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After UVA president’s exit, Dems say they want to prevent further politicization of higher education
University of Virginia president Jim Ryan’s abrupt resignation in the midst of federal pressure on the school to end its DEI initiatives set off a firestorm of controversy, with Virginia Democratic lawmakers now pledging that they will find ways to prevent further politicization of higher education. The lawmakers said they’re reconsidering legislation to support governing boards and reevaluating the gubernatorial appointments process.
Rotherham and Forte: Virginia students deserve better. Close the 'honesty gap'
Alarming data from multiple sources, most notably the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), underscores just how deeply every state was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic — the only difference is by how much. In Virginia, failure to adequately serve students resulted in the largest drops in learning on national assessments of any state, with average achievement in some cases reverting to 1990s levels. Students who were already struggling were impacted the most. This was, and remains, a genuine crisis for students, families and the commonwealth.
Judge voids Virginia Beach district-based election system, but not results
A Circuit Court judge ruled Monday that the district-based election system Virginia Beach imposed to comply with federal voting rights law is void. According to the ruling, that’s because the General Assembly did not vote to pass corresponding legislation that would have officially changed the city’s charter. Attorneys said Monday’s summary judgement, means that the “10-1” system used in the past two local election cycles is not permitted unless and until the state legislature passes legislation that amends the city charter to that effect. However, the ruling applies only to future elections ...
Jefferson warned about monarchs. UVA president’s ouster shows why.
Thomas Jefferson spent his many years in public life stridently opposed to monarchs. The Declaration of Independence he helped author stands as a scathing indictment of offenses endured by the colonies at the hands of King George III and a stirring call for liberty, which he viewed as the antidote to monarchical power. One wonders, then, what the Sage of Monticello would think about a president leveraging the immense resources of the federal government to oust the leader of a university Jefferson founded.
Yancey: The politics over UVa send us to a place we’ve never been before
Some years ago, a former state college president, by then safe in retirement, told me how easy it was to bamboozle members of the college’s governing board. While members of the gubernatorially appointed board of visitors may have accomplished backgrounds as strong business leaders in their respective fields, they rarely applied those skills to their work on the college board, he said. They hardly ever asked detailed — and certainly not critical — questions of whatever proposals the administration put before them. . . . Those days may now be long gone.
Buc-ee's opens first Virginia store in Rockingham County
Courtney Carr traveled 291 miles to be at the grand opening of Buc-ee's in Rockingham County. She left her Pennsylvania home around 7:30 a.m. the day before and arrived in Mount Crawford six hours later. After a nap to prepare for the day (and night) ahead, Carr and her traveling companions were in the parking lot of the new travel center by 8 p.m. June 29. They weren't alone.
How Virginia’s wealth works against poor rural homeowners getting FEMA aid for storm recovery
The calendar that hung on the wall in Sherry Smith’s water-damaged trailer read February. It unceremoniously marked the time when life inside the mobile home stopped for her and her husband, Mike Smith. It had been more than three months since winter storms brought widespread flooding across Southwest Virginia and about three feet of water into the Smiths’ home. . . . When the disaster declaration was approved for Virginia, it was for public assistance to help rebuild infrastructure in damaged localities. Individual assistance, meant to help people rebuild or repair homes or relocate to new ones, was not approved. That fact has left many in the town of Richlands feeling overlooked and wondering why. The answer lies in a formula used by the federal agency to determine whether a state would qualify for assistance, and what kind of assistance, after a disaster. That formula directly disadvantages the more rural, more impoverished — and more disaster-prone — parts of Virginia.
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 Anna Bryson of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Brandon Jarvis of Virginia Scope, and Brad Kutner of Radio IQ. They discuss the week's top headlines: the Virginia GOP ticket's first joint appearance, Sears and Spanberger on immigration, and ICE arrests at Chesterfield County courthouse. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Yancey: 8 things to know about Google’s data center deal in Botetourt County
The biggest news last week was that Google has bought 312 acres in Botetourt County for a potential data center complex. While “potential” is an important qualifier, this does not appear to be a speculative project. The timeline for “Project Raspberry,” as it’s called in some government circles, is for the project to break ground in early January, shortly before Gov. Glenn Youngkin leaves office. It didn’t take long after the Google project was announced that it drew raspberries of a different sort online.
NIL settlement should lend greater clarity, stability to college athletics
A recent court ruling moved America’s college athletes closer to fair compensation for their talent and hard work, not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars they generate for their universities and colleges each year. But appropriate oversight at that compensation remains uncertain and may require congressional intervention — perhaps using a year-old Virginia law as a template.