Sheriff's Office Wrongly Accuses Black Man in Shooting, ACLU Challenges "Misguided" VA Transgender Policies, and more
Sheriff's Office Wrongly Accuses Black Man in Shooting, ACLU Challenges "Misguided" VA Transgender Policies, and more
Historic Triangle News Roundup February 11-17
Howdy! I put out a podcast this week where I interviewed journalist Brian Palmer about the controversial naming of Magruder Elementary School in York County after a confederate general and the history of the Magruder community in Williamsburg. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, check it out, and share with your friends!
Here’s a clip where Brian talks about what happens when we exclude African-American and Indigenous histories from U.S. History:
Here’s this week’s top stories:
York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office Mistakes Man as Shooting Suspect
On Jan. 7, law enforcement made an announcement naming Virginia Beach resident Raymond Copeland as a suspect in a shooting that happened near Penniman and Low Ridge Roads in York County.
Copeland, the Teen Services Director for Boys and Girls Club of Southeast VA, thought the post was a prank but then was confronted by deputies when he was at work the next day. A witness at the scene had falsely identified him.
Copeland’s wallet had been found at the scene of the crime, which Copeland said was stolen while he was shopping over the holiday season. He is considering legal action in response to the incident, saying no one should have to go through this.
ACLU Files Lawsuit Against VDOE on Behalf of Transgender Students
This week, the ACLU of Virginia and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP filed two lawsuits against the Virginia Dept. of Education alleging that the 2023 Model Policies on the treatment of transgender students don’t comply with state law.
One of the students, who remains anonymous, is from York County. The lawsuit states that at least one teacher refused to address the student by her chosen name, despite having written permission from her parent to go by that name.
Instead of enforcing school policy and disciplining the teacher, administration offered to help the student rearrange her entire class schedule. The lawsuit requests that VA courts vacate the 2023 Model Policies.
Other Headlines
This week, VMI denied allegations made by a prospective student that she had been sexually assaulted during an Open House event in 2021. An independent report found VMI to have a pattern of “institutional racism and sexism.”
Virginia lost 11,800 jobs in December for the first time in over a year, the biggest drop since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Youngkin’s budget anticipates a mild recession to begin between April and July.
Several campaign finance reform bills have failed to proceed through the state House and Senate, making it unlikely they will be passed by the end of the General Assembly session. Lax laws have led to rising election costs.
Heard Round the Triangle
“FYI: I hear the [WJCC school] division split up study will be presented on March 11th or 14th to the Williamsburg City Council” - RTT Reader
Upcoming Events
When: Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 PM
Where: Frothy Moon Brewhouse, 1826 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg
When: Saturday, Feb. 24, 10 am - 4 PM
Where: Stryker Center, 412 N Boundary St, Williamsburg
Drag Brunch with Jennifer Warner:
When: Saturday, Feb. 24, 12 - 3 PM
Where: Corner Pocket, 4805 Courthouse Street, Williamsburg
Finally, since we just celebrated Valentine’s Day, I wanted to give a little shoutout to my wife and thank her for proofreading the newsletter every week. Love ya honey! <3
Cover photo from Raymond Copeland’s 13News Now interview.