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Salgado: Va. is in urgent need of campaign finance reform
George Nader was sentenced in federal court in July 2023, and I was the federal prosecutor who represented the United States in that case. Before sentencing, Nader was known for his role as a witness in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, in which Nader was alleged to have arranged meetings between a Russian national and individuals close to then President-elect Donald Trump. . . . As nefarious as Nader’s conduct may strike most Americans, all of it would have been legal had Nader done it to get a candidate elected to state or local office under Virginia’s campaign finance laws.
West Virginia moves to complete Corridor H to state border; Virginia plans for impacts
A half-century-old highway battle is resurfacing at the West Virginia–Virginia border, as the Mountain State moves to extend Corridor H to the state line, creating pressure for Virginia to respond. Local officials, conservationists and residents are warning that a major influx of truck traffic, environmental damage and potential economic disruption could follow — even if Virginia refuses to extend the highway.
Toscano: Trump’s tariffs could devastate Virginia’s soybean farmers — and the GOP
Virginia’s Republican leaders are stuck. Their continued support of President Donald Trump’s mass firings of federal employees and “freezes” in federal funding do not play well in a state where federal jobs and contracting equal 16.1% of all full-time and part-time jobs. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s insistence that these cuts are necessary and gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears’ assertion that job loss “happens ... all the time” have won them few supporters, especially in vote-rich Northern Virginia, where unemployment claims ticked up 7.1% in February.
More than 400 attend defense manufacturing summit in Danville
There is a shortage of workers and manufacturers in the naval shipbuilding industry, so providing support for it is paramount, according to organizers of a three-day summit held at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville this week. “This summit brings together industry, government, academia to acknowledge the challenge that we have ahead of us in terms of supporting shipbuilding in this country,” Telly Tucker, president of the Institute, said during an interview at the summit Tuesday morning.
In the World’s Data Center Hotbed, How Close Is Too Close, and Who Should Pay?
Tyler Ray and his husband were drawn to their community, Bren Pointe, by the amenities that make Fairfax County such a desirable place to live in the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Northern Virginia. It’s close to shopping, dining and entertainment in Old Town and not far from Reagan National Airport. Soon, though, the neighborhood could be home to a warehouse-like data center at 500 Centre Plaza, a five-acre substation 60 feet from Bren Pointe’s boundary on the other side of Turkeycock Run. The State Corporation Commission, which regulates Virginia’s utilities, is reviewing the transmission project in Ray’s Alexandria neighborhood. The state’s legislative research arm, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, or JLARC, says the line is “too close” to residents.
After Feds Warn UVa. It Is Moving Too Slowly, Board Quickly Rescinds Diversity Goal
Four years ago, the University of Virginia Board of Visitors endorsed a call to double the number of underrepresented faculty by 2030 and to develop a plan for building a student population that better reflected the state’s racial and socioeconomic diversity. The university’s president, James E. Ryan, said the move signaled that “becoming a more diverse, equitable place is both the right and the smart thing to do.” On Tuesday, the board voted unanimously to rescind any such numerical goals as part of a sweeping effort to wipe out evidence of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The Trump administration had warned university officials, only the day before, that it had received complaints that the university wasn’t acting fast enough to carry through on its promise to “dismantle DEI apparatuses.”
Residents worry Medicaid cuts by Congress could lead to homelessness, death
Three smokestacks towering over the recently-opened Caesars Virginia Casino in Danville serve as a reminder of the city’s industrial roots. Danville’s economy was built on the textile and tobacco industries until many of its manufacturing plants closed during the 2000s, leaving behind thousands of struggling residents. The casino’s grand opening last December was a major step in city leaders’ multi-decade revitalization plan. But despite the new growth, many residents are still living on the edge — one medical emergency away from homelessness. And discussions about federal Medicaid cuts are causing concerns for patients and care providers alike.
Watchdog report finds Hampton VA staff overworked, stretched thin
It’s reasonable for anyone who relies on the Veterans Administration for health services to be concerned about the effects of slashing tens of thousands of jobs when facilities, including those in Hampton Roads, are already severely strained. The greater Hampton Roads region is home to more than 300,000 men and women who have served in our country’s military — men and women who rightly expect that the nation will make good on its promise to take care of them after they have fulfilled their obligations.
National ranking shows despite hike, Virginia teachers’ pay is stagnant compared to other states
From last year to now, Virginia raised teacher pay by an average of $3,000. Still, the commonwealth’s average pay rate for educators remains stagnant compared to other states, according to the latest salary report published by the National Education Association. The commonwealth dropped by one spot to 26th, paying teachers an average of $66,327, an increase from a year ago. Virginia’s average teacher pay is $5,703 below the national average of $72,030, the NEA report states. Education leaders and lawmakers in the commonwealth said inflation and investments are some of the factors contributing to mixed results in the national salary report.
‘Forever chemicals’ in sludge fertilizer resisted in Va., Md.
The glass of water that Jennifer Campagne draws from her kitchen faucet looks clear and clean. But ever since she had her household well tested and found “forever chemicals” in it, she’s leery of using it, even to make coffee. Campagne lives in a small cinderblock cottage in Hague, Va., on the overwhelmingly rural Northern Neck between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. There are no nearby military bases, fire houses, factories or other likely sources of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, detected in her well. There is, though, a farm field about 30 yards from her home where “biosolids,” or treated sewage sludge, has been spread as fertilizer for corn and soybeans.