Another try at automatic voter restoration for felons and more Va. headlines

The state Capitol. (Ned Oliver/ Virginia Mercury)

• Metro’s Silver Line extension to Dulles International Airport is set to open Nov. 15, “expanding the system’s footprint deeper into Washington’s suburbs after years of cost overruns and delays.”—Washington Post

• Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, says she’ll try again on the long-blocked effort to automatically restore voting rights to Virginians with felony convictions upon release from prison.—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, says she’ll introduce a bill to enact a total ban on abortion, a proposal that’s unlikely to pass but could still cause headaches for Republican leaders who plan to pursue a 15-week ban.—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• “Gov. Glenn Youngkin is trying to maintain a broad appeal at home while growing his national brand with a Republican base that likes its politicians openly pugnacious.”—New York Times

• With winter approaching, some Buchanan County residents say they’re frustrated by the slow pace of recovery from July’s flash floods that destroyed dozens of homes. “Morale’s down in the little area over here.”—Cardinal News

• The fate of Bristol’s unusually smelly landfill now lies with the Office of Attorney General Jason Miyares, which is working on a consent order between the city and state environmental regulators.—Bristol Herald Courier

• A woman was killed and seven people were hospitalized in a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 95 near Richmond Sunday morning.—NBC12

• Officials are developing a new safe driving campaign after a survey revealed many Virginians don’t take stoned driving as seriously as drunk driving.—WRIC

• An entire elementary school in Suffolk is learning sign language so students can communicate with a deaf cafeteria worker.—Virginian-Pilot

by Staff Report, Virginia Mercury

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