Search
DOJ demands UVa. prove it’s dismantling DEI
The University of Virginia‘s president, rector and university legal counsel received a letter Monday from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division calling for the university to produce audio and video from a closed session of its board of visitors last month, as well as show evidence that every division of the university and its health system has dissolved and dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, following a board vote in March. The DOJ’s letter, dated April 28, says its civil rights office has received complaints that U.Va.’s administration has not made public a required 30-day report on its progress in ending DEI operations throughout the university, and alleges that U.Va. “may have failed to implement these directives.”
State police to immigrants: Checkpoints are for traffic safety, not ICE
The Virginia State Police have conducted two traffic safety checkpoints in rural northern Fauquier County since the start of 2025 but say that neither was tied to immigration enforcement and, although some citations were issued, no one was detained. Immigrants are on edge as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramps up its detention and deportation efforts across the country. But local law enforcement officials say policing practices have not changed.
Gibson: For the Virginia GOP, ‘sextortion’ is nothing new
In a democracy, elections should be decided by ideas — not by cruelty, humiliation or personal destruction. Unfortunately, that principle is under threat in Virginia. For the second state campaign cycle in a row, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the executive director of his Spirit of Virginia PAC, Matt Moran, have used personal attacks to try to destroy political candidates — not by debating policy, but by targeting their private lives.
Fredericksburg region’s United Way closing on June 30
After 85 years of raising millions of dollars for programs that helped people struggling in various aspects of life, the Rappahannock United Way will cease its operations on June 30. “This is not a decision we made lightly,” said Janel Donohue, president and CEO. “For more than eight decades, RUW has been honored to serve this community. We are proud of the impact we’ve made and grateful to all who have supported us along the way.”
Altria sees little impact from tariff increases
Rising import duties – even if paused – worry many U.S. manufacturers, but the firm with the biggest factory in Richmond, Altria Group, says it expects the impact on its cigarette-making business will be immaterial. Altria told investors Tuesday that while it is monitoring the impact of President Donald Trump‘s tariffs, it’s still expecting profits this year will rise.
Kaine meets with Ukrainians in Roanoke Valley, shares insights from recent visit
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine met with Roanoke-area Ukrainians and their supporters last week to share what he'd learned on a visit to the war-torn country and other European nations last month. Kaine visited Finland in February, and Poland, Ukraine and Germany during the Senate's Easter recess. During his mid-April visit to Ukraine, he placed flowers at the Bucha Memorial, which remembers the more than 400 civilians and prisoners of war executed in 2022 by members of the 234th Air Assault Regiment, a Russian paratrooper unit based in Pskov, a city with which Roanoke paused a sister city arrangement in 2023.
Leader of Youngkin PAC denies extorting candidate
The leader of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee has responded to allegations by Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid that he orchestrated smear tactics involving illicit online photos to get Reid to drop his bid. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Matthew Moran produced a three-page affidavit outlining the claims that he said were discovered through a third-party vendor’s report highlighting potential vulnerabilities in a campaign. The report, which Moran said was commonplace in politics, found information from a Tumblr account “which would put John in a negative light and impact the viability of his candidacy.
Richmond says it will overhaul troubled employee purchasing card program
Less than 24 hours after The Times-Dispatch reported on another investigation into potential financial abuse, Mayor Danny Avula announced a “reset” of the city’s employee purchasing card program. The program allows certain employees to buy items using city funds. Last year, a city watchdog found Richmond’s election registrar had misused thousands of dollars on furniture, bodyguards and meals.
Youngkin senior adviser denies Reid’s extortion allegation
Matthew Moran, senior political adviser to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, issued a sworn affidavit on Wednesday denying accusations that he defamed or attempted to extort Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid over sexually explicit images on an online account allegedly linked to the candidate. The images prompted Youngkin on Friday to ask Reid to withdraw from the race. Reid says the Tumblr account is not his and that he did not repost the images. He says he is staying in the contest.
Youngkin PAC director breaks silence on Reid controversy
Matt Moran, executive director of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee, broke his silence Wednesday in the escalating feud with Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid — accusing Reid’s campaign of knowing about a controversial Tumblr account before the governor called for him to step aside. Moran’s response — delivered in part through an attorney and in part in a sworn affidavit — outlines a detailed timeline that he says shows Reid was given a chance to review the material but skipped the meeting. Moran also claims Reid’s campaign manager, Noah Jennings, acknowledged knowing of the account’s existence and asked for help finding clients this summer.