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UVa. students have federal internship offers rescinded due to hiring freeze
Several University students have had federal internship offers rescinded, leaving them scrambling last-minute to determine summer plans. This is a result of the hiring freeze of federal civilian employees which President Donald Trump ordered in a presidential memorandum Jan. 20. Another memorandum April 17 extended the freeze through July 15. Until July 15, no presently vacant federal civilian positions may be filled, and no new positions may be created. Because summer federal government interns are not currently employed, and some had received offers during the previous administration, some internship positions were affected.
After ousting first Black superintendent, VMI appoints interim as search continues for new leader
The Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors named Brigadier General Dallas Clark acting superintendent Saturday afternoon, but didn’t set a firm date for when a new superintendent will be selected. It’s the first significant decision the school has made concerning its leadership since the board drew scrutiny for opting not to extend the contract of the institution’s first Black superintendent in February. Clark, a graduate of VMI, has been working with the institution intermittently as the institute planning officer and deputy superintendent for finance and support at VMI, overseeing several offices, including finance and budget, auxiliary services, and facilities management.
Trump’s cuts to AmeriCorps end Virginia community service grants
President Donald Trump’s administration ended grants for at least 16 community service programs in Virginia as part of sweeping AmeriCorps funding cuts, abruptly shutting down projects and forcing layoffs. The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency — the Elon Musk-led team Trump tasked with slashing the federal government’s budget and workforce — recently ordered AmeriCorps, the federal agency for community service and volunteerism, to terminate nearly $400 million in grants. The move pulled back funding used to plan and operate community service programs throughout Virginia, mostly in education and health care. Grant money went to nonprofits, organizations, schools and the City of Richmond.
Democrats respond to note from Earle-Sears on an anti-discrimination marriage bill
Democrats are responding to the note left by Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears on legislation last year. The bill, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law, prohibits officials from denying marriage licenses based on sex, gender or race. While fulfilling her constitutional responsibility of signing legislation that passes the state Senate, Earle-Sears wrote that she is “morally opposed to the content of HB 174 as passed by the General Assembly.”
Save Local Pharmacies Act signed by governor
It went down to the wire, so to speak, with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin not announcing his decision until minutes before the deadline. But in the end, Youngkin did respond on Friday, May 2, signing the Save Local Pharmacies Act into law. The goal of the new law is to streamline the Medicaid process for local pharmacies, especially independent ones. It will create one single, state-contracted Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) for Medicaid. Rather than seeing pharmacies deal with multiple departments or contacts in an attempt to get reimbursed for Medicaid patients, there will just be one central hub they work with.
Bon Secours opens Harbour View hospital in Suffolk
Bon Secours on Tuesday will officially open its new $80 million, 100,000 square-foot Harbour View Medical Center in Suffolk. The three-story addition adjoins the existing Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View campus. Bon Secours broke ground on the hospital in October 2022, and construction wrapped up on March 31. On Monday, hospital leaders and Suffolk officials gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the center’s opening. . . . The new medical center includes 18 private inpatient rooms and four new operating rooms, a freestanding emergency department and on-site laboratory and imaging services including CT, MRI and X-ray capabilities. Spicknall noted that area patients would no longer have to travel long distances or travel to another city to receive care.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth to add $65M hotel
Rivers Casino Portsmouth and Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming are planning to break ground on a $65 million hotel in Portsmouth this summer, more than two years after the casino first opened. Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover revealed the plans for The Landing Hotel Portsmouth during his annual State of the City address Friday. The eight-story hotel will be located directly adjacent to the casino, overlooking the property’s water feature. It will have 106 guest rooms, including 32 suites ranging from roughly 400 to 800-plus square feet.
Virginia saw 73% voter turnout in 2024
About 73% of voting-age Virginians cast a ballot last November, per new U.S. Census Bureau estimates. That's the fourth-highest voter turnout share in the nation — and a much higher percentage than the country at large, which saw 65% of voting-age Americans voting last year.
Jay Jones is going on TV with the first ad of the attorney general race
Former Del. Jay Jones is launching the first television ad of the Democratic primary for attorney general on Tuesday. “As a lawmaker, I protected abortion rights, and as an Assistant Attorney General, I took on big corporations, and I sued Glenn Youngkin to defend voting rights,” Jones says in the ad. The spot highlights Jones’ work from 2023, when he represented the Virginia NAACP in a lawsuit seeking access to a database used by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to decide whether to restore voting rights to individuals with felony convictions.
Earle-Sears wants Va. to boost power with fossil fuels
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, said Virginia needs more energy— including from carbon-based fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas — during a Manassas fundraiser over the weekend that was partly funded by local data center developers. During her speech at the Prince William County Republican Committee’s annual Lincoln-Reagan dinner, Earle-Sears, 61, emphasized her desire for Virginia to look to more fossil fuels and nuclear power to generate electricity for businesses both large and small.