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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.
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.
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.
Roanoke equity board meets in ‘stealth mode’
Members of Roanoke’s Equity and Empowerment Advisory Board are wondering how to continue their work when such concepts are under scrutiny from the federal government. Information about and documents relating to the equity board are gone from the city website, replaced by an error message. . . . Nonetheless, Roanoke’s equity board — comprised of volunteer citizen members who have a constitutional right to assemble — met Thursday night at the Melrose branch library, joined briefly by Mayor Joe Cobb, as well as the elephant in the room.
Martinsville-Henry County Chamber holds post-legislative meeting
About 50 people gathered early Tuesday morning at New College Institute where they heard from local and state elected officials. Each year, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce hosts a post-legislative meeting, an opportunity for legislators representing the area to bring Chamber members up-to-date on the happenings in local and state politics. Del. Eric Phillips, R-Henry, represents the 48th House District, which includes the city of Martinsville and part of the counties of Henry and Pittsylvania.
Amazon Data Services Files Appeal with King George Circuit Court
Amazon Data Services has filed a petition with King George County Circuit Court appealing a March decision by the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals. ... In May of 2024, Amazon requested a determination from the county’s then-zoning administrator, Angela Foroughi, asking her to find that the company has vested rights in nine parcels, totaling 893 acres, that it purchased for $168 million in 2023 with the intention of developing a data center.
Charges against former Pulaski Town Council member headed for dismissal
Attorney Michael Reis appeared in Pulaski County General District Court on Friday, May 2 for a disposition hearing on misdemeanor charges relating to conflicts of interests during his tenure as a member of the Pulaski Town Council. The potential conflict came to the attention of prosecutors when a video surfaced showing Reis encouraging other members of the Pulaski Town Council to provide matching funds for a block grant that would go towards renovating the Calfee Community Cultural Center (CCCC). The grant was worth $1 million, but required $100,000 in matching funds from the Town. Reis’s wife, Jill Williams, is Executive Director of the CCCC and owner of Wide Angle Strategies, which stood to profit from work done from the million-dollar block grant in question.
Is John McGuire trolling his constituents?
Republican U.S. Rep. John McGuire is making a concerted effort to evade his constituents. Not all of them, though; just those who didn’t vote for him. The freshman representative from Virginia’s 5th Congressional District has not held a single in-person town hall since taking office Jan. 3. But he does hold private events for a select group of his constituents, like the one April 24 at the S&P Global building in downtown Charlottesville, where roughly 70 company employees were in attendance to hear the congressman speak.
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.
Spat over gay nominee aims Virginia GOP ire at unusual target: Youngkin
Virginia Republicans already faced a steep challenge in overcoming the anti-Trump energy of Democrats in statewide elections this year. Now the GOP ticket for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general has been disrupted by an unlikely factor: Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), whose effort to oust his party’s first-ever openly gay candidate for statewide office has led to division and disarray. The candidate — lieutenant governor nominee John Reid, a deeply conservative Richmond talk-radio host — defied Youngkin and refused to withdraw, saying he is not responsible for the social media feed with racy photos of men that the governor cited in calling for Reid to drop out.