With a new Democratic majority in the state legislature, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is hoping to make major reforms to the state's cannabis laws.
Herring, who is hosting a cannabis summit on December 11, told Cheddar on Tuesday he is bringing together legislators and experts in an effort to push forward his calls for reform.
"I'm really encouraged about the prospect of actually passing decriminalization in Virginia and the prospect of actually passing a plan to move to legal and regulated adult use," he said.
Herring is hopeful that by providing lawmakers a space to ask questions and address concerns with experts, as well as individuals from states that have already legalized or decriminalized marijuana use, his state can move towards passing new legislation.
Marijuana arrests in Virginia hit a 20-year high in 2018, and enforcement costs the state more than $80 million annually, Herring said.
"In Virginia, an arrest and a criminal conviction stays with you your whole life … That's not fair," he said, noting the disproportionate number of black Virginians arrested for marijuana possession.
But he says he is confident Virginia can move forward "in a historic way."
Dana Sussman, deputy executive director at the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, joined Cheddar News to talk about Brittney Poolaw, who was sentenced to four years in state prison for a miscarriage she suffered last year.
A Glassdoor report found mentions of "burnout" in online job reviews have increased by 100 percent over the course of the pandemic. Daniel Zhao, the senior economist for the company, talked to Cheddar about the underlying reasons workers have been expressing themselves about the state of their mental health. "That's really a reflection of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for almost 2 years now, and it's really dragged on," he said. "So workers are increasingly feeling like the lines between their work life and their home life are blurred, and they don't feel like they can get that same balance that they might have been able to get before the pandemic."
Tesla's third-quarter earnings report is expected to beat expectations on both the top and bottom lines amid record-high delivery numbers. The electric vehicle giant hit a record high of 241,000 deliveries - strong numbers amid ongoing global semiconductor and supply chain shortages. This segment is brought to you by Webull. Download the Webull app and start learning, sharing, and investing.
Middle school students from across the country battled it out for a chance at being crowned 'America's Top Scientist.' Each applicant had to submit a video to compete in the '3M Young Scientist Challenge' and describe a unique solution to an everyday problem for the chance to win $25,000. 10 finalists were chosen and after a two-day virtual competition, one walked away with the title. 14-year-old Sarah Park won the award, she joins Cheddar News to talk about her invention Spark Care+.
Netflix’s "Squid Game" has been the buzz of the entertainment world and according to Bloomberg, the series has an estimated value of $900 million to the streaming giant. So far, the film has hit number one in each country Netflix operates in.
Disney has announced that it is reworking the release schedule of its Marvel Cinematic Universe like "Black Panther 2" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." The delays were reportedly attributed to production issues and the theater date selection process amid the pandemic.
The world of sports media continues to be a white-male dominated industry according to the latest Associated Press Sports Editors gender and diversity report card. For the sixth straight release of the report card, the industry received an F for its gender hiring practices. Jen Mueller, a Seattle Seahawks sideline radio reporter and entrepreneur, joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about some improvements she has witnessed over the span of her career but noted that while change has been evident on some level, much more needs to be done. Jen is also the founder of 'Talk Sporty to Me,' a professional development organization and you can learn more about it by visiting www.talksportytome.com.
