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Youngkin: FEMA review won’t affect hurricane response
President Donald Trump’s call for dramatic reform of FEMA is on a fast track but won’t affect current preparations for this year’s hurricane season, said Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who serves on the panel that will recommend ways to transform the agency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency leads the nation’s response to natural disasters, and Trump has called the agency “a very big disappointment” that is too costly and too bureaucratic.
Vienna energy expert launches bid for 11th Congressional District seat
A special election to fill the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s now-open seat in Congress still hasn’t been officially ordered, but the number of Democrats seeking to stake a claim is now up to six. Amy Roma, a Vienna resident and lawyer who specializes in energy policy, officially launched a campaign for the 11th Congressional District yesterday (Thursday) — the same day that Leopoldo Martínez, who’s also a lawyer, announced his own bid to become the Democratic nominee.
Newport News Shipbuilding furloughs 471 salaried employees
Newport News Shipbuilding has furloughed more than 400 employees. In a Friday statement provided to The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press by Todd Corillo, a Huntington Ingalls Industries spokesperson, the company said that after careful review of its salaried workforce and business needs, it furloughed 471 salaried shipbuilders across HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. ... The unpaid furloughs are not expected to last longer than five months, Corillo said, but the company will reevaluate during that time. The furloughs are temporary and don’t terminate the workers’ employment.
From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Elizabeth Beyer of Cardinal News, Tyler Englander of WRIC ABC 8, and Chris Suarez of VPM. They discuss the week's top headlines: Virginia's western congressional delegation forming a search committee for a U.S. attorney position, new campaign ads, and Richmond's second water crisis. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Youngkin signs Virginia law limiting ‘bell-to-bell’ cellphone use in public schools
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law Friday limiting cellphone use for all Virginia public elementary, middle and high school students. Youngkin, who built his political career championing parents' rights in education, ceremoniously signed two versions of the bill, HB1961 and SB738, at the Carter G. Woodson Middle School in Hopewell, Virginia. Youngkin said it was a fitting location for a day filled with such "hope."
Youngkin signs Dem-backed school cellphone ban
Governor Glenn Youngkin spent Friday in Hopewell where he ceremonially signed a bill authored by state Democrats that will ban cellphones in the state’s public schools. ... Youngkin started pushing cellphone-free schools years ago, but only after an effort was approved by Democrats in the legislature earlier this year did it become a reality. “We know that a cell phone free classroom is good for instruction, it's good for classroom dynamics and it's good for the overall school day and school environment,” Henrico Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg, one of the authors of the bill signed by Youngkin Friday, told Radio IQ.
Legislators suggest Virginia needs to take more active role in food safety
Virginia may need to enact more food safety requirements at the state level in response to cutbacks and deregulation efforts by the Trump administration, two legislators and several advocates said at a recent forum. “We have historically, in my opinion, not done the kind of oversight we need to do. We’ve let the federal government do most of it,” Del. Mark Sickles (D-17) said during the press event on May 28. Sickles, who chairs the Virginia General Assembly’s House Committee on Health and Human Services and represents the Franconia and Huntington areas in Fairfax County, was joined by state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-15), chair of the Senate Committee on Education and Health.
Hampton Roads cities accused by Homeland Security of obstructing federal immigration officials
The Department of Homeland Security released a list of localities around the country that it alleges are obstructing enforcement of federal immigration law, including several in Hampton Roads. The list, which DHS says will be updated regularly, was compiled after an executive order from President Trump. Hampton Roads cities on the list: Virginia Beach, Hampton, Portsmouth, and Newport News — along with Gloucester County. In all, the list targets 33 Virginia localities — including Richmond and Fairfax County ...
Women’s rights group launches ad campaign against Spanberger in Virginia: ‘She’s an extremist’
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, is portraying herself as a centrist ahead of a competitive race to replace Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) in November. But one women’s rights group believes the former representative’s voting record during her time in Congress reflects an “extreme, anti-woman” agenda. Independent Women’s Voice launched a campaign [last] week to educate Virginia voters on Spanberger’s Democratic record.
Report finds 44% of working Hampton households are struggling to meet basic needs
Nearly half of Hampton households cannot afford basic necessities, and most of them are making too much money to receive benefits, according to a new report from the city’s Economic Empowerment and Family Resiliency department. The study looked at poverty, with 2023 Census data showing 13% of Hampton households fall below the federal poverty line — roughly 2% higher than national average. However, another 31% of the city’s households are classified as Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE), meaning they earn above the federal poverty line, but not necessarily enough to afford necessities like health care, food or transportation.