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Death of Virginia Beach Autistic Boy Renews Questions About the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
The week before he died, Josh Sikes had problems at school. He overturned his desk and broke a teacher’s glasses on Halloween. Amid a long behavioral episode on Oct.31, he was restricted to a “safe” or “calming” area in a classroom overseen by Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs, a regional consortium serving eight communities in Hampton Roads. What happened in that area is now the subject of multiple investigations. Josh was 11, a fourth-grader on the autism spectrum, with ADHD and an intellectual disability. He attended Pembroke Elementary School in Virginia Beach, but he was a student within a SECEP classroom, taught by special education teachers and learning among other children.
A Salacious Saga Engulfs the Virginia G.O.P. and Weakens Youngkin
When Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia found out that Republican research had linked the G.O.P.’s nominee for lieutenant governor to a blog featuring photos of naked men, he tried to save his party from an embarrassing situation. Mr. Youngkin called the candidate, John Reid, a longtime conservative talk radio host in Richmond, and told him he needed to abandon his campaign because the website was certain to be discovered and would tank the party’s entire ticket. ... Then a funny thing happened. Mr. Reid did not quit. Instead, he posted a five-minute video to social media noting that he is gay and explaining that he had watched pornography and had one-night stands in the past. The Republican base in Virginia quickly rallied around him.
New James Madison University president talks DEI, research funds in first interview
JMU’s soon-to-be President James “Jim” Schmidt will inherit a university still raw from uncertainty stemming from the federal level — including diversity, equity and inclusion cuts and changes to federal funding. Schmidt, who’s the current University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire chancellor, sat down with The Breeze to discuss JMU’s current state and the responsibilities he will take over with his title come July 1. When discussing JMU’s decision, Schmidt referenced the Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter released by the Department of Education, which affirmed U.S. schools’ commitment to nondiscrimination based on race. Schmidt said this letter provided a framework for many public institutions’ decisions to dismantle their DEI divisions.
Abigail Spanberger says she won’t sign bill to fully repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, says if elected, she won’t sign a bill repealing Virginia’s right-to-work law. Virginia’s right-to-work law says, “No employer shall require any person, as a condition of employment or continuation of employment, to pay any dues, fees or other charges of any kind to any labor union or labor organization.” In 2021, Spanberger, who was then a member of Congress, co-sponsored the PRO Act, which the AFL-CIO said “would override state right-to-work laws.
Manassas leaders voice concerns over data center tenant not subject to business property taxes
City leaders in Manassas are expressing bewilderment after learning a tenant inside a new data center won’t have to pay business personal property taxes, drastically shrinking the revenue the city expected from the property. The tenant inside the Brickyard data center at 9905 Godwin Drive, operated by Digital Realty Trust, filed tax paperwork on April 14 identifying itself as a bank, Commissioner of the Revenue Tim Demeria told City Council April 30.
Helicopters were banned near National Airport. They are disrupting flights anyway.
Police, medical and military helicopters have continued to fly in close proximity to Reagan National Airport in the three months since an Army Black Hawk and regional jetliner collided and killed 67 people, requiring airline pilots to abort landings and sparking pointed disagreements between agencies responsible for flights. The continued need for passenger jet “go-arounds” — as the sudden avoidance maneuvers are called — and finger-pointing by transportation and military officials within the Trump administration reveal the extent to which officials continue to wrestle with coordination and safety around the congested airport.
Lawsuit claims 140 layoffs at Buchanan County mine violated federal law
Four coal miners have sued their former employer, alleging that their termination from a Buchanan County mine last month violated a federal law that requires companies to provide advance notice of plant closings and mass layoffs. The suit was filed April 30 against Buchanan Minerals LLC in U.S. District Court in Abingdon by Joshua McCoy, Joey Hill, Timothy Vance and William Stiltner. Buchanan Minerals is a subsidiary of Coronado Coal, which owns the Buchanan mining complex near Oakwood and is headquartered in Beckley, West Virginia.
Yancey: Australians turn election days into festivals that raise money for the community. Why can’t we do the same?
Australia had a meaty election over the weekend — both politically and gastronomically. Politically speaking, Australians were the Southern Hemisphere’s version of Canadians in their recent election. A left-of-center party that had been trailing in the polls got a big boost out of President Donald Trump imposing tariffs and wound up winning. In both cases, the right-of-center leader who had tried to model himself after Trump not only lost but also lost his seat in parliament. Trump has now been credited (or blamed) with keeping left-of-center parties in power in both countries. That’s not what we’re here to talk about, though. We’re here to talk about food. Specifically, democracy sausages.
Miyares breaks silence, says he will campaign with lieutenant governor nominee John Reid
Attorney General Jason Miyares commented for the first time on the controversy surrounding his running mate, Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid, in an exclusive interview with Virginia Scope on Tuesday. Miyares had remained silent since Gov. Glenn Youngkin called Reid on April 25 and asked him to withdraw from the race. That request followed the discovery of a Tumblr account featuring nude photos of men that shared a username with Reid’s private Instagram account. “Sure,” Miyares responded when asked if he plans to campaign with Reid on the trail as he seeks a second term in office.
Richmond school system, bus drivers clash over alleged strike and firing of five employees
Tensions between Richmond Public Schools and the union that represents its bus drivers are at an all-time high after the division fired five drivers earlier this month over what it says was an unlawful strike that led to the cancellation of afterschool activities for thousands of students. Chris Hollins, the assistant business manager with LiUNA Local 804, on Sunday said the union plans to file a lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court over the firings, as well as a federal lawsuit against RPS for infringing on the workers’ freedom of speech and freedom of assembly rights.