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At a private donor retreat, Trump team says Virginia and Minnesota are in play
Top officials for former President Donald Trump’s campaign believe they can flip Democratic strongholds Minnesota and Virginia into his column in November, they told donors behind closed doors at a Republican National Committee retreat Saturday. Brandishing internal surveys, pollster Tony Fabrizio and senior advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita delivered a set of presentations that focused on finances, messaging and the political map, according to two people who were present at the Four Seasons resort [in Palm Beach, Florida].
Anderson: Campus protesters are making it clear their threats aren’t empty
“Hamas make us proud, kill another soldier now.” That quote is not from a terrorist in a cave in a war-torn country like the ones I’ve served in. That’s from a student at an Ivy League American university this week. Let’s take stock of this uniquely terrifying moment in American history: Antisemitism has, horrifically, become socially acceptable with the progressive left. Jewish students and professors continue to be targeted on a daily basis.
After decades on the sidelines, North Danville is in line for revitalization
Across the Dan River from Danville’s River District, a largely revitalized part of the city, is North Danville, a business district with a rich history that lost investments and attention after the tobacco and textile industries left town. This part of Danville is the city’s next target for revitalization. But an unorthodox approach is needed to make sure this work is done correctly, said Lashawn Farmer, director of design and expansion for the River District Association. The crux of this approach is community engagement and input, said Farmer.
Virginia law expands shared solar into coal country
After languishing since 2022, a revamped measure to launch a shared solar program in Southwest Virginia found daylight this year. The General Assembly gave the go-ahead to a pair of measures (SB 255, HB 108) directing utility regulators to set up Appalachian Power’s inaugural 50 megawatt program by Jan. 1. Despite the modest size laid out in the new law, Charlie Coggeshall, Mid-Atlantic regional director with the Coalition for Community Solar Access, is content with the breakthrough into a part of the state historically dependent on the coal industry.
Higher costs, fewer jobs likely at Danville casino
It looks like numerous changes will be made to Danville’s agreement with Caesars Virginia, including an increase in the casino project’s cost to $750 million and language allowing the company to hire fewer workers than initially promised. The changes also propose elimination of a promised separate entertainment venue. Instead, the venue would occupy a 40,000-square-foot conference center included in the project. The Danville City Council will consider whether to approve the revisions, along with several others, during its Tuesday meeting.
Yancey: Protesters want Virginia Tech to divest from Israel. Why divestment is easier said than done.
The pro-Palestinian protesters at Virginia Tech want the school to divest of any investments tied to Israel. This will not happen. Even if Virginia Tech wanted to do this, divestment from Israel is easier said than done. Let’s look further at each of these. The reason Virginia Tech will not divest from Israel is simple: politics. Technically, a public school’s investment funds are managed by a nonprofit foundation — in this case, the Virginia Tech Foundation, which is governed by its board. However, we all know that these foundations are closely tied to the universities they support. The foundation’s board includes the Tech president and the rector of the board of visitors, the gubernatorial-appointed board that governs the school. The board also includes three other top Tech officials. As a practical matter, the foundation is not going to do something the school doesn’t want.
Democrats hold 5th District candidate forum in Danville
Three Democrats vying for the nomination to run for the 5th District Congressional seat faced off during a candidate forum at Danville Community College on Thursday evening. The three contenders, Gary Terry, Paul Riley and Gloria Witt, hope to replace current Rep. Bob Good, R-Campbell County, who is being challenged for the Republican nomination by state Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland.
VCU should embrace peaceful dissent, not send in the riot police
No matter one’s religious or political beliefs, there is no denying the anger and passion fueling the recent nationwide surge in student protests over the Israel-Hamas war. In the city, after a violent clash between police and demonstrators at Virginia Commonwealth University on Monday night, the streets are once again littered with proverbial eggshells. To this point, Richmond is but a snippet. The pro-Palestinian movement has been slowly building in RVA for months, but so far most of the violent imagery flashing across our screens is from elsewhere.
25 arrested at UVa. after clashes with police
Authorities arrested 25 pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a sustained confrontation at the University of Virginia on Saturday, university officials said, after dozens of law enforcement officers in riot gear surrounded a student encampment and used pepper spray to disperse people from the area. The clash, which U-Va. President James E. Ryan described in a letter to the school community Saturday evening as “upsetting, frightening and sad,” marked the latest escalation during the past several weeks of protests on campuses over the Israel-Gaza war.
’No other choice’: UVa president defends decision to call in state troopers amid protest
Hours after calling in state troopers to break up a quiet, rain-soaked encampment of anti-war protesters, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan issued a public statement calling the episode “upsetting, frightening and sad.” Ryan had been noticeably absent from the episode itself. His public statement Saturday evening, his first on the matter, came well after the encampment had been raided and the 25 demonstrators who had pitched tents on the patch of grass by the university's chapel were arrested and carried off to Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.