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Cobb and Peace: Cuts to anti-tobacco programs will cost lives
Virginia’s Tobacco Control Program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), has been effectively defunded and dismantled as a result of recent federal action to reduce government programs and workforce. A conglomerate of nicotine and tobacco research scientists and physicians in Virginia have grave concerns about the impact of these closures and are urging Congress and Virginia’s congressional delegation to continue supporting programs that eliminate and prevent tobacco use.
Langley: Virginia took an important step to regulate license plate readers
License plate reader (LPR) cameras, which capture images of license plates and other vehicle characteristics to solve crime, have been a longstanding tool for Virginia law enforcement agencies — helping police solve murder cases, locate and rescue missing persons and apprehend violent suspects attacking government workers. Virginia law enforcement have used best practices to implement these tools in a responsible way; however, LPR use remained unregulated. As the founder and CEO of a company that has deployed LPRs in communities across the commonwealth, I have supported codifying legislation that would ensure LPRs can be used for the substantial benefits they provide, while establishing guardrails so the technology is used responsibly.
Youngkin, 19 Republican governors sign letter supporting bill that would cut billions from Medicaid
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed onto a joint letter with other Republican governors in support of a “big beautiful bill” backed by President Donald Trump that is currently advancing through Congress and would cut $625 billion from Medicaid over the next decade if passed. The federal program helps states provide health care coverage to low-income people and those with disabilities. Democratic lawmakers, advocacy groups, Medicaid beneficiaries and some Republicans have cautioned against the proposal for months.
Charles City County: Proposed data center promises windfall, stirs opposition
Financially troubled Charles City County is considering a large data center campus with its promise of a multimillion-dollar tax windfall. On Tuesday, the county board of supervisors will consider rezoning a 515-acre tract of woods in the northwestern corner of the rural county, about 20 miles east of Richmond. The rezoning request from Kansas-based Diode Ventures said it expects data centers on the site would operate 24 hours a day, but it did not provide detail about how many buildings it plans or the size of its investment or expected electricity use, although its map of the site noted eight areas on the tract that it labeled as buildable areas.
Norfolk floodwall delayed 4 years as costs rise, city considers alignment changes
Norfolk’s downtown floodwall project will take an additional four years to finish, Army Corps of Engineers officials told Norfolk City Council on Tuesday. The update comes as city and elected officials push for several changes to the project, which also faces an uncertain financial future. “Just know that this is being watched very closely,” said City Council member Courtney Doyle. Complications such as rising costs after the pandemic and issues with the real estate certification process have pushed the end of construction for the entire $2.6 billion floodwall and coastal resiliency project until 2037, said Keith Lockwood, Norfolk district chief, Water Resources Division, of the Army Corps.
1 of 4 election fraud charges dismissed in Blacksburg case
One of four election fraud charges against Blacksburg Town Council member Liam Watson was dismissed by a Circuit Court judge Tuesday. The grand jury indictment in question alleged that Watson listed a false address on official paperwork that certified his qualifications as a candidate in the Nov. 7, 2023, election for a seat on the council.
Local PBS, NPR stations may endure Trump’s cuts. Others won’t be as lucky.
As the Trump administration pursues a policy of selective federal austerity, defunding public media represents a drop in a very large bucket. But that drop makes a big difference in the health of our democracy, the early development of our children and the civic awareness of the public. According to recent reporting, Hampton Roads’ National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service stations are confident they can endure a loss of federal support, even if they shouldn’t have to. Other communities, including many in Virginia, won’t be as lucky as these actions needlessly rob them of public media programming that challenges, entertains, informs and educates.
Fisher: Connolly built the trail to post-Trump progress. Who will hike it?
The largest structure in downtown Washington is a huge government building named for Ronald Reagan, which would be a heck of a joke except that it’s true: The man who won the presidency by crusading against government bloat is memorialized with a hulking symbol of public largesse, a nearly billion-dollar pile of limestone housing a slew of government agencies. Gerry Connolly, the congressman from Northern Virginia who died Wednesday, lived long enough to see his name attached to a public project, too. It’s a hiking trail, more than 40 miles across Fairfax County, through rural, suburban and urban patches, and it’s as beloved as the Reagan Building is derided. The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail couldn’t be a more apt recognition of its namesake.
Yancey: Natural Bridge Zoo legal saga escalates as two baby giraffes missing, state alleges threats, harassment
On the afternoon of April 7, three people showed up at the Natural Bridge Zoo to conduct a random inspection of the giraffes that the state had seized last year, but which remained at the zoo until they could be moved. There are many complications to moving a giraffe, but two of these three giraffes had a special one: They were pregnant, and moving a pregnant giraffe was deemed too dangerous. Even though a jury had ruled that the state could seize 71 animals from the zoo after it found the animals had been neglected and abused, it was agreed that pregnant giraffes should stay at the zoo until it was safe to move them. In the meantime, the court order directed the zoo to cooperate with the state and allow random inspections.
Spotsylvania data center project milestone hit, opening nears
Spotsylvania County’s first data center facility is set to go online soon, and progress on the work was celebrated Wednesday morning. Hundreds of workers filled several aisles of tables in the large lunch facility on the Cosner Tech Campus data center complex around 10:30 on the rainy morning. There was catered food and a band to mark a milestone for the tech-giant Amazon project.