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."
Even as some states begin the process of reopening their economies, Native American tribes are dealing with disproportionate challenges during the pandemic. The Navajo Nation, in particular, has suffered greatly. "The native communities are the ones that are suffering the most from the virus," former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson told Cheddar. "Close to 30 to 40 percent of those that are afflicted are tribal members, especially the Navajo Nation."
A video released Monday shows police in Georgia attempting to search Ahmaud Arbery's parked car in 2017 and when he declines to let them and begins to walk back to the vehicle, an officer tries to use a stun gun on him.
Lingering health concerns about going out in public and interacting with others amid the coronavirus pandemic are forcing businesses to embrace e-commerce, a move not all of them are prepared for.
While enhanced safety measures are being taken at Disney Springs, “an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present," the company said Monday on a website for the entertainment complex.
John Stefanopoulos, who manages the Four Brothers Drive-in Theater, located near the Connecticut border, told Cheddar that the theater was scrambling to be ready for the weekend.
Hollywood hair color specialist Michael Canalé talked to Cheddar about keeping your hair on point during coronavirus shutdowns.
For the better half of the last century, multi-cam sitcoms across television relied on the laugh track to make TV shows better. Thanks to the laff box by Charley Douglass, favorite shows from Friends to Seinfeld would use canned laughter to sweeten the comedy. But over the last 10 years, the laugh track has disappeared almost entirely.
New Jersey's governor issued long-awaited guidance Thursday to Jersey Shore towns on how to safely reopen their beaches as the summer season beckons amid the coronavirus outbreak.
With grim images of coronavirus frontline workers splashing across screens, the founder of the virtual support group Lyf decided to come up with new ways of helping those struggling during the pandemic.
Colby College, a small liberal arts college in Maine, recently launched its Pay It Northward campaign, in an effort to help find opportunities for graduates who have not landed jobs yet.
