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How a Stafford mom helped pass a law that pays caregivers of disabled children
When Emily Sagle sat down to draft a Facebook message this past November, her zeal for helping families living with severe disabilities was tempered only by a deeply ingrained skepticism of bureaucracy. “I was like, ‘The government is long lines and red tape,’” recalled the Stafford County mother of two, “it will never go anywhere.” Sagle’s message did, however, find the inbox of its intended recipient, then-Delegate-elect Joshua Cole. Within weeks, she had secured a sit-down meeting with Cole — who’d been elected only weeks prior — and a staffer at a Fredericksburg-area Starbucks to discuss a potentially expiring Medicaid waiver program that allowed parents to be paid as caregivers for their disabled children.
Virginia Democrats celebrate environmental wins, say they’ll still fight to stay in RGGI
Virginia first entered the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in 2020, and it’s added over $800 million to state efforts to combat climate change. While Governor Glenn Youngkin has tried to pull the state out of the agreement, Democrats said Tuesday they managed to still achieve some environmental wins despite RGGI cuts. Delegate Alfonso Lopez said the Democratic legislature got $231 million for environmental management for farms. That included $20 million for new pollution reduction projects. Then there’s $400 million in bonds for updating sewage treatment plants.
Youngkin signs bipartisan bills aimed at helping Virginia’s kids avoid foster care
In a ceremonial bill signing held in Hanover County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed two bipartisan bills aimed at helping Virginia’s kids avoid foster care. The bills create the Parental Child Safety Placement Program, allowing local Departments of Social Services to facilitate an agreement between a child’s biological parents and a relative so that relative may take care of the child to avoid putting them in foster care.
Fentanyl is fueling a record number of youth drug deaths
Fentanyl, a pervasive killer in America’s illicit drug supply, is increasingly landing in the hands of teens across the region and nation, worrying providers who say treatment options for youth are limited. Across the country, fentanyl has largely fueled a more than doubling of overdose deaths among children ages 12 to 17 since the start of the pandemic, according to a Washington Post analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released this month. Fatal overdoses in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are in keeping with the national increase in opioid fatalities, which until recently primarily claimed the lives of adults.
A look at the 5th congressional district race spending with primaries one month away
We’re exactly one month away from primary elections in Virginia and there’s a lot of money being thrown around in the race for the Republican nomination for the 5th congressional district. The race between incumbent Bob Good and John McGuire is shaping up to be an interesting one, especially from a financial standpoint.
Too hard to stomach? Fairfax County chews on a ‘meals tax’ for dining out
That restaurant pasta or gas station burrito in Fairfax County could be facing a price increase after lawmakers in search of revenue began considering an option that has been rejected twice amid heated opposition: a meals tax. On Tuesday, county supervisors directed County Executive Bryan J. Hill to study the pros and cons of imposing a tax of between 1 and 6 percent on food and beverages prepared in restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores — a response to the board’s passage this month of an austere budget that increased the annual tax bill for homeowners by an average of $450.
Democrats say Youngkin’s rejection of RGGI is costing millions despite budget boost
Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s opposition to a multi-state effort to cut greenhouse gases costs Virginia about $150 million a year even after the General Assembly boosted funding for flood control efforts, House of Delegates Democrats say. In addition, they said Youngkin’s veto of a bill that would have let the state tap federal funds for loans with low interest rates to finance clean energy projects, investments in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and similar efforts will cost Virginia still more.
Petersburg Catholic group sues Park Service over Memorial Day Mass
A Knights of Columbus council in Petersburg has gone to federal court, seeking the right to continue its tradition of holding a Memorial Day Mass within Poplar Grove National Cemetery. The Catholic fraternal organization says it held the Memorial Day Mass within the cemetery most years dating back to the 1960s. That changed in 2023, when the National Park Service denied the organization’s permit.
Petersburg school leader spent $22,000 on travel over 15 months on job, records show
Former Petersburg Schools Superintendent Dr. Tamara Sterling charged taxpayers more than $22,000 while traveling to conferences during her 15 months on the job, according to records obtained by CBS 6 through a public records request. The $22,000 bill was more than double what the Henrico County superintendent spent, 14 times what the Hopewell superintendent spent, and 43 times what the Chesterfield superintendent spent on travel during that same time frame.
Va. teacher pay gets a boost in budget, but it’s still projected to fall short of national average
Legislation that would have aligned Virginia teachers’ pay with the national average or higher by the 2027-28 school year won bipartisan support but was blocked from the state budget by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto last week. The two-year budget, signed last week, includes $540 million to help pay for 3% salary increases for teachers and state employees in both years. The governor said he supported the goal of “ensuring that teachers and state-funded education support positions are funded competitively,” but didn’t approve the bill to boost educators’ salaries to the national average because it relied heavily on what he viewed as flawed data from the National Education Association, which represents educators across the country.