richmond s Pocahontas Building. Democratic leaders announced the building will be closed to the public during the upcoming General Assembly session, leading to concerns over access. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM News)
A lawsuit to force Democratic legislative leaders to open member offices to the public during the General Assembly session will now be heard in federal court.
A hearing in the case was scheduled for Monday morning in the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond but was moved to U.S. District Court.
House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Senate Rules Committee Chair Mamie Locke announced earlier this month that the Pocahontas Building, where legislative offices are located, would be open only to credentialed legislative employees and current legislators. The decision followed advice from the Virginia Department of Health.
Loudoun Now
By next October, the Middleburg’s new town office should be fully designed and ready for construction.
The Town Council last Thursday night voted unanimously to award a $651,800 contract for architectural and engineering services for the project to Glavé & Holmes Architecture, which will partner with the North Carolina-based Creech & Associates design firm. It also voted unanimously to award a $417,770 contract for construction management of the building to Downey & Scott.
Once Glavé & Holmes designs the new building, Downey & Scott will assist in the review of the design and construction plans, offer engineering recommendations and provide daily onsite inspections during construction of the new town office, which will be built on the same property as the existing 56-year-old town office. The town will purchase an adjacent property from Salamander Resort & Spa for $1 where it will build a parking lot for the new office and village green. The existing town office wi
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Alabama
Montgomery: Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday extended a mask order until Jan. 22 as the state experiences a record-setting surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Ivey and State Health Officer Scott Harris announced the extension during a news conference at the Alabama Capitol. The order, which requires face coverings to be worn in public when interacting within 6 feet of people outside one’s household, had been scheduled to expire Friday. The Republican governor cited the rising case numbers as she announced the extension. Ivey said she has not seriously considered another lockdown. Alabama this week hit a record for the number of patients in hospitals with COVID-19 with more than 2,000 people hospitalized. The state also saw a record number of daily cases with more than 3,000 new infections being reported daily. The seven-day