In other news

National

Ohio became the seventh state to ensure access to abortion and reproductive health care after voters passed Issue 1 on the Ohio ballot Nov. 7, according to AP News. 

The new amendment gives access to abortion if the treating physician determines that the child is not viable. In the case of saving a mother’s life, if medically necessary, abortion access will be granted regardless of the unborn child’s viability, according to Issue 1. 

“Tonight, Americans once again voted to protect their fundamental freedoms — and democracy won,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “My Administration will continue to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law once and for all. 

Issue 1 will replace the former abortion law passed by Republicans in 2019 that prohibited abortion after a heartbeat is detected, with no exceptions for rape or incest, according to AP News. 

State

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has issued a state of emergency due to multiple wildfires spreading from high winds and dry conditions around Virginia. The state of emergency was issued Nov. 6 and will last a month, according to the executive order.

The Quaker Run Fire in Madison County has burned around 2,800 acres, while the Tuggles Gap Fire in Patrick County has burned about 500 acres, according to The Washington Post. The fire spread to private, state and federal lands and has burned hundreds of acres in Shenandoah National Park.

“These fires have and may continue to pose a significant threat to public health and safety,” Youngkin said in the executive order.

Youngkin’s executive order calls for assistance from various agencies so that emergency operations and resources can be offered. If the local government deems it necessary, the governor can call for evacuation.

Local

Liberty University students raised over $39,000 for the school’s first Murph Challenge, which brought awareness to veterans who lost their lives to suicide and raised money for the National Center for Healthy Veterans, according to the event’s website. 

The challenge was named after and created to honor fallen Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy, according to WSET. 

The Murph Challenge that took place Nov. 4 consisted of a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 air squats, and it ended with another 1-mile run, according to the LU MURPH Challenge website. 

Liberty students led and fully funded the event. Liberty senior Nick Salonites worked on the event for almost three years after proposing the idea to the School of Business. Around 250 people participated in the event including students and veterans, according to Liberty University’s website. 

Salonites anticipates the event will become a yearly occurrence at Liberty, according to the Liberty website. 

Denny is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion