VIRGINIA: DMV Removes Confederate Flag from Specialty License Plate
RICHMOND, Va. — The Va. Department of Motor Vehicles has begun production of a redesigned specialty license plate without the image of a Confederate battle flag.
New SCV plate design.
The new design on the plate honoring the Sons of Confederate Veterans removes the flag and centers the artwork in the background.
“DMV reached out to the Sons of Confederate Veterans to discuss the redesign and, not hearing back within a reasonable amount of time, (we) decided to move forward with this design in order to begin production of the new plates,” according to DMV spokeswoman Katy Lloyd.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in a Texas case that specialty license plates represent the state’s speech and not the driver’s speech.
Once the new plates are ready, DMV will mail a letter and the new plates to current SOCV plate holders. They will be asked to return the old plates within 30 days.
Old SCV design that the state will ask current plate-holders to return within 30 days.
DMV has not determined the date on which the new plates will be mailed.
–13newsnow.com
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TENNESSEE: School District Bans Flags on Back of Trucks
A Tennessee school district has managed to institute one of the strangest rules with the narrowest scope you’ll ever see, banning all flags on the back of pickup trucks on school grounds.
That’s all flags — including Old Glory — in an attempt to prevent any controversy surrounding the Confederate flag.
While it was originally thought to be a school-wide ban, the Dickson County School District sent an email to Memphis’ Fox 13 to clarify its position, saying it only bans “flags from flying on the back of pick-up trucks on school property.”
Students said they were previously told they’d be kicked out of classes for the day if they brought an American flag anywhere on school property.
The school district also posted a message on its website.
Information reported by news stations that the American Flag has been banned in the Dickson County school system is entirely inaccurate. The Flag is prominently displayed at every school in our county. It is also displayed in many of our classrooms. All students in Dickson County are allowed to voluntarily participate in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance each morning. We are very proud to have JROTC in both of our high schools, and we will continue to fly and respect the flag.
Obviously, this is what they’re trying to avoid:
Confederate and American flags fly from trucks during a rally to show support for the flags on July 11, 2015 in Loxahatchee, Florida. Getty Images
–national.suntimes.com
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VIRGINIA: Civil War Anniversary Brought Millions to State
RICHMOND — Virginia’s commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War resulted in more than $290 million in spending and 3.7 million people visiting the state, according to an economic impact study.
Virginia’s commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War resulted in more than $290 million in spending and 3.7 million people visiting the state, according to an economic impact study. — File Photo/progress-index.com
Programs marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War generated more than $8.4 million in state tax revenue and nearly $5 million in local tax revenue, according to the study by Chmura Economics & Analytics.
The study estimates the total economic impact of Civil War sesquicentennial programs and events, combining commemoration expenditures and visitor spending, at $290.3 million, supporting 3,488 jobs. Direct spending by visitors to sesquicentennial events is estimated at $165.7 million.
According to the report, sesquicentennial programs and events, as well as visitor spending in Virginia related to the commemoration, “contributed positively to the Commonwealth’s economy in terms of sales, jobs, and tax revenue.”
Virginia was the scene of many of the major Civil War battles during the four-year conflict. The Petersburg area was at the center of the conflict in the last two years of the war.
The study was done at the request of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission.
–progress-index.com
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