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State electoral board delays vote on removing Charles City County official
The Virginia State Board of Elections voted to delay the process of removing a member of the Charles City County Electoral Board Tuesday, after local officials alleged partisan behavior and “dereliction of duty.” Earlier this month, the Charles City elections board leadership and the county’s general registrar requested the state ask a court to remove Maria Anne Kinney, a Republican who is the county electoral board’s secretary.
Trump endorses McGuire in fiercely fought GOP primary in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District
With just three weeks until the June 18 primary elections, former President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed state Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland County, in his challenge to Rep. Bob Good, R-Campbell County, the incumbent in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. “Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump endorses challenger to Freedom Caucus chair Bob Good ahead of closely watched Va. primary
Former President Donald Trump has endorsed the Republican opponent of a Virginia congressman who leads the hard-right House Freedom Caucus in what could be a defining moment in the GOP primary set for June 18. The endorsement of John McGuire, a state senator, provides a jolt of momentum for the challenger and could be difficult for the incumbent, two-term Rep. Bob Good, to overcome. The primary is one of the most closely watched in the nation as millions of dollars pour into the race from various Republican-aligned groups.
Miyares helps open outpatient addiction treatment program
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares came to ARS Treatment Center to recognize their efforts in fighting the opioid crisis. “When people come here oftentimes dealing with addiction, in many ways they’ve seen the face of hell,” Miyares said. The Charlottesville Police Department responded to 101 overdoses in 2023. ARS is worried the problem is growing. They opened their Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) on Wednesday, which is a new way to treat patients. Miyares named them the silent heroes of his fight against fentanyl.
State funds cut from Health Wagon had supported health expo for uninsured, underinsured residents
More than $800,000 that had been allocated to a Southwest Virginia free clinic — then abruptly pulled from the state budget following concerns about executive compensation at the nonprofit — had been earmarked to fund a free summer health care expo. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in state money had flowed to the Health Wagon for the expo since at least 2018, even during two years when the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Legislators cut the funding from the state budget earlier this month after Cardinal News reported that the Health Wagon’s leadership had been receiving outsized compensation packages.
Federal judge denies request seeking to stop Virginia Beach wind farm construction
A federal judge has denied a preliminary injunction seeking to halt construction of a 2.6-gigawatt wind farm about 29 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. In a 10-page opinion issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ruled against the temporary injunction, which sough to stop construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project while the case moved forward. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by several conservative anti-offshore wind groups, argues the wind farm construction negatively impacts the endangered North Atlantic right whale species.
York County School Board removes controversial right-wing board chair
After months of contention, the York County School Board has removed its controversial right-wing board chair and appointed her longtime ally to the position. Lynda Fairman was removed as chair in a 3-2 vote Tuesday afternoon in a special meeting at York Hall. Fairman and board member Zoran Pajevic voted no. The motion ironically was made by now former Vice Chair Kimberly Goodwin, who, along with Pajevic, has made up the new three-member right-wing majority that was voted in this past November. Goodwin said it was a hard decision for her to make.
Inland port improvements close to finish
With recent expansions nearly complete, and a new Southwest Virginia port under consideration, it’s been a busy year for the commonwealth’s inland ports. The industrial market from Hampton Roads to Richmond has expanded in terms of industrial space available, says Devon Anders, president of the Harrisonburg-based InterChange Group and chair of the Virginia Maritime Association’s Valley Logistics Chapter. Millions of feet of warehouse space being built near the Virginia Inland Port will allow the Port of Virginia to better compete against other East Coast ports, he says.
Va. Department of Health to standardize data collected about marijuana-related child ER visits
Virginia health care providers are being asked to step up reporting of cases in which CBD or THC products are making kids sick, after a surge in the number of emergency room visits for children in recent years following exposure to marijuana. That includes tragic and extreme examples of the danger a THC product can pose to young children, like the case of one 4-year-old Spotsylvania boy who died in 2022 after ingesting THC gummies. Health care experts say, as cannabis and products with THC and CBD become more available, the risk to children is on the rise. That’s part of why the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is issuing new surveillance guidelines to better track the trends.
Citizens for Fauquier County group challenges rejection of Amazon data center appeal
Citizens for Fauquier County, an environmental nonprofit that has become a prominent voice in opposing the Amazon data center project slated for Blackwell Road in Warrenton, announced Tuesday that it intends to take legal action to enforce its right to appeal the approval of the data center’s site development plan with the town Board of Zoning Appeals. The group filed an appeal on May 16, according to a news release, challenging the zoning administrator’s April 18 decision to approve the Amazon site development plan. The group cited alleged non-compliance with the town’s zoning ordinance and conditions outlined in the special use permit established by the town as a term of its February 2022 approval.