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Democrats sue over Youngkin’s appointments to various education boards
Virginia Democrats are suing the leaders of the Boards of Visitors at George Mason University, the University of Virginia and the Virginia Military Institute. “We have a rule of law in Virginia, and it’s important the governor follow our Constitution and our laws,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) told 8News. The lawsuit asks a judge to decide whether university leaders should allow eight of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointments to the schools’ Boards of Visitors to continue to serve.
Senate Democrats sue over Youngkin appointees kept on college boards
A Fairfax County court will soon weigh in on whether leaders at three of Virginia’s universities broke the rules by allowing rejected appointees to remain in their governing boards — despite Senate Democrats voting to remove them earlier this month. The lawsuit, first reported Tuesday by the Washington Post, targets the leadership of the Virginia Military Institute, the University of Virginia and George Mason University. It asks the court to bar the contested board members from continuing to serve and declare that any board member who permits them to remain is violating their legal duties.
Governor weighs in on regional water service issues as localities agree to meet
More voices are joining a growing conversation about how to address the region’s water service challenges, including the state’s top elected official. Gov. Glenn Youngkin convened a meeting Tuesday morning with the board chairs and top administrators for the City of Richmond and Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties. The topic of the meeting, according to the governor’s daily schedule, was “to discuss water delivery issues.”
Virginia slashes voter data costs ahead of 2025 elections
In a sweeping move aimed at promoting transparency and leveling the playing field in election access, the Virginia Department of Elections announced Monday that it will reduce the cost of purchasing voter lists by 90% starting next month. The change dramatically lowers the price of essential voter data — including lists of registered voters, new registrants, and past voters — for candidates, political parties, and political action committees legally entitled to access them under state law. For example, a statewide list that currently costs $6,000 will soon be available for $600.
ICE agents make arrests at Chesterfield courthouse
Cesar Diaz Lopez came to the Chesterfield County courthouse on a misdemeanor violation for his vehicle registration. “I’m here to pay my taxes,” Diaz said. He introduced himself to two employees for Chesterfield County in a hallway outside the court’s general district courtrooms. Diaz was directed into a witness chamber within one of the courtrooms by a sheriff’s deputy, where he met two plainclothes officers with no visible law enforcement identification. Then, he was escorted out the back entrance of the courthouse and into an unmarked car.
U.S. Supreme Court allows challenge to Virginia felon voting ban to proceed
The Supreme Court declined to hear a case from Virginia officials seeking to thwart a lawsuit challenging the commonwealth’s permanent ban on convicted felons from voting in elections. The high court released its decision not to hear the case as part of its orders list Monday, rejecting a petition that was brought to the justices in March. With the rejection of the appeal from Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, the lawsuit will now proceed toward a trial in federal district court.
Virginia’s Democrats in D.C. push back on process behind Iran strikes
Minutes before the news broke Saturday that American bombers had struck Iran without congressional approval, US Sen. Mark Warner was addressing Virginia Democrats gathered at Richmond’s Main Street Station for an annual fundraiser. “God knows, if there's anything we should have learned in this country, it's a hell of a lot easier to start a war in the Middle East than to stop one,” said Warner to applause. But in reactions from Virginia’s congressional delegation in the hours after President Donald Trump announced strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the state’s Democrats focused most of their criticism on the process behind Trump’s decision to bomb Iran without congressional approval or standard notification — with others also weighing in on whether the US should involve itself further in the war between Israel and Iran.
Virginia Court of Appeals hears challenge in Suffolk case regarding automatic court dates, speed cameras
The Virginia Court of Appeals on Monday heard arguments on whether the city of Suffolk can be sued over its system to use cameras to catch speeders. Attorney Tim Anderson said Suffolk raked in $10 million last year after a third party vendor issued some 130,000 citations from cameras set up in work zones, school zones and other local roadways. But the city is breaking state law in the process, Anderson contends.
New data suggests increased flooding risks for D.C. region’s roads and transit systems
The D.C. region’s roads and other transportation infrastructure is more at risk from future flooding than previously thought, a new analysis found. The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) outlined its findings to leaders of member jurisdictions ... at a meeting last Wednesday (June 18). Past efforts using Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mapping to determine flooding threats to transportation weren’t “totally sufficient,” TPB planner Katherine Rainone said. To augment FEMA’s available resources, TPB licensed data from flood maps issued by Fathom, a UK-based analytics firm.
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.