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New Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan includes staggered goals after 2025 deadlines weren’t met
Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay is a big feat, and the targets from a plan set in 2014 with a deadline of this year weren’t quite met. The new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement has four thematic goals with staggered goals and varying targets to meet for each subcategory. Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources Josh Kurtz said that those main goals are “healthy landscapes, clean water, engaged communities and thriving habitat and wildlife.” He said by breaking them down, officials were hoping to make them easier to navigate and give everyone involved clear and attainable targets, compared to the 2014 plan.
Richmond grapples with legacy of Confederate statues amid Trump DEI orders
Ideas of how to memorialize and teach American history continue to clash five years after the purge of Confederate statues along Monument Avenue. Many cheered as the statues came down, witnessing a landmark moment that many considered impossible in their lifetime. Others still wish to see them restored. Two months into his new administration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” . . . Legal experts and analysts say the order is unlikely to revive Richmond’s monuments, as they were local and state property, not under the jurisdiction of the federal government. But the president’s actions signal his willingness to wrest control of cultural institutions and mold American national identity.
Candidate facing bestiality porn charges makes the ballot in Patrick County
A man facing 10 felony charges of attempting to possess bestiality materials has made the ballot for a seat on the Patrick County Board of Supervisors. Malcolm Roach Sr., 70, of Stuart was arrested by the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office on June 9 and was released the same day on a $7,500 secured bond, Sgt. Michael Harris said via email on Thursday. Harris declined to provide the incident or arrest report, citing the ongoing investigation. Roach filed the paperwork necessary to run for the board of supervisors seat on June 11, according to the Patrick County Registrar, two days after his arrest. The signatures, or petitions, he collected in order to make it onto the ballot were notarized on June 4, before his arrest.
Residential solar industry weighs impacts of tax credit loss, potential rate changes
Solar installers are staring down a potential one-two punch of changes that could drastically alter the math for residential customers who are considering whether to invest in panels. A federal tax credit that can help a homeowner offset thousands of dollars of the cost of buying solar panels is set to expire at the end of this year, thanks to the federal megabill dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Separately, Virginia utility regulators are deciding whether to allow Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy to reduce how much they credit future residential solar panel owners for the electricity they generate beyond what they consume.
Virginia lands $16.4M from new opioid settlement with drugmakers
In another major legal win in the fight against the opioid crisis, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Thursday that the commonwealth could receive up to $16.4 million as part of a sweeping $720 million multi-state settlement with eight generic drug manufacturers accused of flooding communities with addictive painkillers. “Years ago, pharmaceutical companies exploited Virginians, treating them like test subjects while pushing dangerous, addictive drugs into our communities while lining their pockets,” Miyares said in a statement. . . . Virginia helped negotiate the deal alongside attorneys general from California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Utah. The announcement marks another step in Virginia’s broader legal effort to hold opioid manufacturers accountable — efforts that have now resulted in over $1.1 billion in secured settlements for the state.
The White House says it’s investigating antisemitism. Faculty at George Mason U. suspect a coordinated ouster attempt.
When the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) notified George Mason University on July 1 that it was opening an antisemitism investigation based on a recent complaint, the university’s president, Gregory Washington, said he was “perplexed.” Compared with other campuses, where protesters had ransacked buildings and hunkered down in encampments, George Mason had been relatively quiet over the past year, he said. His administration had taken extensive steps to improve relations with the Jewish community, enacted strict rules on protest, and communicated all of that to the OCR during a previous antisemitism investigation that remained open. By the next day, though, there were signs that the new probe was part of a coordinated campaign to oust him.
The ‘defunding’ of Planned Parenthood on pause for now as legal battles progress
Federal funding to Planned Parenthood facilities in Virginia and across the nation are tied up in legal battles for the time being. A provision in Congress’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by President Donald Trump last week would block Medicaid payments for services at facilities like Planned Parenthood for up to a year. Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration over the provision on Monday and a district court judge granted the organization a two-week restraining order against the federal government. In the commonwealth, about 700 to 800 patients per month use Medicaid to pay for services, said RaeAnn Pickett, communications director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia.
Support for Trump policies coincides with Virginia’s drop in business rankings
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has consistently backed former President Donald Trump’s policies, even as reports suggest those policies have harmed Virginia’s economy. Despite growing concern, Democratic leaders have urged Youngkin — along with Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares, to break their silence and challenge the administration’s approach, warning that continued support could further damage the commonwealth’s economic outlook. On Thursday, a key economic indicator—one Youngkin has previously cited as a benchmark of success — delivered more evidence that Trump’s policies are taking a toll on Virginia’s economy. CNBC’s annual list of Top States for Business was released Thursday morning, and Virginia fell from first place last year to fourth this year.
Virginia drops multiple places in CNBC’s Top States for Business
After a year in the top spot, Virginia has dropped to No. 4 in America’s Top States for Business list, though the commonwealth remains a business powerhouse. Virginia’s neighbor, North Carolina, claimed the top spot for 2025, CNBC revealed Thursday. Last year, Virginia barely beat the No. 2 Tar Heel State. ... The study revealed that budget cuts and tariffs dropped Virginia to 14th for economy. CNBC special correspondent Scott Cohn said this is Virginia’s worst showing since 2018.
Federal cuts claim new victim: Virginia’s status as top state for business
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has faithfully defended President Donald Trump’s tariffs and cuts to the federal workforce despite their economic harm to the commonwealth, but on Thursday that allegiance deprived Youngkin of a favorite talking point. Virginia lost its coveted “Top State for Business” ranking from the CNBC financial news network, falling to No. 4 thanks to Trump administration action that the network said “hits The Old Dominion where it lives.” . . . “With economic anxiety rising, Virginia’s economic situation is just shaky enough to take it down a few pegs,” the network said. North Carolina took the top spot on the list.