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Report: National Science Foundation headquarters to be taken over by HUD, displacing 1,800+ employees
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will reportedly take over the National Science Foundation (NSF) headquarters building (2415 Eisenhower Ave.), displacing more than 1,833 NSF employees who currently work there. HUD Secretary Scott Turner and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin reportedly plan to announce the takeover Wednesday (June 25), according to information provided to journalist Dan Garisto by multiple NSF staff members. The transition will occur over the next two years. ... The American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403, which represents NSF workers, confirms the takeover in an official statement released Tuesday. The union says it received notice Tuesday afternoon about the planned announcement.
Youngkin responds after ICE detains multiple people at Chesterfield courthouse
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have detained 14 people over three days at the Chesterfield County courthouse, Chesterfield County Sheriff Karl Leonard told CBS 6. "ICE showed up at the Chesterfield courthouse on Friday and detained six people," Leonard confirmed to CBS 6 reporter Cameron Thompson. "They came back yesterday, Monday, and detained six more. They are on the premises today as well." Leonard said his staff received "little notice" about the operation, and he was not sure how long it would last.
Chesterfield becomes focal point in Virginia immigration enforcement debate
Lawyers say they are feeling intimidated by groups of men standing silently in rooms not typically open to the public. Spouses are crying in hallways. Families go days without being able to contact loved ones who have been detained, not knowing if they remain in the same state. These are the realities for some people who have lived in the United States after entering the country illegally but have completed all the required steps to exist within the legal system. Chesterfield was thrust into the spotlight of the national immigration debate this week with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers operating in the courthouse.
Fate of Job Corps, a lifeline for disadvantaged youth in Marion, is uncertain as feds seek to close the program
Lea Moyer began taking classes at the Blue Ridge Job Corps center in Marion in October after experiencing homelessness. Moyer, 22, entered the foster care system when she was 17 years old. She struggled with her mental health, and that led her to getting “kicked out” of foster care programs, she said. “When I aged out no one was there to help me with anything anymore, and due to my mental health and needing hospitalizations sometimes it was hard to keep up with housing and a job,” she said. Now, she’s studying to become a certified nursing assistant while living on the Job Corps campus in Smyth County. The program is self-paced, and she is working through chapter eight of a 50-chapter program to receive her certification. At its height, the Blue Ridge center had 92 students at one time.
Google purchases land in Botetourt County for potential data center
Google has purchased some 312 acres in Botetourt County to potentially build a data center in the future, the county announced Tuesday. The tech giant purchased the land, located in the Botetourt Center at Greenfield, for around $14 million. “Google has invested significantly in the Commonwealth, and I am proud that they have chosen Botetourt County as the site of their newest data center,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a county news release.
Google buys Botetourt County land for data center plans
Google has bought more than 300 acres in a Botetourt County industrial park to potentially build a data center campus there, officials announced Tuesday. The tech giant paid just over $14 million for the land and will put another $4 million toward local projects benefiting the county’s fire service, law enforcement, schools and other departments, Botetourt County Administrator Gary Larrowe said. “This is a win for Botetourt and it’s a win for all of us,” Larrowe said as he announced the project Tuesday evening during a board of supervisors meeting.
Connolly tweets from beyond the grave to boost former chief of staff in Virginia election
The social media account of former Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died in office last month, called on voters in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District to support his former chief of staff, James Walkinshaw, in the special election primary. According to his website, Connolly endorsed Walkinshaw before his death. The post received some backlash online.
Deceased lawmaker’s social media urges support for former aide in Virginia special election
Social media accounts for the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) urged Democrats to vote for his former chief of staff James Walkinshaw in the party’s upcoming special election, in posts Tuesday. “Early voting starts TODAY in VA-11! This is our first chance to stand up for our workers, our schools, our democracy, and everything Gerry fought for. Before his passing, Gerry endorsed James Walkinshaw to carry on that legacy because he knew James would never stop fighting for us. Make your plan and vote early and bring a friend. Every vote matters,” the post on Connolly’s Facebook page reads.
Some, but not all, 11th District GOP candidates condemn ‘theatrics’ of DOGE cuts
Roughly half of the Republicans seeking to represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District condemned the process — but not the result — used by the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash the federal workforce. Speaking to voters at a forum on Sunday (June 22), three of the candidates expressed a distaste for the way in which tens of thousands of federal government workers have been fired since President Donald Trump took office in January, allegedly to reduce spending.
Spanberger talks car tax, Job Corps program cuts on campaign stop in Lynchburg
The Democratic nominee for governor, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, held a rally in Lynchburg on Tuesday afternoon as part of her “Span Virginia,” an eight-day bus tour with 40 stops across the state. Spanberger arrived on her campaign bus around 1:30 p.m. and entered Three Roads Brewing in downtown to a cheering crowd. In her speech, Spanberger said, “I’ve got a lot of fuel in the tank” as she looked ahead to the months on the campaign trail until the general election in November.