Search
Workgroup, lawmakers fine-tuning accessory dwelling unit proposal
Garage-turned-apartments, carriage houses, in-law suites — all are accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Whatever they’re called, ADUs are seen by some as a fix to affordable housing options or a way to meet the needs of specific families. But the versatile form of housing isn’t always encouraged by locals or officials and little regulatory guidance exists for their approval around the state. Following the continuation of proposals to frame such guidance during Virginia’s most recent legislative session, a workgroup in the state’s Housing Commission is fine-tuning ideas for how to get a law on the books in the future.
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.
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.
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.
Stafford, Fredericksburg eye solar farms on landfill sites
After touring the R-Board Regional Landfill for the first time two years ago, Monica Gary couldn’t shake the idea that the site held wasted potential. Landfills, Gary explained, aren’t monolithic wastelands; rather, they’re divided into cells that are retired once they reach a certain height or capacity of refuse. Specifically, the land atop these retired cells sparked Gary’s imagination as she sat down for a post-visit coffee with then-Stafford County Administrator Randy Vosburg. In this case, the proverbial light bulb in her head was powered by solar energy. “I said, ‘Hey, I really think that we need to put solar on the expired landfill cells,’” recalled Gary, a member of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors and R-Board chair. … Gary’s vision could soon be realized at two sites as a joint venture between Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg.
Some legislative aides in Virginia do double duty as campaign staff
In Congress, elected representatives are supposed to keep their taxpayer-funded offices mostly separate from their political campaigns. In the part-time Virginia General Assembly, rules walling off legislative offices from campaign activity are less clear. The congressional rule exists to prevent incumbents from using government resources, including staff time, to help win reelection or move up to a higher office. Congressional staffers can engage in political activity, but only on their own time, without pressure from their boss and without their official duties being altered to free them up for campaign-related work, according to guidance published by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics.
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.
Tysons-based Capital One pursues historic $35 billion merger with Discover Bank
One of the largest bank mergers in U.S. history may be happening in Fairfax County’s backyard. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency — the federal agency that regulates national banks — announced plans to hold a virtual public meeting on July 19 at 9 a.m. on Capital One Financial Corporation’s proposal to acquire Discover Bank. Capital One, headquartered in Tysons, would purchase the Riverwoods, Illinois-based bank for $35.3 billion. If approved, the merger would be the fifth-largest bank deal ever in U.S. history.
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.
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.