WMRA Daily 8-11-26

For WMRA News, I'm Calvin Penn. A dairy farm in Page County lost half of their employees when they were detained in transfer to immigration enforcement. At least one Virginia lawmaker opposes the sale of Dominion Energy to Next Era. Campaining has begun on a proposed state constitutional amendment on abortion and cases of eight men executed in Virginia will be reviewed as part of a reassessment of a former state forensic scientist. This is the WMRA Daily for Tuesday, August 11th. A dairy farm in Page County lost half of their employees when they were detained in a traffic stop and deported in June. Their story illustrates the nature of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's partnerships with local law enforcement and the impact of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign on American Family Farms. WMRA's Randy B. Hagey reports in the first of a two-part series. Becky and Billy Yancey are the third generation in the family to farm this land on the outskirts of Luray. 300 acres of corn feed their herd of about 200 cows, whose milk ends up in stores in Maryland and Virginia under the Maola brand. We have good employees that treat our cows well. We treat our cows well because they treat us well. After they got married, the Yancey's restarted Billy's Family's Dairy Operation in 1992. They usually had one or two employees in the early years. Our experience with hiring locals to milk has not been good. For 28 years, we tried to hire every local person that would apply for the job or would come in that thought that they were interested in the job. They don't show up. They quit. on the spot, no notice, which we're 24-7 here. We're not, you know, there's no days off here. And we've always paid above minimum wage, always. So five years ago, we decided that we were going to try a Hispanic worker, and that's Carlos. We got along beautifully. Carlos Nieto Martinez, originally from Mexico, came to them from another farm they knew. Their dairy co-op told them what paperwork he needed to provide. I mean, he had a Social Security number. He paid taxes. He paid Social Security. He filed his taxes. We run a legitimate business. We have, you know, tax ID number. We take Social Security. We take federal, we take state. We take it all out. No dairy. exist much anymore without Hispanic labor of any size whatsoever. Either you have family or you're going to utilize Hispanic labor. And the large Midwestern dairies are just getting bigger. They're adding 10,000 cows. They're adding, I mean, the numbers are scary. There is no other labor force for dairy. They said hiring workers through the H2A visa program isn't an option, since those are for seasonal or temporary work and wouldn't meet the dairy's ongoing around the year needs. After Nieto Martinez, the Yanzis hired three men from Honduras to fill out their crew of eight employees. The men moved into Billy's late parents, ranch home and a camper on the property. They came to work.

They work 60 hours a week and want more time. Having a capable workforce meant the Yanceys could finally take vacations with their daughter and grandson. The family was at Lake Anna the night of June 12th. So at 9 o'clock, we get a weird phone call from Carlos, and he's asking if someone can come pick him up. And Carlos' English is still broken. So what we think he was asking was, can someone come get the car? His phone went blank. So then, right after that, Martyr, another worker, called Billy. And I think the only thing he said was ICE. And he dropped a pin where the car is. And then his phone went. The four men had gone to Walmart to get groceries on the specific day that ICE was conducting an operation with the Page County Sheriff's Office, through which they detained 16 people, as WMRA previously reported. Nieto Martinez and Martir Reyes later recounted this night in text messages to the Yancey's and agreed for the family to share them with WMRA. We had them translated into English and read by a voice actor, Hugo Morales. Here's an excerpt from Nieto Martinez's text. We were leaving Walmart when a police officer drove by and parked behind us. About three rows of cars away. We were loading our things. I told the guys to hurry up and put everything in the car because I did not know what they were up to. When we left and one of them followed us in what looked like an unmarked civilian car, we were driving normally. But as soon as we crossed the bridge, they flashed their lights at us like the police. So I pulled over. And here's Reyes. And I was calling Billy. As soon as I tried to call him, they snatched my phone from me, dragged me out of the car and threw me onto the road. They beat me and Christian. I don't think that was right because they had no reason to do it. WMRA obtained body camera footage from the traffic stop via a Freedom of Information Act request. Did the front passenger get swirling? We'll discuss that and what's happened to the four men and the farm since in part two of this report. For WMRA News, I'm Randy B. Hagey. Part two of this story airs tonight, but you can find both reports on our website now at WMRA.org and on the WMRA app. Seven Virginia hemp businesses are asking a federal judge to block Virginia's new restrictions on consumable hemp products. The Virginia Mercury reports that the lawsuit, which was filed July 31st in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, challenges a new provision in the state budget set to take effect August 15th. That would eliminate an exception for products containing more than two milligrams of THC per package when they also contain at least 25 times as much CBD. Without that exception, consumable hemp products sold in Virginia must remain within the state's 0.3% total THC concentration limit. The lawsuit argues the restrictions will wipe out much of the business's inventory, trigger layoffs, and force some companies to close. It also argues that it amounts to an unconstitutional seizure of private property and violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

The businesses are seeking temporary and permanent injunctions, damages, attorney fees, and a declaration that the restriction is unconstitutional. Pure Elkden Manufacturing, which operates CBD and hemp store pure Shenandoah in Elkton, is among the businesses that filed the lawsuit. They are asking the court to preserve the current 25 to 1 THC exception as the case proceeds. Under the state budget approved in June, recreational marijuana sales in Virginia are scheduled to begin on July 1st of next year. State regulators are considering a proposed sale of Dominion Energy to a Florida company. As Radio IQ's Michael Pope reports, the deal has opposition. Congressman Eugene Vindman is a Democrat from Woodbridge, who is saying thanks but no thanks to the Florida company that's trying to buy Dominion Energy. He says he's looked into the numbers, and he's concluded that Florida-based Next Era will increase their profits on the backs of his constituents in the 7th Congressional District. Monthly energy bills. are often one of the most expensive, highest expenses that people pay monthly. And this merger would undoubtedly raise rates, at least if you consider what Nextera says about it, for families across the Commonwealth. So I think it's a bad deal. And I'm against it. So that's one congressman in opposition to the deal. Maybe the first elected official to announce a definitive position on the merger. When asked if she supports the proposed merger between Dominion and Next Era, this is how Lieutenant Governor Gazzala Hashmi answers the question. I can't say that I have the capacity to answer that question right now. You know, I sent the SEC list of 64 questions that I think are really necessary for us to get some answers on. Those 64 questions are about goals of the transaction, terms of the deal, and Next Era's acquisition attempts in other states. So far, they remain unanswered, and Hashmi is calling for a special session of the General Assembly to extend the deadline for regulators to make a decision about the acquisition. Michael Pope. On Monday, Lieutenant Governor Gazala Hashmi announced a listening tour related to Next Era Energy's planned acquisition of Dominion Energy. At five stops, including Charlottesville on September 14th, Virginians will have the opportunity to hear from experts, ask questions, and share opinions on the proposed $67 billion deal. Last week, Governor Abigail Spanberger said she would intervene in regulatory review of the sale. Monday afternoon, thunderstorms caused power outages for thousands of customers with the Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative. According to a press release from SVEC, there were more than 5,000 outages at more than 75 locations across the area as of Monday night. The provider expects members to still be without power into Tuesday as crews are working overnight to restore service.

SVEC reminds members to not make any attempts to clear trees or other debris from power lines and to avoid contact with power lines. Outages can be reported online at sveec.com or by calling 1-800-234-7832. Early voting doesn't begin until September 18th, but campaigning on a constitutional amendment on abortion is already underway. Jad Khalil, with partner station VPN News, says both sides are presenting their arguments to Virginians. The amendment would put a, quote, fundamental right to reproductive freedom into the Virginia Constitution, preventing a future legislature from banning it. Sarah Sanatkar is a field and canvas manager with Repro Rising. The organization is pushing for Virginians to vote yes. Passing this constitutional amendments would provide this sense of calmness for voters in Virginia, where every November, they don't have to be anxious about whether next session they're going to lose these rights or not. Amy McRnerney is director of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington's Office of Marriage, Family, and Respect Life. She wants Virginians to vote no. The status quo of the Code of Virginia aligns more closely. with the Roe decision. So what we have on the books right now and what we will have on the books on November 4th, if this amendment fails, is closer to the goals of Roe versus Wade. Abortion is still legal in Virginia, despite the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe versus Wade in 2022. That was Jad Khalil reporting. Actor and former U.S. Representative Ben Jay Jones died Sunday at 84 years old. The Associated Press reports that Jay Jones had a heart attack in his home in Washington, Virginia. Jay Jones's wife, Alma, announced his death on social media. Jay Jones was best known for his role as the good old boy mechanic Cooter Davenport on the Dukes of Hazard. He played the character for all seven seasons of the TV series from 1979 to 1985. Jay Jones was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988, representing a district near Atlanta, Georgia for two terms as a Democrat before he was redistricted out of his seat. WHSV reports that after moving to Virginia, Jay Jones opened Cooter's Place in Luray in 2017. The country store, which also has locations in Nashville and Pigeon Forge, pays homage to the Dukes of Hazard and his character from the series. It's been about five years since Virginia ended its use of the death penalty, but the state has named the eight men executed between 1986 and 1998, whose cases will be reviewed as part of a broader reassessment of former state forensic scientist Mary Jane Burton. Radio IQ's Dave Cantor has more. The state has not previously identified anyone whose cases being re-examined, but a document that included the last names of the eight executed men was made public by the Department of Forensic Science earlier this year.

A department representative said the information was released quote because of the historical significance of these cases. Timothy Spencer's convictions in multiple murder cases are among those being reconsidered. His case became the first in the country to use DNA in securing a capital murder conviction. It's also the first instance in the U.S. of DNA being used to exonerate an individual who's wrongfully implicated when David Vasquez was cleared in one killing. His brother Travis Spencer recently published a book about his experiences growing up with Timothy. He said it took him more than 40 years to write. I have my own reasons why I think he was in that situation and why he did what he did. Did people not love him because of that? Absolutely not. You know, he was my brother and he showed me, taught me a lot in the little time he was here. The executions of Michael Marnell Smith, Earl Clanton Jr., Edward B. Fitzgerald Sr., Savaskey Pointer, Walter Carrell Jr., Alton Way, and Kenneth Wilson are also part of the review that will be conducted by a Virginia State Crime Commission panel. Collectively, the men were found guilty in 16 murders. Since 2024 legislation set up the re-examination of Burton's time at the state crime lab, about 7,500 cases connected to her were assessed. That work identified almost 200, where the serologists likely testified in court and found thousands of individuals who were named suspects in the cases. Sean Armbrust is the executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, and in 2024, she conducted an initial review of the executions. Her job wasn't to decide whether they were justifiable, but whether evidence or testimony connected to Burton affected the legal outcome. Amber said she didn't find that Burton's participation came to bear on the case's results. Whether these cases are a legacy of the United States' history of the way black men are treated in the criminal legal system or Virginia more specifically or Mary Jane Burton even more specifically than that. You know, I can't quantify it, but it is, I think, really noteworthy that six of the eight executed men were black. Former Governor's Gerald Beliales, Doug Wilder, George Allen, and Jim Gilmore served during the time of executions and in at least half the cases were asked to grant clemency. Lloyd Snook, who worked on two of the cases, called the clemency process a joke. I think we did about everything we could do on the habeas level. The case law in Virginia had just gotten, you know, had been very much pro finality, execute them as soon as you can, kind of a thing. As work to review the breath of Burton's time at the state crime lab continues, Umbro said legislation focused on potentially problematic testimony and evidence could protect against future scenarios when this kind of process is necessary. But she also explained the importance of the current review. I mean, I think one of the questions that comes up when people are looking into something like Mary Jane Burton is kind of a like, but that was so many years ago who really cares. I think it's really important for the credibility of Virginia's criminal legal system going forward that it grapples with sins of the past and tries to learn from those things, right?

You know, I think it's easy to say that something like this could never happen now. But until you do that deep dive and really look into why and how it happened and figure out what it is that happened, you can never say that it wouldn't happen now. Travis Spencer, Timothy's brother, said he is just one desired outcome for the review. To make sure everyone involved in similar cases does their jobs truthfully. I'm Dave Cantor. For WMRA News, I'm Calvin Penn. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.