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Virginia Tech approves budget amid turbulent times for higher education
Amid uncertain times for research funding, Virginia Tech leadership approved a budget for the next school year that is mostly unaffected by federal changes, officials said. “The recommended internal budget for all operations is $2.5 billion,” university documents said. “This is an increase of $174.2 million, approximately 7.6 percent, over the adjusted FY25 budget.” The university board of visitors approved the proposed budget during a quarterly meeting inside the Classroom Building on Tuesday afternoon.
Proposed cuts to clean energy tax credits could hurt Virginia projects, advocates say
Environmental groups in Virginia are worried some clean energy projects may be at risk of losing important tax credits if federal energy credits remain on the chopping block as part of President Donald Trump’s massive tax cut bill. The bill is “a disaster for Hampton Roads” and could be a “serious blow” to jobs and economic development, said Blair St. Ledger-Olson, director of advocacy and campaigns for the Virginia League of Conservation Voters.
Digital dashboard dives into rural demographics, housing, health and more
Looking for the median age of residents where you live? Or are you interested in the availability of broadband in your area? Maybe you want to dig deeper into the housing shortage, or you’re curious about the financial stability of your city and how it compares to other localities. Perhaps you’re interested in health care and want to know the number of primary care physicians in your city or county. You can quickly and easily find the answers to these and many other questions in one place: the new Rural Virginia Opportunity Dashboard, recently developed by the Virginia Rural Center.
Dominion proposing alternate route for transmission line project
Dominion Energy is proposing an alternative route for its Golden to Mars electrical transmission line project that would skirt Loudoun County Public Schools property, but be closer to Loudoun Valley Estates homes. The $402 million project, which many Loudoun Valley Estates residents oppose, was discussed at meeting of the Joint Committee of the Loudoun County School Board and Loudoun Board of Supervisors on June 2.
Spotsylvania School Board member ordered to pay legal fees in lawsuit
There was another twist this week in a long-running feud between Spotsylvania County School Board members. A Spotsylvania judge on Monday ordered attorneys for Nicole Cole (Battlefield District) to pay thousands for failing to respond to defense attorneys representing Lisa Phelps (Lee Hill) and April Gillespie (Berkeley). Cole’s attorneys also were ordered to respond to discovery and hearing requests by the defense attorneys. Cole defense team has 14 days to respond to defense attorneys and pay fees totaling $5,468.
Williams: Defund the police? America gutted the rule of law, instead
Richmond was burning five years ago, at least metaphorically, in a way it hadn’t since the last days of the Civil War. People were marching the streets demanding justice in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer. Police tear-gassed demonstrators, including families with children, at the Robert E. Lee monument, ahead of a curfew. Two days later, about 1,000 people showed up at the doorstep of Richmond City Hall in a show of fury that clearly unnerved then-Mayor Levar Stoney.
Chesley: An appreciation: Jerrauld C. Jones
Rare is the time when a state legislator — through the power of his own personal, painful narrative — changes the minds of colleagues. Jerrauld C. Jones, given that platform on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates in January 1999 as he discussed the Confederate battle flag, displayed an oratory so gut-wrenching, so authentic, that he swayed opposing delegates to his side. There’s nothing I can compare it to in the General Assembly since that moment.
‘A smack in the face:’ Voucher holders fear federal cuts to Virginia housing programs
As budget talks heat up in Washington, Southside Richmond resident Dana Wyatt is bracing for impact. After years of waiting for a housing choice voucher — a federally-funded program that operates like a rent coupon for qualifying tenants — she now fears she could lose it and once again become rent-burdened. This is because a series of White House budget requests sent to Congress in May proposes deep cuts for housing programs that Virginia has long relied on to help struggling renters, first-time homebuyers, and those who are unhoused and in need of shelter. Federal housing funds also support organizations that fight housing discrimination.
Wong: Survivors escape traffickers yet are imprisoned by the past
Too often, survivors of human trafficking face a cruel irony: They escape their traffickers, only to find themselves still imprisoned — this time, by a criminal record that tells only part of their story. Forced into prostitution or coerced into using drugs, these survivors are often arrested and convicted for acts they were compelled to commit. As a result, they carry the lifelong weight of a criminal record ... This is where vacatur comes into play. The commonwealth now allows survivors to petition for post-conviction relief (called a writ of vacatur) that wipes a survivor’s record clean of the eligible convictions, providing more extensive relief than the pre-existing remedy of expungement.
Senate majority leader requests investigation into Virginia Birth Injury Fund
Virginia's legislature is seeking an investigation into the Virginia Birth Injury Fund, a troubled state agency that was recently robbed of nearly $7 million by an insider. The Virginia Birth Injury Fund is meant to help the families of children who suffered devastating injuries during childbirth. Many are incurred as a result of mistakes made by doctors. Children in the fund live with expensive, lifelong disabilities. The fund, which has over $700 million, is meant to support the children's therapies, wheelchairs and day-to-day medical needs.