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Yancey: 5 new factors that are shaping the governor’s race
We’re expecting a new Roanoke College poll before the month ends, and that will give us some numerical sense of where Virginia’s governor’s race stands. However, we don’t need polls to tell us about some of the forces that are shaping the contest that will put a woman in the governor’s office for the first time in Virginia history. Some things we knew all along: how voters feel about President Donald Trump, how they feel about Governor Glenn Youngkin, how they feel about lots of other things. Here are five new factors: 1. Spanberger tries to take ‘right-to-work’ off the table, but Earle-Sears presses the attack anyway.
Lewis: Va. statewide GOP nominees refuse to buck Trump in a state where he’s a proven albatross
This is primary season and candidates have to double down on what the truest of your party’s true believers truly believe. The common logic is that you steer as far as you can to the right (for Republicans) or left (among Democrats) to rouse their base voters until they’re ready to chew barbed wire and spit out roofing nails. Then, after the preseason scrimmage is over, it’s time to tack back toward the center — where the dispositive mass of Virginia’s electorate has repeatedly proved it resides — and, if you still can, appear less the wild-eyed zealot and more the measured, moderate and sane candidate of November. But something weird is happening this year ...
Report finds Fairfax Co. teachers can’t afford to live near where they work
Fairfax County teachers largely can’t afford to rent or buy a house near the school where they teach, according to a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality. The report said Virginia’s largest school district is one of the Top 10 least affordable places in the nation when it comes to new teachers and housing. The average cost of a one-bedroom apartment takes about 42% of the salary of a new teacher with a bachelor’s degree, the analysis said. It considered data from 72 urban school districts across the U.S. “It’s really hard to attract and retain great teachers when they can’t afford to pay rent or a mortgage,” NCTQ President Heather Peske said.
Gobar: Without reform, Virginia remains the Wild West for campaign finance
Last month, billionaires and wealthy special interests poured over $100 million into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race — a staggering sum for a supposedly nonpartisan state election. Elon Musk’s vote-buying schemes exposed a key vulnerability in our democracy, which is increasingly being auctioned off to the highest bidder. In Virginia, we don’t need to imagine what that future looks like — we’re already living it. If Musk and his billionaire buddies set their sights on Virginia’s upcoming elections — as they’ve hinted they might — they’ll find a playground built for them. With some of the weakest campaign finance laws in the country, Virginia offers a uniquely permissive environment for the ultra-wealthy to flood our elections and drown out the voices of everyday voters.
Prince William supervisors approve training facility agreement with ICE in controversial vote
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has renewed a contract with federal immigration officials to let federal officers continue using the county’s weapons training facility. During the board’s May 13 meeting, supervisors narrowly voted to extend a contract that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to use the county’s Mike Pennington Scenario-Based Training Center at 7751 Doane Drive, Manassas.
Henrico reviews zoning changes to rein in data center growth
Last week, Henrico County’s Board of Supervisors held a joint meeting with the planning commission to discuss setting regulatory standards for data center developments that would limit their growth within the county. The proposed zoning regulations would incentivize the development of data centers in a specific area of Henrico, set regulatory building and environmental standards for each development and give the board of supervisors ample opportunity to review projects outside the designated zone.
‘An injustice to our students’: VCU staff, alumni push back on anti–DEI acts
Virginia Commonwealth University’s leadership and its Board of Visitors continue to receive pushback about the school’s recent anti–DEI actions from faculty and alumni. VCU’s most recent actions follow the board’s March 21 vote to eliminate the Division of Inclusive Excellence; its former staff told VPM News the bulk of the division’s work centered on workshops and discussions about how to be more inclusive and how to handle conflict. They also cosponsored events with VCU’s On Native Ground initiative, among other collaborations across the university.
Brighter future? Solar apprenticeships add renewable energy skills to local jobs
... A regional partnership working to add solar panels to commercial buildings in the region aims to train young people as they go, developing workforce skills in anticipation of increasing demand for renewable energy-focused jobs in the heart of coal country, where skill sets and energy options are both changing. Virginia ranks eighth in the nation for installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energies Industry Association, but so far, major renewable energy projects have been clustered in the eastern and southern regions of the state. Increasing the popularity of solar power in the far southwestern corner of the state depends in part on the availability of trained workers ...
Decline in preschool access continues in Virginia, despite legislative efforts
Virginia has provided thousands of children access to preschool over a year’s time, but the commonwealth continues to trail other states, which are expanding services and providing more kids a chance at early learning. According to the National Institute for Early Education Research’s State of Preschool Yearbook, Virginia has dropped by three spots to 26th in the country in offering preschool access for 3-year-olds, but maintained its 30th place ranking for preschool access for 4-year-olds.
Why Democrats Don’t Love Glenn Youngkin’s Latest Efforts to Shield Virginia From Trump’s Cuts
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican Trump ally, is at once publicly supporting the president’s agenda and taking steps to inoculate his state from it. Those actions include Youngkin’s recent use of his line-item veto power to cut $900 million in projects and programs from the state budget in order to put those funds in the state’s rainy day fund. The rainy day fund, according to Youngkin, needs bolstering as President Donald Trump tries to shrink the federal workforce and pursues a disruptive economic agenda. Democrats say Youngkin’s cuts to shield the state from the effects of the administration have quickly become a point of frustration.