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Amin: For hoteliers like me, reliable energy isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity
For more than 40 years, my family has operated a business that never sleeps. From the front desk and the guest services to the housekeeping and the kitchen and conference rooms, Shamin Hotels runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And every part of that operation depends on one thing most people take for granted — reliable electricity. ... There are only so many ways to generate and deliver electricity, and each comes with trade-offs. We need to take an honest, practical look at our options and invest in what will keep our lights on, our residents employed and our economy strong.
Connaughton: Senate budget plan would decimate Virginia hospitals
At this moment, the future of our health care delivery system is being decided in Congress. Access to care for millions of Americans, and Virginians, as well as the operation of hospitals is hanging in the balance. That is what’s at stake as part of budget reconciliation negotiations now occurring in Washington, D.C.
Trump Administration to End Protections for 58 Million Acres of National Forests, Including in Virginia
The Trump administration said on Monday that it would open up 58 million acres of back country in national forests to road construction and development, removing protections that had been in place for a quarter century. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans to repeal the 2001 “roadless rule” that had preserved the wild nature of nearly a third of the land in national forests in the United States. Ms. Rollins said the regulation was outdated. ... The unspoiled land in question includes Tongass National Forest in Alaska, North America’s largest temperate rainforest; Reddish Knob in the Shenandoah Mountains, one of the highest points in Virginia; and millions of acres of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho.
Anti-abortion group targets Democrats to stop Virginia’s reproductive rights constitutional amendment
Women Speak Out Virginia is sending 100 people out to knock on 150,000 doors in Richmond and Virginia Beach between now and late July. Their aim: influence voters to elect candidates this fall who oppose a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine reproductive rights into Virginia’s constitution. “As the largest pro-life voter contact program in the country, we are known for our impact on elections,” SBA Pro-Life America Virginia state director Marlene Downing said in a statement. “Our doorstep conversations change the minds of persuadable voters and energize pro-life Americans to go to the polls.”
Youngkin names Richmond hotelier Neil Amin to VCU board, former House leader Eric Cantor to W&M board
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has named local hotelier Neil Amin to the Virginia Commonwealth University board of visitors. Amin is CEO of Shamin Hotels, which is based in Chesterfield County and owns about 75 hotels on the East Coast. His term begins July 1. Each year, the governor nominates people to the board of visitors for each public college in the state. The members typically serve a four-year term that can be renewed once.
Petersburg mayor among prominent names chosen for new Richard Bland College Board of Visitors
Petersburg’s mayor and the general manager of one of the city’s pharmaceutical manufacturers will be among the charter members of Richard Bland College’s Board of Visitors. The list, released June 20 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office, also includes a former state education official and a longtime area business professional. ... Among the notable names on the board is Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham, a 1996 graduate of RBC.
Lewis: To governor candidates pledging a car tax repeal: Be careful what you promise
Show of hands: who loves paying the yearly tax on your personal automobiles? Don’t be shy. Raise those hands. Anybody? As Virginians, it’s perhaps our most galling duty: paying hundreds of bucks (thousands for folks with bougie rides) to your city, county or town government for the responsibility of owning a depreciating asset you pay through the nose to buy, insure, fuel and maintain. According to the Tax Foundation, Virginia is among 27 states and the District of Columbia where tangible personal property taxes are assessed. Fourteen states broadly exempt personal property from taxes; 10 allow de minimis exemptions.
What to expect in this week’s primaries to replace Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly
Voters in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, centered in Fairfax County, head to the polls for yet another election — just a week after the commonwealth’s regular primary last Tuesday. This time, voters have the chance to weigh in on party-run nominating contests, or “firehouse primaries,” which will determine the Democratic and Republican contenders to succeed Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died of cancer in May after serving the district for nearly two decades. Connolly’s death opens up a highly blue district in the Northern Virginia suburbs, and leaves the district temporarily without representation — at a time when the local federal workforce is reeling from federal government cuts. The House of Representatives is also narrowly divided, meaning that every vote counts.
Federal judge temporarily halts lawsuit over Dominion’s Virginia Beach offshore wind farm
After a series of delays, a federal judge last week temporarily stayed a lawsuit against Dominion Energy’s wind farm off the Virginia Beach coast. Judge Loren AliKhan of the U.S. District Court in Washington ruled that the groups involved must decide whether they wish to proceed by late September. The lawsuit does not currently affect Dominion’s ability to move forward. The delays in the case stem from changes in federal leadership and policy under President Donald Trump, who has taken action to halt the offshore wind industry.
Warner, 21 other senators call for limits on Insurrection Act
Sen. Mark Warner wants to rein in a 218-year old law granting presidents sweeping power to send troops to suppress protests, a measure President Donald Trump has said he might use. Warner has joined 21 other senators sponsoring a bill that sets new limits on the Insurrection Act of 1807 — the law that President Abraham Lincoln invoked in the Civil War. “It’s clear that President Trump is unworried about defying the limits on executive power clearly outlined in our Constitution,” Warner said.