Cardinal News: Then & Now takes a look back at the stories we brought you over the last 12 months. Through the end of the year, we’re sharing updates on some of the people and issues that made news in 2023. This installment: politics.
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Officials remain mum about searches of cannabis stores in Southwest Virginia
Then: Law enforcement officers in 29 localities swarmed across Southwest Virginia on Sept. 28 to execute two dozen search warrants at businesses — many of them cannabis-related stores, financial institutions and homes in nine counties.
The searches were part of “an extensive, ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of money laundering and illegal narcotic distribution network by retail establishments,” according to a news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The businesses were in Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Roanoke, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and Wythe counties, according to a statement from the Virginia State Police that did not name them.
In Washington County, the businesses searched included a Zarati Shop on Lee Highway just outside Abingdon, another Zarati store in Damascus, Grounded LLC on West Main Street in Abingdon and The Good Vibes Shop on Cook Street in Abingdon, according to the sheriff’s office news release.
No one had been charged, and police officials remained mum about the investigation. Search warrant affidavits were filed with circuit court clerks but were sealed for six months.
Three weeks before the searches, Cardinal News ran a story about the proliferation of cannabis-related shops across Southwest Virginia amid confusion over the state’s marijuana laws, which in 2021 legalized adult personal possession of a small amount of cannabis but failed to create a legal retail market.
Some of the stores “gift” marijuana to customers when they buy something like a T-shirt or hat, while others are more like clubs whose members “share” with new members who buy something or pay for membership.
The products are unregulated, untaxed and untested.
Virginia Attorney General Attorney General Jason Miyares issued an opinion earlier this year that this gifting is illegal.
Now: On Dec. 13, search warrants were executed at seven shops in Wise County that sell CBD products, but it’s not known whether it was related to the September searches across Southwest Virginia. A release from the county sheriff’s office said the investigation began over six months ago and some of the shops advertised the sale of CBD products, broke state law and illegally sold marijuana.
There have been no other developments since the September searches. Meanwhile, most of the cannabis stores identified as having been searched in Washington County continue to operate, including the Zarati Shop in Abingdon, whose parking lot has been filled with cars in recent weeks.
Others no longer advertise that “sharing is caring” and are promoting CBD, kratom and other products instead.
However, the storefront that housed The Good Vibes Shop, just down the hill from the old Food City in Abingdon, was empty in mid-December and prominently displayed a sign saying it’s for lease.
There have still been no known arrests in connection with the searches.
Law enforcement officials still aren’t talking about the investigation. Asked whether there’s anything new, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police replied, “The investigation remains ongoing at this time. No new information to release at this stage.”
The Virginia Attorney General’s Office referred questions to commonwealth’s attorneys in Southwest Virginia. A call to Washington County Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Cumbow was not returned.
The court records related to the searches remain sealed.
— Susan Cameron
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Rural Democrats who failed to make the ballot this year aren’t giving up
Then: For Trudy Berry and Jasmine Lipscomb, making the ballot this year just wasn’t in the cards. Lipscomb, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Danville, was denied the Democratic nomination by her own party in the 49th House of Delegates District after clashing with local party officials over voter signatures and filing fees. When her pleading went nowhere, she asked the Virginia State Board of Elections to place her on the ballot for the November election. After the panel refused to take action, Liscomb filed a formal complaint with the Democratic Party of Virginia.
Berry, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 9th Senate District, was denied ballot access for the general election in November over an email error that wasn’t her fault. She later criticized the state party’s leadership for not taking action to rectify the mistake, and the State Board of Elections later declined to act on her appeal.
Now: After reviewing Lipscomb’s complaint, the DPVA found that the nominating committee in House District 49 “properly fulfilled its role as defined in the party plan.” Marc Broklawski, the party’s second vice chair of rules, concluded that the issues raised by Lipscomb “do not constitute violations of the party plan,” and he recommended “dismissing the complaint in its entirety.” Lipscomb now plans to submit her nomination to be chair of the Danville Democratic Committee, and she won’t rule out running for the legislature again in the future. “If nobody steps up to the plate for 2025, I sure will represent the district. It is my absolute pleasure to serve my country as a Marine and now my community as a veteran,” she said in an email.
Berry opted to run in the 9th Senate District as a write-in candidate against Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, who was unopposed on the ballot and won reelection with 92.6% of the votes. After the election, Berry submitted her paperwork to run for the seat in House District 50 in 2025, where — if nominated — she would face Del. Tommy Wright, R-Lunenburg, the incumbent.
Berry’s plans changed suddenly a few weeks ago, when Ruff unexpectedly announced his resignation due to health reasons and she became the first Democrat to announce her candidacy. But last week, Berry and two other candidates seeking their party’s nomination were defeated by Tina Wyatt-Younger, a former member of the South Boston Town Council, in a firehouse primary.
— Markus Schmidt
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Lynchburg City School Board members can donate to school in lieu of grant money they rejected, attorney says
Then: In November, the Lynchburg City School Board rejected a $10,000 grant from the It Gets Better Project, an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit, that students from the E.C. Glass High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance had won. The money was slated to go toward a quiet room at the high school to help students manage stress, along with bathroom dispensers for menstrual products and general club activities.
Several board members expressed interest in funding the quiet room via their own donations instead, but they held off until they could determine whether it would be a conflict of interest.
In the meantime, the board rejected a second grant in December, this time from a sporting goods store for volleyball equipment, citing a need to treat each grant that came to the board for approval with equal rigor.
Now: Donations from school board members to Lynchburg City Schools aren’t a conflict of interest, according to Bethany Harrison, the commonwealth’s attorney for the city, in a letter to the board on Dec. 13.
However, board members must recuse themselves from voting on any personal contributions the board reviews for approval. In a meeting with local media on Dec. 14, board chair Atul Gupta — who has volunteered to pay for the quiet room himself — said the body will discuss its funding options at its Jan. 9 meeting.
— Lisa Rowan