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Thursday Forecast: Warm and breezy with afternoon showers

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www.youtube.com – 12 On Your Side – 2025-03-20 04:46:28


SUMMARY: Today’s forecast predicts warm weather with afternoon showers and highs in the mid-70s for Charleston. Although a cool front will bring lower temperatures tomorrow—down to the 50s—there’s no significant winter chill expected. Expect scattered showers and potential thunderstorms by the afternoon, particularly around 2 or 3 PM, with rain increasing along the I-95 corridor. This evening will remain breezy and wet, while tomorrow will transition to cooler, sunny conditions, with highs around 57 degrees. The weekend looks promising with temperatures in the 60s, and another chance for light rain on Monday.

Thursday Forecast: Warm and breezy with afternoon showers

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News from the South - Virginia News Feed

Virginia helps lead $7.4 billion national settlement with Sacklers, Purdue Pharma over opioid crisis

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virginiamercury.com – Markus Schmidt – 2025-06-17 04:20:00


Virginia played a pivotal role in a \$7.4 billion settlement permanently severing the Sackler family from Purdue Pharma and banning them from opioid-related business in the U.S. The deal, backed by 55 states and territories, resolves all litigation over Purdue’s role in the opioid epidemic. Virginia could receive up to \$103.8 million, with funds going toward treatment, prevention, and recovery. The Sacklers will pay \$1.5 billion upfront. The agreement follows the Supreme Court’s rejection of a prior deal. Purdue’s promotion of OxyContin triggered the lawsuits. If approved by bankruptcy court, the deal marks a major legal victory in the opioid crisis.

by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury
June 17, 2025

Virginia played a key role in brokering a sweeping $7.4 billion settlement that will permanently sever the Sackler family from pharmaceutical manufacturer Purdue Pharma and ban them from ever marketing opioids in the United States again. It’s the culmination of a long and bitter legal battle over the company’s role in fueling the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Monday that Virginia is one of 55 states and territories backing the historic agreement, which would resolve all outstanding litigation against Purdue and its once-powerful owners, the Sacklers. The deal is now headed to bankruptcy court for final approval.

“The Sacklers spent years fueling an epidemic that shattered families, wrecked communities, and cost hundreds of thousands of American lives,” Miyares said in a statement. 

“Though no amount of money will ever bring back those we’ve lost or undo the incomprehensible level of harm caused, these settlement funds will be invested in treatment, prevention, and recovery efforts across Virginia, helping our communities heal and saving lives.”

Virginia stands to receive up to $103.8 million over 15 years as part of the agreement, with most of the funds arriving in the first three years. The money will go toward community-based efforts to prevent addiction, expand treatment services and support long-term recovery programs statewide.

The opioid crisis has taken an especially heavy toll in the state. A 2021 Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Department of Health analysis found nearly 150,000 Virginians living with opioid use disorder that year, and “at least six Virginians died of an opioid overdose every day on average.”

By 2022, roughly 1,951 Virginians — more than double the number a decade earlier — died from fentanyl alone.  Still, there’s been recent progress: preliminary CDC data indicate over 1,500 overdose deaths in Virginia in 2024, a decline of 44% in fentanyl-related deaths and the nation’s second-largest drop of its kind, as Miyares reiterated in a recent interview with The Mercury. 

The agreement announced Monday comes nearly a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an earlier $6 billion settlement, rejecting legal immunity for the Sackler family. In response, the family increased its financial contribution, helping to pave the way for the larger $7.4 billion proposal that all states and territories have now embraced.

Alongside Virginia, a coalition of states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia helped negotiate the final terms of the agreement — marking it as the largest opioid-related settlement involving individual defendants to date.

Under the proposed plan, the Sackler family will pay $1.5 billion up front, and Purdue Pharma will contribute about $900 million. Additional payments — $500 million in the second and third years and $400 million in the fourth — will follow.

Once finalized, the settlement will dissolve the Sacklers’ ownership of Purdue and prohibit them from making, selling, or marketing opioids in the U.S.

The litigation stems from Purdue’s development and aggressive promotion of OxyContin, a powerful prescription painkiller introduced in the 1990s. 

The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after facing thousands of lawsuits accusing it of downplaying the drug’s addictive properties while reaping billions in profit. The lawsuits argued that Purdue and the Sacklers knowingly contributed to one of the deadliest drug epidemics in American history.

“This is a critical milestone,” Purdue Pharma said in a statement Monday. “Today’s announcement of unanimous support among the states and territories is a critical milestone towards confirming a Plan of Reorganization that will provide billions of dollars to compensate victims, abate the opioid crisis, and deliver opioid use disorder and overdose rescue medicines that will save American lives.”

The bankruptcy court is expected to hold a hearing on the agreement in the coming days. If approved, the settlement will mark the latest in a series of major opioid-related legal wins for the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, which has now secured more than $1.1 billion in total opioid settlements.

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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.

The post Virginia helps lead $7.4 billion national settlement with Sacklers, Purdue Pharma over opioid crisis appeared first on virginiamercury.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content shows a center-left political bias as it emphasizes governmental action and accountability in addressing the opioid epidemic, notably praising legal settlements against pharmaceutical companies and highlighting the investment of settlement funds into public health initiatives. The tone supports regulatory intervention and corporate responsibility, which align with center-left values, while maintaining a factual, balanced presentation without extreme partisanship.

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News from the South - Virginia News Feed

One Good Thing: Street naming

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www.youtube.com – 12 On Your Side – 2025-06-16 06:56:49

SUMMARY: A new street has been named in honor of Jon Lugbill, the founder and executive director of Sports Backers in Henrico. The commemorative street naming recognizes his years of service and leadership with the organization. “Jon Lugbill Drive” is now located outside the organization’s headquarters as he prepares to retire. Despite lingering puddles from recent rain, the morning commute remained smooth. The ceremony celebrating Lugbill marks a meaningful gesture of appreciation for his contributions to the local sports community and his lasting legacy in promoting active lifestyles throughout the region. Candace and Sarah reported from the scene.

Sports Backers honored its founder and executive director with a commemorative street naming.

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Man accused of killing Minnesota lawmaker arrested after ‘largest manhunt in state history’

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www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-06-16 05:27:22

SUMMARY: Vance Boelter was arrested near his farm in Green Isle, Minnesota, ending what authorities call the largest manhunt in state history. He is accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and separately shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Police discovered a list of potential targets, including Democratic lawmakers and abortion rights advocates. The attacks highlight a rising trend of threats against elected officials. No motive has been released. A memorial for the Hortmans grows at the state capitol, and senators are set to receive a bipartisan security briefing amid renewed safety concerns.

57-year-old Vance Boelter has been arrested alive in a field near his home in Sibley County, where the search concentrated Sunday.

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