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Three Va. Planned Parenthood clinics affected by Trump administration’s Title X funding freeze
Three Virginia Planned Parenthood health centers in Richmond, Hampton and Virginia Beach have been affected by federal Title X family planning grant freezes, losing over $1 million in funds fueling family planning services. Established in 1970, the federal program helps low and extremely low-income people access family planning care like contraception, sexually transmitted disease screenings and treatment as well as cancer screenings, at low or no cost.
Vindman recognizes family as he calls on Congress to protect funding for Medicaid
Shannon almost didn’t attend the recent telephone town hall hosted by Congressman Eugene Vindman. “I was going to go to bed,” said the Fredericksburg area resident, who’s the mother of three boys and works part-time. She’d never reached out to her congressional representative before, either, but said she felt that Vindman “would hear me and care.” One of Shannon’s young sons, Luka, has Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH), a rare genetic disorder that necessitates 24/7 in-home nursing care and 18 medications. Shannon and her husband Chris rely on Medicaid to supplement their private insurance and enable them to provide Luka with the supports and medical equipment he needs.
Friday Read Fearing deportation, a beloved Virginia music teacher gives a final lesson
On the day before spring break at Forest Grove Elementary School in Northern Virginia, students bounded through the halls with backpacks swinging behind them. They wiggled in their seats, eager for vacation. But in Jesús Rodríguez’s music classroom, the mood was somber. “Don’t leave us!” one student shouted to Rodríguez after the class sang a medley. Other fourth- and fifth-graders wrapped their arms around one another, wiping tears from their eyes. Rodríguez, a Venezuelan national, was legally living and working in this D.C. suburb under a humanitarian parole program that the Trump administration announced would end early. Without a clear path to stay legally, he decided to leave the United States, worried he could end up inside a Salvadoran prison — separated from his wife and 6-year-old daughter — if he didn’t.
Only one Republican incumbent in the House of Delegates will face a primary: Del. Terry Austin
The singular Republican incumbent to see a primary challenger in this year’s House of Delegates races is an unexpected one, according to one lawmaker. Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Washington County, said that Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt County, was the last person that he and other members of the General Assembly expected to see a primary challenge in June. Pillion added that, regardless of the incumbent, the primary challenge is evidence that General Assembly seats don’t belong to the lawmakers: they belong to the people that the lawmakers represent.
Earle-Sears wrote of ‘moral opposition’ to marriage equality when signing 2024 bill
Republican candidate for governor and current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears said that she was “morally opposed” to marriage equality legislation Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed into law in 2024, as written in a note on the bill itself. During the 2024 General Assembly session, legislators considered House Bill 174, a piece of legislation that made it illegal to deny a couple a marriage license based on sex, gender or race. The bill was ultimately passed, signed by Youngkin and became law on July 1, 2024.
Hopewell council fires city manager and clerk ‘without cause’ in controversial vote
The attorney for former Hopewell City Manager Dr. Concetta Manker said his client is considering “any and all legal options” after City Council voted along racial lines to fire her without cause. “Tonight’s actions by the Hopewell City Council are deeply disappointing,” Richmond attorney Richard Hawkins told The Progress-Index by email after the meeting. “Dr. Manker has put her heart and soul into working for the city and always put the people of Hopewell and her employees first.” Manker and City Clerk Brittani Williams were fired in similar 4-3 votes during a special council meeting May 1.
VCU student arrested: Event organizer details confusion on campus
A Virginia Commonwealth University student was arrested April 29 during what campus police called an "unauthorized event" outside VCU's Cabell Library. Oscar Ferguson-Osborne, 22, was arrested while holding a sign denouncing campus police for pepper-spraying protestors the year before when a pro-Palestinian encampment was broken up. Ferguson-Osborne was one of 13 people arrested last year. . . . Sereen Haddad, a member of the university's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter who helped organize the event, told The Progress-Index that the gathering was not a demonstration. Instead, students met at the lawn at 2 p.m. to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the encampment being torn down and study for finals.
Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears opposed anti-discrimination marriage bill in handwritten note
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears took the unusual step last year of including a note of personal objection to a bill she was constitutionally required to sign — a symbolic gesture that underscores her deeply held views on LGBTQ+ rights as she campaigns for governor. “I remain morally opposed to the content of HB 174 as passed by the General Assembly,” Earle-Sears wrote on the legislation, which prohibits officials from denying marriage licenses based on sex, gender or race. A copy of the signed bill was obtained by Virginia Scope through a public records request filed with the House Clerk’s Office.
Students: Alexandria school system plans to censor high school newspaper Theogony
Theogony, the Alexandria City High School student newspaper, along with other ACHS student publications, is facing censorship of its coverage by Alexandria City Public Schools administrators and the School Board, according to student journalists at Theogony. The School Board plans to amend its policy on student publications to enforce stricter rules on coverage of controversial issues, such as transportation, the High School Project and transgender policies, these journalists said.
Federal government cuts fuel rise in joblessness across Fairfax and D.C. region
The ranks of unemployed Fairfax County residents ticked up nearly 8% month-over-month and 37% year-over-year in March, according to new state data, as Northern Virginia’s economy takes a hit from the federal government’s downsizing and collateral economic impacts. A total of 20,836 Fairfax residents were counted as unemployed for March, according to figures reported this week by the Virginia Employment Commission. That compares to 19,315 in February and 15,171 in March 2024.