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Vindman recognizes family as he calls on Congress to protect funding for Medicaid
Shannon almost didn’t attend the recent telephone town hall hosted by Congressman Eugene Vindman. “I was going to go to bed,” said the Fredericksburg area resident, who’s the mother of three boys and works part-time. She’d never reached out to her congressional representative before, either, but said she felt that Vindman “would hear me and care.” One of Shannon’s young sons, Luka, has Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH), a rare genetic disorder that necessitates 24/7 in-home nursing care and 18 medications. Shannon and her husband Chris rely on Medicaid to supplement their private insurance and enable them to provide Luka with the supports and medical equipment he needs.
Only one Republican incumbent in the House of Delegates will face a primary: Del. Terry Austin
The singular Republican incumbent to see a primary challenger in this year’s House of Delegates races is an unexpected one, according to one lawmaker. Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Washington County, said that Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt County, was the last person that he and other members of the General Assembly expected to see a primary challenge in June. Pillion added that, regardless of the incumbent, the primary challenge is evidence that General Assembly seats don’t belong to the lawmakers: they belong to the people that the lawmakers represent.
Richmond City Council’s apparent $50K budget boost for Michelle Mosby’s nonprofit was an error, official says
As the Richmond City Council wrapped its budget amendments Monday, members had $50,000 in taxpayer money remaining that hadn’t been dedicated for any particular purpose. In public, the council agreed to set that money to the side and figure out what to do with it later. But when the council published a document online this week formalizing its budget decisions, the spreadsheet indicated the $50,000 would go to the nonprofit run by former mayoral candidate Michelle Mosby.
Earle-Sears wrote of ‘moral opposition’ to marriage equality when signing 2024 bill
Republican candidate for governor and current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears said that she was “morally opposed” to marriage equality legislation Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed into law in 2024, as written in a note on the bill itself. During the 2024 General Assembly session, legislators considered House Bill 174, a piece of legislation that made it illegal to deny a couple a marriage license based on sex, gender or race. The bill was ultimately passed, signed by Youngkin and became law on July 1, 2024.
Three Va. Planned Parenthood clinics affected by Trump administration’s Title X funding freeze
Three Virginia Planned Parenthood health centers in Richmond, Hampton and Virginia Beach have been affected by federal Title X family planning grant freezes, losing over $1 million in funds fueling family planning services. Established in 1970, the federal program helps low and extremely low-income people access family planning care like contraception, sexually transmitted disease screenings and treatment as well as cancer screenings, at low or no cost.
Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears opposed anti-discrimination marriage bill in handwritten note
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears took the unusual step last year of including a note of personal objection to a bill she was constitutionally required to sign — a symbolic gesture that underscores her deeply held views on LGBTQ+ rights as she campaigns for governor. “I remain morally opposed to the content of HB 174 as passed by the General Assembly,” Earle-Sears wrote on the legislation, which prohibits officials from denying marriage licenses based on sex, gender or race. A copy of the signed bill was obtained by Virginia Scope through a public records request filed with the House Clerk’s Office.
Patrick County Board votes to censure supervisor
The Patrick County Board of Supervisors voted to have a resolution prepared to censure Steve Marshall of the Blue Ridge District and strip him of all committee assignments. The resolution states that Marshall has exhibited a "consistent display of unprofessional behavior … by his repeated attempts to silence, harass, intimidate, bully, threaten and defame other members of the Board." The resolution noted Marshall had treated members of other committees, boards, commissions, authorities and even county residents the same way.
Top Youngkin strategist steps aside in wake of GOP turmoil and infighting
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s top political adviser, Matt Moran, temporarily stepped aside from his job as the head of the powerful Spirit of Virginia PAC, the PAC’s chief financial officer confirmed late Thursday evening. Lisa Jennings told The Mercury that Moran, who allegedly advised Youngkin to pressure Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid to leave the race, had informed her on Wednesday that he would leave temporarily. A senior administration official said that Moran decided to step away because the controversy created a distraction for himself and his work for the PAC.
Appeals judge: Chesterfield detective’s ‘dragnet’ of cellphone data violated Fourth Amendment
On Wednesday, a Richmond federal judge authored a harsh criticism of the Chesterfield Police Department’s practice of collecting broad amounts of cellphone location data from Google in the search for crime suspects. The criticism came in the form of a dissent from the court’s final ruling, which ultimately did not weigh in on the practice. U.S. Judge Roger Gregory warned that the practice was a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens against unlawful intrusion from the government.
VCU student arrested: Event organizer details confusion on campus
A Virginia Commonwealth University student was arrested April 29 during what campus police called an "unauthorized event" outside VCU's Cabell Library. Oscar Ferguson-Osborne, 22, was arrested while holding a sign denouncing campus police for pepper-spraying protestors the year before when a pro-Palestinian encampment was broken up. Ferguson-Osborne was one of 13 people arrested last year. . . . Sereen Haddad, a member of the university's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter who helped organize the event, told The Progress-Index that the gathering was not a demonstration. Instead, students met at the lawn at 2 p.m. to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the encampment being torn down and study for finals.