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Schools in Hampton Roads region brace for potential federal cuts, explore block grants
As the federal government considers transitioning from using a funding formula to dole out money to public schools nationwide to providing block grants instead, the proposition is stirring debate among Virginia lawmakers and education leaders. A House of Delegates committee and school leaders convened last week to talk about the possible shift in education funding and the continued impacts of federal funding cuts statewide. Supporters of block grants, or large sums of federal funding, argue that they would give states more flexibility to address individual issues. Critics, meanwhile, are concerned about whether the block grants would be appropriately and equitably distributed, including to English learners and at-risk students from low-income families.
A guide to the Republican primary in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District
Republicans in Northern Virginia may have had a sleepy few months during primary election season, but that’s about to change: There’s a set of special primaries this week to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D). Connolly’s death in May after his esophageal cancer returned has opened up a deep-blue seat representing much of Fairfax County — and unleashed a high-velocity set of primaries on both sides of the aisle ... The GOP nominee will face a steep uphill climb to flip Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, which elected Kamala Harris for president last fall by more than 34 points. But that hasn’t gotten in the way of a crowded race with longtime party activists and some newer faces seeking to jump in.
Deeds, Youngkin react to BOV appointees lawsuit
State Senator Creigh Deeds and Gov. Glenn Youngkin offered their opinions on the lawsuit filed regarding the latter's Board of Visitors appointees. The suit, filed by the Democratic members of the Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, challenges eight appointments to the boards at UVA, GMU and VMI, including former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to UVA.
Youngkin signs law expanding school transportation options
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin was in Botetourt County Thursday, to sign a bill into law. The signing okays a pilot program allowing small school divisions to use forms of student transportation other than buses, such as passenger vans. This comes during a shortage of CDL-trained bus drivers.
Yancey: We almost ran out of power this week. Congress is trying to make it harder to get new power onto the grid.
We got through the week without any blackouts. That shouldn’t be news, but it is. Three times this week PJM Interconnection, which runs the 13-state (plus District of Columbia) electric grid that Virginia is part of, issued a “Maximum Generation Alert,” in which it instructed utilities to crank out as much power as possible. That was the fourth such alert this year, twice as many as last year. The prompt this week was a brutal heat wave, but those triple-digit temperatures came on top of electric demand that was rising anyway, due primarily to the growth of energy-guzzling data centers.
Trump Justice Department Pressuring University of Virginia President to Resign
The Trump administration has privately demanded that the University of Virginia oust its president to help resolve a Justice Department investigation into the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, according to three people briefed on the matter. The extraordinary condition the Justice Department has put on the school demonstrates that President Trump’s bid to shift the ideological tilt of the higher education system, which he views as hostile to conservatives, is more far-reaching than previously understood.
Spanberger pushes back against Mamdani comparisons
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, pushed back against attacks from the state GOP linking her to Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s probable Democratic candidate for mayor. “That’s a pretty ridiculous linkage, but I’ll say that I don’t begin to pretend like I know anything about New York politics,” Spanberger told reporters after a full day stumping in northern Virginia on Thursday. “Because I’m a Virginian and I’m focused on Virginia, and so I’ve been traveling across the commonwealth talking to voters about the issues that matter.”
Luray will stop adding fluoride to drinking water
On Thursday, the Town of Luray issued a notice to all residents and municipal water customers that the long-held practice of adding fluoride to the Town’s drinking water will cease in September. “Based on significant discussions and updates by Town staff, the Town Council [has] elected to discontinue the addition of fluoride to its drinking water,” the Town’s June 26 notice states. ... While the benefits of adding fluoride to public drinking water to aid in dental health has been debated since the practice began in the United States in 1945, the Town of Luray started the practice about a quarter century ago. The key benefit was aimed at preventing tooth decay.
Chesterfield supervisors approve incentive agreements for data center projects
While some mystery remains over who exactly is behind them, two sizable data center developments planned for western Chesterfield are now eligible for an extra financial boost from the county. The Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved tax incentive agreements for the EDA-initiated projects at sites near Moseley and Westchester Commons. The agreements lock in the county’s personal property tax rate for the code-named data center projects at the current 24 cents per $100 of assessed value for a 30-year period.
‘Forever chemicals’ mar pristine reputation of Virginia’s Chickahominy River
The Chickahominy River in Virginia is known for its physical beauty, with bald cypress trees and lily pads decorating the water that meanders through largely undeveloped acres of forests and wetlands. But the river’s appearance tells only part of the story. In May, the Virginia Department of Health issued its first fish consumption advisory for the presence of harmful chemicals in the Chickahominy River, which is a James River tributary, and the White Oak Swamp where its waters originate. The advisory notifies the public of the risk of exposure to PFOS, a so-called “forever chemical,” by eating too many (or, in some cases, any) of some fish species from the waterway.