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Newport News Shipbuilding to furlough 471 workers
Newport News Shipbuilding announced on Friday that it will furlough 471 shipbuilders for up to five months. All impacted employees, which include salaried engineers and other workers, were notified Friday. For those impacted, Friday is their last day of work for the time being, and the furlough will be effective starting Monday. Although it is not a job termination, furloughed employees will not be paid for the time they’re out of work.
Youngkin signs Virginia law limiting ‘bell-to-bell’ cellphone use in public schools
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law Friday limiting cellphone use for all Virginia public elementary, middle and high school students. Youngkin, who built his political career championing parents' rights in education, ceremoniously signed two versions of the bill, HB1961 and SB738, at the Carter G. Woodson Middle School in Hopewell, Virginia. Youngkin said it was a fitting location for a day filled with such "hope."
Warner discusses affordable housing in Williamsburg
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner said housing needs “more fresh ideas” during a Thursday community roundtable focused on affordable housing. More than 40 people, including Williamsburg and James City County civic, community and faith leaders, filled the Williamsburg Community Building to listen to Warner’s ideas on increasing the housing supply and helping homeowners. Among the initiatives he discussed was the historic tax credit, which provides state tax credit to property owners helping to rehabilitate historic buildings.
Vienna energy expert launches bid for 11th Congressional District seat
A special election to fill the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s now-open seat in Congress still hasn’t been officially ordered, but the number of Democrats seeking to stake a claim is now up to six. Amy Roma, a Vienna resident and lawyer who specializes in energy policy, officially launched a campaign for the 11th Congressional District yesterday (Thursday) — the same day that Leopoldo Martínez, who’s also a lawyer, announced his own bid to become the Democratic nominee.
Women’s rights group launches ad campaign against Spanberger in Virginia: ‘She’s an extremist’
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, is portraying herself as a centrist ahead of a competitive race to replace Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) in November. But one women’s rights group believes the former representative’s voting record during her time in Congress reflects an “extreme, anti-woman” agenda. Independent Women’s Voice launched a campaign [last] week to educate Virginia voters on Spanberger’s Democratic record.
Hampton Roads cities accused by Homeland Security of obstructing federal immigration officials
The Department of Homeland Security released a list of localities around the country that it alleges are obstructing enforcement of federal immigration law, including several in Hampton Roads. The list, which DHS says will be updated regularly, was compiled after an executive order from President Trump. Hampton Roads cities on the list: Virginia Beach, Hampton, Portsmouth, and Newport News — along with Gloucester County. In all, the list targets 33 Virginia localities — including Richmond and Fairfax County ...
Legislators suggest Virginia needs to take more active role in food safety
Virginia may need to enact more food safety requirements at the state level in response to cutbacks and deregulation efforts by the Trump administration, two legislators and several advocates said at a recent forum. “We have historically, in my opinion, not done the kind of oversight we need to do. We’ve let the federal government do most of it,” Del. Mark Sickles (D-17) said during the press event on May 28. Sickles, who chairs the Virginia General Assembly’s House Committee on Health and Human Services and represents the Franconia and Huntington areas in Fairfax County, was joined by state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-15), chair of the Senate Committee on Education and Health.
Virginia localities puzzled by inclusion on federal ‘sanctuary cities’ list
The Department of Homeland Security is identifying 20 counties and 13 cities in Virginia they call “sanctuary jurisdictions.” To understand the list of 33 sanctuary cities in Virginia, perhaps it’s best to focus on one county that is NOT on the list: Loudoun County in Northern Virginia. Freddy Mejia at the Commonwealth Institute says this is the example used to strong-arm local law-enforcement officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. “Loudoun County saw a real large spike of car searches for Latino residents in that community," Mejia says. "And we know that that community, that sheriff is cooperating with ICE under a 287(g) agreement in Loudoun County.”
Radford Arsenal says new incinerator delayed eleven months; new completion date is 2026
The Radford Army Ammunition Plant is pushing back its completion date for a new incinerator that had been scheduled to be in operation by July. The Arsenal, as it’s commonly called, now expects to complete construction of the new facility by next June. The Radford Arsenal first announced plans to build a new energetic waste incinerator in 2018. Justine Barati is director of public affairs for the Army’s Joint Munitions Command, which oversees the Arsenal. She said they are delaying the completion date for the new incinerator until next summer, due to heavy rains and changes to the design of the new facility.
Program cuts costs of health insurance in Va.
Virginia's innovative reinsurance program for health coverage is reducing the monthly bill for each person covered by an Obamacare policy by nearly $100 a month, the State Corporation Commission reports. The state program reimburses health insurers for some of the costs of relatively large claims for payment from the hospitals, physicians and other health care providers treating policyholders. By doing this, the SCC projects average monthly bills this year will be $519 for each covered individual, compared with $617 if the program were not in place.