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More than 3,500 tickets issued with Winchester school zone cameras

By C. MAX BACHMANN, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Recently implemented cameras issued 3,553 speeding citations to drivers in Winchester school zones between Feb. 26 and April 16, according to the Winchester Police Department. The cameras were installed in the school zones of John Kerr Elementary School, James Wood Middle School and Daniel Morgan Middle School.

VaNews April 26, 2024


Hampton, Newport News take aim at climate change and wealth inequality

Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

With help from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Hampton and Newport News are embarking on an ambitious strategy to use newly available federal funds to tackle the related problems of climate change and wealth inequality. The neighboring Peninsula communities are the only two in Virginia among 25 cities nationwide selected for the $200 million Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative. The initiative, to last three years, aims to help cities make the most of federal funds to develop projects that combat climate change, increase resilience and improve economic conditions in disadvantaged neighborhoods ...

VaNews April 26, 2024


Zaccardelli: Troops-to-Teachers would address educator shortage

By ALEXANDER ZACCARDELLI, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia is facing a worsening teacher shortage. However, the focus on pure numbers has directed attention away from another problem: a shortage of diverse teachers. Troops-to-Teachers (TTT), a program that helps veterans obtain teaching licenses, offers solutions to both crises, bringing demographic and life experience diversity into our classrooms.

Zaccardelli is an elementary education undergraduate at William & Mary and an ALL-IN tutor at J. Blaine Blayton Elementary in Williamsburg.

VaNews April 26, 2024


Rozell: For Democrats, ‘saving democracy’ is no silver bullet

By MARK J. ROZELL, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A drumbeat among many Democrats is to galvanize persuadable voters in a righteous movement to “save democracy” from a Republican Party now wholly ruled by former president Donald Trump. It’s an appeal to the founding tenet of our nation and one that has resonance for many voters, especially in light of the violent assault by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Rozell is the dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University where he holds the Ruth D. and John T. Hazel Chair in Public Policy.

VaNews April 26, 2024


States, Including Virginia, Take On China in the Name of National Security

By JAMES T. AREDDY, Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

States have a new adversary: China. From Florida to Indiana and Montana, an expanding array of local proposals, bills, laws and regulations aim to block Chinese individuals and companies from acquiring land, winning contracts, working on research, setting up factories and otherwise participating in the U.S. economy. State officials, overriding traditional local interests such as drawing investment and creating jobs, say they are acting where Congress hasn’t to address grassroots American distrust of the Chinese Communist Party. … “There is a real responsibility on behalf of governors and state legislatures to look out for the safety and protection of our citizens,” said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin ...

VaNews April 26, 2024


General Assembly updates relationships with federal Virginia Indian tribes

By JAHD KHALIL, VPM News

Two bills passed by the General Assembly this year will affect the commonwealth’s relationship with Native American tribes, after yearslong policy delays. As a result of the legislation, Virginia will consult with federally-recognized tribes on projects with environmental, cultural or historical impact, after the General Assembly accepted amendments from Gov. Glenn Youngkin on legislation. State lawmakers will also have more time to explore how to update Virginia law in light of federal recognition.

VaNews April 26, 2024


Friday Read Centuries-old bottles of cherries unearthed at George Washington’s home

By MICHAEL E. RUANE, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Archaeologist Nick Beard was gently pushing aside the hardened dirt in the basement of George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon, Va., last fall when he spotted the mouth of a glass bottle. Beard worked his trowel a little more and the neck of the bottle emerged. Not that unusual, he thought. Archaeologists find lots of bottle fragments. But as he dug, more of the object appeared. “It kept [getting] larger and larger,” he said.

VaNews April 26, 2024


Hashmi and Sickles: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, health care is becoming more accessible

By GHAZALA HASHMI AND MARK SICKLES, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

This March, we celebrated the 14th anniversary of one of the most landmark health care laws passed in our lifetimes, the Affordable Care Act. As the chairs of our respective health committees in the General Assembly, we are tasked with considering every bill impacting health policy in Virginia. This year, our Democratic majorities passed bills that build on the progress of the ACA by lowering health care costs, including for prescription drugs (although a bill to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board was unfortunately vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin).

Sen. Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, chairs the Senate Education and Health Committee. Del. Sickles, D-Fairfax, chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee.

VaNews April 26, 2024


With casino vendor choice made, Petersburg focuses on preparing for the referendum

By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

With Wednesday’s approval of The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprises as Petersburg’s casino vendor of choice, city officials say the next step in the process is getting the Virginia Lottery Board and a Circuit Court judge on its side in approving the November referendum that ultimately decides the future of legalized gambling here. In an email Thursday afternoon, city spokesperson Joanne Williams said Petersburg and Cordish/BSE will draw up the paperwork to submit to the lottery board, the state agency that governs Virginia’s casino operations.

VaNews April 26, 2024


Madison County School Board approves changing ‘winter break’ to ‘Christmas break’

By GRACIE HART BROOKS, Madison Eagle

Despite numerous resident objections, the Madison County School Board has approved changing “winter break” to “Christmas break” in the 2024-25 school calendar. In March, Madison County resident Mike Sharman made a comment suggesting the change of “winter break” to “Christmas break.” The board then suggested making that change in the 2024-25 draft school calendar. “Christmas is a cultural thing in our community,” board member Christopher Wingate said. “I support the idea.”

VaNews April 26, 2024