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How a simple fix could double the size of the U.S. electricity grid
There is one big thing holding the United States back from a pollution-free electricity grid running on wind, solar and battery power: not enough power lines. As developers rush to install wind farms and solar plants to power data centers, AI systems and electric vehicles, the nation’s sagging, out-of-date power lines are getting overwhelmed — slowing the transition to clean energy and the fight against climate change.
Tennessee gives this hospital monopoly, which operates in SW Va., an A grade — even when it reports failure
A Tennessee agency that is supposed to hold accountable and grade the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly awards full credit on dozens of quality-of-care measurements as long as it reports any value — regardless of how its hospitals actually perform. Ballad Health, a 20-hospital system in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia, has received A grades and an annual stamp of approval from the Tennessee Department of Health. This has occurred as Ballad hospitals consistently fall short of performance targets established by the state, according to health department documents.
Bill and Hillary Clinton to headline Virginia fundraiser for Biden, hosted by McAuliffe
President Biden and former President Clinton will team up for a mega fundraiser inside the Beltway in late June, hosted by former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Axios has learned. The event will be the third iteration of a successful fundraising formula that includes an evening with two (or three) Democratic presidents for the price of one. Scheduled for June 18, it follows the “three president” extravaganza in New York in April and a planned event with Biden, Clinton and former President Obama in mid-June in Los Angeles, hosted by George Clooney. The New York event brought in $26 million for Biden’s re-election effort.
CEO of Va. technology firm fined over ‘whites only’ job posting says disgruntled worker responsible
A Virginia-based technology company will pay more than $38,000 in penalties for posting a discriminatory job advertisement that only sought to hire White U.S. citizens, the Justice Department announced. Arthur Grand Technologies Inc., a firm that provides information technology services, in March 2023 posted a job advertisement for a business analyst position on the hiring site Indeed that asked in a bolded note for “Only Born US Citizens [White] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas,” according to a Justice Department news release. “Don’t share with candidates,” the advertisement read in brackets. Outrage quickly followed when the job posting was shared on social media.
Haines: Youngkin fights bias in the opioid crisis. Why not maternal health care?
Last May, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order to expand Naloxone access and combat opioid overdoses. As vice chair of the Chesterfield County School Board last year, I was grateful for the governor’s efforts to combat well-documented bias toward those who struggle with substance-use disorder. Bias has prevented school boards from stocking life-saving naloxone. The governor’s strategic decision to attend a Revive! Training at Stafford High School with the first lady gave political cover to Virginia school boards considering policies to stock naloxone in their schools.
Tobacco commission announces more than $5 million in grants for Southwest, Southside
Eleven projects in Southwest Virginia totaling $3.71 million and eight projects in Southside totaling $1.33 million — focusing on site development, agribusiness, tourism and business development — were approved by the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission during the first meeting the panel has held in Lee County. Among the awards is a grant of $656,416 that will go toward constructing a shell building for a potential data center at a developing Wise County industrial park called Project Intersection. In recent months, county and economic development officials have said repeatedly that they hope to land data centers for Southwest Virginia.
D.C.-area parents worry about learning loss and teacher shortages, poll finds
Nearly half of Washington-area parents say learning loss from the pandemic and teacher shortages are major issues for local schools, a Washington Post-Schar School poll found, as districts continue to look for ways to boost student performance. When asked to rate how serious certain issues were in their communities’ schools, 46 percent of parents of schoolchildren across the region say learning loss from covid disruptions and not having enough teachers are major problems. More than half of parents in D.C. name each as major problems, along with roughly half in suburban Maryland and just over 4 in 10 in Northern Virginia.
End to no-strings-attached free checking raises concerns among some advocates for low-income residents
The Roanoke-based credit union Freedom First has become the latest financial institution to stop offering no-strings-attached free checking accounts. The credit union switched about 20,000 of its more than 60,000 members from its basic “Freedom Checking” accounts to its new “Freedom Perks” accounts on May 1. The new accounts carry benefits such as credit monitoring and roadside assistance but, starting June 1, will charge a $7 monthly fee unless a customer maintains a $2,500 average daily account balance or is under age 21. As Freedom First and other financial institutions have enacted such requirements, they have raised concern among some who argue that people with low incomes struggle to meet the requirements or pay the fees.
Yancey: Senate candidate thinks driving to Abingdon is time wasted. Here’s why it’s not.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin last week got to experience some of the things that make the western part of Virginia unique. First he couldn’t fly into Wise County for a speaking engagement because a cloud was sitting on top of the mountaintop airport. Instead, his state plane diverted to Abingdon and the governor took a 49-mile ride to the town of Wise. His police escort couldn’t clear away one obstacle, though: a 100-ton boulder that, loosened by overnight rains, had fallen onto the road. The governor persevered, though. Even though he was running late due to the elements, he made all of his scheduled events last Thursday in Southwest Virginia ...
Fairfax Co. schools staff eligible for maternity, paternity leave benefits starting this summer
Fairfax County Public Schools teachers and staff will be eligible to get maternity or paternity leave starting July 1. School Board Member Melanie Meren said Virginia’s largest school district is expected to learn more details about the county’s program this summer. Information on human resources-related matters is usually shared in July, she said. … The maternity and paternity leave, Meren said, gives the district an added recruitment advantage.