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Arlington unemployment rate reaches highest point since the pandemic
Arlington’s unemployment rate has risen to its highest point in nearly four years. A total of 5,061 Arlington residents were counted as seeking jobs in May, according to new figures from the Virginia Employment Commission. That’s the highest total since the 5,523 recorded in July 2021, when the nation was still in the grip of Covid.
JLARC says some school districts are incorrectly citing a 2022 law when removing books from libraries
The Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission (JLARC) presented a report to members of the General Assembly on Monday about books that are being removed from school libraries across Virginia. The report found that school divisions have the authority to select and remove books from libraries, but some are misinterpreting a 2022 law to justify removing titles. The state has no authority over which books school libraries carry, and current law offers no guidance to divisions on how to manage library collections, according to JLARC. The Board of Education requires each school to maintain a library with materials that support instruction, research, inquiry and general student interest.
Former speaker Gilbert sworn in as U.S. Attorney for Western Virginia
On his first day as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Todd Gilbert said it’s a job he has long desired. Although Gilbert has held other high-profile positions as a Virginia lawmaker and Speaker of the House of Delegates, he still remembers fondly his previous tenure as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in several jurisdictions. “I bring to this job truly the heart of a prosecutor,” he said in an interview Monday at the U.S. Attorney’s Roanoke office, several hours after he was sworn in by District Judge Thomas Cullen.
Judge rules in favor of Norfolk city attorney in feud with commonwealth’s attorney
The Norfolk city attorney’s office earned a win in its ongoing feud with Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi over which office has the authority to prosecute misdemeanor cases. A Norfolk Circuit Judge Joseph Lindsey ruled last week the city attorney’s office could continue to prosecute a misdemeanor city code violation appeal. The case involves a man who was charged with being in a park after sunset, a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
Leffel: When it comes to crypto, Virginia needs CLARITY
Virginia has been a quiet leader in the blockchain and cryptocurrency revolution. From Shenandoah Valley vineyards using blockchain for weather tracking to family owned farms in Highland County accepting crypto to coworking clubs like mine in downtown Richmond selling memberships via Bitcoin, there are many local innovative businesses using this multipurpose technology. However, the legal clarity that would allow these local businesses to thrive has not always been there. Despite legislative efforts in the past, there are still questions on how to classify or separate these businesses and use cases.
Norfolk judge rules the city attorney can prosecute some misdemeanors in court
Last week, a Norfolk Circuit Court judge ruled the city’s charter allows the City Attorney’s office the authority to prosecute violations of local ordinances in that court. It’s the latest round in a turf spat between Norfolk City Attorney Bernard Pishko and Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi. Fatehi has sought to prohibit such a decision. The legal ruling stems from an appeal of Virginia Beach resident Jared Fuller's conviction in the General District Court for being in Northside Park after dark at 7:06 p.m. on Nov. 6, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
Free Narcan, fentanyl testing available through new Richmond vending machines
Richmond is installing new harm reduction vending machines across the city, equipped with free Narcan, fentanyl testing strips and personal hygiene products. “This life-saving program is about meeting people where they are, with compassion and dignity,” Mayor Danny Avula said. The machines are part of the city’s Office of Opioid and Substance Use Response. Officials say the goal is to prevent overdoses and support Richmonders living with substance abuse disorders.
Sites slated for mystery data center projects in Chesterfield sell for nearly $60M
Entities involved in plans to build proposed data center campuses in western Chesterfield have dropped tens of millions of dollars in recent days to secure the project sites. More than 1,200 acres between the two sites, one near Moseley and the one near Westchester Commons, have changed hands for a combined total of about $60 million in multiple transactions that closed in late June, according to Chesterfield courthouse records.
Yancey: 223 book titles pulled from school library shelves in Virginia, but 75% were in just 5 places
Across Virginia over the past five years, 223 different books have been removed from school library shelves, many of them by more than one school system. However, those removals have been concentrated in a relative handful of communities. Hanover County has removed more books from its school library shelves than any other locality in the state — 125 in all. That one county accounts for more than one-third of the book removals in the state. Along with another four counties — Rockingham County, which removed 57 books, Goochland County with 34, Madison County with 23 and Spotsylvania County with 19 — those five counties alone accounted for 75% of the book removals in the state.
Prince William supervisor’s PAC receives another $100K, this time from Dumfries data center backer
Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega earlier this month received a $100,000 campaign donation via her political action committee, YES PAC, from a real estate developer with ties to a recently-pitched data center project near the Four Seasons at Historic Virginia retirement community in Dumfries.