ROBERT E. LEE

A grand jury in Virginia has indicted multiple people on felony charges for carrying flaming torches with the intent to intimidate during a rally at the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville nearly six years ago.

Hundreds are set to gather in Lexington to commemorate Lee-Jackson Day.

A commission created by Congress is recommending changes at West Point when it comes to commemorating Robert E.

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by demonstrators who were tear-gassed by Richmond police during a protest in June 2020.

The enormous pedestal where the Robert E.

For the second time this month, conservation experts in Virginia's capital city have begun opening an apparent time capsule found in the remnants of a pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Crews working to remove the pedestal where a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee towered over Richmond for more than a century believe they've found a time capsule that was buried there in 1887.

Crews working to remove the pedestal where a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.

Two unsuccessful bidders for the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protesters to Charlottesville have filed a letter protesting the city's process to get rid of the statue, which ended last week in the acceptance of a proposal to melt it down and turn it into new art.

The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protests to Charlottesville, Virginia, will be melted down and turned into a new piece of public art by an African American heritage center.

Preliminary work to remove an enormous pedestal that until recently held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee got underway Monday in Richmond.

Sunday, Governor Ralph Northam announced the removal of the Robert E. Lee monument pedestal that displayed the Confederate General. This is part of an agreement reached with the City of Richmond to transfer the state-owned land to the City.

Virginia's Supreme Court won't reconsider its decision to allow removing a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was cut into pieces and hauled away from Richmond's Monument Avenue weeks ago.

Following the removal of the 21-foot Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue, The Department of General Services says removal cost The Commonwealth more than $2 million and counting.

Crews in Virginia ended a daylong search Thursday after they were unable to locate a 134-year-old time capsule state officials believe is buried in the pedestal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that towered over Richmond for more than a century.

Crews have halted searching for the day for a time capsule from 1887 believed buried in the pedestal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that once towered over Richmond.

Crews have halted searching for the day for a time capsule from 1887 believed buried in the pedestal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.

The Virginia Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Thursday that the state can take down an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has towered over a traffic island in Richmond for more than a century and has become a symbol of racial injustice.

At least 13 organizations and one municipality have expressed interest in acquiring two statues of Confederate generals removed from downtown Charlottesville parks, including one monument that was the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017, according to city documents.

Some residents consider Appomattox a small community including restaurants and outdoor recreation, but what’s driving a lot of tourism is what the area’s most known for -- its role in the Civil War.

A new wave of no parking signs and fencing is up around Charlottesville’s two Confederate statues as the city readies to relocate them.

A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville is set to come down Saturday, the city announced.

The statue of Stonewall Jackson in Charlottesville has again been vandalized.

Have a piece of Virginia history you feel should be preserved? You can now submit it for a chance to be buried in a new time capsule.

The Virginia mansion where Robert E. Lee once lived that now overlooks Arlington National Cemetery is open to the public again.

The battle over removing the Robert E. Lee Statue in Richmond heads to the Supreme Court of Virginia Tuesday.

Washington and Lee University will indeed remain Washington and Lee University.

The push to remove Confederate names from Pentagon properties, including storied Army posts, could eventually affect hundreds of assets and facilities.

Virginia’s attorney general says the state’s colleges and universities can require students to get the COVID-19 vaccine before being allowed to attend in-person classes and activities.

Virginia’s highest court has ruled that the city of Charlottesville can take down two statues of Confederate generals, including one of Robert E.

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, fans join in singing "The Eyes of Texas" after Texas defeated UTEP 59-3 in an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas' long-awaited report on the history of the school song The Eyes of Texas found it had no racist intent, but the school will not require athletes and band members to participate in singing or playing it at games and campus events. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas' long-awaited report on “The Eyes of Texas” has found that the school song has “no racist intent," but the school president said athletes and band members will not be required to sing or participate when the song is played at games and campus events. The report also noted the song was first performed at a minstrel show, most likely with performers in blackface. “Nobody has been, or will be, required to sing the song," Hartzell said.

FILE - In this July 7, 2020, file photo, crews attach straps to the statue Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. At least 160 Confederate symbols were taken down or moved from public spaces in 2020. Ad“These racist symbols only serve to uphold revisionist history and the belief that white supremacy remains morally acceptable,” SPLC chief of staff Lecia Brooks said in a statement. In December, a state commission recommended replacing Lee’s statue with a statue of Johns. He served as president of the Confederate States of America after becoming a U.S. senator, not before becoming a U.S. senator.

This Monday, Dec. 21, 2020 photo provided by the Office of the Governor of Virginia shows a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee being removed from the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington. The statue that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed after a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state. (Jack Mayer/Office of Governor of Virginia, File)The Robert E. Lee statue that stood in the U.S. Capitol on behalf of the state of Virginia for 111 years has been taken to a museum in Richmond. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the 700-pound bronze statue of Lee arrived Tuesday at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Ralph Northam requested the statue’s removal and a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state.

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 17: Tourists walk past the Statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that is located inside the US Capitol August 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has called for the removal of all Confederate statues from the United States Capitol. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)WASHINGTON – A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed. The Washington Post reports that workers removed the statue from Statuary Hall early Monday morning. Lee’s statue had stood with George Washington’s statue since 1909 as Virginia’s representatives in the Capitol’s honorary hall.

The statue that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed after a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state. (Jack Mayer/Office of Governor of Virginia, File)WASHINGTON – A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed. Ralph Northam said in a statement that workers removed the statue from the National Statuary Hall Collection early Monday morning. Northam had requested the removal and a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state. Lee's statue had stood with George Washington's statue since 1909 as Virginia’s representatives in the Capitol.

ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. – Arlington County is changing its logo to remove a stylized version of its namesake mansion because of its ties to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The county announced Wednesday that its County Board voted unanimously to adopt a new logo. The current depicts the pillars of Arlington House, a mansion overlooking the Potomac River that was Lee’s home before the Civil War. The change comes as Confederate names and symbols are removed from schools, roads and parks across Virginia and the South. It also comes shortly after northern Virginia congressional members introduced legislation to end the official designation of Arlington House, a National Park Service site surrounded by Arlington National Cemetery - as a “Robert E. Lee Memorial.”

WASHINGTON – The state of Virginia will soon replace a statue of Robert E. Lee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. And there are now five finalists for the person whose statue will replace the Confederate general. The finalists include civil rights attorney Oliver Hill Sr. and teenage civil rights pioneer Barbara Johns. The Commission For Historical Statues In The United States Capitol will make its recommendation virtually on Wednesday to Virginia’s General Assembly. The state decided to replace the Lee statue following the killing of a Black man, George Floyd, in police custody in Minneapolis.

RICHMOND, Va. – Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has announced a proposal to spend $25 million to transform historical sites in Virginia, including the Richmond spot where a soaring statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee became a focal point of protests against racism. Northam said at a news conference Friday that nearly $11 million of the money would be used to reconstruct Richmond’s Monument Avenue, a historical boulevard that was lined with the Lee statue and other Confederate monuments for more than a century. His budget proposal would require the approval of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.

RICHMOND, Va. – A judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of the Democratic Virginia governor’s plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee - but said the state can’t immediately act on his order. “The Lee monument was built to celebrate the Confederacy and uphold white supremacy. Reached by phone, an attorney for the plaintiffs, Patrick McSweeney, confirmed his clients would appeal to the Supreme Court of Virginia. It was out of this backdrop that the erection of the Lee Monument took place,” he wrote. Both McSweeney and a spokeswoman for Northam said the plaintiffs had 30 days to file a notice of appeal with the Virginia Supreme Court.

RICHMOND, Va. – A state panel tasked with recommending a replacement for Virginia’s Robert E. Lee statue at the U.S. Capitol will hold a virtual public hearing on the matter next month. The panel, created by the General Assembly earlier this year, has set a Nov. 17 hearing, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Sunday. Following the public hearing and the end of the public comment period, the Department of Historic Resources will present the panel with a list of five finalists. The panel voted in July to take down the Lee statue in the National Statuary Hall and replace it with the to-be-determined Virginian. The Farmville case lead to a landmark Supreme Court ruling that found officially segregated public schools unconstitutional.

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. – A county in Virginia spent more than $100,000 to take down its Confederate statue and hold and event around the removal. The Daily Progress reported Tuesday that the cost to pay a construction company for the removal in Albemarle County cost about $60,000. But there were also costs that included staff overtime, setting up barricades and live-streaming the event because of virus restrictions. Last month, the county removed the “At Ready” soldier statue and its base from outside its courthouse. In Charlottesville three years ago, hundreds of white supremacists gathered in part to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s monument to Robert E. Lee is getting a new home. On Monday, the Roanoke City Council decided to accept the proposal submitted by Evergreen Burial Park, which would move the obelisk there. Lee monument down on groundThe park is requesting that the city also move the base and pedestal from Lee Plaza to the park. “We think Evergreen Burial Park is a logical place for the Lee Monument, we have 60 Confederate veterans at Evergreen, we have a Union soldier buried at Evergreen," Wilson said. “We believe the Lee monument has a story of its own to tell, how it came to be, how it came to be removed, and how it came to come to Evergreen now," Wilson said.

Ralph Northam's administration from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee can proceed, a judge ruled Tuesday, clearing the way for a trial in the fall. Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant rejected much of the state's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of property owners along the residential boulevard where the statue is situated. Herring has vowed to continue the fight in court as long as it takes to see that the statue is removed. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South. Four other prominent statues of Confederate leaders have been taken down from city property along the avenue this summer.

Ralph Northams administration from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee can proceed, a judge ruled Tuesday, clearing the way for a trial in the fall. Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant rejected much of the states motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of property owners along the residential boulevard where the statue is situated. He did narrow the claims that can proceed, dismissing one count entirely and dismissing two plaintiffs from another claim. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South. Four other prominent statues of Confederate leaders have been taken down from city property along the avenue this summer.

But Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, whose district is home to Arlington House, said it's time that Lee's name be stripped. Beyer's plans for legislation comes as descendants of a family enslaved at Arlington House have been lobbying for a name change. Surrounding the mansion is Arlington National Cemetery, which draws nearly 4 million visitors a year. Craig Syphax of Arlington is one of the descendants of Arlington House slaves who requested Beyer take action. He said learning his family history in his adult years helped give him a new outlook on life.

RICHMOND, Va. – A judge heard arguments Tuesday but did not immediately rule on whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee along Richmond's famed Monument Avenue. An injunction currently prevents Northam's administration from moving forward with plans to take down the bronze equestrian statue of Lee. Now cloaked in graffiti, the Lee statue and other nearby monuments have become a rallying point during ongoing social justice protests and occasional clashes with police. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South.

ROANOKE, Va. City leaders made their voices clear on Monday night: The Robert E. Lee statue in downtown Roanoke should be permanently removed. [70-year-old Roanoke man charged with felony for damaging Confederate monument]Roanoke City Council voted 7-0 on Monday night in favor of permanently removing the monument. Representatives from local museums, historical societies, battlefields or governments are asked to contact the Roanoke City Managers Office within the next 30 days with proposals of what to do with the monument. If the City Managers Office doesnt receive proposals from these groups, the city manager will present options and decide where to go from there. City council members said theyve been trying to remove this statue since the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and theyre thankful its moving forward.

RICHMOND, Va. A judge heard arguments Tuesday but did not immediately rule on whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee along Richmonds famed Monument Avenue. An injunction currently prevents Northams administration from moving forward with plans to take down the bronze equestrian statue of Lee. Now cloaked in graffiti, the Lee statue and other nearby monuments have become a rallying point during ongoing social justice protests and occasional clashes with police. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South.

Fighting to preserve that history while creating equality, perhaps no other city in Virginia embodies the commonwealth’s identity struggle like Lexington, a liberal community with deep Confederate roots. “I think certainly in the past the Confederate history of this region has been much more prevalent. As we have progressed, I don’t see as many people coming for the Confederate history,” Friedman said. Robert E. Lee is crediting with saving Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) after his surrender to the Union. He said there is a great interest from people wanting to learn about these sites and community history.

The historic Robert E. Lee Hotel announced it will be removing the controversial namesake of the building. “The building was built in the 1920s as the Robert E. Lee Hotel and it immediately fell on hard times with the Great Depression,” explained Francesco Benincasa, whose family owns the hotel. Benincasa and his family bought the hotel about six years ago and they completely renovated the building, transforming it from an apartment complex back to a hotel. “There’s always been a push and pull between the historic name of the building, Robert E. Lee Hotel that people have known it as around here for 100 years now, and also wanting to move forward and have your own brand,” Benincasa said. Over the next couple of weeks, the hotel will work to rebrand after its new name ‘The Gin’.

ROANOKE, Va. – A man is taking legal action to block the permanent removal of the Robert E. Lee monument in Roanoke’s Lee Plaza, which police said was toppled over this week by a 70-year-old Roanoke man who later turned himself in. Liniel Gregory Jr. believes the monument’s removal would open the door for the removal of other local monuments honoring war veterans, not just those pertaining to the Civil War. According to Gregory Jr.‘s petition to block the monument’s removal, which was filed earlier this month, the goal is to “protect the unalienable rights of the citizens of Roanoke to vote for such an important and emotional issue.”The damaged Lee monument is now sitting in storage, but Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea said this week that the damage to the monument won’t stop city leaders from removing it through legal means. “It is an unfortunate incident, but this will not deter us from going through the legal process to remove the monument,” said Mayor Sherman Lea. “We have a public hearing scheduled for the second (City) Council meeting in August to allow citizens to give their input on this matter, and we will proceed based upon the outcome of the public hearing.”Gregory Jr.‘s petition expresses concern that Roanoke citizens, including veterans or family members of veterans, will “be denied the right to vote yea or nay to destroy the history of the city, county Commonwealth or America.”

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond judge heard arguments Thursday but said he would not immediately issue a ruling in a lawsuit over Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant said the matter was of great importance and said he would issue a written ruling later. Northam's administration has been readying plans to remove the enormous statue - should the court clear the way- from a soaring pedestal. The 21-foot-high equestrian statue, which the state has said weighs about 12 tons, sits atop a pedestal nearly twice that tall.

ROANOKE, Va. The city of Roanoke has released a statement after the Robert E. Lee memorial was found toppled over Thursday morning. An officer was reportedly driving near Lee Plaza in downtown just before midnight on Wednesday when he noticed the monument lying on its side and broken in two pieces. Police say that evidence suggests that the monument was intentionally damaged. It is an unfortunate incident, but this will not deter us from going through the legal process to remove the monument, said Mayor Sherman Lea. No arrests have been made and police say this is an ongoing investigation.

ROANOKE, Va. The Robert E. Lee Memorial in downtown Roanoke has been knocked over. This comes after the Roanoke City Council started the process to possibly remove the monument from Lee Plaza across from city hall by setting up a public hearing on Aug. 17. In 2017, the monument was spraypainted with the words Rest in Power Heather Heyer.The Robert E. Lee monument has been in Lee Plaza for just shy of 60 years. A 10 News crew discovered the knocked over monument Thursday morning after a tip from a viewer. We have reached out to Roanoke City Police and are awaiting a response.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Democratic lawmakers and others urged official removal of Confederate monuments at the center of a politically fraught national debate, saying Tuesday that slow action was leading protesters to try to topple statues of defenders of slavery themselves. A descendant of Confederate military commander Robert E. Lee was among those joining Black historians at a hearing of the House subcommittee on national parks, forests and public lands to urge passage of legislation addressing Confederate statues at national parks and other federal sites. One of the bills would remove a statue of Lee erected this century at the battlefield of Antietam, the site of the deadliest day of fighting in the Civil War. Robert W. Lee IV, a descendant of the Souths military leader in the Civil War, cited his forebears testimony before Congress after the Civil War as evidence of the Confederate leader's unfitness for commemorative monuments. Trump increasingly has come out in defense of the Confederate statues and other historical tributes to the Civil Wars defeated side.

ROANOKE, Va. – The fate of the Robert E. Lee monument in downtown Roanoke remains unseen but the process to figure that out is well underway. On Monday, the Roanoke City Council started the process in possibly removing the monument from Lee Plaza. This motion also set up a public hearing on the matter. The Robert E. Lee monument has been in Lee Plaza for just shy of 60 years. I just encourage everyone to be patient.”The public hearing is tentatively set for August 17 at 7 p.m.

(AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. Just a little over a month ago, the area around Richmond's iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was as quiet and sedate as the statue itself. Clashes between police and protesters gathered near the statue have become a regular occurrence. The statue is located on Richmonds Monument Avenue, a boulevard of stately homes that also features several other Confederate monuments targeted for removal. At the Lee statue, a new vibe has emerged alongside the raucous atmosphere of protests, one that is more reminiscent of the hippie love and peace festivals of the 1960s. A group of civilian volunteers armed with handguns and rifles has been patrolling the area near the statue to keep protesters safe.

LEXINGTON, Va. Conversations about race continue across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd, including a conversation now about changing the name of Washington & Lee University. Washington & Lee is no stranger to change. Thats where a petition, organized by faculty, to remove Lees name from the university comes in. Exactly what the petition will say and how the process will work was still being developed Thursday, but the goal was to get the petition to the universitys trustees soon. Like Casey, Harwood hopes a name change wont overshadow bigger cultural issues at the university that he says need to be addressed.

LEXINGTON, Va. A woman with ties to Washington & Lee Universitys founding is not happy about the recent name change proposal. Im very angry, said Tina Tabor, who feels like history is being destroyed. She is a decedent of Robert Alexander, who served as president of Augusta Academy, which later became Washington & Lee University. The Lee in the universitys name refers to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Faculty members have not discussed what theyd like the universitys new name to be.

LEXINGTON, Va. More pressure could be coming for Washington & Lee University to change its name and removing all references to the confederacy. No action was taken, but more than 100 undergraduate and law school professors who attended the meeting plan to send a formal request to the schools president and board of trustees by the end of the month. The school was named for George Washington, an early benefactor, and Robert E. Lee, the former confederate general and president of the university who is buried in a chapel at the heart of campus. In 2018, a commission examining how history shaped the university suggested numerous changes but stopped short of recommending renaming the school. The university did make changes to the names of some campus buildings.

Sundays work follows the removal of two other Confederate statues on the state Capitol grounds in Raleigh on Saturday. Cooper ordered the statues removed after protesters toppled two other Confederate statues Friday night, stringing one up by the neck and hanging it from a light pole. Cooper has advocated the statues removal for years. In another case in California, symbols of the Black Lives Matter movement have been targeted in recent weeks with vandalism. The Ventura County Sheriffs Office said late Saturday that a tarp painted with the letters BLM has been repeatedly damaged in Thousand Oaks.

RICHMOND, Va. – A group of Richmond residents who filed a lawsuit challenging of the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue decided to file a notice of voluntary dismissal, which means the case will not move forward. The residents, who live on Richmond’s Monument Avenue, filed the dismissal on Wednesday. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring removed this case to federal court within hours of its filing on Monday afternoon, according to his press secretary. It was originally filed in Richmond Circuit Court. While the original lawsuit won’t move forward, a lawyer representing the group of Monument Ave residents told 8News that he filed “a new, but similar, action to block the removal” in Richmond Circuit Court on Wednesday.

The six plaintiffs had initially filed a state lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court on Monday, but Attorney General Mark Herring moved it to federal court. In response, the plaintiffs dropped the lawsuit altogether on Thursday and filed a new, similar suit again in the state court, said Attorney Patrick McSweeney. Northam announced earlier this month that the statue would be taken down and moved to storage while his administration seeks public input on its future. Herring, a Democrat like Northam, has pledged to defend Northams plans, calling the Lee statue a divisive relic.The statue is one of five memorials to the Confederacy along Monument Avenue, and the only one on state property. A hearing is scheduled Thursday in Richmond Circuit Court in a separate state lawsuit over the Lee statue removal plans.

RICHMOND, Va. – Six property owners along Monument Avenue in Virginia's capital city filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to stop Gov. Ralph Northam's administration from removing a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The statue is one of five memorials to the Confederacy along Monument Avenue, and the only one on state property. A week ago, a judge issued a 10-day injunction in that case temporarily preventing Northam's administration from removing the statue. The only plaintiff listed by name in the new lawsuit is Helen Marie Taylor, a longtime Monument Avenue resident and defender of the statues.

Richmond, Va. – A letter was sent to the Virginia Attorney General’s office demanding Governor Ralph Northam protect the Robert E. Lee monument from a “rumor” that an 18-wheeler is coming to tear it down. Herring also filed a motion requesting any further proceedings on the Lee statue be conducted on the record, with at least twelve hours of notice, and with the option of having the court reporter present. The motion states that “Symbols matter, and the Virginia of today can no longer honor a racist system that enslaved millions of people. The plaintiff also filed a motion asking the judge to enter a permanent injunction or extend the existing injunction. The hearing will be held on this motion on Thursday, June 18 at 10 a.m.

RICHMOND, Va. – Police arrested a man and seized three assault-style rifles and one handgun after a late-night confrontation near the city's statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, authorities said Friday. Drivers in several pickup trucks and individuals on bikes exchanged words early Friday near the Lee statue before one of the trucks ran over a bicycle while fleeing the area, police said in a news release. Officers made three traffic stops after the incident and found multiple assault-style rifles, handguns and body armor. Some of the guns were seized and one individual was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The Lee statue is one of the country’s most iconic monuments to the Confederacy.

Ralph Northam has both "the authority and the moral obligation" to remove a massive statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Attorney General Mark Herring's office said in a court filing Wednesday. It came after Richmond Circuit Court Judge Bradley B. Cavedo issued an injunction Monday preventing Northams administration from removing the statue for 10 days. The lawsuit was filed by William C. Gregory, a descendant of two signatories to the deed. Named as defendants are Northam and the director of the Department of General Services, the agency tasked with handling the removal. The filing requests a copy of the transcript from Monday's proceedings, which attorneys for the state were not a party to.

RICHMOND, Va. – A judge has issued a 10-day injunction preventing the removal of Confederate monuments in Richmond. Ralph Northam’s historic announcement on Thursday of the decision to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from its prominent place in Richmond. Northam said he wants to remove the statue ‘as soon as possible’ and put it into storage, until its future can be decided. This is a breaking news story. Stay with 10 News for updates.

RICHMOND, Va. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to respond to a 10-day injunction preventing the removal of the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond. Make no mistake: it will come down. pic.twitter.com/bPw1StZRLl Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) June 9, 2020Make no mistake: it will come down.Those are the words the governor has for those who are fighting for the statue to remain in its place. Last Thursday, Northam announced that he would remove the statue as soon as possible from its prominent location in Richmond.

EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - An inspection crew from the Virginia Department of General Services inspect the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue Monday June. Ralph Northam’s administration from removing an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee for 10 days. It is in the public interest to await resolution of the case on the merits prior to removal of the statue, the order says. Northam has said the enormous Lee statue would be removed “as soon as possible” and his administration would seek public input about its future. Richmond’s city council has affirmed unanimous support for removing the other four, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

A rope had been tied around the Confederate statue, which has stood since 1891, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, adding that someone urinated on the statue after it was pulled down. Confederate monuments are a major flashpoint in Virginia and elsewhere in the South. Those statues sit on city land, unlike the Lee statue, which is on state property. Thats when a new law goes into effect, which was signed earlier this year by Northam, that undoes an existing state law protecting Confederate monuments and instead lets local governments decide their fate. Wickhams statue stood in Monroe Park, about a mile away from the Lee statue and surrounded by the Virginia Commonwealth University campus.

RICHMOND, Va. – As Virginia moves forward with the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, one professor of history education says it doesn't belong in a public space. Dr. Gabriel Reich says the ‘Lost Cause’ narrative began after the Civil War. He said knowing what we know now, the Confederate statue doesn’t belong on public property. “When we allow the continued presence of monuments in our public spaces that are hostile to a large portion of our population, and in this case African Americans in Virginia, that we are sending a message about who counts and whose voices count in our public spaces. Five of the six statues on Monument Avenue pay tribute to the Confederacy.

LEXINGTON, Va. – The question of whether Confederate monuments should stay or go is on the mind of leaders and the communities across Southwest Virginia. Robert E. Lee is buried in Lexington under Lee Chapel on Washington and Lee’s campus. Stonewall Jackson is also buried in Lexington, at the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. “This is not something that invites Unity, invites participation, invites equality. Like, ‘Why is the Stonewall Jackson cemetery called the Stonewall Jackson cemetery?’ It originated with the Lexington Presbyterian Church and they essentially gave it to the city," explained Freidman.

Ralph Northam plans to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from Monument Avenue in Richmond, a Confederate monument in Roanoke could also be removed. Monument in question is the obelisk across the street from Roanoke City Hall in Robert E. Lee Plaza. Prior to voting for the monument’s removal, a public hearing would have to be held, said Cobb. If the monument is removed, council members will have 30 days to decide what to do with it. Council members had not decided Thursday what may happen to the monument if it is removed.

After Stoney spoke for a bit, he left the podium to Northam, who announced the decision to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from its prominent place in Richmond. Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond Shayne Dwyer is live at Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue where a crowd is growing following Gov. Posted by WSLS 10 / WSLS.com on Thursday, June 4, 2020On Thursday morning, Northam discussed Virginia’s history and the history of the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond. The department released this statement Thursday afternoon:“Governor Ralph Northam today directed the Department of General Services to remove the state-owned Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond. Robert E. Lee IV, a distant nephew of the Confederate general, Robert Johns and Zyahna Bryant spoke during the news conference.

Ralph Northam is scheduled to address Virginians on Thursday morning. Its expected that the governor will announce a plan to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from Richmonds Monument Avenue. Northam is also expected to discuss more details about what Phase Two of reopening looks like in Virginia. [Where are Virginias coronavirus cases? The health departments interactive map]The governor is now only be giving coronavirus updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. Sen. Amanda Chase, who is currently the sole Republican candidate for governor in Virginia, is denouncing the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond. According to a release from her campaign, Chase voiced her opposition from Richmonds Monument Avenue on Wednesday. Removing the Robert E. Lee statue is a cowardly capitulation to the looters and domestic terrorists, said Senator Chase. Other Virginia GOP lawmakers are also speaking out against the removal of the statue. The Governors decision to remove the Lee statue from Monument Avenue is not in the best interests of Virginia.

Northams announcement to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, the conversation has shifted to other cities across Virginia. Since that action and even before, there has been much discussion about Lynchburgs own confederate statues. Earlier this year, we had extensive conversations about a confederate battle flag that was thought to have connections to Lynchburg. Peoples opinion regarding these statues is as varied as the reasons for the Civil War. My concerns are more for the citizens of Lynchburg, especially those who are suffering.

RICHMOND, Va. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced plans to remove the other Confederate monuments along Monument Avenue, which include statues of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Confederate Gens. Ralph Northam is expected to announce plans to remove the Lee statue on Thursday. Stoney said he would introduce an ordinance July 1 to have the statues removed. Starting July 1, localities gain the ability to remove, relocate, or contextualize the monuments in their communities. Richmond is no longer the Capital of the Confederacy - it is filled with diversity and love for all - and we need to demonstrate that.

RICHMOND, Va. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to announce plans Thursday for the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond's prominent Monument Avenue, a senior administration official told The Associated Press. Floyd's death has sparked outrage over issues of racism and police brutality and prompted a new wave of Confederate memorial removals. The Lee statue is one of five Confederate monuments along Monument Avenue in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy. It has been the target of vandalism during protests in recent days over Floyds death.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - A controversial Civil War statue has been vandalized once again. The statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville's Market Street Park has been vandalized. This time, someone spray-painted "1619" on the base of the statue, which is the year slavery began in the United States. The vandalism happened after a three-day civil trial concluded Friday with a Virginia judge ruling that has blocked the city's effort to remove the Confederate statue. The statue was last vandalized in July.

Heather Heyer/Facebook/CNN Video(CNN) - Heather Heyer's mother is suing her daughter's imprisoned killer for $12 million -- but she doesn't expect to see a penny. Bro has been keeping herself busy with the Heather Heyer Foundation, she said. She's also joined Haifa Jabara in pushing Congress to enact hate crime legislation in Heyer's and Jabara's son's names. Exactly one year before Heyer's death, Khalid Jabara was murdered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by a man who had been harassing the 37-year-old and his Lebanese family for years. The Jabara-Heyer No Hate Act aims to improve the accuracy of hate crime reporting and provide resources for state hate crime hotlines, among other provisions.

The group no longer exists, according to the attorney's office. A fourth defendant, Cole Evan White, will be sentenced at a later date, the attorney's office said. The three men sentenced attended two rallies in California prior to the August 2017 Charlottesville rally, during one which Daley and Miselis assaulted protesters, according to the attorney's office. The complaint called the men "among the most violent individuals" at the Charlottesville rally. Photo and video footage in the complaint showed White apparently head-butting a man in a clerical collar and a female counterprotester.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - An avowed white supremacist has been sentenced to life plus 419 years, on top of his initial life sentence on hate crime charges. James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in March. He was sentenced to life in prison on 29 federal hate crime charges last month in an attack that killed Heather Heyer and injured more than two dozen others. The "Unite the Right" rally on Aug. 12, 2017, drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Fields admitted deliberately driving his car into counterprotesters who showed up to demonstrate against the white nationalists.