Virginia Abolishes ‘Fundamentally Flawed’ Death Penalty

NBC News: Virginia Becomes 1st Southern State To Abolish Death Penalty As Governor Signs Law
Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday signed legislation to officially abolish the death penalty in Virginia, making it the first Southern state to ban capital punishment. “Justice and punishment are not always the same thing, that is too clearly evident in 400 years of the death penalty in Virginia,” Northam, a Democrat, said during remarks ahead of signing the legislation, saying that it is both the right and the moral thing to do. (Golden and Bennett, 3/24)

In news about marijuana legalization —

The Wall Street Journal: New York Lawmakers Reach Deal To Legalize Marijuana
After years of false starts, New York state lawmakers said Wednesday that they had reached an agreement to legalize the sale of marijuana for recreational use by adults starting next year. State Sen. Liz Krueger said lawmakers were finalizing a bill that would create a new state regulator for cannabis products and decriminalize the possession of up to three ounces of marijuana. New Yorkers will be allowed to cultivate marijuana for personal use and the state will study a new system for determining whether drivers are inebriated because of marijuana use, she said. (Vielkind, 3/24)

AP: Delaware Marijuana Legalization Bill Clears House Committee
A bill legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults in Delaware cleared its first legislative hurdle Wednesday as a Democratic-led committee voted along party lines, with one lone GOP vote, to send the measure to the House floor. The bill creates a state-controlled and licensed pot industry that supporters say will eliminate the black market while creating jobs and boosting the state’s tax coffers. While the proposal has significant support among Democratic lawmakers, Democratic Gov. John Carney has expressed concerns about legalization. (Chase, 3/24)

In other state news —

AP: Cooper Seeks Big Debt Package, Pay Hikes, Medicaid Expansion
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday proposed a spending and borrowing spree by state government that he said is critical to fulfilling education, health care and infrastructure demands that were evident before the pandemic but have been exacerbated since. With state coffers filled with unspent funds and $5 billion of additional federal coronavirus relief dollars arriving, Cooper pitched a two-year state budget plan he said is affordable and ensures North Carolina continues a vigorous recovery from the COVID-19 recession. (Robertson, 3/25)

WLRN 91.3 FM: Florida House Offers Plan To Boost Maternal Health 
Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls on Tuesday threw his support behind a proposal to allow women to maintain Medicaid benefits for a year after they have babies --- a bit of turnabout for the Republican-controlled Legislature. Sprowls, flanked by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, was careful not to use the word “expansion” while discussing the Medicaid plan. But he said he wants the House to spend an additional $98 million in state funds to draw down additional matching federal dollars. In all, the plan would provide $244 million for benefits, which also include mental health counseling. Under current law, many women lose their benefits 60 days after having children. (Sexton, 3/24)

AP: People Downwind Of First Atomic Blasts Renew Push For U.S. Compensation
In the desert northeast of Las Vegas, residents living along the Nevada-Arizona border would gather on their front porches for bomb parties or ride horses into the fields to watch as the U.S. government conducted atomic tests during a Cold War-era race to build up the nation’s nuclear arsenal. About 100 of those tests were aboveground, and U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona testified during a congressional subcommittee hearing Wednesday that residents at the time marveled at the massive orange mushroom clouds billowing in the distance. (Bryan, 3/24)

Boston Globe: After Decades Of Study, State Officials Link Drinking Water Contamination With Elevated Rates Of Childhood Cancer In Wilmington
In 2000, Greg Raso began to notice his 3-year-old daughter had become unusually lethargic and had small blood clots beneath her eyes. She was hospitalized with a common bacterial infection that rarely sickens people, and a few months later was diagnosed with leukemia. While undergoing chemotherapy during a two-month stay at Boston Children’s Hospital, their daughter had a roommate who had also been diagnosed with cancer. The young girl, it turned out, also lived in Wilmington, a suburb north of Boston. (Abel, 3/24)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta To Allow Outdoor Events With Under 2,000 People After May 15
The city of Atlanta will begin allowing outdoor events with under 2,000 people after May 15, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Wednesday. Bottoms issued an executive order lifting the city’s moratorium on permit applications for events like festivals and other large gatherings, though outdoor events for more than 2,000 people are still not allowed. The events must occur after May 15, and must observe COVID-19 safety guidelines, according to the mayor’s order. (Capelouto, 3/24)