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Georgia Pacific to close plywood mill in Emporia, costing 550 jobs
A hard-hit part of Southside Virginia got another blow as forest products giant Georgia-Pacific said Friday that it is closing its plywood mill in Emporia, laying off about 550 people. It’s the second major plant closing in less than a year in that part of the state, an hour south of Richmond near the North Carolina state line.
Aborted landings due to Army helicopter near Reagan airport ‘unacceptable,’ top official says
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that it is “unacceptable” that two commercial aircraft had to abort landings at a Washington airport this week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon. In addition to the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigating what happened Thursday afternoon at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Duffy said he plans to talk to the Department of Defense to determine why rules were “disregarded.”
Schapiro: A little word from yesterday has big meaning today
Tim Kaine, Virginia’s Minnesota-born, Kansas-raised junior U.S. senator, rarely passes on an opportunity to share his adoptive state’s story with others. That’s because the Democrat believes that there are lessons for the nation — good and bad — that spring from the state where it was born. In a speech at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and in an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, both pegged to the fast-approaching 250th anniversary of American independence, Kaine focused on Virginia’s motto, one as old as the republic: Sic Semper Tyrannis — Latin for “Thus always to tyrants” or “Ever thus to tyrants.” Kaine implied that its spirit should guide public and political resistance to President Donald Trump.
Too much fluoride? It just might be what RVA needs
Sometimes, getting lost in the shuffle isn't such a bad thing. Early last week, with the news cycle consumed by D.C. dumpster fires and the Virginia GOP's political cannibalism, City Hall's latest blunder largely went unnoticed: Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities, while installing a new fluoride pump at the city’s beleaguered water treatment plant, accidentally dumped too much of the cavity-fighting, dentist-recommended mineral into the public drinking water on April 23. And then didn’t tell anyone — for five days.
Roanoke equity board meets in ‘stealth mode’
Members of Roanoke’s Equity and Empowerment Advisory Board are wondering how to continue their work when such concepts are under scrutiny from the federal government. Information about and documents relating to the equity board are gone from the city website, replaced by an error message. . . . Nonetheless, Roanoke’s equity board — comprised of volunteer citizen members who have a constitutional right to assemble — met Thursday night at the Melrose branch library, joined briefly by Mayor Joe Cobb, as well as the elephant in the room.
Amazon Data Services Files Appeal with King George Circuit Court
Amazon Data Services has filed a petition with King George County Circuit Court appealing a March decision by the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals. ... In May of 2024, Amazon requested a determination from the county’s then-zoning administrator, Angela Foroughi, asking her to find that the company has vested rights in nine parcels, totaling 893 acres, that it purchased for $168 million in 2023 with the intention of developing a data center.
Special education student in Salem wrongly suspended, lawsuit says
A federal lawsuit accuses Salem City Schools of improperly suspending a special education student, whom it found responsible for causing a disturbance at Andrew Lewis Middle School. The case involves an eighth grader who suffers from a variety of mental and emotional disabilities that include autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, sensory processing difficulty and oppositional defiant disorder. . . . In suspending the student for 55 days, school officials violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws that make the student eligible for special education services, the lawsuit alleges.
Analysts: Youngkin’s record vetoes are a new approach to executive power
In Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s view, vetoing bills—nearly four times as many as any other governor — and making case-by-case decisions on restoring voting rights is what governors are supposed to do. But some political scientists and at least one former governor aren’t so sure. Just as with the flood of directives from President Donald Trump, flexing of executive muscle on such a scale is something new in politics, they say. And they say it might have less to do with getting things done in Virginia than with creating a brand.
Trump’s tariffs added $4M to this Virginia wind project in just a few weeks
Off the coast of Virginia, Dominion Energy is building what will be the largest offshore wind facility in the U.S., a 2.6-gigawatt project that will provide energy to as many as 660,000 homes. It has been under construction since 2023 and is expected to be completed by 2026—but President Donald Trump’s tariffs are adding to the project’s costs. Already, through the first quarter of 2025, Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project has incurred tariff costs of $4 million, CEO Bob Blue said on a recent earnings call. That increase came from Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel, which the president announced in early February and which went into effect March 12.
VPAP Visual Early Voting By House District: June Primaries
Early voting has begun for the June 17 primaries. Check back daily for the latest count of early ballots cast, broken down by House of Delegates districts. The data include votes for statewide, House, and local primaries where available, so there may be votes in districts that do not have a House primary.