Dogwood Daily: Virginia congresswomen set to play leading role in impeachment inquiry

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all of today’s Virginia news coming right up. And if you’re a fan, please forward to three friends who need to know what’s going on in the Commonwealth and tell them to subscribe here. 

But first…

Three lottery tickets worth $50,000.00 each are about to expire in Virginia. Lottery officials said the tickets were purchased in Manassas Park, Chesapeake and Danville.

Five things you need to know today…

1. Centrist Democrats Spanberger, Luria and Wexton spearhead impeachment inquiry: Virginia Democratic Congresswomen Abigail Spanberger, Elaine Luria and Jennifer Wexton are likely to play leading roles in the U.S. House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. In the search for leaders on the highly politicized process of investigating Trump for possible abuse of power, this trio is not the first group of lawmakers that come to mind. These freshman Democrats built their careers on winning over moderate voters, all relying on center-left platforms to knock out Republican incumbents during the 2018 elections. Nevertheless, while getting wrapped up in the impeachment inquiry is a political risk, they see it as their “constitutional duty” to investigate Trump, who they believe has crossed the line this time. -The Dogwood
   
   
2. Virginia report shows record-high number of opioid-related deaths: Three hundred twenty-four Virginia residents died of an opioid overdose in the first three months of 2019, according to a new report. Twenty-two of those deaths occurred in Fairfax County, the highest of any jurisdiction. “In Fairfax County, more people die from overdoses than car accidents,” the county’s website said. -WUSA9
   
   
3. If dry spell continues, Virginia farmers will take a hit: In many parts of Virginia, this September was the driest month on record and heading into October, much of the state is experiencing moderate drought. If it doesn’t rain soon, farmers are in trouble. “We’re at a critical point if we don’t get some rain and get it soon,” said Elaine Lidholm of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Hay is among the hardest hit crops in the Commonwealth so far, with more than half of the state’s hay crop in poor or very poor condition. -WVTF
   
   
4. Poll: Support for legal marijuana spikes in Virginia: The number of Virginians who support legalized recreational marijuana spiked over the past two years to 61 percent, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by the University of Mary Washington. That’s a 22-point increase from the last time the poll was conducted, in Sept. 2017. “‘The times they are a-changin’ — here in the Old Dominion,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political science professor at the school. -Virginia Mercury
   
   
5. Virginia Zoo debuts electronics recycling program to save wildlife: The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk is recycling electronics to reduce the amount of minerals that need to be mined and help keep the technology out of landfills. Devices like cell phones contain rare minerals and metals like tantalum, a metallic ore that is mined in the African Congo. The mining destroys habitats and threatens animals like the Eastern bongo and yellow-backed duiker, both of which can be seen at the Virginia Zoo. On top of the mining dangers, disposing of the items in landfills can lead to minerals leaching into the soil and water sources. -13NewsNow

A chart before you go…