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Styrofoam containers will soon be banned in Virginia
Your food and drink orders in Virginia may start to look a little different. Starting July 1, large food vendors across the state will no longer be allowed to use single-use expanded polystyrene, a plastic foam material commonly referred to by the brand name Styrofoam. That includes plates, cups, bowls, trays and hinged containers. State lawmakers passed the ban four years ago, following the lead of others such as Maryland, New York and Washington, D.C. Implementation was delayed. Gov. Glenn Youngkin tried unsuccessfully to push it further through a proposed budget amendment earlier this year.
Virginia workers rally for heat stress protections
The last thing Jason Parker remembers after working a shift removing compressor bearings for NASA in 90-degree heat is a chill down his spine. "My friend's wife found me lying on the floor of my house, and I have no memory of getting there," the Virginia State Building & Construction Trades Council president said at a press conference Wednesday. "That's how insidious this thing is." Parker joined labor and climate change activists on a warm day in Virginia to urge the state to adopt standards for workers at risk of heat stress.
Virginia Democrats coalesce as primary election sets statewide ticket. Will Republicans?
Virginia Democrats solidified their statewide ticket Tuesday, voting for state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi as the nominee for lieutenant governor and former Del. Jay Jones as the nominee for attorney general in the state’s primary elections. Before the lieutenant governor’s primary had been called, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger issued her congratulations, calling Hashmi a “proven leader.” With the stage set for Virginia’s bellwether election, Spanberger, Hashmi and Jones put out a joint statement Wednesday emphasizing their unified campaign. ... That’s a markedly different strategy from Virginia Republicans, who have had a set statewide ticket since April but have thus far been going it alone.
Lynchburg School Board rescinds public comment ban of advocate
The Lynchburg City School Board voted unanimously to rescind its previous motion to ban Danny McCain, a longtime LCS advocate, from speaking at future school board meetings after he agreed not to disrupt future meetings. The motion passed 8-0 at Tuesday’s school board work session; ... The school board previously voted to ban McCain at its June 3 meeting when he went over his allotted time, saying he would only sit down after the school board agreed to meet with him to discuss the achievement gap between Black and white students in Lynchburg.
Lynchburg City School Board lifts ban on outspoken advocate
The Lynchburg School Board has reversed its decision to ban Danny McCain from speaking at its meetings, following an incident on June 3 where McCain continued speaking past his allotted time, prompting board members to consider calling the police. The board had initially banned McCain for violating their rules, but a recent unanimous vote, on Tuesday, has overturned that decision. During Tuesday's meeting, McCain apologized for his actions, saying, "I'm sorry I stayed over the 5 minutes."
Isle of Wight School Board to outsource policy updates to School Board Member Alliance
Isle of Wight County’s School Board voted 4-1 on June 12 to outsource the periodic review of its more than 400 written policies to the School Board Member Alliance, which formed three years ago as a rival to the Virginia School Boards Association. The vote comes just under a year since Isle of Wight disaffiliated from the VSBA over objections to the association’s annual lobbying of the Virginia General Assembly.
Kaine confronts Defense secretary over post names
Saying the names "should never have been changed in the first place," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the Trump Administration's decision to restore the original names of Army posts, mostly in the South, that were changed from memorializing Confederate heroes to reflect diversity in the military. During a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting Wednesday, June 18, Hegseth and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, had a tense exchange as Kaine – an opponent of the reversion – accused Hegseth of not caring about erasing the legacies of the people whose names were on Forts Gregg-Adams, Barfoot and Walker from the history annals.
UVa alumni clash over President Jim Ryan's record
Over the past month, a conservative alumni group has called for the resignation of University of Virginia President Jim Ryan, saying his “politicized and feckless leadership” has “severely damaged UVa's core values and reputation.” As it stands, Ryan, who arrived in Charlottesville in August 2018, has a contract that does not expire until July 31, 2028. The Jefferson Council, however, believes the state’s flagship university is in crisis now due to "seven critical leadership failures," ...
Rebuilding one of the nation’s oldest Black churches to begin at Juneteenth ceremony
A ceremonial groundbreaking will be held Thursday for the rebuilding of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches, whose congregants first gathered outdoors in secret before constructing a wooden meetinghouse in Virginia. The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg officially established itself in 1776, although parishioners met before then in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Americans from congregating. Free and enslaved members erected the original church house around 1805, laying the foundation with recycled bricks.
Archaeologists unearth foundation of 1760s schoolhouse for Black children in Virginia
Archaeologists in Virginia have unearthed the foundation of a building from the 1700s that once supported the nation’s oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children, William & Mary announced Wednesday. The university in Williamsburg said the foundation is nearly completely intact. Archaeologists also uncovered a cellar that is layered with centuries of artifacts, including slate pencil fragments and jewelry. The schoolhouse was later used as a dormitory, housing some of the first generations of women to attend college in the U.S.