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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 students have federal internship offers rescinded due to hiring freeze
Several University students have had federal internship offers rescinded, leaving them scrambling last-minute to determine summer plans.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.
Miyares to investigate Loudoun schools over transgender locker room incident
Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares on Tuesday announced they are investigating Loudoun County Public Schools for its response to an alleged incident in which a transgender student identifying as male entered the boys’ locker room and recorded a video of the teenage boys' reactions. This week, TV station WJLA, the Washington ABC affiliate, reported that Loudoun County Public Schools opened a Title IX investigation into three boys who said they were uncomfortable with the student’s presence in the boys’ locker room. Youngkin and Miyares expressed outrage on Tuesday about the Northern Virginia school district’s handling of the situation.
Powers, Spanberger oppose state forcing solar projects on localities
Bedford County resident Joy Powers, who is running as a Democrat for Virginia’s House 51st district, in a news release Monday said she joins gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger to “firmly reject the idea that Virginia Democrats support mandating solar projects on unwilling localities.” The release said Powers, who is running against Del. Eric Zehr, R-Campbell, makes the comments in response to recent public debate over solar zoning, stating she calls for “facts over fear, and leadership over political drama.” The district includes portions of Bedford, Campbell and Pittsylvania counties.
Rozell: For Democrats, a chance to reboot
Candidates for governor in Virginia’s statewide election this fall are set. One way or another, the commonwealth will have its first woman chief executive — either Republican Winsome Earle-Sears or Democrat Abigail Spanberger. The entire GOP statewide ticket draws a bye on June’s primaries. Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking reelection, has no primary challenger. John Reid has no challenger for the party's lieutenant governor nomination. That appeared to give the Republicans an early advantage by avoiding intra-party squabbling in contentious primaries. But Gov. Glenn Youngkin blew up the GOP unity when he hastily called on Reid to withdraw from the ticket and Reid very publicly refused.
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.
New Richmond billboard attacks Stoney for water crisis
A new billboard along Interstate 195 in Richmond features an attack on former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney for the water crisis that left much of the city without drinking water for six days in January. The ad quotes the Virginia Department of Health, which described the Jan. 6 meltdown of Richmond’s water treatment plant during a winter storm-related power outage as “completely avoidable.” Stoney, who left office at the end of last year before the water crisis occurred, served in the position for two terms, or eight years. He is one of six Democrats seeking the party's nomination for lieutenant governor in a June 17 primary.
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.
Energy storage bills among Youngkin’s vetoes
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed legislation that would have raised the targets for how much new energy storage the commonwealth’s two largest electric utilities must propose adding over the next two decades. Energy storage facilities store electricity during off-peak hours when it’s cheaper to generate and deploy it during high-demand periods when it would be more expensive to generate otherwise.
Virginia food banks feel the effects of federal funding cuts
Bob Latvis knows there may often be changes in federal funding for food banks with any new administration. This time though, many Virginia food banks are in a state of limbo as they wait for federal support. The first Trump administration provided trade mitigations that increased available food for food banks and the Biden administration provided Commodity Credit Corporation funds to help food banks purchase and distribute resources. However, roughly $500 million in commodity credit funding was cut in March, $200,000 of which was headed for the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank.