Chief Justice will forgo raise, leaves question for others
Published: October 27, 2008
Virginia Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell Sr. says he will forgo the 2 percent raise the General Assembly has approved for judges but will leave it to the conscience of his judicial colleagues as to whether they will do the same.
Hassell made the comment at a meeting of the Virginia Judicial Council, the judiciary’s top [...]
Bloggers dodge lawsuit
Published: October 27, 2008
Two Christiansburg bloggers hit with a $10 million lawsuit by a local businessman may face another round in court after their initial victory this month.
Meanwhile, the increasing numbers of such lawsuits has led a national organization to launch a program that offers legal advice and a liability insurance program for amateur Web-writers like the Christiansburg [...]
Supreme Court floats rule on attorneys’ fees, seeks input
Published: October 27, 2008
The Virginia Supreme Court’s advisory committee on rules of court is proposing a rule that would require attorneys to ask for attorneys’ fees in their initial pleadings or risk waiving the possibility of getting them.
The committee is asking that comments on the proposed Rule 3:25 be sent to by Nov. 24 to Steven Dalle Mura, [...]
Vote absentee…if you have a good excuse
Published: October 27, 2008
(AP) Ever considered voting absentee? State and local election officials in Virginia wish you would.
With an unprecedented tsunami of energized voters expected to flood the polls in an emotional, historic election, absentee voting could help you avoid the hassle and shorten long lines on election day.
Virginia doesn’t have early voting, as many states now do. [...]
Norfolk rail line to cost more, amount unknown
Published: October 27, 2008
NORFOLK—Norfolk’s starter light rail line will cost more to build than projected, but officials say they can’t yet pinpoint the increases.
The rail line will run from Eastern Virginia Medical Center to the Virginia Beach border. It was budgeted at $232.1 million and planned to open in early 2010.
But Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation [...]
Fairfax approves one-day furlough around holidays
Published: October 27, 2008
FAIRFAX—About 9,000 Fairfax County employees will get an extra day off without pay around the holidays.
The Board of Supervisors on Monday approved a one-day furlough for all non-essential county employees on Jan. 2. The furloughs are expected to save up to $2 million and help the county close a $58 million budget shortfall.
County Executive Anthony [...]
Chesterfield cops look into campaign sign theft
Published: October 27, 2008
CHESTER—Chesterfield County police are investigating the theft of a resident’s campaign sign supporting Barack Obama’s bid for the presidency.
The 4-by-8-foot sign in the yard of a black resident was replaced by a Confederate flag.
The Obama sign was posted by 78-year-old Leroy C. McLaughlin, a Baptist minister. He reported it missing on Oct 17.
Despite the theft, [...]
House panel wants VCU to revoke unearned degree
Published: October 27, 2008
A legislative committee wants Virginia Commonwealth University’s Board of Visitors to see if it can revoke a degree it granted Richmond’s former police chief that he didn’t earn.
House Appropriations Committee members on Monday asked VCU to ask its legal advisers whether the board has the power to deny wrongly awarded degrees.
The request came after a [...]
VSB Disciplinary Actions
Published: October 27, 2008
On Oct. 17, a three-judge panel suspended Steven S. Biss’s license to practice law for a year and a day after a four-day hearing in the Chesterfield County Courthouse. At the end of Virginia State Bar counsel’s evidence, Biss acknowledged violations of legal ethics related to his handling of the attempted purchase of [...]
Real Estate - Church Property - Episcopal Church Split - Endowment Fund 
Published: October 27, 2008
In this dispute over property claimed by both the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and the national church, and several breakaway congregations, a Fairfax Circuit Court takes under advisement a motion for partial summary judgment filed by the diocese and the national church contending that the Falls Church Endowment Fund Inc. is not subject to the [...]
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