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Henrico to dedicate data center revenue to affordable housing fund
The Henrico County Board of Supervisors has expanded its reach in the tech industry with the approved rezoning of a new data center campus located near East Williamsburg Road at the intersection of Technology Boulevard. The board held a public hearing on May 14, as supervisors burrowed through every detail of the plan submitted by Hourigan, a construction and development firm based in Richmond. . . . On May 16, Nelson along with County Manager John Vithoulkas announced that Henrico will establish its first Affordable Housing Trust Fund with money sourced solely from revenue generated by Henrico’s data centers.
3 Virginia cities in top 10 for highest rates of gun thefts from vehicles, report finds
A new report by the anti-gun violence nonprofit Everytown details the sharp spike in guns being stolen from vehicles across the United States over the last decade and found that three Virginia cities were in the top 10 for guns being stolen from vehicles in 2022. Using FBI data from 337 cities across 44 states, Everytown found that gun thefts from vehicles rose from an estimated 21 thefts per 100,000 people to 63.1 per 100,000 in 2022, the most recent year included in the data. . . . Richmond was fourth in the nation with 218.3 thefts per 100,000 people. Portsmouth was in sixth place with 196.1 thefts per 100,000 people; Norfolk was in ninth with 181.9 thefts per 100,000 people.
Search warrants claim ‘pattern of money laundering’ at some Va. cannabis-related stores
Newly unsealed search warrants in Washington County allege that some of the cannabis-related stores that were targeted in a region-wide raid last fall were involved in money laundering. Dozens of stores across Southwest Virginia were raided in September. While the ownership structure of many of the shops is unclear, the search warrants show that the homes and banking records of two people who owned multiple locations also were searched. Among the items that were seized were a number of guns — pistols, rifles and shotguns — as well as ammunition, computers, cellphones and vehicles, including two Rolls-Royces.
Prince Edward schools that helped usher in Brown v. Board of Education still in disrepair
A small group of Robert Russa Moton High School students in Farmville began gathering in secret months before an April 23, 1951, walkout to protest the unequal conditions of school facilities for Black students. “It was the same type of secrecy that was developed during the Manhattan Project,” said John Stokes, one of the walkout’s organizers. “We had to trust everyone so we could pull this thing off.” Students decided to report a fake disturbance downtown, luring Moton Principal M. Boyd Jones away from school on the day of the protest. … When Jones returned to school, the strike was in full force. About 400 students gathered in the auditorium to hear a speech from 16-year-old student Barbara Johns before walking out of the school in protest.
UVa president says he’s willing to accept consequences for breaking up campus protest
“If all of you decide I’m not the right leader, that’s your choice,” said University of Virginia President Jim Ryan. “That’s how I feel.” Though no university officials have publicly called for Ryan to resign, Ryan's tone and demeanor were marked by a resignation of their own at the university's Faculty Senate meeting last Friday. Ryan, alongside Provost Ian Baucom, university Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis and UVa Police Chief Tim Longo, spent an hour answering questions during Friday's meeting of the Faculty Senate, a governing body of roughly 90 faculty representatives from across the university’s 12 schools charged with advising UVa’s leaders on “matters affecting the welfare of the University."
Arrests of US tourists in Turks and Caicos for carrying ammunition prompts plea from three governors
Five Americans are facing prison sentences of up to 12 years in the Turks and Caicos Islands on charges they illegally carried ammunition during recent trips to the popular, upscale tourist destination about 600 miles (965 km) southeast of Miami. Three of the arrests have prompted pleas for mercy from the governors of Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Virginia. In a letter Tuesday to the islands’ governor, they said the three men charged from their states maintained they inadvertently took ammunition with them on vacation. They did not have firearms.
Suffolk to transfer 71 acres of land to Nansemond Indian Nation, settling years of debate
Suffolk City Council voted Wednesday to hand over 71 acres of historically significant lands to the Nansemond Indian Nation. The decision settles years of back-and-forth between the city and tribe over the future of the property, which is called Mattanock Town. The site is already home to the tribe’s headquarters and annual pow wow celebration.
A Democratic congressional candidate represented Kessler in the court case to allow Unite the Right
In Virginia’s first congressional district, Democratic candidate Leslie Mehta is facing criticism for representing Jason Kessler during his effort to hold the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. The events that unfolded that day resulted in the death of Heather Heyer after a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of people who were counter-protesting the rally. Two state police officers also died after their helicopter crashed while monitoring the events. Mehta says that while Kessler and his group represent everything she stands against, the First Amendment rights of Americans should always be defended when they are being used peacefully, as the organizers said would happen in court documents.
Virginia Beach sergeant’s lawsuit claims he was demoted for speaking against discrimination
A Black Virginia Beach police officer who claims he was investigated and demoted after he tried to assist a Black recruit who believed she was being discriminated against is suing the city. Michael Banks first filed his lawsuit in March in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, naming the city and several members of the police department as defendants. He submitted an amended complaint this week in which only the city was listed as a defendant.
Loudoun considers delayed-start days to give teachers training time
Loudoun County schools is considering delaying the start of classes by two hours on some days in the next academic year to help free up time to offer training for new teaching standards required by the state. The 16 delayed start days would be spread out throughout the year. Dismissal would occur at the same time, district leaders said, meaning students could lose about 32 hours of classroom instruction over the year.