RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Here’s a look at our top Election and local headlines to get you out the door.
Today will be mostly Sunny, with some high clouds in the afternoon and evening.
Highs in the low 70s.
Two days after the polls opened, and ballots are still being counted.
Anxious Americans woke up to election aftermath that has yet to deliver any clear answer. Neither President Donald Trump nor his Democratic rival Joe Biden cleared the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, and the margins are tight in five battleground states.
Democrat Joe Biden sits in the lead right now with 253 electoral votes and President Donald Trump with 213 votes, but several key battleground states are still too close to call.
Biden, who has received more than 71 million votes, the most in history, was joined by his running mate Kamala Harris at an afternoon news conference yesterday and said he now expected to win the presidency, though he stopped short of outright declaring victory.
The Associated Press called Michigan and Wisconsin for Democrat Joe Biden on Wednesday. The AP has not called Nevada, Pennsylvania or Georgia.
President Donald Trump’s campaign filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, laying the groundwork for contesting battleground states as he slipped behind Democrat Joe Biden in the hunt for the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.
The new filings, joining existing Republican legal challenges in Pennsylvania and Nevada, demand better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, and raise absentee ballot concerns, the campaign said.
Democrats scoffed at the legal challenges the president’s campaign filed Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. In spite of the aggressive move, the flurry of court action did not seem obviously destined to impact the election’s outcome.
Mayor Levar Stoney has declared victory in Richmond’s crowded mayoral race.
“Thanks to your hard work and dedication, I’m humbled to be Richmond’s Mayor for the next four years. We wouldn’t be here without your tireless dedication and support. So thank you,” Stoney said in a statement.
Levar Stoney was running for reelection against four other candidates - Kim Gray, Justin Griffin, Tracey McLean and Alexsis Rodgers - Click on their names to read more about them.
Democratic incumbent Abigail Spanberger has declared victory over Republican challenger Nick Freitas in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District race.
“Tonight, the Seventh District affirmed its commitment to leadership in Congress that puts Central Virginia first, works for everyone and focuses on expanding opportunity for the next generation of Virginians. Serving the Seventh District in Congress has been my honor, and I look forward to continuing our work to strengthen and protect our communities,” Spanberger said in a statement.
Freitas has not yet conceded.
The 7th District is considered one of the tightest races in the commonwealth. Spanberger narrowly won the seat two years ago, winning by roughly 7,000 votes.
For a list of all House winners in Virginia, click here.
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The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts announced additional free community testing events for the month of November.
Here’s a list of dates, locations and times:
- Monday, Nov. 9 - Eastern Henrico Health Department at 1400 N Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23223 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- Thursday, Nov. 12 - Stonewall Avenue RRHA Senior Building at 1920 Stonewall Ave, Richmond, VA 23225 from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
- Friday, Nov. 13 - Eastern Henrico Health Department at 1400 N Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23223 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
To register for testing, call the Richmond & Henrico COVID-19 hotline at 804-205-3501, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday (except holidays).
Petersburg City Public Schools' leaders decided to allow students to continue doing virtual learning for the rest of the semester.
After that update and an update on the latest health trends from the Crater Health Department, the board decided to keep the students at home at least through Feb. 2.
The board will revisit the topic at a meeting on Jan. 6.
Students in Hopewell will be doing classes online after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
The school district says the person is a transportation staff member, and students who were being taken to Woodlawn and Hopewell High School for some in-person classes were potentially exposed.
Those students and staff members are now in quarantine.
Richmond Animal Care and Control announced they will be waiving pet adoption fees this week.
Fees will be waived from Nov. 4-Nov. 6.
We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us - Joseph Campbell
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