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New poll shows Biden and Trump tied in Virginia
Virginia could be a battleground state in the upcoming presidential election, according to a Roanoke College poll released Wednesday. The poll showed President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are tied (42% to 42%) in a head-to-head matchup in the commonwealth, while Biden holds a two-point lead (40% to 38%) when other candidates are included.
Medical students start as residents of Sovah Health; 50% will stay in Danville area
After three years at Sovah Health-Danville as a resident physician, Noah Arvan will graduate in about a month. He’s one of 46 in the program that’s been around for 14 years at the Danville hospital and boasts a 50% retention rate. Simply put, half of the residents in the program — who come from all over the nation — end up calling Danville home. The recruitment aspect is one of the main reasons the the residency clinic launched.
Virginia House committee breaks down ballooning veteran education benefit program
A nearly 100-year-old veterans benefit program saw cuts during the latest state budget cycle after costs ballooned 450% in just four years. The Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, or VMSDEP, started after World War I as a way to support veterans to get an education. Over the next 90 years it was expanded, allowing family members of vets to also get a nearly cost-free education. But changes made in 2019, according to state data, caused the program to explode from $12 million to $65 million a year. “At the cost structure it is right now, there’s concern of the program potentially collapsing,” Tony Maggio, a fiscal analyst for the House of Delegates, told the House Appropriations committee Tuesday.
Newport News seeks commitment from U.S. Navy on downtown military housing
Newport News recently secured a commitment from the state for a $40 million loan to support construction of U.S. Navy housing downtown, but the city is awaiting the Navy’s response on the project’s next steps. The city’s intergovernmental affairs manager, Jerri Wilson, said Tuesday to her knowledge, the Navy has yet to officially commit to a specific course of action for downtown housing in Newport News. State and local officials previously stated the Navy could contribute up to $400 million to house sailors and revitalize downtown.
McDonald sentenced to 14 years for stealing $5.2M in Economic Development Authority funds
The former executive director of the Economic Development Authority of Front Royal and Warren County (EDA), who was convicted in November of last year of stealing more than $5.2 million in authority funds, was sentenced [Wednesday] to 14 years in federal prison. Jennifer Rae McDonald, 45, of Front Royal, was convicted following a 9-week jury trial in November 2023 of seven counts of wire fraud, six counts of bank fraud, sixteen counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Richmond schools is overpaying its bus drivers by $150K every month
Bus drivers for Richmond Public Schools are being paid overtime for hours they haven’t worked, according to an audit first reported by the blog RVA Dirt. The errors — which include drivers not always clocking out — are costing RPS an estimated $150,000 per month, an overcompensation the auditor called “an unjustifiable and increasing payroll expense.” It also risks violating federal and state wage and labor laws, per the audit.
Yancey: Is Virginia really in play? Roanoke College poll shows why presidential race is tied
A few weeks ago, NBC News reported that three top advisers to former President Donald Trump (including Virginia political veteran Chris LaCivita) had told donors at a closed-door meeting that both Virginia and Minnesota — two states now regularly counted in the Democratic column — were in play in 2024. At the time, I saw a lot of pushback from Virginia Democrats on social media, saying there’s no way the Old Dominion would be up for grabs this year. A new poll by Roanoke College that came out Wednesday suggests otherwise.
Charges reduced against 3 facing prosecution in man’s death during admission to psychiatric hospital
Second-degree murder charges against two sheriff’s deputies and a hospital worker have been reduced to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Virginia man who was pinned to the floor for about 11 minutes while being admitted to a state psychiatric hospital. The downgrading of the charges in the 2023 death of Irvo Otieno comes just weeks after prosecutors withdrew charges against five other sheriff’s deputies, a move criticized by Otieno’s family.
Home value disparities are displacing residents of Richmond’s Black neighborhoods
Some Richmond neighborhoods lost between 18% and 45% of their Black residents in the last decade due to rising housing costs and gentrification, according to a new report out Thursday. Decades of racist homelending policies and present-day bias in home appraisal have undervalued many Black Richmonders’ homes. That’s now pushing some longterm residents out of their communities. The report studying disparities in home value is from Richmond-based nonprofit Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, which used metro-area research from the Brookings Institute, city tax assessment data and American Community Survey demographics census stats.
Charges reduced for last 3 defendants in Otieno death case
Second-degree murder charges against the last three people with active cases tied to the 2023 death of Irvo Otieno have been reduced to involuntary manslaughter, online court records show. The move to change the charges for the three people comes after second-degree murder charges were dropped against seven others in the case. Earlier this month, Otieno’s family criticized the decision to withdraw murder charges against five people and continued to call on the U.S. Department of Justice to step in for a federal investigation.