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Virginia professors’ association calls for end to “politicization” of university leadership
A group of Virginia professors and academics is speaking out against Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointments to university Boards of Visitors across the state and calling for an end to what they say is the “politicization” of university leadership. This comes after the Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections Committee voted 8-4 to reject Youngkin’s appointees, including former state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. On June 11, the American Association of University Professors Virginia Chapter sent a letter to the General Assembly, expressing support for the Committee’s decision to block the appointees and calling on the legislature to “[w]ithhold confirmation of all future BOV appointments by Governor Youngkin until he demonstrates a sustained commitment to appointing individuals who uphold academic freedom, respect shared governance, and prioritize institutional integrity over politics.”
Alpha-gal syndrome is gaining recognition in Virginia
Just days before Christmas 2021, Nicole Cooper was struggling to breathe. Her husband called 911, and moments before the ambulance arrived, Cooper jabbed herself with an epinephrine shot. She could tell she was having an allergic reaction, but she didn’t know what she was reacting to. She remembers the panic, the medical questions and treatments in the emergency room. What she doesn’t remember is the tick bite that triggered it all. . . . A bill that passed unanimously during the 2024 General Assembly session added alpha-gal syndrome to Virginia’s list of reportable diseases. Starting July 1, health care professionals must report cases to the Virginia Department of Health.
Big bet: Can a $130M conservation deal in Virginia’s coal country curb climate change and lift Appalachia?
Waiting around isn’t Debbi Hale’s forte. So nobody in this depleted coalfield town of barely 850 near the Kentucky border was shocked four years ago when the retired gym teacher orchestrated a $10,000 makeover of a neglected patch of grass across from a trailer court. From there, it’s just a short hike down to a paddler’s bliss, where Bad Creek flows into eight undisturbed miles of the Pound River. Then, just days before the July 2022 ribbon-cutting, a ferocious flood ripped through Appalachia. . . . It’s an all-too-familiar pattern for the Wise County native. Such exhausting episodes of one step forward, two steps back are common in this place, which has foundered as King Coal’s century-plus reign plays out. That demise has government agencies and entrepreneurs alike casting about to “fix Appalachia” . . .
Democratic field makes closing arguments in crowded Virginia LG race
With the June 17 Democratic primary days away, six candidates locked in a quiet-but-crowded race for lieutenant governor are making their final push to stand out — and to convince voters they’re the best bet to take on Republicans this fall. The contenders include state Sens. Ghazala Hashmi and Aaron Rouse, former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Prince William County School Board Chair Babur Lateef, former federal prosecutor Victor Salgado, and attorney Alex Bastani. The six candidates have done little to differentiate themselves from one another and only a few personal attacks have been made.
Wittman: Voting for spending bill kept my word to Virginians
The Virginian-Pilot & Daily Press Editorial Board recently accused me of selling out my constituents by voting for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“A predictable betrayal,” Our Views, May 23). That couldn’t be further from the truth. Let me set the record straight: I kept my word. I fought for Virginians, and I voted to protect working families, strengthen our safety net, and invest in national security and economic opportunity. Before this bill even came to a vote, I raised my voice publicly to demand protections for the vulnerable. In April, I wrote to House leadership making clear that balancing the budget must not come at the expense of pregnant women, children, seniors or individuals with disabilities.
Yancey: No, Trump did not rename Virginia military bases after Confederate generals. Here’s what he did instead.
President Donald Trump traveled to a military base in North Carolina this week to announce that he’s changing the names of seven military bases that had been changed not long ago by then-President Joe Biden. Besides Fort Bragg, “we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee,” Trump said. Not quite.
National parks lose superintendents in Richmond, Petersburg amid 'tough time'
Valentine’s Day was the worst day that Scott Teodorski said he spent in 36 years working for the National Park Service. Teodorski, then-superintendent of the Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker Historic Site, had to tell three park service employees at the two sites that they were out of a job in a purge of probationary employees as part of President Donald p’s attempt to slash the size of the federal workforce and government spending.
Tuesday primary to narrow field for 49th District race
Voters in Danville and some parts of Pittsylvania County will get to select the party candidates for 49th District of Virginia’s House of Delegates seat in Tuesday’s primary. ... The 49th District covers all of Danville and the southeastern portion of Pittsylvania County. It also extends east into Halifax County. The seat was held by Del. Danny Marshall, a longtime Southern Virginia lawmaker, who announced his retirement. Madison Whittle and Vanessa Scearce are vying for the Republican Party’s nomination. Gary Miller and Jasmine Lipscomb are on the ballot seeking the Democratic nod.
Battery facility proposed in Spotsylvania
A Texas-based company wants to build a battery power storage facility in Spotsylvania County. Only a few details on the proposal are available as it is early in the process, but the company, Plus Power, plans to host a community meeting later this month to provide more information about the proposal.
Parker: Martinsville is no county, and hardly a sanctuary
Apparently, I now live in “Martinsville County, Virginia.” That’s news to me — and to anyone with a functioning map. Martinsville is an independent city surrounded by Henry County, where I actually live. There is no such place as “Martinsville County.” But that didn’t stop the Trump regime and its Department of Homeland Security from naming it a so-called “sanctuary jurisdiction” for undocumented immigrants. ... It’s not just wrong. It’s fiction.