Hampton Roads ships recovering spy balloon wreckage and more Va. headlines

The State Capitol. (Ned Oliver/ Virginia Mercury)

• Ships based in Hampton Roads were recovering the wreckage of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon after it was shot down off the South Carolina coast over the weekend.—Virginian-Pilot

• Newly released emails shed more light on prosecutors’ decision to drop a prostitution-related case against a Virginia Beach pastor.—WRIC

• A push to give Petersburg a chance at a casino development could be in jeopardy after the enabling legislation failed in the state Senate.—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• The Orange County Board of Supervisors pulled funding for a local arts center after backlash to a design class taught by a drag performer.—Culpeper Star-Exponent

• A bipartisan pair of lawmakers in the House of Delegates appear to be succeeding in ending the use of solitary confinement in Virginia prisons.—Washington Post

by Staff Report, Virginia Mercury

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