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Warren County Sheriff Rejects DHS ‘Sanctuary’ Label
A recent report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sparked sharp criticism from local law enforcement after erroneously labeling Warren County, Virginia, as a “sanctuary jurisdiction”—a classification typically reserved for local governments that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Sheriff Crystal Cline is at the center of the response, demanding an immediate correction and public retraction of what she calls a “baseless mischaracterization” of her county and her office’s policies. ... Responding to Sheriff Cline’s objections, Russell Hott, Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, issued a written apology, clarifying that the local ICE field office was not responsible for the inaccurate designation.
UVa students, faculty demand lawmakers deny Cuccinelli seat on board
History repeats itself. As occurred with his predecessor Bert Ellis, Ken Cuccinelli now faces vocal opposition to his appointment to the University of Virginia’s governing Board of Visitors. On Wednesday, 17 student-led organizations, along with the executive committee of the American Association of University Professors at UVa, signed a letter addressed to the entire Virginia General Assembly saying Cuccinelli should not sit on the board given his “track record of undermining the rights and safety of marginalized groups.”
Trump student visa halt could hurt regional economy
About 5% of the approximately 1.1 million international college students studying abroad in the U.S. are doing so in D.C., Maryland or Virginia. The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and revoking visas for Chinese students amid a political pressure campaign against colleges and universities and a broader immigration crackdown. A big drop in international students could hurt college town economies, some of which are already struggling due to lower enrollment.
Virginia probe into Black communities’ displacement surges forward with infusion of funds
As more states reckon with the history of Black land loss, the Virginia General Assembly has been taking a rare, state-sanctioned approach: formally examining how the creation or expansion of public university campuses has displaced Black communities. A 19-member legislative commission met last month, its first convening since a mandatory hiatus during the 2025 legislative session was lifted. Enacted last year, the commission received an additional $200,000 in the state budget signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in May, a major bump from the $28,760 it was initially allocated. As it prepares to enter its second year, the group is poised to deliver Virginia’s only known comprehensive statewide examination to date of how public universities displaced Black communities — and what forms of redress may be appropriate.
Yancey: Gilbert steps down as House Republican leader; Kilgore named to replace him
Virginia House Republicans have made an unusual out-of-cycle leadership change. House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, and Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott County, has been elected to replaced him. Generally, parties elect their legislative leaders after the election, so the timing of this switch is a surprise. It also comes as Gilbert is one of several Republican under consideration to be named the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, the top federal prosecutor in the western half the state, and as both parties head into a fall election where all 100 seats in the House of Delegates will be on the ballot. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 advantage.
FBI shows up at Charlottesville public defender’s home unannounced after ICE raid
It was before 7 a.m. on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend when the wife of Charlottesville public defender Donald Bellah, asleep inside the couple's rural Albemarle County residence, was awakened by two FBI agents. They told her they wanted to speak with her husband. Around that same time, other agents were arriving at other lawyers' homes. "There was no attempt to contact any one of us other than just showing up at our houses at the same time," Bellah told The Daily Progress. "I'm angry; it was intending to intimidate us."
Federal cuts lend urgency to Virginians’ preparations for storm season
On the eve of the Atlantic hurricane season starting, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an important message to Virginians stressing the importance of personal preparations long before a storm threatens the coast. These are instructions that everyone, especially residents here in Hampton Roads, should heed. Left unsaid by the commonwealth’s top elected official is that the emergency safety net that protects Americans from severe weather and organizes recovery efforts in its aftermath has been shredded in the four months since President Donald Trump took office.
Trailblazing civil rights leader, state delegate and longtime Norfolk judge Jerrauld Jones dies at 70
Jerrauld C. Jones, a longtime judge and state delegate who began making a name for himself when he was among the first Black students to integrate one of Norfolk’s elementary schools, died Saturday. He was 70. Jones’ son, Jay — also a former state delegate and a current Virginia attorney general candidate in this month’s Democratic primary — made the announcement on Facebook late Saturday. A cause of death wasn’t provided.
Jerrauld Jones, Norfolk judge and former state delegate, dies at 70
Jerrauld C. Jones, a Norfolk judge, former state delegate and father of Democratic attorney general hopeful Jay Jones, has died at 70. His family, including Jay Jones, who previously held his father’s former seat in the House of Delegates, announced his death Saturday evening.
Jerrauld Jones—civil rights pioneer, judge and state delegate—dies at 70
Jerrauld C. Jones, a longtime judge and state delegate, has died at 70. Jones became one of the first African-American students to integrate Ingleside Elementary School in 1961 and later the Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg in 1967. ... He became the first African American law clerk to the Supreme Court of Virginia, served as a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates for 14 years, represented Norfolk’s 89th District and served as the long-time chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.