Markus Schmidt

The woman who has accused Fariss of purposely striking her with his SUV in March said in court that she was “terrified.” The two of them had been in a romantic relationship for at least a year, his attorney told the court.

The Black Lung Benefits Act provides compensation to relatives of coal miners whose deaths are attributable to the disease. The senator said current requirements call for “unnecessarily strict burdens of proof” for families to get benefits.

Del. Matt Fariss, R-Campbell County, was due in Campbell County General District Court for a preliminary hearing on two felony charges in an alleged hit-and-run that injured a pedestrian in March and led to the woman obtaining a protective order against him.

Trudy Berry of Mecklenburg County, Gregory Maxwell of Franklin County, Jessica Rowlands of Chesterfield County and Zach Coltrain of Virginia Beach are those whose place on the ballot is in doubt.

The tax-free weekend has been a back-to-school staple in Virginia since 2006, but the General Assembly missed a critical deadline to extend it.

Toni Heath Johnson, who served time for drug possession, had her voting rights application denied without explanation. She is part of a suit that says Virginia is violating a provision of the 1870 law that readmitted the state to the Union after the Civil War.

The board also took no action on requests by a Northern Virginia Democrat to be placed on the ballot as an independent and by a central Virginia Democrat who was late with his state Senate paperwork.

Democrats have refused to nominate Jasmine Lipscomb for a House of Delegates seat after a dispute over a filing fee.

John Marsden withdrew from his primary after early voting had begun, citing a personal conflict with unidentified Republicans nominated elsewhere. The party says putting on a primary with only one candidate cost taxpayers $50,000.

The delegate faces two felony charges and missed the filing deadline for the Republican nomination.