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Stafford proclamation prompts mixed reviews
The Stafford Board of Supervisors approves dozens of proclamations each year, but one presented Tuesday, to recognize June as the month to support individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, struck a nerve among those gathered. Those who supported the recognition were aghast that people would oppose any action that might make people feel included, valued and accepted, as described by Terry Martin, a retired social worker. ... Those who opposed the measure, like Shamgar Connors, said Stafford was on a quest “to become the ultimate modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Richmond won’t sue VCU Health over failed real estate deal
The city of Richmond is not planning to sue the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System as part of their prolonged disagreement over a failed real estate deal. For more than a year, the city and the state-affiliated health system have been at odds over $56 million that VCU Health promised the city in 2021 as part of the unsuccessful Clay Street real estate project. But state leaders have told VCU Health to stop writing the checks.
Loudoun Supervisors Deny Lansdowne Cell Tower Proposal
The Board of Supervisors last night denied a commission permit for a cell tower in Lansdowne, overruling its approval by the Planning Commission. The application was submitted by Milestone Towers which has multiple cell structures within the county. The proposal would have allowed telecommunications monopole within a Virginia Department of Transportation right-of-way at the interchange between Rt. 7 and Claiborne Parkway.
Proposed budget cuts expected to significantly change NASA’s research focus, workforce
NASA is positioned to lose a quarter of its budget and nearly a third of its workforce under a government proposal seeking to slash federal spending. For NASA Langley Research Center, the proposal includes cutting nearly 700 employees and impacts to research in things like aeronautics—which is research related to air and space flight—and earth science, which includes studying the atmosphere, oceans, land and ice.
JLARC: Moving juvenile justice department won’t boost services
Virginia’s juvenile justice officials can connect kids in trouble with services they need faster than the state’s social services, mental health and health agencies often can, a study by the legislature’s watchdog agency found. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission study investigated advocates’ recommendations that the state switch the Department of Juvenile Justice from the oversight of the Secretary of Public Safety to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources.
Report: Moving Department of Juvenile Justice to another state agency likely won’t improve youth programs
A new report says moving the Department of Juvenile Justice under a different state agency likely wouldn’t improve the programs it offers to incarcerated youth. The report comes as the state Inspector General’s office says it will review mental health services being offered to children at the Bon Air Correctional Center — Virginia’s only state-run youth prison. Research for the nonpartisan report included interviews with Department of Juvenile Justice staff, state cabinet members and national experts.
A look at the views of 2 candidates vying for the GOP nod in 62nd House District
Agreeing on many issues while differing on others, Republican statehouse primary candidates Karen Hamilton, of Orange, and Clay Jackson, of Madison, sat side by side last Thursday night for a candidates’ forum in the District 62 nominating race. A homeschool mom of three, college educated in structural engineering and a first-time political candidate, Hamilton briefly stumbled in her opening statement ... A beef cattle farmer and board of supervisors’ chairman, Jackson admitted he didn’t know what his first three bills would be if elected to the statehouse, but stressed time and again he would fight to represent local interests.
Yancey: Grid operator warns of possible summer power shortage. Congress is trying to slow growth of solar energy.
The good news is that the lights (and the air conditioning) will probably come on this summer. The bad is that word “probably.” PJM Interconnection, the organization that runs the regional power grid of which Virginia is a part, has warned that under “extreme scenarios” it may not have enough power this summer, and will need certain users to reduce their electricity usage. This is the first time that PJM has issued such a warning. ... Increasingly, though, PJM is turning up in the news through no fault of its own: Thanks largely to the growth of data centers in Northern Virginia (but also the growth of data centers everywhere and our general desire to plug in more devices), we’re seeing power demand grow, both nationally and especially in Virginia.
Petersburg residents ask City Council for transparency on Sycamore Grove project
Residents asked for more transparency from city officials during Petersburg’s June 3 City Council meeting following last month’s abrupt termination of the Sycamore Grove development agreement — a high-profile project once heralded as a key piece of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s “Partnership for Petersburg” initiative. Petersburg resident Barb Rudolph took to the podium during the public comment period to express frustration over what she called a lack of communication from the city ...
VCU Health seeks approval for its first Chesterfield hospital
VCU Health continues to map out a larger presence in Chesterfield with a proposal to build its first hospital in the county. The health system is seeking regulatory approval to open a 66-bed hospital at 7220 Beach Road near the county’s government complex, according to a letter of intent recently submitted to the state health department. The facility would also have six operating rooms and a cardiac catheterization lab as well as CT and MRI units, the filing shows.