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Democrats reach historic goal: A full slate in Virginia House races
For the first time in recent memory, Virginia Democrats have candidates running in all 100 House of Delegates districts — a milestone party leaders and grassroots organizers say reflects rising momentum as President Donald Trump’s second term continues to galvanize opposition. Rocco DeBellis, a 57-year-old chef, Bronx native, and Cape Charles resident, filed this week to run in House District 100, making it the final district to be contested and completing the Democrats’ full slate.
Death of Virginia Beach Autistic Boy Renews Questions About the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
The week before he died, Josh Sikes had problems at school. He overturned his desk and broke a teacher’s glasses on Halloween. Amid a long behavioral episode on Oct.31, he was restricted to a “safe” or “calming” area in a classroom overseen by Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs, a regional consortium serving eight communities in Hampton Roads. What happened in that area is now the subject of multiple investigations. Josh was 11, a fourth-grader on the autism spectrum, with ADHD and an intellectual disability. He attended Pembroke Elementary School in Virginia Beach, but he was a student within a SECEP classroom, taught by special education teachers and learning among other children.
A Salacious Saga Engulfs the Virginia G.O.P. and Weakens Youngkin
When Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia found out that Republican research had linked the G.O.P.’s nominee for lieutenant governor to a blog featuring photos of naked men, he tried to save his party from an embarrassing situation. Mr. Youngkin called the candidate, John Reid, a longtime conservative talk radio host in Richmond, and told him he needed to abandon his campaign because the website was certain to be discovered and would tank the party’s entire ticket. ... Then a funny thing happened. Mr. Reid did not quit. Instead, he posted a five-minute video to social media noting that he is gay and explaining that he had watched pornography and had one-night stands in the past. The Republican base in Virginia quickly rallied around him.
New James Madison University president talks DEI, research funds in first interview
JMU’s soon-to-be President James “Jim” Schmidt will inherit a university still raw from uncertainty stemming from the federal level — including diversity, equity and inclusion cuts and changes to federal funding. Schmidt, who’s the current University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire chancellor, sat down with The Breeze to discuss JMU’s current state and the responsibilities he will take over with his title come July 1. When discussing JMU’s decision, Schmidt referenced the Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter released by the Department of Education, which affirmed U.S. schools’ commitment to nondiscrimination based on race. Schmidt said this letter provided a framework for many public institutions’ decisions to dismantle their DEI divisions.
Former Henrico NICU nurse now facing 20 charges
Eight new charges have been handed down to former Henrico Doctors’ Hospital nurse Erin Strotman, meaning the former health professional now faces a total of 20 charges in the ongoing investigation into the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The charges were issued by the Commonwealth, which also motioned in a court hearing on Wednesday, May 7 that Strotman’s current bond be revoked. Prosecutors argued they were in a different place in their investigation as of Wednesday, now that Strotman faces 18 more charges than she did at the time of her arrest in January.
Petersburg sent out 500 incorrect real-estate tax bills
A mistake made in processing Petersburg’s fourth-quarter real-estate tax bills made 500 of them incorrect and is prompting a do-over for the affected property owners. ... The error happened because Petersburg’s customer care and collection department used the wrong data instead of the updated report sent to them by the assessor and commissioner of the revenue. These bills were sent to both current property owners and ones who sold their property in fiscal year 2024.
Gov. Youngkin can help strengthen federal emergency response
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency ripe for reform. Residents here know that while its work is essential in the aftermath of a disaster, funding can be slow to arrive, the process of receiving aid can be frustrating and overly bureaucratic, and the agency is routinely impeded by staffing and funding shortfalls. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was last week appointed to a presidential review council to study that agency and recommend changes to FEMA. That’s a difficult charge, given that President Donald Trump has called for the agency’s elimination, but the council has an important opportunity to make federal emergency response efforts more effective and financially responsible, which would benefit us all.
New College Institute says business plan was submitted in February 2024, but funding was still vetoed
New College Institute says it submitted a requested business plan to Gov. Glenn Youngkin last year. On Friday, Youngkin vetoed $500,000 in supplemental funding for New College Institute claiming he has twice “recommended that NCI develop a meaningful business plan that best supports the educational and training needs of Southern Virginia, including exploring merging the Institute with existing regional education entities.” On Monday, a news release from NCI stated its board of directors was disappointed in the governor’s veto of funding that received broad bipartisan support by the General Assembly.
Hawkins: Virginia’s voting rights restoration system must be fair
I’m a 33-year-old Virginian, born and raised in Richmond. I am CEO of my own successful delivery and courier business, Right & Exact Transport, LLC. I create jobs, pay taxes and spend hours volunteering for nonprofit organizations. But despite everything I do for my community, I am not allowed to exercise my fundamental right to vote. In fact, I have never been able to vote. At 17, I was convicted of a felony in connection with a shooting incident.
VPAP Visual New Voter Registrations: April 2025
New registrations are slightly lower overall than in 2021 and 2017 but still follow the same trend as the previous two election cycles. Virginia has had 59,130 new registrations so far this year.