Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has announced that his administration will remove an enormous pedestal that until earlier this year held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
The announcement on Sunday marks a reversal in course from September, when the Richmond statue was removed but the Democratic governor said the 40-foot-tall graffiti-covered pedestal would stay.
His administration also announced plans to transfer ownership of the grassy island in the middle of a traffic circle where the statue was located to the city of Richmond. The move comes about a month before Northam leaves office.
Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin will be sworn in next month and has expressed less enthusiasm about the statue’s removal.
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