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‘We can win’: Democratic candidates for 5th District address voters at Amherst forum
Three candidates running for the Democratic nomination to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional district addressed issues affecting voters in Amherst on Thursday with laughter and cordial exchanges in stark contrast to the highly contentious battle playing out on the Republican side of the race. Gloria Witt, of Amherst County; Crozet resident Paul Riley and Gary Terry of Danville spoke for an hour during a question-and-answer forum that drew more than people 50 to Second Stage Amherst. They are each looking to come out on top of a June 18 primary and achieve a feat no Democrat has done since former Congressman Tom Perriello left office in January 2011 — turning the district blue.
Coyner and Aird: Riverside Regional Jail needs competent leadership — now
There has been a crisis of leadership at Riverside Regional Jail. With the departure of the superintendent, there is an opportunity to chart a new course, to invest in quality leadership — and we are calling on the Riverside Jail Authority Board, made up of the city managers and county administrators of all the participating localities, to hire the most qualified candidate with successful experience running a jail. In 2022 alone, Riverside Regional Jail witnessed the heartbreaking loss of four lives, adding to the seven deaths recorded in the preceding year and another seven in 2020.
Fox News requests chance to host vice presidential debate at Virginia HBCU
Fox News has requested the opportunity to host a vice presidential debate at Virginia State University, an HBCU, after President Joe Biden ignored the proposal for a presidential debate on the network for Oct. 1. Anchor Bret Baier said former President Donald Trump has accepted the request on behalf of his future vice president, who has yet to be announced, but Biden’s campaign has not accepted yet.
Richmond suspends registrar’s city credit card after $70K in 2023 charges
City officials on Thursday suspended the purchasing card of Richmond General Registrar Keith Balmer — who is under investigation by the Richmond Inspector General’s Office for claims of nepotism and financial impropriety — after he spent nearly $70,000 on the card in 2023, according to records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The charges included almost $15,000 for furniture, $8,903 at a local art supplier, about $6,500 on hotels and lodging, and over $6,000 on food and beverages, a transaction log for Balmer’s card shows.
Youngkin vetoes contraception rights bills, raising veto total to record 201
Gov. Glenn Youngkin added to his record list of vetoes Friday, killing 48 more measures, including two that would add a right to contraception in Virginia law. But even though the General Assembly rejected his proposed amendments to bills that bar the sale of children’s personal data and using that data to target advertising, he decided to sign into law House Bill 707 and Senate Bill 361. Del. Michelle Maldonado, D-Prince William, and state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, sponsored those measures.
Democrats regroup on taxes, climate after budget compromise
Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, smiled ruefully after a meeting of the Senate Democratic Caucus on Monday as the General Assembly prepared to act on a state budget compromise that included all of the spending that Democrats had sought in a political showdown with Gov. Glenn Youngkin. "We gave up some good stuff," said Deeds, one of 12 legislators who negotiated the compromise with the Republican governor.
Youngkin vetoes bills that would safeguard right to birth control, end tax exemptions for Confederate groups
Gov. Glenn Youngkin took action Friday on the last remaining legislation from the recent session, signing seven bills and vetoing 48 others, including high-profile measures related to birth control, skill games and tax exemptions for organizations with Confederate ties. “While I look forward to working with the General Assembly to see if we can reach agreement on language in the future, today I must act on the language before me, and there are several bills which are not ready to become law,” Youngkin said in a statement. Del. Cia Price and Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Richmond, carried the birth control bill in their respective chambers. “This is such a popular issue,” said Price, D-Newport News. “It was the one thing that I was holding out hope for, but the governor has his allegiances to the most extreme part of his party.”
In a GOP stronghold, two Democrats seek chance to take on Wittman
Two Democrats — the former legal director of the ACLU of Virginia, and New Kent County’s former treasurer — are vying for the nomination to challenge a long-serving GOP incumbent in a strongly Republican district. New Kent’s Herb Jones, a retired Army colonel who tried but failed to unseat Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st in 2022, is facing Leslie Mehta, currently on leave as counsel and chief of staff of the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in the June 18 Democratic primary.
Youngkin vetoes bills on skill games, contraception and Confederate heritage tax breaks
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin took action on a final batch of bills from the year’s regular legislative session Friday, signing seven but vetoing 48, including closely watched measures that would have ended a tax break for a Confederate heritage organization and allowed small businesses to host skill games, which are similar to slot machines. The vetoes came after Youngkin first proposed amendments that the legislature rejected. In a nighttime statement, he said he was willing to keep working with the Democratic-controlled General Assembly on the issues but was vetoing measures that were “not ready to become law.”
Republican candidates for Virginia U.S. Senate seat speak at public forum
In a divisive political atmosphere, and a divided Virginia government, the 2024 election is important in the Commonwealth. The presidential election is not Virginians’ only item on the ballot this year—the U.S. Senate spot held by Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine is up for election this year. Kaine plans to rerun for the spot, launching his campaign in Virginia. The Republican Party is looking to take control of the seat and take down the Democrat’s lead in the Senate.