A federal court has sided with a Christian student who challenged his school’s rules that he could not preach on the campus without prior approval of the administration.
The ruling says that the outdoor areas of the Virginia Community College System as “venues for free expression” and that the school is prohibited from enforcing “speech zones” which would be the only places students could express their views.
The school system has announced they are going to comply with the ruling and change their rules.
“Colleges should support, not censor, student speech,” Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer Travis Barham said. “We comment the Virginia Community College System for revising its speech policy to align with what a marketplace of ideas should be.”
The previous policy said that no student could make public speeches on campus except in designated areas, and only if they were members of student groups approved by the school and had their message cleared four days in advance. Christian Parks filed suit after he was twice prevented from preaching last fall in the school’s public courtyard.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring had decided not to defend the policy in court.
An earthquake rattled Virginia’s capital on Wednesday night, felt as far north was Washington D.C.
The quake, which measured 3.2 on the Richter Scale, was significantly smaller than the quake in the same region 2 ½ years ago that caused the Washington Monument to be closed until last week.
Virginia officials say over 1,300 people in the region reported feeling the impact of the quake. Quake reports came in from as far away as Maryland and the District of Columbia. No major damage was reported and no one was injured.
Residents told the Washington Post the quake reminded them of a big truck driving past their home or a very powerful thunderstorm.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered only 7/10th of a mile underground about 30 miles west of Richmond.
Virginia state lawmaker and onetime candidate for governor Creigh Deeds suffered serious injuries in a stabbing attack that took place in his home Tuesday, police said.
Deeds, 55, was flown from his home in Bath County and is being treated at UVA Hospital in Charlottesville, while a second person at the residence, who is believed to be his son, is dead, the Virginia State Police said in a statement.
Virginia and national Democratic sources told Fox News that Deeds is in critical condition. The sources cited Virginia law enforcement authorities as alleging that Deeds’ son, Gus, stabbed him before shooting himself.
Virginia Democratic candidate for governor was caught on video telling a woman that if he is elected he will take action to get around regulations that put requirements on abortion clinics.
Terry McAuliffe said he will use executive actions to get around the regulations passed by Virginia legislators requiring abortion clinics to meet health standards placed on every other surgical center in the state. Continue reading →
Fairfax County, Virginia is the scene of an outbreak of tuberculosis at Lee High School.
The health department says 430 people have been contacted to be tested as a result of exposure to three people confirmed to have contracted TB. The health officials would not say if the infected were students or teachers but said that everyone who needed to be tested has been notified. Continue reading →
As temperatures increase for the summer, scientists are noting an increase in ticks infected with Lyme disease. They have also released a study that shows an increase in Lyme disease rates in 21 states.
“There is a lot of different theories of Lyme disease increasing because of warming temperatures,” said Dr. Liza Whalen. Continue reading →
The Virginia Board of Health is considering a new set of regulations that have infuriated those who promote abortion.
The new regulations would require abortion clinics to meet the same building standards as newly constructed hospitals. All abortion locations, whether new or previously built, will need to meet the same level of safety for patients regardless of location and size. Continue reading →
Large parts of the upper Midwest are without power as a massive snowstorm dumps up to a foot of snow in some areas. The storm seems to not be weakening as it bears down on the east coast, putting cities like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in danger of outages.
Heavy, wet snow knocked out power across parts of Indiana that reported a significant increase in car accidents in places that received as little as two inches of the thick snow. Tippecanoe County, Indiana reported 25 accidents in the first 5 hours of the storm Tuesday. Continue reading →
Winter Storm “Q,” which has already dumped a layer of snow in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California, moves with full force into the eastern Plains and Midwest on Thursday, where it could dump a foot and a half of snow in some areas. Continue reading →
Large parts of the upper Midwest are without power as a massive snowstorm dumps up to a foot of snow in some areas. The storm seems to not be weakening as it bears down on the east coast, putting cities like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in danger of outages.
Winter Storm “Q,” which has already dumped a layer of snow in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California, moves with full force into the eastern Plains and Midwest on Thursday, where it could dump a foot and a half of snow in some areas. 
