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FOIA Friday: Prison complaints, UFO whistleblowers and deer killings
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 […]
VMI board asks AG’s office to investigate student newspaper drama and more Va. headlines
• The Virginia Military Institute’s governing board wants Attorney General Jason Miyares to investigate the controversy over a murkily run student newspaper that recently won a top journalism award from the Virginia Press Association. Specifically, the board is requesting a probe into whether anyone affiliated with the school fueled news coverage of the issue in […]
Grapefruit-sized hail and more Virginia headlines
• Newly unsealed search warrants show the 6-year-old boy who shot his Newport News elementary school teacher this year said “I shot that b*** dead” shortly after the shooting.—Virginian-Pilot • Some University of Virginia alumni are pushing back against recent changes to the school’s honor system meant to deemphasize expulsion.—Daily Progress • Democrats in Virginia Beach are pushing […]
A ‘soft landing’ instead of a recession and more Va. headlines
• Trans rights supporters rallied outside the Roanoke County courthouse during the arraignments for two people who were arrested at a recent school board meeting. “You can’t remove us,” said a rally organizer. “You can’t make this be silent.”—Roanoke Times • “Suit aims to halt removal of Arlington Cemetery’s Confederate Memorial.”—Washington Post • The director of a public […]
A downtown sinkhole in Martinsville and more Va. headlines
• “How a sexual assault in a school bathroom became a political weapon.”—New York Times • A judge ruled that a former General Assembly aide’s unpaid wages lawsuit against Republican Del. Marie March can proceed, but accompanying claims about overtime pay were dismissed.—Cardinal News • Richmond’s public housing authority hired a private security company to patrol its complexes.—VPM […]
Three overdose deaths at Greensville prison in two days and more Va. headlines
• After meeting Wednesday, budget negotiators from the Virginia Senate say they’re going to work on some ideas and hold another meeting as they try to work out a bipartisan deal with the House of Delegates.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • Three inmates died of drug overdoses within 48 hours at a Virginia prison, according to officials.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • The Prince […]
FOIA Friday: Richmond schools’ secrecy over graduation shooting
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 […]
Black motorists still more likely than white drivers to be stopped and more Va. headlines
• Demographic data on Virginia traffic stops continues to show Black motorists are more likely to be stopped than white drivers.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • Tourism spending in Virginia is back above pre-pandemic levels.—WTOP • A Charlottesville judge ruled in favor of a woman who said she was wrongfully fired from her job at UVA Health for refusing to get […]
Botetourt proposes requiring parents to accompany minors at libraries and more Va. headlines
• A biotech company that benefited from cells taken from Virginia native Henrietta Lacks reached a confidential settlement with Lacks’ family. The two sides didn’t disclose the terms of the deal that ended a lawsuit meant to seek redress for a “legacy of racial injustice embedded in the U.S. research and medical systems.”—New York Times • Southwest […]
Williamsburg and James City County breaking up school district and more Va. headlines
• Gov. Glenn Youngkin called Sen. Janet Howell, a top Democratic budget negotiator, and had a reportedly “cordial” conversation about the prospect of a bipartisan deal.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • Richmond prosecutors dropped some charges previously brought against the 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting two people near a high school graduation ceremony in early June. An attorney for the […]
Spanberger eyeing run for governor and more Va. headlines
• Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, a moderate Democrat, is telling people she plans to run for Virginia governor in 2025, potentially opening a more competitive race for her congressional seat in 2024.—POLITICO • Government relief has been slow coming for a Southwest Virginia county struck by a pair of devastating floods, a situation caused partly by a federal […]
Declining Black Virginia State Police numbers and more state headlines
• The number of Black Virginia State Police troopers has declined over the last decade, despite a push to boost diversity within a police force that’s 85% white.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • A Republican congressman is introducing a bill that could help D.C. turn its former RFK Stadium site into a new stadium for the Washington Commanders. Virginia lawmakers […]