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Virginia Beach sheriff’s deputy who claimed he was fired for political reasons has been rehired
A deputy who alleged in a 2022 federal lawsuit against former Sheriff Ken Stolle that he was fired for political reasons has returned to duty. William “Dave” Fowler was rehired in April by Sheriff Rocky Holcomb, according to department spokeswoman Toni Guagenti. Holcomb became sheriff in September 2023, after Stolle stepped down. He won a special election last year and is running for reelection in November. “MDII Fowler applied for a deputy position with the VBSO like any job applicant,” Guagenti said in an email to The Pilot. “He followed all the applicant procedures, including taking a written exam, a physical and a background check.”
Yancey: Both parties face challenges this year in Virginia. Here are some of the big ones.
We now have a Democratic statewide ticket to go along with the Republican ticket that was already in place. We think of general election campaigns as the “fall” campaign but, with early voting, the first votes will be cast in what is still officially summer. Early voting begins Sept. 19, so three months from today it will already be underway. Every campaign faces challenges, some bigger than others. Here are 10 challenges in this year’s campaign, four unique to each party and two that confront both parties.
Democratic candidates for Connolly’s congressional seat debate fairness over Walkinshaw’s frontrunner status
A crowded field of Democrats is vying for the party’s nomination in the special election for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. James Walkinshaw, [the late U.S. Rep. Gerry] Connolly’s chosen successor, appears to be the clear frontrunner, sparking concerns among rivals that the nomination process favors establishment candidates and also limits voter access. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the special election date for Sept. 9 after Connolly, 75, died in May due to esophageal cancer. It came weeks after Connolly announced he would not seek reelection and would step down as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. The 11th District Democratic committee announced a firehouse primary scheduled for June 28, giving candidates less than a month to make their case to voters.
Protecting American treasures deserves federal commitment
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year calls for $163 billion in spending cuts across a variety of non-military programs. It would slash a whopping $1.2 billion from the National Park Service and programs it oversees — including national historic sites. With that kind of money on the cutting board, a proposal to cut $158 million from the park service’s Historic Preservation Fund might sound unimportant. Make no mistake: Such a deep cut would effectively spell the end of a vital source of money that has been essential to preserving history in Virginia and in other states and on tribal lands across the country.
Virginia group plans nuclear test reactor to boost research efforts
A recently formed partnership in Virginia will look at the potential for creating a research facility that would include a micro-scale nuclear reactor for businesses and universities to use as they develop the next generation of nuclear power plants. The partnership — organized by a nonprofit called the Virginia Innovative Nuclear Hub, or VIN Hub — also aims to bring together Virginia’s nuclear companies and universities to research materials for advanced nuclear reactors.
Trump’s tax bill has become a battlefield for tobacco giants
Two of the largest tobacco firms in the United States are waging a lobbying battle over a key provision in the GOP’s massive tax and spending bill. The version of the legislation that the House passed last month included language to claw back a $12 billion tax break that tobacco producers — most of them in North Carolina — use to make their products cheaper to export. The version of the legislation the Senate is considering would leave the tax break untouched. Now cigarette manufacturers and their allies in Congress are wrestling over the final fate of the provision — with Sen. Thom Tillis (North Carolina), a Republican whom Democrats hope to unseat in midterm elections, stuck in the middle.
State agencies begin moving out of James Monroe Building
The state government has begun moving out of the James Monroe Building. The Office of the State Inspector General recently relocated to a small office complex on Governor Street called Reid’s Row. By the spring of 2026, the state expects the 29-story Monroe building to be empty, Banci Tewolde, director of the Department of General Services, told the state’s Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. General Services handles real estate for the state government.
Andryszak and Hallam: A reliable power grid requires more pipelines
Over the past few weeks, alarms have sounded about potential grid reliability shortfalls and increased energy prices this summer. These warnings come as states across the U.S., particularly in the Northeast, face rapidly growing demand projections, making it clear: The integrity of our electric grids must be prioritized. ... At the center of this challenge is natural gas. The U.S. cannot reliably meet growing demand if we cannot expand our natural gas pipeline network to ensure the adequate energy resources needed to generate the reliable, affordable power American homes and businesses expect and deserve.
Senate draft of ‘big, beautiful bill’ could cut funds for Virginia hospitals, also affect Medicaid
Virginia’s hospitals are monitoring congressional budget proposals with concern. While the recently-passed U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the President Donald Trump-backed “big beautiful bill” retained federal mapping that preserves Medicaid access in Virginia, a new draft in the U.S. Senate could alter two critical funding mechanisms that support Virginia’s hospitals and their ability to bolster the state’s expanded Medicaid program. The Senate proposal could change provider assessment rates and state-directed payment programs. The two funding mechanisms are critical to hospital operation in Virginia and how they chip into the expansion of Virginia’s Medicaid program.
How Black Lung Came Roaring Back to Coal Country
Denver Brock and his son Aundra used to spend early mornings hunting rabbits in the wooded highlands of Harlan County, Ky. But they don’t get out there much these days. They both get too breathless trying to follow the baying hounds. Instead, they tend a large garden alongside Denver Brock’s home. Even that can prove difficult, requiring them to work slowly and take frequent breaks. “You get so dizzy,” Denver Brock said, “you can’t hardly stand up.” The Brocks followed a long family tradition when they became Appalachian coal miners. For it, they both now have coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, a debilitating disease characterized by masses and scarred tissue in the chest, and better known by its colloquial name: black lung.