Briefs
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 […]
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 […]
Virginia sales tax holiday on track to return Oct. 20-22
Virginia’s sales and use tax holiday for school supplies, clothing and energy-efficient goods is on track to be reinstated Oct. 20 through Oct. 22 after the General Assembly approved amendments to the state’s two-year budget during a special session Wednesday. What’s in Virginia’s long-delayed 2023 budget deal The amended budget will now go for review […]
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 […]
Hemp group planning legal action over new law and more Va. headlines
• The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is seeking $829 million in federal grants to help pay for construction of a new bridge across the Potomac that has long been a major bottleneck for East Coast passenger and rail traffic. The project is part of a major state rail expansion plan announced under former Gov. Ralph Northam.—Washington […]
Virginia General Assembly to return to Richmond next week to resolve budget
The Virginia General Assembly will return to Richmond Sept. 6 to complete work on long-delayed amendments to the state budget following a proclamation by Gov. Glenn Youngkin Tuesday evening. “Today, I am calling Virginia’s lawmakers back to Richmond to reach a resolution on the state budget,” Youngkin said in a release. “Virginians deserve it. To […]
Trapped manatee freed in the Northern Neck and more Va. headlines
• Over 230,000 retirees and beneficiaries in the Virginia Retirement System may have had their Social Security numbers and other personal information exposed or stolen in a cyberattack.–WRIC • Virginia liquor industry trade groups criticized $21 million in cuts to Virginia ABC’s budget proposed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration; the cuts, now finalized in the long-delayed […]
New leadership for Department of Corrections and more Va. headlines
• Virginia Parole Board Chairman Chadwick Dotson will take charge of the Department of Corrections, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. Patricia West – a former judge and state director of juvenile justice, among other roles – will now chair the Parole Board.–Richmond Times-Dispatch • “More than 600 students at Chancellor High School in Spotsylvania County […]
Alexandria police captain sues city, alleging bias in promotions and more Va. headlines
• Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has published a memoir that looks at her time in the Marine Corps, personal tragedies, her varied career and rise in politics and her infamous campaign photo holding an assault-style gun.—Richmond Times-Dispatch • “Virginia Democrats are worried the national party isn’t doing enough to stop Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, raising alarm bells […]
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 […]