Search
McClellan, Virginia Democrats warn of dire impact to state if proposed Medicaid cuts materialize
U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, said she had been awake over 36 hours by the time she joined a call with members of the media on Thursday to discuss GOP lawmakers’ plan to slash $625 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade. The lack of sleep didn’t disturb her, she said, but her Republican colleagues’ advancement of Medicaid overhaul proposals that could leave over 630,000 Virginians and millions of Americans without health insurance, however, did.
Hard Rock gaming revenues again exceed $21M in April
For the second consecutive month, adjusted gaming revenues from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol exceeded $21 million. The casino reported $21.04 million in AGR during April, the second highest month since the facility opened in mid-November, according to a new report from the Virginia Lottery. Gaming revenues for March were a single-month record $21.4 million.
Salem to implement AI weapons detection system at high school
Salem City Schools will soon begin piloting a security system at Salem High School that uses artificial intelligence to detect weapons. The system works by using AI to monitor the school’s existing camera feeds for any sign of weapons. If a threat is detected, the system notifies a designated group of staff and administrators, as well as members of the Salem Police Department. Anyone who receives the alert can review the footage on their phone and assess the situation.
Meet the two Democrats running in the primary for Virginia Attorney General
In Virginia’s attorney general race, Democratic voters have two candidates to choose from, former state Del. Jay Jones, in his second primary bid for the role, and longtime Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor. Virginia has an election every year, and this is a big one: this fall, voters will pick the next occupants of the three statewide offices — governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general — as well as all 100 seats in the House of Delegates.
Youngkin signs bills designed to improve foster care in Va.
Chesapeake resident Katie Jones knows all too well that in the past, Virginia’s foster care system hasn’t always worked like it’s supposed to. “I absolutely did not get what I needed as a child. No foster kid does,” Jones told 8News. That’s why Jones, who aged out of the foster care system several years ago, was on hand in Richmond on Thursday to witness Governor Glenn Youngkin sign two bills to improve Virginia’s foster care system.
Yancey: Federal judge in Roanoke has a new side hustle: Author of a young adult novel.
Like many writers, the author of a new novel that’s set in Virginia has a day job to support his writing habit. In the case of “Charlie-Man,” a young adult novel coming out this summer, the author’s day job is one of the hardest gigs in the country to land: Thomas Cullen is a federal judge. Virginia is no stranger to judges who are also authors. J. Harvie Wilkinson III, who sits on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, has written six books, three of those after he ascended to the bench from the law school faculty at the University of Virginia.
Virginia gubernatorial hopefuls share their housing ideas as commonwealth struggles with supply
Virginia’s housing problems, like the nation’s, date back to the 2008 financial crisis. The influx of homes created a bubble that burst and saw foreclosures at record rates. Developers have been reluctant to ramp up home construction ever since. Only now is the U.S. starting to reach pre-2008 levels of new construction for privately owned housing. Virginia is smack dab in the middle of the national average for such new construction, according to real estate industry trackers Construction Coverage. Their lead data analyst Michael Stromberg said incentives to build lean towards new luxury homes.
Richmond mayor has ‘no appetite’ to pursue $56M from failed VCU Health deal
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula has “no appetite” to sue over nearly $56 million the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System agreed to pay the city for a failed development project. But that’s where things stand now, and a lawsuit isn’t entirely off the table, Avula spokeswoman Mira Signer told VPM News. “He has no appetite pursuing a lawsuit at this point. It’s not dead," Signer said about Avula’s intentions during a phone call last week. “At this point, he is interested in finding places where they can co-invest.”
Charlottesville teachers demand UVa turn down Federal Executive Institute
It's town versus gown. Things got off to a rocky start when the University of Virginia was founded in 1819. But for the better part of the past century, UVa and the city of Charlottesville have enjoyed a civil relationship in the 10-square-mile patch of land in the shadow of university founder Thomas Jefferson's Monticello estate. For decades, city residents have shrugged off grievances over the university's growing appetite for land and development. . . . But some residents have reached a breaking point.
Friday Read ‘There’s no way this is actually what I think it is’: Marine vet finds WWII-era mortar in Virginia backyard
In central Virginia, it’s not uncommon to unearth relics from Civil War battles. But finding a 50mm French mortar dating to World War II hidden in your backyard is something else entirely. That’s what happened to Hunter Vap, a Marine veteran and resident of Orange, Virginia. After a midnight encounter with an ancient piece of unexploded ordnance, he’d enlist county officials — and ultimately explosives specialists from Marine Corps Base Quantico, about 70 miles away — to safely dispose of it.