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Clarke County’s top prosecutor to become a general district court judge

By MICKEY POWELL, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Clarke County's top prosecutor is taking a step up the judicial career ladder. The General Assembly recently appointed Clarke County Commonwealth's Attorney Anne M. Williams to be a general district court judge for the 26th Judicial Circuit of Virginia. Williams will begin serving a six-year term on the bench Aug. 1. A temporary commonwealth's attorney will be appointed in August. That person will serve until a special election is held.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Teachers Are Quitting. Some States, Including Virginia, Want to Pay More to Keep Them.

By MATT BARNUM, Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

It is a popular idea long embraced by an array of politicians: Give teachers a raise. Yet it hasn’t happened in decades. Nationally, average teacher pay has barely budged since 1990, despite states pumping more funding into public schools. Across the country, new education dollars have instead gone toward additional staff, rising healthcare costs and pension obligations. Now, some lawmakers are championing new pay mandates to force the issue, amid elevated teacher-turnover rates and a decline in people training to become teachers.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Virginia Democrats launch their own budget tour to push back on Youngkin’s criticisms

By SARAH RANKIN AND BEN FINLEY, Associated Press

Top Democratic Virginia legislators on Monday held the first in a planned series of public appearances designed to tout their budget legislation, offering counterprogramming to the broadsides Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been lobbing at the spending plan. Democrats, who have rejected Youngkin’s call to start immediate negotiations with him over their points of disagreement, instead urged him to reconsider his opposition to their proposals. The Democratic-led General Assembly passed the two-year spending plan earlier this month with some Republican support and will next meet in Richmond for a one-day session in April.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Youngkin to speak at VCU commencement in May

By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin will speak at Virginia Commonwealth University’s commencement ceremony on May 11. A number of sitting governors have spoken at VCU graduations, including Terry McAuliffe in 2015, Bob McDonnell in 2011, Tim Kaine in 2008, Mark Warner in 2004, Jim Gilmore in 1999 and George Allen in 1997.

VaNews March 26, 2024


The future is dim for solar developments in Orange County

By EMILY HEMPHILL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

The future of solar energy looks dim in Orange County. Last month, the county’s planning commission voted 4-1 to recommend the board of supervisors deny a special use permit request from ESA Solar. Despite losing this critical vote and facing significant community backlash, the Maitland, Florida-based solar developer was still optimistic about its prospect in front of the board to construct a 35-acre community solar farm.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Virginia Democrats promote budget bill in statewide tour of their own

By LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

After blasting Gov. Glenn Youngkin for turning his beef with the General Assembly’s budget bill into a campaign-style statewide tour, Democrats hit the road themselves Monday to sell Virginians on what’s in their spending plan. Leading House and Senate Democrats kicked off the three-day “Virginia Families First” tour, which will take them from Hampton Roads to the D.C. suburbs, the state capital and the Tennessee line. Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee Chairwoman L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) acknowledged that they were campaigning, too — but in a way she said was different from the barnstorming by Youngkin (R) ...

VaNews March 26, 2024


Fariss had meth in his pocket at his arrest, records show

By MARKUS SCHMIDT, Cardinal News

Former Republican lawmaker Matt Fariss had the drug methamphetamine on him when he was arrested in Campbell County late Saturday on charges of possession of a firearm, possession of narcotics and violation of a protective order, his arrest record shows. Fariss was the only occupant in his vehicle when he was stopped by an officer of the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office. The officer noted that the former state delegate had a rifle in his car and a “crystal substance that field tested positive for meth in his pocket,” the report said. It does not say how much of the substance was found.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Yancey: A reality check on a small nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia (or anywhere else)

By DWAYNE YANCEY, Cardinal News

Gov. Glenn Youngkin dropped one bombshell, figuratively speaking, when he announced in October 2022 that he’d like to see a small nuclear reactor — and that he’d like to see it built in Southwest Virginia. He dropped another one last week when, at the tail end of an appearance in Abingdon, he told reporters that he no longer believed Southwest Virginia was the best location. He said other sites are “better suited for the first one.” It’s time for everyone to take a deep breath.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Casey: Freedom, or ‘free-dumb’? Cocktails-to-go are now legal in Virginia

By DAN CASEY, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

You may have missed the big news last week about a new law signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. I did not, thanks to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Because I’m on its email list, the council sent me the press release. Here’s the headline: “Virginia Becomes 26th State to Make Cocktails To-Go Permanent in Support of Local Businesses and Consumers.” Yippee and hooray!

VaNews March 26, 2024


Kaine: Restricting mifepristone access would cause a political ‘earthquake’

By ELIZABETH BEYER, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

Sen. Tim Kaine anticipates that a potential political “earthquake” could shake the country, should the U.S. Supreme Court reimpose restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone. The high court is scheduled to hear arguments in two cases on Tuesday regarding access to mifepristone, ... The Senator from Virginia made his remarks in an interview following a panel discussion that he moderated at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia in Richmond on Sunday.

VaNews March 26, 2024