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The Supreme Court of Virginia orders release of inmate who was denied earned sentence credits

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The Supreme Court of Virginia orders release of inmate who was denied earned sentence credits


RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man who was convicted of attempted aggravated murder will be released from prison under a state Supreme Court ruling Thursday that found the man had been wrongfully denied earned sentence credits.

The ACLU of Virginia sued the Department of Corrections to demand the immediate release of Steven Prease, arguing that the department had improperly interpreted the language of a law that expanded the state’s earned sentence credit program.

Since 1995, the earned sentence credit program has allowed many inmates to earn early release for good behavior. In 2020, state lawmakers amended the law to increase how many credits inmates could earn.

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Prease, a military veteran who the ACLU said suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, was convicted in 2013 of two counts of attempted aggravated murder and other charges for firing a gun at sheriff’s deputies after a domestic dispute. In March 2022, prison officials told Prease he would be released between July 1 and Aug. 30, 2022, based on the retroactive application of expanded credits under the law.

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But a month later, newly elected Attorney General Jason Miyares disagreed with an interpretation of the law by former Attorney General Mark Herring. Miyares found that attempted aggravated murder and conspiracy to commit aggravated murder were ineligible for expanded credits.

After Miyares issued his opinion, the Department of Corrections extended Prease’s release date by about two years, to June 4, 2024.

In its ruling Thursday, the state Supreme Court said the law clearly spells out which offenses are ineligible for the additional earned sentence credits, and the list does not include aggravated attempted murder.

“Thus, it would appear that there is no basis in the governing statutes for denying Prease expanded earned sentence credits on his attempted aggravated murder convictions,” the court said in its ruling.

The Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

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ACLU of Virginia Senior Supervising Attorney Vishal Agraharkar said he expects Prease to be released from prison soon under the ruling. Agraharkar said he is unsure how many other inmates could be released early because of the decision. But he said hundreds, if not thousands, were told by prison officials that they had earned an earlier release but were later told that they did not qualify for the expanded credits because of an incorrect interpretation of the law that has now been rejected by the Supreme Court.

“We are hoping that the department will do the right thing and ensure that the benefit of the earned sentence credits law applies to everyone who is eligible under the statute,” Agraharkar said.

Thousands of other inmates were denied eligibility for the expanded credits after state lawmakers approved a budget amendment from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that excluded inmates with violent offenses.





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Virginia

Virginia Places 5th in LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, First Among ACC Schools

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Virginia Places 5th in LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, First Among ACC Schools


Virginia placed fifth in the final standings for the 2023-2024 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, a competition between all Division I schools that compares each athletic program’s finishes in NCAA Championships across all sports. UVA finished with 1,066.25 points, good for fifth place nationally and first among schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

  1. Texas – 1,377.00
  2. Stanford – 1,312.75
  3. Tennessee – 1,217.00
  4. Florida – 1,189.00
  5. Virginia – 1,066.25
  6. Texas A&M – 1,059.25
  7. North Carolina – 1,035.75
  8. Michigan – 1,030.00
  9. Alabama – 1,028.88
  10. UCLA – 1,017.50

Click here to see the complete final 2023-2024 LEARFIELD Division I standings.

As a note for the scoring of the event, Directors’ Cup points are awarded bases on a school’s NCAA finish in 19 sports, four of which must be men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, and baseball.

Powered by a fourth-consecutive NCAA women’s swimming & diving championship, Final Four appearances in both field hockey and men’s lacrosse, a fifth-place finish in men’s golf, and another trip to the College World Series in baseball, Virginia placed in the top five for the second year in a row (4th in 2022-2023) and for the fourth time in the 31 years the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup has been awarded. UVA is one of only 10 schools in the country to rank in the top 30 in every year of the Directors’ Cup’s existence.

“We had another incredible season in competition and in the classroom,” said UVA director of athletics Carla Williams. “Our student-athletes, coaches and staff continue to perform at the highest level while representing themselves and this wonderful university with honor and integrity. Our continued excellence is a tribute to their hard work and dedication. We are so grateful for the opportunity to represent the University of Virginia.”

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Here is a list of the sports in which Virginia scored points towards the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup:

For the second year in a row, Virginia was the highest-ranked ACC school in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup:
5. Virginia 1066.25
7. North Carolina 1035.75
10. Notre Dame 1008.50
12. Florida State 998.88
17. Duke 928.50
21. NC State 853.50
31. Clemson 675.75
44. Syracuse 538.00
48. Louisville 515.50
50. Virginia Tech 499.25
56. Wake Forest 421.00
67. Miami (FL) 368.25
68. Boston College 360.00
74. Georgia Tech 316.50
80. Pittsburgh 277.00



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35th Virginia Commonwealth Games Preview

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35th Virginia Commonwealth Games Preview


LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) — The 2024 Virginia Commonwealth Games are just around the corner, with the weekend taking place from July 19-21 set to ignite the City of Lynchburg and Liberty University with a celebration of sportsmanship and talent.

Athletes from across the state are gearing up to showcase their skills in a wide range of sports.

For details on registering and volunteering, log on to https://www.commonwealthgames.org/

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West Virginia Health Right unveils larger, more functional facility in Charleston – WV MetroNews

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West Virginia Health Right unveils larger, more functional facility in Charleston – WV MetroNews


CHARLESTON, W. Va.– West Virginia Health Right unveiled an expansion for its East End Clinic in Charleston Wednesday afternoon.

Health Right, which provides healthcare access for under protected people in the state, added a third story to its East End Clinic on Washington Street East, with an expansion to the on-site pharmacy, improved dental and vision clinics, as well as behavioral health services.

CEO of West Virginia Health Right, Dr. Angie Settle, said in a statement that the project has been several years in the making.

“This project is the culmination of five years of planning and fundraising, even though the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Settle said.

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During the pandemic, Health Right served as the first free testing site in West Virginia and was able to administer nearly 100,000 tests.

The building expansion project took around $12 million to build, and according to the company’s board president, Ryan Lindsay, this is one of the biggest accomplishments for Health Right since he came to the company.

“We’ve done a lot in the eight years that I’ve been on the board,” Lindsay said at the ceremony Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve put together a mobile dental clinic, we’ve opened up the West Side clinic, which is a great endeavor of ours, but this is a really big one. I mean, this one right here opens the doors to everybody in Charleston and Kanawha County and the state of West Virginia.

Health Right has served over 40,000 patients over the last five years, despite the fact that, before the expansion, the original building on Washington Street East was built to serve roughly 15,000 people across that same timeframe.

Multiple partners of Health Right West Virginia came out this afternoon to show their support of the new building, including the Greater Kanawha County Foundation and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

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Kanawha County Foundation President and CEO Michelle Foster, says her company has been in support of multiple projects Health Right has done over the years, and is excited for the future.

“We have supported the original Health Right site for a number of years, and we’ve also supported the dental bus that goes out into those rural counties to reach underserved populations, ” Foster said. “We’re big fans of Health Right, and we’re excited about this expansion that they’ve had.”

Gayle Manchin (Appalachian Regional Commission)

Gayle Manchin, ARC Federal Co-Chair and wife of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, said ARC helped out where they could in the process, but the success starts with the company in charge of the plans.

“ARC has really worked with Health Right over the years, so we’re just one small part of the project, but that’s usually the way ARC works,” Manchin said Wednesday. “We are a partner with others to make good things happens, but where the good things happen is really at the grassroots.”

Health Right will continue to provide healthcare to West Virginians with either no insurance or those who are underinsured, but with a far more extensive facility.

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