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Youngkin signs law expanding school transportation options
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin was in Botetourt County Thursday, to sign a bill into law. The signing okays a pilot program allowing small school divisions to use forms of student transportation other than buses, such as passenger vans. This comes during a shortage of CDL-trained bus drivers.
Trump Justice Department Pressuring University of Virginia President to Resign
The Trump administration has privately demanded that the University of Virginia oust its president to help resolve a Justice Department investigation into the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, according to three people briefed on the matter. The extraordinary condition the Justice Department has put on the school demonstrates that President Trump’s bid to shift the ideological tilt of the higher education system, which he views as hostile to conservatives, is more far-reaching than previously understood.
Spanberger pushes back against Mamdani comparisons
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, pushed back against attacks from the state GOP linking her to Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s probable Democratic candidate for mayor. “That’s a pretty ridiculous linkage, but I’ll say that I don’t begin to pretend like I know anything about New York politics,” Spanberger told reporters after a full day stumping in northern Virginia on Thursday. “Because I’m a Virginian and I’m focused on Virginia, and so I’ve been traveling across the commonwealth talking to voters about the issues that matter.”
A guide to the Democratic primary in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District
If you were already tired of elections in Virginia, buckle up: There is a set of special primaries this week to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D). Connolly’s death in May after his esophageal cancer returned has opened up a deep-blue seat representing much of Fairfax County — and unleashed a crowded, high-velocity set of primaries on both sides of the aisle, with 10 Democrats and seven Republicans seeking their respective party’s nomination in just a matter of weeks. The Democrats’ race will test voters’ appetite for breaking from the establishment at a time when their party is caught in a tailspin over questions of age and experience.
VCU lobbying for additional state support for military tuition waivers
Virginia Commonwealth University is continuing to lobby for more state funding to help pay for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program as more students are expected to enroll in the tuition waiver program for qualifying veteran dependents and spouses this fall. VCU officials said during Wednesday’s board of visitors meeting that they expect around 1,500 students to enroll in the program for the upcoming fall semester, up from 1,006 students in the 2023–24 school year. This reflects a statewide trend of continued program growth, according to Lee Andes, finance director with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. He said that’s likely due to a number of factors, including increased program awareness.
Same-sex marriage in Virginia would be banned without Obergefell
Virginia is one of 32 states where same-sex marriage would immediately be banned if the Supreme Court overturned the federal ruling that legalized it a decade ago. The state is in the middle of a multiyear process to repeal its own ban through a constitutional amendment. If passed, it would cement marriage equality in Virginia regardless of future Supreme Court decisions. Obergefell v. Hodges, the federal ruling that makes Virginia's constitutional ban unenforceable, marked its 10-year anniversary Thursday. But access to marriage equality faces increasing opposition.
Friday Read Hampton Roads citizen scientist makes ‘significant’ astronomical find
Most people might not seek out an empty soccer field in the dead of night, but that’s often where you can find Van Ruckman, a James City County resident who made a significant astronomical discovery earlier this year. Ruckman, 78, lives in Kingsmill on the James and contributes to a global network of citizen scientists who provide near-continuous monitoring of outer space. In January, Ruckman made a remarkable discovery on Kingsmill’s soccer field when he observed a distant asteroid and its moon, a feat that electrified the worldwide astronomical community.
Jumper: Funding cuts threaten a life-changing college grant program
For the last 25 years, GEAR UP Virginia has helped more than 20,000 students, mostly from low-income families, fulfill their academic and career goals. Unfortunately, discussions are underway in Washington, D.C., to cut funding for the program. GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded grant program that increases the number of students from low-income communities who successfully transition to and through postsecondary education. It is a coordinated effort between the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and local school divisions.
Yancey: We almost ran out of power this week. Congress is trying to make it harder to get new power onto the grid.
We got through the week without any blackouts. That shouldn’t be news, but it is. Three times this week PJM Interconnection, which runs the 13-state (plus District of Columbia) electric grid that Virginia is part of, issued a “Maximum Generation Alert,” in which it instructed utilities to crank out as much power as possible. That was the fourth such alert this year, twice as many as last year. The prompt this week was a brutal heat wave, but those triple-digit temperatures came on top of electric demand that was rising anyway, due primarily to the growth of energy-guzzling data centers.
Luray will stop adding fluoride to drinking water
On Thursday, the Town of Luray issued a notice to all residents and municipal water customers that the long-held practice of adding fluoride to the Town’s drinking water will cease in September. “Based on significant discussions and updates by Town staff, the Town Council [has] elected to discontinue the addition of fluoride to its drinking water,” the Town’s June 26 notice states. ... While the benefits of adding fluoride to public drinking water to aid in dental health has been debated since the practice began in the United States in 1945, the Town of Luray started the practice about a quarter century ago. The key benefit was aimed at preventing tooth decay.