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Alpha-gal syndrome is gaining recognition in Virginia
Just days before Christmas 2021, Nicole Cooper was struggling to breathe. Her husband called 911, and moments before the ambulance arrived, Cooper jabbed herself with an epinephrine shot. She could tell she was having an allergic reaction, but she didn’t know what she was reacting to. She remembers the panic, the medical questions and treatments in the emergency room. What she doesn’t remember is the tick bite that triggered it all. . . . A bill that passed unanimously during the 2024 General Assembly session added alpha-gal syndrome to Virginia’s list of reportable diseases. Starting July 1, health care professionals must report cases to the Virginia Department of Health.
Wittman: Voting for spending bill kept my word to Virginians
The Virginian-Pilot & Daily Press Editorial Board recently accused me of selling out my constituents by voting for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“A predictable betrayal,” Our Views, May 23). That couldn’t be further from the truth. Let me set the record straight: I kept my word. I fought for Virginians, and I voted to protect working families, strengthen our safety net, and invest in national security and economic opportunity. Before this bill even came to a vote, I raised my voice publicly to demand protections for the vulnerable. In April, I wrote to House leadership making clear that balancing the budget must not come at the expense of pregnant women, children, seniors or individuals with disabilities.
Army’s 250th birthday commemoration held in Yorktown ahead of Fort Eustis event Friday
Virginia’s governor and the secretary of the Army visited Yorktown on Thursday afternoon as part of several days of celebrations for the service’s 250th birthday. “Together, these links through the last 250 years demonstrate the proud patriots that form the most magnificent band of brothers,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin told the crowd of roughly 200. “That’s the legacy of service and sacrifice.” The event marked the second in a three-part national series, and the speakers included Youngkin and Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll.
Virginia employers are exploring subsidized child care options for workers
The shortage of affordable child care options in the greater Richmond area — and statewide — is an ongoing problem that experts and advocates want employers to help address. . . . Carter T. Whitelow, vice president of government relations with the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said there’s a business case to be made for employers providing subsidized child care: Employees who don’t have to worry about quality child care will be happier — and more productive.
VPAP Visual House Pre-Primary Fundraising Totals: 2001-2025
Current Virginia Delegates have raised more than $20 million through the pre-primary reporting period, the most since VPAP began tracking money in legislative races. See how fundraising this cycle from incumbents, challengers and candidates running for open seats compares to past elections.
16 months after Richmond pulled city staff directory from its website, newspaper publishes it
In February 2024, The Times-Dispatch reported that, amid public outcry over issues with utility bills and meals tax collection, officials under then-Mayor Levar Stoney removed the city’s staff directory from the city website. The directory contained the names, phone numbers and email addresses of City Hall’s many department directors. Without it, Richmond residents were unable to directly contact their highest-paid, most visible and most responsible public servants. . . . Now, The Times-Dispatch is publishing its own database of department directors' desk and cellphone numbers.
Friday Read Friends raced to hit every Metro station in one day. Would they make it?
Lots of people — okay, at least seven people — have visited every Metro stop in a single day. It’s even in the Guinness Book of World Records. But as far as they know, John Veltum and his friends are the first to try actually swiping in and out of all 98 stations. Why? To see if they could.
New dashboard brings near real-time info about crime around the region
Police departments around the region are increasingly offering updates on crime data, but depending on how big the department is, the speed of those updates might vary. . . . But to track it all, you usually have to go to each individual department’s webpage and search around for the information you want, if you’re trying to compare one area to another. That will no longer be the case. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has unveiled a new dashboard that lets you track crime around the region, from the District to the biggest suburban counties in Maryland to the smaller municipalities that also work with COG. You can break it down by jurisdiction or group the D.C. area together.
Lynchburg vice mayor apologizes to Peacemakers leader for past defamatory comments
Some Lynchburg City Council members are apologizing for something that happened during a meeting a few years ago. During Tuesday's Lynchburg City Council work session, Vice Mayor Curt Diemer spoke out against personal attacks in their meetings. It happened during a 2023 meeting. During public comment, a speaker said something defamatory about Shawn Hunter, the leader of the Peacemakers in Lynchburg. Hunter sued her and won. Hunter was just awarded $50,000 in damages in a Lynchburg Circuit Court on June 6.
Advocates fear FCPD policy change could lead to more contact with ICE
Facing funding threats at both the state and federal levels, Fairfax County leaders have publicly maintained confidence in their policies banning voluntary cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As President Donald Trump’s administration began ramping up ICE activities to support his campaign threats of mass deportations, however, the Fairfax County Police Department quietly revised its policy governing officer interactions with immigrants. As of Feb. 21, the department’s General Order 604 no longer explicitly prohibits employees from assisting and sharing information with ICE, directing them instead to comply with the broader Trust Policy adopted by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2021. Removing those guardrails could open the door for police officers to essentially serve as informants for federal immigration authorities, immigrant rights advocates say.