NEWS TO KNOW
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]