Virginia
Supreme Court declines to block top high school’s admissions policy despite claims it is ‘anti-Asian’
- The Supreme Court declined to block a new admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) that seeks to improve diversity of its student body by eliminating standardized testing and considering applicant backgrounds.
- Prior to the implementation of the new policy, Asian Americans composed at least 65% of TJHSST’s new admissions.
- Coalition for TJ, a group that includes parents of Asian American students, slammed the new system as discriminatory and sued Fairfax County Public Schools, which oversees TJHSST.
- A federal judge ruled in favor of the coalition in February, but an appeals court stayed the decision, which allowed TJHSST to continue enforcing its new admissions process for another year.
- The coalition then filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court, maintaining that the new system harms the interests of Asian American applicants.
- The Supreme Court’s decision precedes similar cases it will hear later this year involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to block an elite Virginia high school’s new admissions policy aimed at improving student diversity.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), one of the nation’s top high schools, eliminated standardized testing and began considering “experience factors” as part of its new admissions criteria in 2020.
Body of missing Virginia woman found, $40,000 reward offered for ‘most wanted’ ex-boyfriend
- Hannah Choi, 35, who has been missing since March 6, was found dead in Charles County, Maryland, last Thursday.
- Choi was last seen with her ex-boyfriend, Joel Mosso Merino, on the evening of March 5 in their shared home in Alexandria, Virginia.
- Police believe the pair got into an argument that led to Choi sustaining a “significant injury.”
- Merino, who was last seen in the Atlanta area, has been charged with second-degree murder and felony disposal of a body.
- Police announced a $40,000 reward for information that will lead to Merino’s arrest.
Hannah Choi of Fairfax County, Virginia, first reported missing on March 6, was found dead in nearby Charles County, Maryland, last Thursday, authorities confirmed at a press conference on Monday.
A passerby found Choi’s remains in a wooded area on the 1100 block of Overlook Drive in Accokeek, an area within Piscataway Park. They then called 911.
19-year-old charged with murder in the death of his 78-year-old father
A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder after authorities found the body of his father, who went missing earlier in the week, buried behind their home in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The discovery: Truman Nguyen was reported missing on Monday by a family member who last saw the 78-year-old man on Sunday, WUSA9 reported.
Man hurls anti-Asian, anti-gay slurs at couple over parking space in Virginia
A home security camera captured a gay couple subjected to homophobic and xenophobic verbal insults on Saturday evening over a parking space dispute in Virginia.
Not so neighborly: Jim and Mary Wood allegedly spewed anti-gay and anti-Asian slurs at Kyle and Leo Liu Metz, their next-door neighbors in Old Town, Alexandria, reported WUSA9.
Virginia Detectives Suspect Foul Play in 72-Year-Old Woman’s Disappearance From Home
Fairfax County Police Department detectives suspect foul play may have been involved in the disappearance of 72-year-old Emily Lu.
What happened: Authorities arrived at Lu’s home in Davis Lane, Lorton, on June 4 to conduct a welfare check at the request of the woman’s employer when she failed to show up for work, according to the police department.
Man Arrested for Skipping $70 Bill, Using Slurs and Assaulting Sushi Restaurant Owner in Virginia
A man accused of assaulting an Asian restaurant owner in Arlington, Virginia after dining and dashing has been arrested on Tuesday.
Holy shit! Cops just threw this dudes Maga hat into the streets😂😂😂😂@ClarendonBros @ARLnowDOTcom pic.twitter.com/tkdiupiPdN
Man Accused of Assaulting Sushi Restaurant Owner After Trying to Skip $70 Bill in Virginia
Police in Arlington, Virginia are looking for a man who allegedly assaulted an Asian American restaurant owner and used racial slurs against her and her son on May 4.
What happened: Henry Kim and his mother, who own Bonsai Grill in Crystal City, said the attack occurred when they followed the man after he left their restaurant without paying for roughly $70 worth of sushi rolls.
Body of Elderly Asian Woman Found 4 Days After Going Missing in Virginia Beach
An elderly Asian woman who went missing in Virginia Beach, Virginia was found dead after four days of police and community search efforts.
While taking the trash out, Shu-jin Wu, 76, wandered away from her home in the 1500 block of Gallery Avenue around 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 17.
Virginia Councilman Says Chinese Restaurants Don’t Need COVID-19 Aid Because ‘They Don’t Hire Blacks’
A councilman in Virginia has come under fire after saying that Chinese businesses don’t need aid for COVID-19.
In a work session on June 2, Paul Riddick, who represents Ward 4 in the Norfolk City Council, said that COVID-19 aid would serve Black-owned businesses better, since their Chinese counterparts “don’t need any money.”
Security Guard Who Murdered Pokémon Go-Playing Grandpa Faces 30 Years in Prison
A jury in Virginia has recommended a 30-year prison sentence for Johnathan Cromwell, the security guard who shot and killed an elderly Asian man playing Pokemon Go in 2017.
Cromwell has been found guilty of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, PilotOnline reports.
Filipino American Community in Virginia Bands Together to Find Missing Mom
The friends and family of 39-year-old Filipina-American mother Bellamy Malaki Gamboa have organized a search party after Virginia State Police initiated a “Critically Missing Adult Alert” or “Ashanti Alert” on July 5.
People close to Gamboa gathered around the Philippine Cultural Center on Saturday afternoon to increase the search effort for the missing mother by handing out fliers to passersby.
Wanted American Pedophile Arrested in Cambodia After FBI Tip
A 31-year-old American man wanted on sex charges in Virginia was arrested in Cambodia.
Authorities found Samuel Douglas Lovejoy at a fish market in the city of Kampot on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
