Criminal Church Shields Rapefugees

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Seeking Sanctuary: Local Church Protects Refugees

Well, it was a beautiful sight Monday, until the clouds rolled in. If you looked to a certain part of the sky last night, you could see 'The Great Conjunction' take place. Now Amie Knowles talks more about it here, but overall, it's when Jupiter and Saturn move close enough they appear to be one bright star. Last night’s edition marked the closest the two planets have been in 800 years. You’ve still got a few days if you missed the event. It’ll be here until Dec. 25. I guess that’s why they call it the Christmas Star.

-Brian

Maria Chavalan Sut sat in a Sunday school classroom on Monday, chatting over Zoom. The classroom, and the attached church at Wesley Memorial UMC, have become Sut’s home since a paperwork mistake caused her to be labeled as undocumented. Now the congregation is protecting her from ICE, while helping with her legal case. Dogwood’s Amie Knowles tells the story.

1. How Long Before Virginia's Economy Recovers? ODU Report Offers an Estimate: How long will it take before Virginia fully recovers from the pandemic? That's a question multiple groups have tried to answer. On Monday, members of Old Dominion University's School of Business presented their attempt. Dogwood's Brian Carlton takes a look at the report and what it means for the state. 
    
2. It's About to Be Illegal to Hold a Phone While Driving in Virginia: Sending just one quick text from your phone won't hurt, right? It will if you’re doing it while driving in Virginia. In less than two weeks, Virginia’s laws will change a bit, as Dogwood’s Amie Knowles explains. 
    
3. Congress Is on the Verge of Banning Surprise Medical Bills: It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s Congress actually doing something to address the epidemic of unexpected medical bills that have harmed millions of Americans. Dogwood's Keya Vakil explains what could be changing to protect people from surprise bills.
   
4. MOT System in Virginia Needs Oversight, Report Says: Very few people know what the MOT system is in Virginia. Even fewer know how it’s supposed to help those dealing with a mental breakdown. But as Dogwood’s Julia Raimondi explains, the system isn't working like it should.
   
5. ICYMI -- Your Landlord Can't Just Tell You to Leave. Here's How the Eviction Process Works in Virginia.: The number of looming evictions in Virginia continue to pile up as officials work through a backlog of cases that started amassing at the beginning of the pandemic. But you can’t just be kicked out of your house. As Dogwood’s Elle Meyers explains, your landlord has to follow a process.

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