Youngkin announces mental health reforms following shootings

A day after a manager shot and killed six people and injured several at a Walmart in Chesapeake before killing himself on November 23, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced his administration will propose legislation to the General Assembly this winter that would increase mental health resources and address staffing shortages, reports the Virginia Mercury.

“It is really a moment to reflect on the state of mind of the nation and Virginia and this mental health crisis we know we are in the middle of,” Youngkin told reporters during a Thanksgiving ceremony, “and to work together to chart a path forward to address it.”

However, Youngkin refused to say if he would support legislation restricting gun access. In response to the Walmart and UVA shootings, Virginia House Democratic legislators said they would push for more gun control reforms—including adding age restrictions on certain weapons, creating limits on high-capacity magazines, and banning ghost guns—during the 2023 legislative session.

“I fundamentally believe that there is going to be a moment to talk about these things,” said Youngkin, a self-described lifelong NRA member, of gun control. “Today’s not the time. Today’s the time to support families and bring people together.”

The governor will outline his budget priorities on December 15.

Hudson vs. Deeds

Democratic Del. Sally Hudson is running again to represent Charlottesville in the General Assembly—this time, in the Virginia state Senate. Hudson, who was first elected in 2019, will face off against incumbent Democratic state Sen. Creigh Deeds, who has represented the former 25th District since 2001, for the newly redrawn 11th District seat, which includes Charlottesville and Albemarle, Nelson, and Amherst counties, along with the western part of Louisa County.

Thanks to redistricting, every state House and Senate seat will be up for election next year. Republican Sen. Amanda Chase currently represents the 11th District—but under the new maps, the district leans strongly Democratic, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

In the senate, Hudson, a UVA professor and economist, wants to work on bigger, longer-term projects, reports The Daily Progress.

“From investing in strong schools to protecting the planet that we call home,” said Hudson in a November 21 announcement, “my priorities will always start with the top concerns I hear from voters every day.”

“The progress we’ve made since I’ve been elected is incredible,” Deeds told the Progress. “With just one Senate seat away from a Republican trifecta, and with so much on the line, we cannot take any chances. I’m running for re-election to continue to be the voice that Albemarle, Charlottesville, and central Virginia have come to rely and count on.”

A Democratic primary date has yet to be announced.

In brief

Laid to rest

The New England Patriots loaned a plane to the University of Virginia football team for players to travel together to the funerals of their three teammates who were shot and killed on November 13. The team attended D’Sean Perry’s funeral service in Florida on November 26, and Devin Chandler’s memorial service in Virginia Beach the following day. A celebration of life for Lavel Davis, Jr. will be held on November 30 in South Carolina.

BOS bid

Democrat Mike Pruitt is running to represent the Scottsville District on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. During a November 26 campaign rally, Pruitt, a Navy veteran and UVA law student, said he planned to prioritize affordable housing, reports Information Charlottesville. “We need to invest in our nonprofit partners [and] fight for stronger inclusionary zoning and proffers. … The folks who actually work in our schools and our transit system and our police force often have to commute … because they can’t afford to live here,” said Pruitt, who grew up in a small town in Anderson County, South Carolina. Current Scottsville representative and board chair Donna Price is not running for re-election, and has made a bid for the Democratic nomination for the new 55th District House of Delegates seat.

Person of interest

The Charlottesville Police Department has asked the public to help identify a person of interest associated with a larceny that occurred on East Jefferson Street on November 27. The department has provided no further details about the crime. Anyone with information can contact Detective Nathan Stein at 970-3374.

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