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Lerdau: Jefferson would recoil at Jim Ryan's ouster

By MANUEL LERDAU, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)

When I arrived at the University of Virginia in 2007, I knew that I was joining a university that uniquely blended cutting-edge scholarship with a deep appreciation of tradition and history. In my own area of research, UVa was a pioneer — home to one of the first environmental science departments in the country. My own research, on how plant physiology could affect air quality, was difficult to pigeonhole. On one hand, it was clearly environmental science, and on the other it also demonstrated that Ronald Reagan was not completely wrong when he said that trees cause pollution.

Lerdau is a professor of environmental sciences and of biology at the University of Virginia.

VaNews July 7, 2025


After Potomac crash, Norfolk touts airspace as coordinated and safe

By NATHANIEL CLINE, Virginia Mercury

As scrutiny of flight safety intensifies nationwide, Norfolk International Airport officials say their shared airspace remains “safe,” thanks to close coordination with commercial airlines and military partners. Questions about Norfolk’s airspace surfaced after a January collision between an American Airlines Bombardier jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. The crash, which killed all 64 people on board the jet, occurred as the plane prepared to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

VaNews July 7, 2025


Cox and Vick: Virginia is America’s top state for talent. Here’s how we stay there.

By KIRK COX AND CATHIE VICK, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia has been named “America’s Top State for Business” by CNBC an unprecedented six times, including just last year. That kind of recognition doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of smart, sustained investment in one critical area: talent. The commonwealth’s edge comes from preparing, attracting and retaining a world-class workforce. Our colleges, universities and exceptional community college system help students earn high-quality degrees and industry-recognized credentials. But our real competitive advantage comes when students and employers connect early — often during college — through internships and other work-based learning experiences.

Cox is a former speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates who serves as president of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. Vick is president and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

VaNews July 7, 2025


Kelly: Would Hampton Roads be a nuclear first-strike target?

By VICTORIA KELLY, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

With U.S. strikes on Iran sparking fears of a nuclear conflict, it begs the question: What U.S. cities are most at risk? One nuclear expert identified New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., as the most likely targets. But if we use history as our guide, Hampton Roads could very well be a first-strike target of a nuclear weapon.

Kelly of Arlington is the author of three books, including “When the Men Go Off to War” and “Homefront,” and a 2025 Scholar with the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program.

VaNews July 7, 2025


SW Va. localities to get more than $1.86 million in grants for flood preparedness and mitigation projects

By SUSAN CAMERON, Cardinal News

A dozen grants totaling more than $1.86 million for flood preparedness projects will go to 10 localities in far Southwest Virginia, a region that has been hit by four major flooding events since the summer of 2021. Most recently, flooding from the inland effects of Hurricane Helene slammed the area in late September, decimating the Damascus area and the Virginia Creeper Trail. Over the Feb. 15-16 weekend, Buchanan, Dickenson and Tazewell counties sustained major flooding after days of rain dumped more than 7 inches of precipitation across the region.

VaNews July 7, 2025


Miller, as Democratic nominee, not deterred by 49th District's conservative leanings

By JOHN R. CRANE, Danville Register & Bee

In his bid for the House of Delegates, Democrat Gary Miller is undeterred by the 49th House District’s status as a Republican-leaning area. Miller said Wednesday he will not just represent Democrats or Republicans if he wins against Republican Madison Whittle, but all Southside Virginians. As a cardiologist, he doesn’t ask patients entering the emergency room about their party affiliation. He will apply the same approach if he becomes delegate.

VaNews July 7, 2025


Virginia’s top prosecutor targets drugs, crime — and Northern Va. schools

By KARINA ELWOOD, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

In the three years since taking office, Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares set his sights on what he sees as problems in the state’s public schools. Miyares has revisited the issues of diversity and gender identity in schools in recent months, grabbing the attention of the Trump administration and resulting in two federal investigations. His focus on the way the state’s school systems operate has rankled school officials in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, two of the state’s largest districts.

VaNews July 7, 2025


Skeen: Lab schools show the future of Virginia public education

By GARY SKEEN, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

I have spent 15 years in Virginia’s public schools, from the coalfields to the coast. I have taught, built programs and watched students soar when given the right opportunities. Now, across Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore, we are about to see something extraordinary take shape. This fall, four new lab schools in Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News and on the Eastern Shore will open their doors. These schools will immerse students in aerospace engineering, maritime systems, computer science, STEM integration and more. These are exactly the industries driving our region’s economy and future.

Skeen is associate director of the Center for Educational Innovation and Opportunity at Old Dominion University, which coordinates Virginia’s largest network of public lab schools.

VaNews July 7, 2025


Richmond cut a deal to get its inspector general to leave. It’s so secret, officials can’t even say it exists.

By GRAHAM MOOMAW, The Richmonder

When the Richmond City Council chose to part ways with former inspector general Jim Osuna earlier this year, there was no public vote or discussion of why the city’s public watchdog was suddenly leaving the job. Behind the scenes, the city made a deal with Osuna that includes secrecy measures so sweeping they prohibit both sides from even disclosing the deal exists, according to a series of responses to public records requests from The Richmonder. Megan Rhyne, the executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said attempting to conceal the very existence of a government document flies in the face of Virginia’s transparency laws.

VaNews July 7, 2025


Williams: MAGA turns back the clock at UVa

By MICHAEL PAUL WILLIAMS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Before he became the latest casualty in MAGA’s war on antiracism, University of Virginia president Jim Ryan used the Richmond region as an example of why diversity in education matters. His 2010 book, “Five Miles Away, A World Apart,” contrasted Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High and Henrico County’s Douglas S. Freeman High — TeeJay’s enrollment, predominantly Black and largely poor; Freeman’s, mostly white and middle class.

VaNews July 7, 2025