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16 months after Richmond pulled city staff directory from its website, newspaper publishes it
In February 2024, The Times-Dispatch reported that, amid public outcry over issues with utility bills and meals tax collection, officials under then-Mayor Levar Stoney removed the city’s staff directory from the city website. The directory contained the names, phone numbers and email addresses of City Hall’s many department directors. Without it, Richmond residents were unable to directly contact their highest-paid, most visible and most responsible public servants. . . . Now, The Times-Dispatch is publishing its own database of department directors' desk and cellphone numbers.
States are picking sides as competing election integrity efforts move ahead
Two events last week offered a glimpse of the growing weight of politics in the nation’s elections process. Alabama’s secretary of state, Wes Allen, announced that Virginia had become the tenth state to join his voter integrity database, called AVID, an increasingly popular alternative to a larger bipartisan voter integrity coalition used by half of the nation’s state governments. And the New York State Assembly approved legislation permitting the state to join the more popular bipartisan system, called the Electronic Registration Information Center. With 26 members, ERIC is still the most popular way for states of all political persuasions to verify the accuracy of their voter rolls, but the Alabama Voter Integrity Database is proving an enticing, if less sophisticated, option for some secretaries of state ...
New report: 302,608 Virginians could lose health insurance
More than 302,000 Virginians could lose their health benefits under pending and proposed changes to Medicaid and health insurance purchased under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new report by Democrats on a joint congressional committee. The minority members of the Joint Economic Committee issued the report on Tuesday. It is based on estimates by the Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, of the potential effect of a budget reconciliation bill passed by the House of Representatives and now pending in the Senate, as well as the likely loss of enhanced federal subsidies for monthly insurance premiums and other proposed changes for people who depend on health benefit exchanges for coverage.
Richmond enters formal agreement with VDH to fix its water system
Richmond is further dedicating to fixing what’s broken at its water treatment plant after the regional water crisis exposed those weaknesses. The city announced that it has entered into an Order of Consent with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to address the alleged violations the agency found when investigating January’s water crisis, according to a June 12 press release.
Hampton hits pause on anti-camping ban
Hampton is holding off on banning camping, sleeping and storing personal items on public property for now. City Council on Wednesday postponed a vote until September 24. Mayor Jimmy Gray said that’s to update the proposed ordinance with input from residents, advocates and service providers working with people experiencing homelessness. The pause comes as Hampton is working with nearby localities on regional approaches to combatting homelessness.
Hampton council defers vote on proposed law targeting homeless population
It’s easy to miss, but just off Pine Chapel Road and Barrack Street in Hampton is the place 54-year-old Donald Cook calls home. Cook told 10 On Your Side’s Regina Mobley there’s a reason why a homeless camp near a busy road in now abandoned, leading to those that called the place home moving deeper in to the woods near the Hampton Convention Center. . . . If Hampton City Council signs off on the reenactment of a law taking aim at homeless people, it will make it unlawful to camp, lay, sleep or store items on public property. At a City Council legislative session Wednesday night, members decided to defer a vote on the ordinance that would prohibit camping or storage on public property.
Democratic AG candidates support review of Virginians pardoned by Trump
The Democratic candidates for Virginia Attorney General say they're open to reviewing criminal charges for Virginians pardoned by President Donald Trump. According to Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney and Democratic Attorney General candidate Shannon Taylor, presidential pardons are supposed to be reserved for those who’ve shown remorse, been rehabilitated or have evidence proving actual innocence. But she hasn’t seen either from those pardoned by President Donald Trump. ... A former Assistant Attorney General and Norfolk-area lawmaker, Jay Jones is the other Democratic candidate for AG. He said Trump’s use of pardons undermines the will of Virginians ...
‘Restore a sense of discipline’: Virginia GOP Lt. Gov. candidate floats school uniforms
With five months to go before the general election, Republican Lieutenant Governor nominee John Reid is already laying out policy goals and staking out ground on several hot-button issues that could shape Virginia’s political landscape in November. In a sit-down interview hosted by 7News, Reid — unopposed in the GOP primary — said he’s already spent time “working behind the scenes, talking to people about where we can cut and where we can recalibrate.”
Lieutenant governor candidate Alex Bastani says Democrats are ‘trying to out-Republican Republicans’
Alex Bastani is a labor and employment attorney who describes himself as a “lifelong union member.” The Northern Virginia Democrat is a member of the American Federation of Government Employees and fought for workers’ rights as the leader of his local union for more than a decade. Now, he’s hoping to use his experience to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. He is one of six candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the June 17 primary. The winner will face Republican John Reid for the office currently occupied by Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears.
Kilgore, Va. House GOP members slam Spanberger’s newly unveiled energy plan
After Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger released her energy plan for the state this week, Virginia House GOP members wasted no time bashing it. Her plan emphasizes fair cost share, efficiency projects, and supporting a pilot program to handle peak energy consumption times. “Her plan leans heavily on demand-side management: programmable thermostats, weatherization programs, utility subsidies, and incentives to reduce consumption during peak hours. That might sound reasonable in theory, but here’s the problem: managing scarcity isn’t a solution — it’s a symptom of failure,” an op-ed penned by House GOP leaders and members read.