Search
CEO of free clinic serving Appalachia saw pay package nearly double over 2 years, tax forms show
The director of the Health Wagon, a nonprofit free clinic that serves one of the poorest and medically underserved areas in the state, earned $520,000 in 2022, a pay package that nearly doubled over the last two years and was 12 times that of the average income of the people she serves. The increase places her compensation well beyond that of comparable executives in wealthier regions of Virginia, who are paid between $100,000 and $200,000.
Virginia offshore wind project hits whale trouble
A federal judge has ordered the Biden administration to clarify its plans for protecting endangered whales during construction of one of the nation’s largest offshore wind farms. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has until Friday to file a report on whether NOAA Fisheries approved mitigation plans to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The order from Judge Loren AliKhan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia comes as Dominion Energy prepares to lay the foundation for wind turbines off Virginia’s coast.
Virginia District 7 Republican candidate for Congress pledges to join House Freedom Caucus
One of the top Republican candidates for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District has pledged his fealty to the House Freedom Caucus if elected to office in November. Cameron Hamilton made his pledge to join the U.S. House Republicans' far-right wing during a podcast interview and on X, formerly Twitter, in March.
Students, faculty arrested at Virginia Tech now face possibility of university discipline
Emon Green was one of 82 people arrested and charged with trespassing on Sunday night at a pro-Palestinian encampment as it was being broken up by Virginia Tech campus police. But dealing with the aftermath with the university could be worse than facing his misdemeanor charge. “I’m more concerned about what the school is going to do, than what the law is going to do,” Green said Wednesday while visiting the protest that had once again formed outside the student center, across the sidewalk from the Graduate Life Center where the encampment had convened for three days.
Wilderness Battlefield back on list of Most Endangered Historic Places due to development
An influential preservation coalition assembled near a crossroads of history Wednesday morning to announce the Civil War Wilderness Battlefield is back on the list of America’s “11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” The National Trust for Historic Preservation approved the designation due to the massive Wilderness Crossing development envisioned, over 40 years, on more than 2,500 acres … in eastern Orange County. … Allowing developers to build Wilderness Crossing with its thousands of new houses, commercial buildings and data centers threatens the area’s history, environment, natural resources and quality of life, according to the coalition.
Hashmi cites record of wins in bid for lieutenant governor
Virginia state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi will announce Thursday that she is seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in her party’s June 2025 primary. A former literature professor and community college administrator, Hashmi (Chesterfield) became the first Muslim in the Virginia Senate and the first Muslim woman in either chamber after flipping a redrawn suburban Richmond district in 2019.
Early voting starts Friday for June primaries; 13 on ballots in 7th District
Early voting starts Friday for the June 18 primary elections, which feature a crowded field of candidates. Seven Democrats and six Republicans are in the running for the 7th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat from Henrico County, has held the post since 2018 and is running for Virginia governor in 2025.
Metro budget includes ‘modest’ service cuts, fare increases
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority last week passed its $4.8 billion Metro budget for the upcoming fiscal year with “modest changes” in service and fare increases, avoiding the drastic cuts previously proposed as the transit agency faced a $750 million shortfall. Beginning July 1, a 12.5% fare increase across all modes of transit will take effect to “keep fares in line with inflation,” a Metro press release said. ... This means bus and base rail fares will increase from $2 to $2.25, and maximum rail fares — those that apply to most trips from Loudoun County — will increase from $6 to $6.75.
Virginia Beach denies collective bargaining of city employees
The City Council denied collective bargaining of city employees in a 5-5 vote with one abstention Tuesday, and instead decided to establish employee relations committees for full-time city workers. Police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services and public works personnel wanted to negotiate better wages and enhanced employment conditions. But Mayor Bobby Dyer said the timing wasn’t right yet “given the budget constraints we have now.”
Virginia lawmakers want postmaster general to deliver on promises
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy may have bought time with an apology to a bipartisan Virginia congressional delegation that is irate over delays in mail deliveries — including essential medications — to people in the Richmond area. But U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Virginia Democrats, and Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, and Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, say they will not relax scrutiny of the Postal Service and its regional mail distribution center in Richmond.