Search
Williams: Election officials must be above reproach. Richmond’s is under investigation
Few jobs in Trump-era America are as vital, thankless and dangerous as that of a local election official. In a recent poll by the Brennan Center for Justice, 38% of the local election officials surveyed reported that they’ve experienced threats, harassment or abuse. More than half of these officials were concerned about the safety of their colleagues and staff, and 28% worried about their family or loved ones being threatened or harassed. The poll’s findings suggest that merely conducting the November election will be a challenge; 43% of the officials were concerned about recruiting enough poll workers.
Youngkin says a bad hurricane season’s coming, so have a plan
A pretend storm, envisioned as barreling up from the Gulf Coast to dump 2 feet of water on the Southwest Virginia city of Galax, was the state’s chance to test if everyone is ready for what the National Weather Service expects will be a bad hurricane season. It was an exercise at the Virginia Emergency Operations Center that, for the first time, ran over two days instead of just one, “so we were able to test everything,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday.
Virginia Beach council considers referendum for collective bargaining
Virginia Beach council members considered adding a referendum on collective bargaining for public employees to November’s ballot [last] week. Council previously voted against collective bargaining in a 5-5 split in late April. The ordinance needed a majority to pass, and council member Amelia Ross-Hammond abstained from the vote, citing a need for more information. Mayor Bobby Dyer said he wants to prioritize educating the public about the issue and gathering information and research on it.
Dollar Tree lays off 50-plus employees from its Chesapeake headquarters
Dollar Tree, reeling from a loss in value at its Family Dollar division, confirmed Friday it laid off employees at its headquarters in Chesapeake. The company disclosed that 54 Chesapeake-based employees were affected this week. Dollar Tree employs hundreds at its 12-story Summit Pointe headquarters at 500 Volvo Parkway. A company spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the layoffs came as a result of a recently announced store portfolio optimization: “We’ve made the difficult decision to initiate changes in our corporate workforce through both restructuring and reductions.”
Four seek GOP nomination to run for Wexton’s congressional seat
Chris Saxman has a three-pronged test for assessing candidates in a crowded primary with no incumbent in the race: "previous elections, geography and money." But Saxman, a former Republican delegate from Staunton and current executive director of the business group Virginia Free, still isn't sure how to place the odds in the four-way Republican primary for the 10th Congressional District seat that Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th, is vacating because of a serious health condition.
Yancey: An art show at an Augusta County school prompts an emergency school board meeting
In the spring of 2023, the theater departments at Lynchburg’s two public high schools joined together to produce the popular, but often controversial, musical “The Prom,” which is loosely based on the true story of a gay couple banned from attending their high school prom. Lynchburg City Council member Marty Misjuns blasted the choice: “It’s absolutely appalling to me that the publicly funded Lynchburg City Schools would put on a production with children that openly mocks the vast Judeo-Christian majority in our city … Lynchburg City Schools should immediately cancel the rest of these productions out of respect for those that believe in, prescribe to, and practice the Christian faith.”
Virginia agriculture thrives despite mounting challenges
For the fifth consecutive year, Memorial Day weekend will pass without the Pungo Strawberry Festival, once a mainstay on the region’s calendar that put a welcome spotlight on agriculture in Hampton Roads. It’s especially disappointing this year when, by all accounts, it was a banner year for the crop. While the event is missed, it’s worthwhile for residents here to show some appreciation for our area’s farmers, whose toil, skill and dedication annually produce a tremendous bounty for our dinner tables. Their hard work deserves acclaim and support as they face a future made more challenging by a changing climate.
Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Prince William Digital Gateway
The controversial Prince William Digital Gateway, a rezoning allowing a massive data center development at the edge of the Manassas battlefield, is facing one fewer hurdle following the dismissal Thursday of the first of three lawsuits filed against it. The lawsuit was filed in December 2022, about a year before the Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted in December 2023 to rezone about 1,700 acres northwest of the battlefield and along Pageland Lane to allow a corridor of up to 37 data centers.
Virginia Has the Biggest Data Center Market in the World. Can It Also Decarbonize Its Grid?
While short-lived, the denial came as a surprise. This March, Loudoun County, a suburb of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia that is home to the greatest concentration of data centers in the world, made an unexpected move: It rejected a proposal to let a company build a bigger data center than existing zoning automatically allowed. … County supervisors would later reverse the decision, approving a smaller version of the project. But the initial denial sent ripples throughout Virginia, where concern over the rapid growth of data centers and what that means for the state’s ambitious decarbonization goals is growing.
Youngkin outlines efforts to ‘Accelerate Southwest Virginia’
Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday unveiled “Accelerate Southwest Virginia,” a multi-faceted, “holistic” approach designed to promote development by addressing roadblocks to future success. The governor’s remarks came during the keynote address of the Southwest Virginia Economic Forum at the David J. Prior Center at UVA Wise. More than 300 people from across the region attended the daylong event.