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Lynchburg man sues police over injuries from horseback pursuit and more Va. headlines
• Two Virginia civil rights activists have filed a lawsuit, one of several nationwide, to keep Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot based on a provision in the 14th Amendment prohibiting anyone from holding office who engaged in rebellion or insurrection or offered aid and comfort to those who did.—Roanoke Times • A Lynchburg-area man is suing […]
FOIA Friday: Spotsylvania closed meeting and Fauquier records withholding
One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in […]
Capping Henrico senior citizens’ real estate taxes and more Va. headlines
• After high pandemic-era home prices drove real estate taxes up, Henrico County is proposing to cap those costs for seniors in what it says could be the first program of its kind in Virginia.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • “A Confederate monument slated for removal from Arlington National Cemetery will be placed at a Civil War site owned by […]
Va.’s data center developments spread south and more state headlines
• Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that agricultural products giant Monsanto would pay the state $80 million for allegedly distributing harmful chemicals known as PCBs, which are present in “1,300 river miles, 75,000 lake acres and over 2,000 square miles of bays and estuaries” in Virginia.–WRIC • The Equity Commission on Enrollment reported that speciality […]
Va. Democratic House candidate live streamed sex acts for tips and more state headlines
• “What I’ve been very clear on — and I’d appreciate you writing it clearly — is that I support a bill to protect life at 15 weeks,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said after a Republican rally Saturday in Prince George, highlighting abortion as a pivotal issue ahead of November’s high stakes general elections.–New York Times […]
Youngkin pardons Loudoun man arrested at school board meeting and more Va. headlines
• “The father of a Virginia student sexually assaulted in her high school bathroom has been pardoned after his arrest two years ago protesting a school board meeting became a flashpoint in the conservative push to increase parental involvement in public education.”—Associated Press • Spotsylvania schools have rolled out a form in line with new state transgender […]
Windsor police lawsuit settled with state and more Va. headlines
• In a settlement of a lawsuit over Windsor police officers pepper-spraying a Black and Latino Army lieutenant during a traffic stop, the town has agreed to independent reviews of misconduct allegations and more officer training.—Associated Press • “Thirteen people died in 10 traffic crashes over the 2023 Labor Day holiday weekend in Virginia, according to preliminary […]
FOIA Friday: Disclosing dollar amounts of local government settlements
One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in […]
School closures due to intense heatwave and more Va. headlines
• Buckingham County Public Schools were among many school divisions in the Northeast to dismiss students early or otherwise modify instruction in response to an intense heatwave.—Associated Press • The Marine Corps’ Quantico base is struggling to fill job openings. “You name it, we’re getting a shortage in it.”—InsideNoVa • “As seniors on fixed incomes are struggling to […]
A proposal for more scrutiny of state prisons and more Va. headlines
• The budget deal Virginia legislators will vote on Wednesday includes a provision creating and funding a new Office of the Department of Corrections Ombudsman, which would provide greater scrutiny of the state’s prison system.—VPM • Two groups at Virginia Tech made up of campus workers and graduate students and with the potential for 20,000 members are […]
Biden directs DNC to pour $1.2 million into Virginia races and more state headlines
• “President Biden directed the Democratic National Committee this week to pour $1.2 million into Virginia legislative races to counter record-smashing fundraising by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), whose prospects as a potential last-minute presidential candidate could rise or fall with the outcome on Nov. 7.”—Washington Post • Preliminary test results show Virginia students’ academic achievement has remained […]
Plans for glove factory in Southwest Virginia stalled and more state headlines
• “In the first three months of the year, 629 children in Virginia were admitted to hospital emergency rooms after ingesting hemp-derived products, according to the most recently available data from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch • Virginia officials announced the state is experiencing an outbreak of meningococcal disease, with 27 cases and five deaths […]