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After contributions to Virginia, international students face uncertainty due to Trump’s visa changes
Virginia’s colleges and universities could lose millions of dollars and thousands of jobs after the federal government froze international student visa interviews on Tuesday, mounted efforts to require all foreign students to undergo social media vetting and announced plans to “aggressively revoke” Chinese students’ visas. The actions, spearheaded by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the behest of President Donald Trump’s administration, are likely to disrupt international students considering attending any of the schools in the commonwealth. Over 21,000 international students were enrolled at Virginia colleges and universities in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to the National Association of Foreign Advisors’ Association of International Educators.
City of Richmond says nixed FEMA grant would not have prevented water outage
A second service disruption to Richmond’s water utility this year has resurfaced questions about the recent cancellation of a $12 million FEMA grant intended to reinforce the city’s water treatment plant. While a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Public Utilities said the scope of the work described in a 2023 grant announcement had nothing to do with the problems this week, it’s unlikely to cool flaring tempers after repeated boil water advisories and potential rate increases for repairs.
Data centers floated for Dumfries property off I-95
A contentious town hall provided Dumfries-area residents an early look at a proposed data center complex. The tech hubs’ potential arrival in eastern Prince William County – a rarity in comparison with the county’s western end – was met with a mixed reception from the crowd. The Lexora Park project – near the Four Seasons at Historic Virginia 55-and-over community off Dumfries Road west of Interstate 95 – could include as many as five data centers, according to an April 9 concept plan.
Chesterfield approves two data center developments
The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors approved two rezoning cases that will allow for data center development in the western part of the county. ... Both zoning requests were filed by the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority in February. The cases were filed in relation to a confidential economic development project coming to the county. Each development comes with extensive water and wastewater proffers, including a water usage cap.
Complaint against Rocky Mount mayor alleges he filed false documents in court
Rocky Mount Mayor Holland Perdue is facing legal trouble over his day job as an attorney. Perdue’s onetime opposing counsel in a contested will has filed a request for sanctions against him. The claim: Perdue filed and signed off on manipulated information in Franklin County Circuit Court after missing a legal deadline. The case against Perdue remained on the court’s docket this week, with no hearing date set.
Radford just raised property taxes almost 20% and still hasn’t paid some bills. Why the city is financially stressed.
The sharp tax increases and tightened budget that the Radford City Council approved last month are a signal of a badly needed course correction, Radford’s mayor and other officials said recently. For years, the city council’s budget decisions were based on inaccurate, overly rosy revenue projections, leaving income to lag behind expenses, officials said. It may take several more budget cycles to bring the city back to a more stable financial outlook, they said.
On anniversary of Beach shooting, a time for healing, support and reflection
Time heals all wounds, the adage goes, but the scars of the 2019 shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center remain visible and tender to the touch. The “Virginia Beach Strong” signs may be fewer in number now, the raw emotion of that day’s horror has dulled, but each May 31 still recalls the awful tragedy of 12 lives senselessly cut short on a sunny Friday afternoon.
Yancey: 10 ways Democrats can decide who to vote for in the lieutenant governor and attorney general primaries
In 1977, Virginia Democrats went into the voting booth of a party primary and came out with a statewide ticket that didn’t make any sense. Voters nominated the most liberal candidate for governor (Henry Howell) and the most conservative candidate for attorney general (Ed Lane, not just the most conservative but an actual conservative) and a candidate for lieutenant governor (Charles Robb) who was closer to the center than anyone else. To put the best face on this unusual ticket, Democrats declared it the “Rainbow Ticket.” ... General election voters were not impressed, rejecting two of the three Democratic candidates. Only Robb was elected. The choices in this year’s Democratic primaries for lieutenant governor and attorney general are more demographically diverse than in 1977, when all the candidates were white men, but less ideologically diverse ...
Tata: Virginia must reshape its child welfare system
When I joined Virginia’s House of Delegates four years ago, improving outcomes for kids in foster care became one of my top priorities. I’ve had the privilege of meeting hundreds of incredible young people involved with our foster care system. In my conversations with them, I always focus on casting a vision that their best days are ahead. To truly make this vision a reality, much work is needed to transform our child welfare system, which faces major challenges. Last year, there were almost 95,000 reports of child abuse and neglect, about one-third higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Virginia hits lowest recidivism rate in the United States, VADOC says
The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) recently hit a milestone, with a new study showing the Commonwealth has the lowest recidivism rate in the country. VADOC Director Chad Dotson announced Thursday that recent data shows there is a 17.6% three-year reincarceration rate for inmates in state custody. The FY2020 rate is Virginia’s lowest in more than 20 years and an improvement from FY2019, when it was at 19%. VADOC noted that the state has had the lowest or second-lowest recidivism rate in the nation for 12 consecutive years.