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Georgia Pacific to close plywood mill in Emporia, costing 550 jobs
A hard-hit part of Southside Virginia got another blow as forest products giant Georgia-Pacific said Friday that it is closing its plywood mill in Emporia, laying off about 550 people. It’s the second major plant closing in less than a year in that part of the state, an hour south of Richmond near the North Carolina state line.
Va. GOP roiled by controversy over sexually explicit photos
The blast radius from the controversy surrounding Virginia’s Republican lieutenant governor candidate expanded [last] week, when a top political aide to Gov. Glenn Youngkin stepped down from his post. His departure was the latest event in a week of turmoil that has pitted Republican leaders in the state against the GOP’s grassroots, upending a party that was already confronting a difficult election year.
Sports wagering rises more than 20% in March
Sports wagering in Virginia rebounded during March, rising 23.9% compared to the prior month, according to a new report from the Virginia Lottery. Total wagers reached nearly $690 million statewide during the 31 days of March, hitting $689.66 million. That is up noticeably compared to the $556.83 million wagered during February, lottery figures show.
Too much fluoride? It just might be what RVA needs
Sometimes, getting lost in the shuffle isn't such a bad thing. Early last week, with the news cycle consumed by D.C. dumpster fires and the Virginia GOP's political cannibalism, City Hall's latest blunder largely went unnoticed: Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities, while installing a new fluoride pump at the city’s beleaguered water treatment plant, accidentally dumped too much of the cavity-fighting, dentist-recommended mineral into the public drinking water on April 23. And then didn’t tell anyone — for five days.
Special education student in Salem wrongly suspended, lawsuit says
A federal lawsuit accuses Salem City Schools of improperly suspending a special education student, whom it found responsible for causing a disturbance at Andrew Lewis Middle School. The case involves an eighth grader who suffers from a variety of mental and emotional disabilities that include autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, sensory processing difficulty and oppositional defiant disorder. . . . In suspending the student for 55 days, school officials violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws that make the student eligible for special education services, the lawsuit alleges.
Schapiro: A little word from yesterday has big meaning today
Tim Kaine, Virginia’s Minnesota-born, Kansas-raised junior U.S. senator, rarely passes on an opportunity to share his adoptive state’s story with others. That’s because the Democrat believes that there are lessons for the nation — good and bad — that spring from the state where it was born. In a speech at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and in an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, both pegged to the fast-approaching 250th anniversary of American independence, Kaine focused on Virginia’s motto, one as old as the republic: Sic Semper Tyrannis — Latin for “Thus always to tyrants” or “Ever thus to tyrants.” Kaine implied that its spirit should guide public and political resistance to President Donald Trump.
Analysts: Youngkin’s record vetoes are a new approach to executive power
In Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s view, vetoing bills—nearly four times as many as any other governor — and making case-by-case decisions on restoring voting rights is what governors are supposed to do. But some political scientists and at least one former governor aren’t so sure. Just as with the flood of directives from President Donald Trump, flexing of executive muscle on such a scale is something new in politics, they say. And they say it might have less to do with getting things done in Virginia than with creating a brand.
Yancey: Youngkin vetoes contraception bill; will that boost Hashmi in the Democratic primary?
With his veto pen, Gov. Glenn Youngkin may have given an inadvertent boost Friday to one of the six Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor. With his signing pen, the Republican governor may have also given an inadvertent boost to a different Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. In last month’s so-called veto session, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly rejected Youngkin’s proposed amendments on 91 bills. He had until Friday to act on those: He signed 53 in their original form and vetoed 38 others. The headline item among the vetoes was on a bill that would have guaranteed a right to contraception.
Youngkin vetoes contraception, Confederate tax bills again
Gov. Glenn Youngkin added to his record score of vetoes Friday, killing 38 more bills and bringing his total to 437 for his term. His vetoes included the General Assembly’s second effort to guarantee a right to contraception (House Bill 1716 and Senate Bill 1105) as well as the legislature’s replay of a measure to end a tax break for Confederate organizations (House Bill 1699). Youngkin vetoed the bills after the General Assembly rejected his proposed changes to those measures.
Youngkin cuts $900 million from amended Virginia budget ahead of economic uncertainty
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on Friday that he would trim Virginia’s budget by $900 million in light of next year’s tax revenue projections, which could decrease as the White House’s reshaping of federal spending spurs economic uncertainty in the state. At a news conference, Youngkin announced he had signed the bipartisan budget bill adopted in February by the Virginia General Assembly but vetoed 37 line items, winnowing state spending to create a rainy day cushion.