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Move to disband Loudoun County school system’s Equity Committee rejected
Loudoun County Public Schools' Equity Committee will continue meeting monthly, but its mission might change in the next several months. In a 10-2 vote at its May 1 meeting, committee members rejected a recommendation by the its charter subcommittee to stop regularly meeting. . . . The committee was formed as part of efforts that began in 2020 by the School Board to reduce systemic racism at LCPS.
Arlington County Board candidate says he’s placing ‘tracking chips’ in campaign signs over theft allegations
An Arlington County Board candidate claims to have begun placing “tracking chips” in his campaign signs after he says many of them were stolen. James DeVita, who is challenging incumbent Takis Karantonis in the Democratic primary, spent over $10,000 on campaign signs in March alone, according to campaign finance records. He told ARLnow that he has installed 500 signs around Arlington. Of these, he says that at least 200 have vanished.
Yancey: Jobless workers in Emporia are paying the price for nation’s inability to deal with high housing costs
Emporia took a hard blow last week when the Georgia-Pacific plywood mill announced it’s closing, leaving 550 people out of work. That follows another hard blow last year, when the Boar’s Head Provision Co. meat plant in nearby Jarratt in Greensville County closed. No community wants to lose a major employer; between them, Emporia and Greensville County have now lost two in less than a year’s time. These two plant closings are unrelated — Boar’s Head was linked to a listeria outbreak that led to 10 deaths across the country. That’s a tragedy, but it may not directly stem from a public policy choice. However, Georgia-Pacific cited national declines in homebuilding and homebuying, and those are very much connected to public policy.
Charlottesville lawyers reaffirm oath to courts, constitutions and rule of law
On a day when hundreds of others were protesting the Trump administration with shouts and placards in front of the Albemarle County Office Building, a group of lawyers assembled inside the Charlottesville Courthouse for a quieter statement of principles. Last Thursday, roughly 30 lawyers reaffirmed their oath to uphold the founding documents of the state and country. . . . Dugger said she got the blessing of the Virginia Supreme Court to participate in the reaffirmation ceremony, part of National Law Day of Action, a series of similar events around the county organized by Lawyers for Good Government Foundation, a nonprofit organization representing more than 125,000 lawyers and advocates dedicated to protecting human rights and providing equal justice under law.
Marshall and Pressley: Students hate it, teachers love it. Our research shows cellphone bans work
Over the past year, several states have moved to ban cellphones in school as part of an effort to eliminate distractions in the classroom, improve student mental health, and increase post-pandemic learning. Beginning Jan. 1, an executive order restricting student cellphone use in Virginia schools from bell to bell, including during lunch and in the hallways between classes, went into effect. Research on the effects of such bans is still emerging, so we partnered with a school division in Virginia to assess how the policy was working in practice.
Investigation: MRSA outbreak in Henrico NICU lasted over 3 years, infected 94 babies
An outbreak of the antibiotic-resistant infection MRSA circulated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital for more than three years and infected 94 babies, according to what staff members at the hospital shared with state inspectors. Inspectors with the Virginia Department of Health's (VDH) Office of Licensure and Certification found during a survey completed January 24 that the hospital failed to consistently implement methods to prevent and control the transmission of infections within the hospital.
House Democrats Are Having a Public Fight About Their Oldest Lawmakers
When then-74-year-old Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly defeated 35-year-old progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a top Democratic attack-dog role during President Trump’s second term, he was immediately confronted with questions about his age and health. “I think that’s a false narrative, frankly, propounded by the media,” Connolly said in December, when asked whether his colleagues were effectively rejecting younger voices in the party by electing him as the senior Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee. “We’re looking at capability; we’re not looking at age,” he said.
Virginia data center reform bill vetoed by Gov. Youngkin
Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill with bipartisan support Friday that would have required data center applicants and energy utilities to disclose information to local governments on noise and environmental impacts of the project. Under the bill, data center site applicants would have to perform and submit site assessments to examine the noise impact on residents and schools located within 500 feet of the property. It would also allow local governments to require site assessments from applicants to examine the effect of the data center on water and agricultural resources, parks, historic sites and forestland.
Governor vetoes bill that would have removed tax exempt status for J.E.B. Stuart site in Patrick County
A bill that would have removed the tax exempt status to the J.E.B. Stuart Preservation Inc. site in Patrick County was vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday. House Bill 1699 was introduced by Del. Alex Askew, D-Virginia Beach, and was among the bills on the governor’s desk for final action Friday.
Youngkin signs Flock surveillance bill into law, creating new regulations on police
Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday signed into law a bill to regulate an increasing form of mass surveillance — Flock Safety cameras and other license plate readers. The new law sets the stage for another battle in the 2026 legislative session over whether the Flock cameras should be expanded to interstates, bridge-tunnels and other state-maintained roads. The measure, set to go into effect July 1, limits to 21 days how long police and sheriff’s offices can store Flock surveillance data before purging it from their systems.