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Albemarle ICE detentions raise questions about due process for immigrants
It’s been two weeks since Teodoro Dominguez-Rodriguez and Pablo Aparicio-Marcelino were detained by plainclothes US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials inside the Albemarle County Courthouse. Honduran national Dominguez-Rodriguez and Aparicio-Marcelino, a Mexican national, were taken into custody in separate interactions on April 22. As of May 7, both men are being held at Farmville Detention Center, although it’s not immediately clear where they were detained between their arrests and their arrival in Farmville April 24.
Inside the 50-year battle between Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Kings Dominion sold funnel cakes with blue and white icing, resembling a birthday cake. When Busch Gardens Williamsburg hosts its 50th birthday bash Friday, it will offer 75-cent beer and free admission to anyone celebrating a 50th birthday during May. Virginia's two theme parks are turning 50 years old this month, and they've never stopped competing for guests. Dennis Speigel, Kings Dominion's first general manager, regards them as two of the best parks in the country. "It's always been a prize fight," Speigel said. "They're going after the same guy going down 95 and up 64."
State approves Carilion’s kidney transplant program in Roanoke
Carilion Clinic’s request to establish a kidney transplant center in Roanoke has been approved. The transplant center will be the region’s only organ transplant program. Currently, patients in Southwest Virginia in need of a kidney transplant have to travel to the University of Virginia Medical Center or Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Data provided by Carilion shows that around 79% of kidney transplant patients in the region have to drive two to four hours to access the services they need.
Carilion Clinic gets state approval for kidney transplant center in Roanoke
After years of preparation and lobbying, state regulators approved a kidney transplant program at Carilion Clinic’s hospital in Roanoke. It will be the first transplant program in Southwest Virginia. Doctor David Salzberg, the lead surgeon for the program, said it will help address the high rate of renal failure in that part of the state and make it easier for patients to get care close to home.
OSHA investigating Alexandria’s Parks and Rec department
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the safety conditions of the City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities. A safety complaint preceded the investigation that sent a handful of OSHA officials to RPCA’s administrative office on March 10. The initial OSHA complaint accused RPCA of falsifying a safety investigation, mishandling two near-accidents and stonewalling employee safety concerns, residents close to the situation said.
Kaine visits Danville amid uncertainty facing Southside economy
Senator Tim Kaine [D-VA] visited with business leaders at the Institute of Advanced Learning and Research in Danville on Tuesday, April 22, to discuss the economy, and hear concerns or questions businesses had specifically related to tariffs being threatened or imposed by the Trump administration – and, in some cases, the potential loss of anticipated federal funding. Some Danville manufacturers export goods outside of the country, and/or import materials from various nations around the world to use in their production processes. The threat of tariffs has caused no small amount of concern locally, and nationally ...
Spotsylvania school board chair issues ‘first warning’ about decorum during public comment
Spotsylvania County School Board Chair Megan Jackson issued a warning to public speakers via email earlier this week, stating that the board will strictly adhere to a recently-revised policy regarding decorum at meetings. “Due to increasing disruptive behaviors, we are reminding the community of our school board policy BDDH,” Jackson wrote in an email to parents. “This notice shall serve as an official first warning. If a second warning is warranted at a school board meeting, [the] violator will be told to leave immediately.”
Spanberger says she would not sign a full repeal of right-to-work law
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, says she would not sign a full repeal of Virginia's right-to-work law, under which union membership may not be a condition of employment. In a television interview with WRIC Channel 8 on Thursday, Spanberger noted that no member of the General Assembly "even submitted a bill to repeal the right to work," this year, but then said, "I support labor, I support our strong Virginia economy, but no — I don't support a full repeal of our current right-to-work statute."
From ‘tariffs’ to hiring freeze, GOP-led Lynchburg council discusses ways to reduce taxes
Lynchburg Republicans on city council are flexing their political muscle as they move toward adopting a budget for fiscal year 2026, with many of their proposals mirroring what President Donald Trump introduced in his first 100 days in office. From local forms of so-called tariffs to attacking the city bureaucracy to taking steps similar to Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, Republicans, who have a 6-1 majority on council, are identifying ways to scale back government in the Hill City and creatively fund the remaining operations.
Infighting in Virginia Beach Republican Party leads to chair ousted in secret vote
Leaders of the Virginia GOP’s 2nd Congressional District Committee ousted Laura Hughes, chairwoman of the Virginia Beach Republican Party, late Wednesday night. The vote by secret ballot came after a four-hour meeting at the Chesapeake GOP office. Not all of the district committee members attended; instead five sent proxies to vote on their behalf, which drew criticism from more than 50 Hughes’ supporters who waited outside.