Search
Whitewater channel project in Danville receives $3 million in state budget
The recently approved state budget includes $3 million for a whitewater channel along the Dan River in Danville, which is expected to be both a source of recreation and a first-responder training facility. . . . Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, who sponsored the budget amendment, said that the unique kind of rescue training that this project will provide will be a draw for visitors. “You can go to a river now and do whitewater rescue training, but the problem is, if there’s an accident or something like that, you can’t turn the river off,” Marshall said.
They don’t like abortion, but Kaine’s GOP challengers say they won’t seek a federal ban
It’s obvious where Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine stands on abortion access. And that’s not just for the fact that his party has been outspoken in support of access and other reproductive rights. Kaine has also co-sponsored the bipartisan Reproductive Freedom For All Act — an attempt to codify abortion protections into federal law. What has been less obvious is whether his Republican challengers would support federal abortion bans or restrictions.
Yancey: Brown decision was preceded by years of legal preparation. Its implementation in Virginia took years, too.
Seventy years ago, on May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that would change American life: It declared that school segregation was unconstitutional. The first reaction from Virginia Gov. Thomas Stanley, a son of Henry County, was serene and understated: “This news today calls for cool heads, calm study and sound judgment. I’m sure the people of Virginia and our elected representatives can find the right solution.” That sure turned out to be wrong.
Good says GOP rival McGuire will 'lie, cheat and steal' to beat him
With a handgun holstered in his belt and a competitive primary race on his hands, Bob Good did not shy away from taking shots at his Republican challenger at a campaign stop last week. “I’ll tell you, I have never run against someone with less integrity than the man I’m running against now. Never,” the congressman told a crowd of more than 100 people at First Free Coffee Bar in Albemarle County just north of Charlottesville on May 9.
Lawsuit that could derail Diamond District stadium to get a hearing
A lawsuit that could derail the Diamond District baseball stadium project will proceed, a Richmond judge decided Thursday, which could cost the city $25 million even if the suit fails. Lawyer Paul Goldman has filed a lawsuit against the city, arguing that Richmond should conduct a referendum before it floats $170 million in bonds to build the minor league stadium and the infrastructure around it. Judge W. Reilly Marchant said he will schedule a hearing in a few weeks for Goldman to argue his case.
Henrico launching $60M housing trust fund with revenue from data centers
Less than a month after receiving a directive from county supervisors for “something transformational” to address housing affordability, Henrico officials have come up with a plan that leans heavily on a growing source of revenue: data center dollars. Henrico is contributing $60 million in cash to establish its first housing trust fund, which will be fueled by economic development revenue generated specifically from data centers.
Chesterfield leads Virginia in population growth
Chesterfield County is extending its lead as the largest locality in Greater Richmond after adding more residents the past four years than the rest of the region combined. Between April 2020 and July 2023, the county increased by 18,565 residents, the highest total not only in the region but also every other city and county in Virginia, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The next-highest total increase belongs to Loudoun County in Northern Virginia, which rose by 13,642 people.
Virginia has made great strides since Brown, but work remains
Seventy years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education ended segregation in the nation’s public schools, hammering another nail in Jim Crow’s coffin. Though the ruling crackled like a thunderbolt across the United States, years would pass before many states, including Virginia, honored the court’s opinion. Even as the commonwealth celebrates this milestone and the decades of progress that followed, deep disparities in public education persist for many Black and minority students. This anniversary should remind us of how far Virginia has come, but also how much work remains undone.
Clemons: Seventy years later, the fight for equality begins anew
A common misconception about the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision is that it ended segregation in American classrooms overnight. While the justices’ unanimous 1954 ruling declared the idea of “separate but equal” unconstitutional, hundreds of thousands of students of color remained deeply segregated as Southern states like Virginia took little action to integrate. ... A few years ago, as an assistant professor at Virginia State University, I worked on a team that catalogued and digitized more than 100,000 historical items belonging to the Virginia Interscholastic Association (VIA). African American secondary school officials organized the VIA, one month before Brown v. Board, to oversee athletics, arts and academic competitions for Black students during segregation.
Charges dropped against several arrested at UVa protest
One by one, the charges lodged against those arrested at an encampment of anti-war protesters at the University of Virginia earlier this month are being dropped. Kristen Finn, a local freelance photographer, was among the 27 people arrested on May 4 when UVa administrators called in Virginia State Police to break up the small encampment that had been quietly protesting Israel's ongoing war in Gaza for four days. ... On Wednesday, Albemarle County dropped the charges against Finn — and five others.