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‘Resilience Amid Resistance’: New marker reveals Virginia’s fraught journey to school integration
A state historical marker titled “Resilience Amid Resistance” now stands on the Western District U.S. Courthouse grounds in Harrisonburg, where a Virginia judge twice upheld the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to desegregate schools in America, allowing local Black students to attend white schools and access an equal education. Betty Kilby was the lead plaintiff in one of the Virginia cases stemming from localities’ failure to comply with the high court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling, part of the state’s Massive Resistance policy to buck desegregation, history referenced in the marker unveiled on Saturday.
Jenkins: Academic freedom means rejecting book bans
While grading narrative essays in the school library when I was teaching, a parent tour entered. The parents focused on a bookcase full of books on display in the front of the library, with yellow caution tape draped across it — the same type you would see at a police crime scene. “Why is there caution tape across these books?” asked a parent.
It’s past time to prohibit personal enrichment by office holders
So many Americans seem to reflexively believe their elected officials are corrupt — at least two-thirds of adults, according to a recent poll by YouGov — it sometimes seems as if such suspicions are a requirement of citizenship. It certainly doesn’t help, though, when the president and lawmakers do less and less to avoid the appearance of wrongdoing or commit acts that, by any reasonable standard, defy the responsibilities of holding elected office. One of the most egregious examples of potential corruption lately is President Donald Trump’s direct involvement in peddling a meme coin called $Trump.
State regulators approve Columbia Gas increase
State regulators have approved an increase for Columbia Gas of Virginia’s non-gas rates and charges that would add about $6 to the average residential customer’s monthly bill. The average customer using 5.1 dekatherms of gas monthly will see their bill increase from $76.26 to $82.47, up 8%, according to terms filed with regulators in December and approved on Thursday.
Jennifer McDonald attorneys say judge’s errors at trial are grounds for appeal
Attorneys for Jennifer McDonald, the former executive director of the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority, are asking that an appellate judge vacate the judgment against her and remand her case back to the lower court. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon sentenced McDonald on May 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia to 14 years in prison for committing financial crimes while she was head of the EDA. ... Dillon also ordered McDonald as part of the sentence to pay $2,744,268.60 in restitution to the EDA and to forfeit $5,201,329 to the government.
Virginia revenues still strong, with warning signs ahead
Virginia remains more than $200 million ahead of its forecast for tax revenues to meet its budget obligations with two months left in the fiscal year, but state policymakers remain concerned over the potential economic fallout from shifting federal government policies on spending and tariffs. State tax collections through April were $1.5 billion ahead of the same 10-month period a year ago, but the margin shrank to $211.1 million when compared to the revenue projections that Gov. Glenn Youngkin used to assemble a revised two-year budget that he introduced in December and signed earlier this month.
Del. Phillips cites family, faith, and economic vision in reelection bid
Eric Phillips, 49, is seeking re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates representing District 48 as the Republican nominee. He will face Melody Cartwright, the Democratic nominee and an opponent he previously defeated in the 2023 special election. If re-elected, Phillips said he plans to continue prioritizing the interests of the Martinsville-Henry County area. Phillips said he will maintain his focus on pro-life policies, economic development, and protecting Second Amendment rights.
State Sen. Favola receiving treatment for uterine cancer
State Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, announced Monday that she has been diagnosed with uterine cancer and underwent a hysterectomy on Friday. "The operation was successful and my care team at Virginia Hospital Center was wonderful," Favola said. Favola said a series of chemotherapy treatments is likely to follow, but she expects to continue her Senate duties between these sessions.
Former governors pay tribute to Brown v. Board but disagree on how to continue its legacy
It was more than 70 years ago when 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns and other students went on a strike to protest the poor conditions of their school – Robert Russa Moton High School – a segregated, tar paper shack high school located in Farmville. The walkout initiated a civil rights case – Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County – which later became one of the five cases consolidated into Brown v. Board of Education, where Supreme Court justices unanimously decided that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Saturday, seven Virginia governors gathered at Virginia Commonwealth University to commemorate the landmark ruling, discuss racial and educational progress and emphasize the need to do more work to address disparities in the state.
Decline to opine: Virginia attorney general will not weigh in on Hopewell firings issue
Virginia’s attorney general will not intervene in the question of whether a Hopewell city councilor’s vote to fire the city manager earlier this month represented a conflict-of-interest because he is a city employee. Hopewell Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Newman confirmed last week that Attorney General Jason Miyares would not offer an opinion on the vote by Ward 4 Councilor Ronnie Ellis. Newman had asked council to delay any action on the future of Dr. Concetta Manker until Miyares could opine on Ellis’ ability to vote.