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Virginia disability advocates celebrate legislative wins
Disability advocates celebrated rare wins at a meeting of the Virginia Disability Commission Thursday afternoon. “It’s a huge deal, it really is,” said Jen Krajewski with the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. She was praising the record funding— about $300 million— approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin. The money will support about 3,400 families of those with disabilities in dire needs. Known as priority one waivers, it was a top concern for Youngkin and advocates as the state’s disability waiver waiting list grew to about 14,000.
D.C.-area lawmakers react to another close call at Reagan National Airport
On Wednesday morning, an American Airlines flight bound for Boston from Reagan National Airport in Arlington had to abort its takeoff to avoid colliding with another plane. The Federal Aviation Administration said American Airlines Flight 2134’s takeoff was aborted by air traffic controllers because another aircraft had been cleared to land on an intersecting runway. The FAA is investigating the incident. … The incident has a congressional delegation from the D.C. area expressing concerns about the Senate’s vote to increase air traffic at the airport.
Schapiro: Does Trump’s endorsement trump all?
In the parallel universe that is a Republican primary in Virginia, the outcome these days is supposed to be decided by the company a candidate keeps. That being blessed by Donald Trump ensures victory, reducing the primary to a mere formality. U.S. Rep Bob Good, an uber-conservative Republican in the sprawling, largely rural 5th District, is seeking renomination in less than three weeks to a third two-year term, running this time — as he did the first time in 2020 — without the endorsement of the former president.
Charges reduced for last 3 defendants in Otieno death case
Second-degree murder charges against the last three people with active cases tied to the 2023 death of Irvo Otieno have been reduced to involuntary manslaughter, online court records show. The move to change the charges for the three people comes after second-degree murder charges were dropped against seven others in the case. Earlier this month, Otieno’s family criticized the decision to withdraw murder charges against five people and continued to call on the U.S. Department of Justice to step in for a federal investigation.
Home value disparities are displacing residents of Richmond’s Black neighborhoods
Some Richmond neighborhoods lost between 18% and 45% of their Black residents in the last decade due to rising housing costs and gentrification, according to a new report out Thursday. Decades of racist homelending policies and present-day bias in home appraisal have undervalued many Black Richmonders’ homes. That’s now pushing some longterm residents out of their communities. The report studying disparities in home value is from Richmond-based nonprofit Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, which used metro-area research from the Brookings Institute, city tax assessment data and American Community Survey demographics census stats.
Yancey: Is Virginia really in play? Roanoke College poll shows why presidential race is tied
A few weeks ago, NBC News reported that three top advisers to former President Donald Trump (including Virginia political veteran Chris LaCivita) had told donors at a closed-door meeting that both Virginia and Minnesota — two states now regularly counted in the Democratic column — were in play in 2024. At the time, I saw a lot of pushback from Virginia Democrats on social media, saying there’s no way the Old Dominion would be up for grabs this year. A new poll by Roanoke College that came out Wednesday suggests otherwise.
McDonald sentenced to 14 years for stealing $5.2M in Economic Development Authority funds
The former executive director of the Economic Development Authority of Front Royal and Warren County (EDA), who was convicted in November of last year of stealing more than $5.2 million in authority funds, was sentenced [Wednesday] to 14 years in federal prison. Jennifer Rae McDonald, 45, of Front Royal, was convicted following a 9-week jury trial in November 2023 of seven counts of wire fraud, six counts of bank fraud, sixteen counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Newport News seeks commitment from U.S. Navy on downtown military housing
Newport News recently secured a commitment from the state for a $40 million loan to support construction of U.S. Navy housing downtown, but the city is awaiting the Navy’s response on the project’s next steps. The city’s intergovernmental affairs manager, Jerri Wilson, said Tuesday to her knowledge, the Navy has yet to officially commit to a specific course of action for downtown housing in Newport News. State and local officials previously stated the Navy could contribute up to $400 million to house sailors and revitalize downtown.
Virginia House committee breaks down ballooning veteran education benefit program
A nearly 100-year-old veterans benefit program saw cuts during the latest state budget cycle after costs ballooned 450% in just four years. The Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, or VMSDEP, started after World War I as a way to support veterans to get an education. Over the next 90 years it was expanded, allowing family members of vets to also get a nearly cost-free education. But changes made in 2019, according to state data, caused the program to explode from $12 million to $65 million a year. “At the cost structure it is right now, there’s concern of the program potentially collapsing,” Tony Maggio, a fiscal analyst for the House of Delegates, told the House Appropriations committee Tuesday.
Medical students start as residents of Sovah Health; 50% will stay in Danville area
After three years at Sovah Health-Danville as a resident physician, Noah Arvan will graduate in about a month. He’s one of 46 in the program that’s been around for 14 years at the Danville hospital and boasts a 50% retention rate. Simply put, half of the residents in the program — who come from all over the nation — end up calling Danville home. The recruitment aspect is one of the main reasons the the residency clinic launched.