By JERRY BLAIR, News Virginian
Rep. Ben Cline is no stranger to D.C. politics although he’s just beyond the 100-day milestone of his freshman term. The Rockbridge County Republican, who secured his first term representing Virginia’s 6th Congressional District in November, served on his predecessor’s staff for eight years starting in the mid-1990s. That isn’t to say there haven’t been a few surprises for Cline on his return to the halls of Congress.
VaNews April 22, 2019
By PETER COUTU, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Heavy rain coupled with strong winds from the south pushed significant amounts of water into Pungo, Sandbridge and other southern Virginia Beach communities this weekend, threatening homes, flooding roads and cutting off access to some neighborhoods. For some, the early springtime flood brought back the headaches of the previous year, which featured three serious floods that longtime locals describe as among the worst the area has ever seen.
VaNews April 22, 2019
By ONOFRIO CASTIGLIA, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th, is calling for the release of the full report from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. The 448-page report released Thursday states that an investigation did not find evidence of collusion between the 2016 Trump presidential campaign and Russia.
VaNews April 22, 2019
Inside NOVA
Fairfax County’s population growth since the 2010 federal census is in line with rates statewide and nationally, and the county retained its significant lead over all other Virginia jurisdictions in the number of residents. The U.S. Census Bureau’s new estimates for population as of July 2018 peg Fairfax County’s total at 1,150,795. That’s an increase of 0.3 percent from the year before and a growth rate of 6.4 percent from the last census eight years earlier.
VaNews April 22, 2019
The Virginia Public Access Project
VPAP has integrated the latest campaign finance reports throughout its site. One result is a list of the individuals, companies and groups that have donated the most money to state legislative candidates. The amounts shown are from January 2018 through March 2019.
VaNews April 22, 2019
By C. SUAREZ ROJAS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
The Hanover County Planning Commission voted Thursday to recommend approval of a rezoning change for a development project tied to the state’s liquor monopoly only if the developer pays an $800,000 cash proffer because a state-owned building exempt from taxes would create more traffic on an already congested road.
VaNews April 22, 2019
By MICHAEL POPE, WVTF
Large parts of Southwest Virginia are disappearing. That’s according to new numbers from the Census Bureau that show places like Wise County, Henry County, Buchanan County – they’re all are significantly smaller today than they were a decade ago. Tazewell County alone has lost 10% of its population in the last decade.
VaNews April 22, 2019
By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
As hundreds of Republicans gathered in a high school gym for an exercise in raw democracy, several people came down from the bleachers to ask Del. Chris Peace a question: Why would someone from a strongly conservative district vote to expand Medicaid?
VaNews April 22, 2019
By BRIAN BREHM, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)
Frederick County’s decision to raise its lodging tax in fiscal year 2020 will make it possible for local tourism officials to ramp up their efforts to attract more visitors to the region. On April 10, the county Board of Supervisors voted to raise the lodging tax from 2.5% to 3.5%. State code mandates that any amount above 2% must be earmarked for tourism spending, which means the Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau will receive an estimated $420,000 to $470,000 in the fiscal year that starts July 1.
VaNews April 22, 2019
By JAMES SHERLOCK, Published in the Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
Hospitals serving Danville, Martinsville, Portsmouth and Petersburg have been found by the federal government to need improvement. Those four cities also have been ranked by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation between 121st (Portsmouth) and 133rd (Petersburg) in public health among 133 Virginia cities and counties. All four areas are poor.
James Sherlock is a retired naval officer living in Virginia Beach
VaNews April 22, 2019
