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Salem pharmacy fined $75,000 for vaccine, drug violations in 2021, 2022
A CVS in Salem delegated the provision of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 to an untrained nurse who injected a youth with six doses at once, according to state records. One of a dozen violations found in connection with a routine inspection in January 2022, authorities cited the drugstore for posing a danger to the public’s health. The long-pending case was resolved when the Virginia Board of Pharmacy fined the store $75,000 earlier this month for violations of state law including the state Drug Control Act.
Virginia changes educational benefit for veterans’ families
Veterans and their family members who planned to use an educational benefit from the state are calling recent changes to the program “the largest rollback of veteran benefits in Virginia history.” The Friends of VMSDEP, which stands for Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, are referring to state budget bills signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week. The new legislation changes the nature of the benefit and shifts control from the Department of Veterans Services to the State Council of Higher Education Virginia, or SCHEV.
Va. lawmakers react after Biden announces he won’t participate in debate at VSU
Last November, it was announced that Virginia State University would become the first historically black college and university (HBCU) to host a presidential debate. However, now just six months later, it appears the historic event won’t happen after all. That’s because President Joe Biden’s campaign announced Wednesday that he would not participate in debates hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates, including one scheduled to take place at Virginia State University on Oct. 1.
Unsealed federal lawsuit alleges Omega Protein skirted U.S. citizen ownership requirement
A recently unsealed federal lawsuit alleges that the lone menhaden reduction fishery in the Chesapeake Bay broke federal law by creating a shell company to cover-up its foreign ownership, routing profits to a Canadian company instead of keeping them in Virginia. Benson Chiles and Chris Manthey, two private investigators involved in environmental conservation efforts, brought forward the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2021 against Omega Protein under the False Claims Act, saying the company violated the Jones Act and American Fisheries Act by not disclosing that its owners are family.
Schapiro: A Wilder ride for Rao and Youngkin
Doug Wilder always says the loud part louder. In a little-noticed speech this past weekend, the former governor and ex-Richmond mayor artfully laid into the president of Virginia Commonwealth University, Michael Rao, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who appoints the overseers of VCU and more than a dozen other taxpayer-financed colleges and universities. Wilder has attacked both men before. His speech wasn’t necessarily more of the same, though, because Wilder had a different audience. He spoke to newly minted, politically focused university graduates who, he implied, should not follow Rao’s and Youngkin’s examples.
Yancey: In agreeing to debate, Biden and Trump cast aside a Virginia school
The presidential debate deal announced Wednesday may be good for the two candidates (they wouldn’t have agreed to it if it weren’t) — and might even be good for voters. It won’t be good for one Virginia school. Virginia State University had been picked by the Commission on Presidential Debates as a site for one of three presidential debates this fall. Instead, the campaigns of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump decided to bypass the commission and agree to two debates, each handled by a major television network. The Republican National Committee voted two years ago to withdraw its support for the debate commission, believing it was biased against the party’s candidates (even though one of the commission’s co-chairs is a former chair of the RNC). What’s new here is that the Democrats have now ditched the commission as well.
SCC Hearing Examiner Recommends Denial of Greenway Toll Increases
State Corporation Commission Senior Hearing Examiner Michael Thomas on Wednesday released a report recommending denial of a rate increase submitted by Toll Road Investors Partnership II, the company that owns the Dulles Greenway. He ruled the increase in the maximum tolls charged to most drivers because it would “materially discourage use of the Greenway,” in violation of state law. The request, submitted in July of last year, is to increase rates to $8.10 during peak hours, up from the current $5.80; and to $6.40 during off-peak hours, up from $5.25. A hearing on the application was conducted in February, following a public comment period and public hearings.
UVa president says he’s willing to accept consequences for breaking up campus protest
“If all of you decide I’m not the right leader, that’s your choice,” said University of Virginia President Jim Ryan. “That’s how I feel.” Though no university officials have publicly called for Ryan to resign, Ryan's tone and demeanor were marked by a resignation of their own at the university's Faculty Senate meeting last Friday. Ryan, alongside Provost Ian Baucom, university Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis and UVa Police Chief Tim Longo, spent an hour answering questions during Friday's meeting of the Faculty Senate, a governing body of roughly 90 faculty representatives from across the university’s 12 schools charged with advising UVa’s leaders on “matters affecting the welfare of the University."
Hanover County School Board members discuss possible policy change on student cell phone usage
Hanover County Public School leaders are grappling with what to do when it comes to cell phones usage at schools across the district. At a meeting on Tuesday, May 14, board members had to weigh in on whether to change the district’s current policy to further limit students’ use of the devices in school buildings. The discussion at the May 14 meeting centered around whether to change the policy at elementary and middle schools in the county. The decision to revisit the policy comes as several surrounding districts have recently made changes to their cell phone policies that limit student usage.
Virginia State University left out in the cold after candidates determine debate schedule
Virginia State University said Wednesday it was "disappointed" over reports that VSU appears to have been dropped from the upcoming presidential debate schedule, yet hopeful that an arrangement can be worked out. "A presidential debate at VSU is a huge win, not only for our students and campus community but for the greater community in general," university spokesperson Gwen Williams Dandridge said in a statement.