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Foreign farmworkers on Eastern Shore struggle during work stoppages and more Va. headlines
• “Buena Vista’s former police chief pleaded guilty to a misuse of public funds charge and received a suspended jail sentence Wednesday morning.”—Roanoke Times • Farmworkers brought to the Eastern Shore on temporary H-2A visas are struggling to feed themselves during a work stoppage ahead of the tomato harvest. “No work means no pay, and no pay […]
FOIA Friday: Records of Virginia’s ERIC withdrawal, a tip line lawsuit and a gun shop closure
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 […]
Richmond judge OKs second casino referendum and more Va. headlines
• A Richmond Circuit Court judge ruled a second casino referendum can be placed on city voters’ ballots this November after a charitable gaming operator sought to block it.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • In the latest twist in their contract dispute, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield sent a cease and desist letter to Bon Secours Mercy Health over what […]
A possible budget deal after months of delay and more Va. headlines
• State budget leaders said they are hopeful they have reached a deal on long-delayed amendments to the state’s biennial budget ahead of a meeting of the General Assembly’s money committees Wednesday. The plan relies on another round of one-time taxpayer rebates rather than permanent income tax cuts.—Richmond Times-Dispatch, Virginian-Pilot • Emails show elections officials in Virginia […]
Chesterfield drug manufacturer settles antitrust suit and more Va. headlines
• Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit saying the Youngkin administration’s withdrawal of Virginia from the regional carbon market known as RGGI, which requires power producers to pay for each ton of carbon they emit, is unlawful.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • Chesterfield-based drug manufacturer Indivior reached a $30 million settlement in a federal class-action suit by a group of […]
Possible major fines for Justice family coal companies and more Va. headlines
• Coal companies owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family could be facing $1.2 billion in fines in Virginia after the attorney general’s office submitted court filings arguing they never complied with a 2020 agreement to clean up oil spills in Lee, Wise and Tazewell counties.—WRIC • Officials waited six days to announce two people at […]
New Department of Workforce Development stalled and more Va. headlines
• The city of Richmond and Richmond Police Department are over a month late producing a First Amendment policy for training officers on how to treat members of the media. The policy was part of a legal settlement over police treatment of protesters and independent journalists during the 2020 protests.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • The General Assembly approved the […]
FOIA Friday: Mass shooting commission and a call to unseal Loudoun report
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 […]
Albemarle bus driver shortages and more Va. headlines
• A Richmond judge has temporarily suspended a July order to again place a casino referendum on city voters’ ballot this November while he decides whether a charitable gaming operator can challenge it.—Richmond Times-Dispatch, VPM • Roughly 1,000 Albemarle students won’t be able to ride the bus to school when the year starts due to driver shortages. […]
Mother of boy who shot Virginia teacher pleads guilty to child neglect and more state headlines
• The mother of a 6-year-old boy who shot a teacher at a Newport News school pleaded guilty to felony child neglect charges and now faces up to five years in prison.—Washington Post • A driver fell asleep at the wheel of their vehicle, crashed into water near the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel in Newport News and […]
Youngkin pens early voting op-ed and more Va. headlines
• Gov. Glenn Youngkin penned an op-ed urging Republicans to “stop fighting early voting,” touting it as a way “we can win on Election Day.”—USA Today • A man was arrested after police said he caused a series of hit-and-run accidents, led officers on a highway chase and stole an ambulance in a situation that […]
Changes to Virginia college admissions and more state headlines
• Some of Virginia’s top colleges are making significant changes to their admissions policies after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-based affirmative action. “The admissions world is changing and, quite frankly, it’s probably time to revisit a lot of the conventions of college admissions,” said one college counselor.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • State and local police launched a […]