Dogwood Daily: News to Go – March 18, 2019

Here’s the Virginia news you need to start your day.

1. $4.5 million dollars spent on protecting Republican Power. Republican leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates have spent $4.5 million fighting to protect racially gerrymandered districts. Republicans are accused of organizing districts in such a way as to intentionally reduce the political influence of black voters in Virginia. The battle has now reached the U.S. Supreme Court and the candidates that appear on your ballot in this year’s elections may well hinge on what happens in Washington, D.C.
2. Amazon is Coming to Town…It’s official, Amazon’s coming to Virginia. Despite protests from local activists, the Arlington County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve $23 million in local incentives for Amazon’s new offices in Crystal City.
3. Racial Disparities Rampant in Richmond Curfew Violations. In yet another example of the disparities in how different races are policed, African Americans account for 98% of curfew violations in Richmond, despite making up only 48% of the city’s population, according to the police department’s own data. Those numbers aren’t great. They’re just not.
4. Virginia Has Strong Showing in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Virginia got game – at least when it comes to basketball. As Senator Tim Kaine tweeted, Virginia has five teams representing the state in NCAA March Madness this year. UVA, Virginia Tech, VCU, Old Dominion, and Liberty University will all compete in this year’s NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. The Cavaliers represent the state’s best shot at bringing home a national championship, so fill out your brackets accordingly.

5. Tornado Drills Scheduled for Tuesday. If you hear an alarm or the words “tornado warning” uttered over the radio tomorrow morning, don’t freak out. Virginia is holding its annual statewide tornado drill on Tuesday at 9:45am. The drill is part of an effort to make sure Virginians take steps to test their emergency procedures and to prepare themselves for any possible tornadoes in 2019.

Until tomorrow!