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Independent candidate files at last minute for 49th District race
As expected, just a small portion of registered voters showed up at the polls in Danville and Pittsylvania County on June 17 to nominate a candidate in the 49th District House of Delegates primaries. Also, an independent candidate filed a petition that day in Pittsylvania County to compete against Republican Madison Whittle and Democrat Gary Miller for the House seat being vacated by Republican Danny Marshall, who is stepping down at the end of his term in January. ... Pittsville resident Barbara Hancock plans to vie for the seat as an independent candidate in the contest. She has not yet been certified by the Virginia Board of Elections as of Friday ...
Yancey: 25 more places on the western side of the state that Spanberger, Earle-Sears should visit for policy lessons
By the time you read this, Democrat Abigail Spanberger will be rolling somewhere between Martinsville, Wytheville, Blacksburg and Roanoke on her eight-day bus tour. Alas, that’s as far west as her bus tour goes, so that makes this a good time to remind her, and readers, about the list of 25 places in Southwest Virginia that candidates should see because they all might help inform future policy choices. She won’t get to any of them on this campaign swing. This is also a good time to remind everyone that you can drive three hours west of Wytheville and still not be in the state’s westernmost corner. On the other hand, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears doesn’t put out a campaign schedule — or many policy statements, either, for that matter.
Spanberger, Earle-Sears top ticket, but Trump will top the talk
Formally, the candidates in this year’s statewide election campaign will debate the advantages of a political trifecta (governor, House and Senate) versus divided government, casting outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin either as a roadblock to Virginians’ desires or a brake on legislative extremism. But the central character in this year’s drama over whether Abigail Spanberger or Winsome Earle-Sears will be the state’s next chief executive will likely be neither, political scientists agree.
Kaine, Warner criticize U.S. strikes on Iran; Youngkin backs Trump’s actions
Virginia’s U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner criticized the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites without congressional authorization, while Gov. Glenn Youngkin supported President Donald Trump’s actions. Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation faulted the president for acting without congressional backing or consultation, while Republicans supported the U.S. effort to neutralize Iran’s nuclear threat.
Virginia Bar Association cancels gubernatorial debate after candidates don’t RSVP
The Virginia Bar Association has canceled its scheduled July 19 gubernatorial debate after neither candidate accepted an invitation before the organization’s June 9 deadline. The VBA said April 28 that it invited the two nominees, Democrat former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, to debate during the association’s summer meeting at the Omni Homestead Resort in Bath County. The VBA hosted debates for the statewide races for governor and U.S. senator from 1985 to 2020.
Fauquier Planning Commission recommends denial of Gigaland data center project in Remington
The Fauquier County Planning Commission voted 4-1 Wednesday night to recommend denial of a proposal for a data center campus near Remington. The vote followed a three-hour public hearing that drew significant community interest. The application, known as Gigaland, seeks approval for a 2.2-million-square-foot data center complex spanning 202 acres south of Lucky Hill Road, just outside Remington town limits. The project would include seven two-story buildings up to 80 feet in height — comprising a 65-foot structure with a 15-foot parapet — alongside public water infrastructure such as a water treatment facility, an aboveground water storage tank, two wells and four electrical substations.
New York City’s mayoral election is going like it’s supposed to. Virginia shows why.
Virginia state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi won Tuesday’s six-way Democratic primary for lieutenant governor with 27.4 percent of the vote, barely edging out former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney, who received 26.6 percent, and state Sen. Aaron Rouse, who garnered 26.3 percent. The bunch-up — along with the three other candidates each pulling more than five percent — means a supermajority of Virginia Democrats preferred someone besides the winner. In contrast, the Democratic primary for attorney general offered just two choices: Jerrauld C. “Jay” Jones beat Shannon Taylor 51 percent to 49 percent, narrowly but cleanly.
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. The Board of Visitors creation is the crown jewel in RBC’s yearlong effort to establish its independence from the College of William & Mary ...
Virginia hospitals could lose more than $2 billion annually under latest version of Trump budget
Advocates have been warning for weeks that federal cuts to Medicaid would impact Virginia’s healthcare system. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration briefed legislators on those cuts for the first time [last] week. And they are significant if amendments aren’t made. Cheryl Roberts, Director of the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, tried to lighten the mood during Wednesday’s Senate Finance meeting by offering both good and bad news:
Citizens tell Griffith’s staffer of the power of ‘A thousand whispers’
More staff from the Blue Ridge Job Corps wanted to speak to Rep. Morgan Griffith’s staffer Thursday in Marion, but a Rapid Response Team was at the educational institution to help employees prepare for unemployment while they’re trying to help students prepare for their uncertain future. Jeanette Winston was one of the BRJC staffers who did come and told the gathering of like-minded citizens and Griffith’s representative that the proposed closure “just breaks my heart.” If BRJC is closed, she said, many of the students will be going to nothing. About 12%, she said, are homeless. Yet, at BRJC, those students have a home, a bed.