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Virginia supreme court rejects gym owner’s request to open

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Supreme Court of Virginia has rejected an injunction request from a gym owner who is challenging the executive order that has closed his business.

Merrill Hall, who owns a chain of Gold’s Gym franchises and other gyms, sued the governor in Culpeper County.

His lawyer, Republican state Sen. Bill Stanley, said Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam exceeded his authority by ordering fitness centers and other businesses closed to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, the state supreme court rejected the request for an injunction.

Hall can still proceed with his lawsuit, but the governor’s order will remain in place while the issue is litigated.

Fentanyl seizures plummet as Trump administration shifts focus to immigration

WASHINGTON — Fentanyl seizures decreased by 39% during the first year of the second Trump administration after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shifted the Department of Homeland Security’s criminal investigations arm to conducting immigration enforcement, according to a report government investigators published Friday.  Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a subagency of DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reported an “all hands-on deck” environment toward immigration enforcement began in January 2025, according to the DHS Office of Inspector General report. “With ICE dedicating more staff hours to immigration investigations, staffing hours for fentanyl investigations declined,” the report said. The report found that the hours dedicated to fentanyl investigations for fiscal 2025 declined by more than 250,000 hours, or 31%, compared to fiscal 2024.
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