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Study shows historically redlined Virginia neighborhoods are hotter in the summer
As hot and humid summer weather settles across Virginia, a recent study finds that certain neighborhoods across the state, often with higher populations of people of color, can be up to 15 degrees hotter than other areas. The research cites extreme heat as the cause of “more fatalities in the United States than any other weather phenomenon.” “There are differences in all of those municipalities in who is experiencing this heat, and usually it’s the neighborhoods that are least prepared to deal with it, have the poorest kind of infrastructure setup, such as air conditioning units and cooling centers,” said Dr. Todd Lookingbill, a professor of geology, environment and sustainability at the University of Richmond.
Trump reverses Army base names, including three in Virginia, in latest DEI purge
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he plans to restore the names of seven Army bases that once honored Confederate leaders, relabeling them after soldiers who share the same last names. “We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee,” Trump said. “We won a lot of battles out of those forts, it’s no time to change.” Trump’s announcement, during a speech to soldiers at Fort Bragg, follows a move during the Biden era to change the names of 10 installations to honor new, non-Confederate individuals. Those included changing Fort Hood to Fort Cavazos, for the Army’s first four-star Hispanic general.
Trump wants Confederates’ names back on Army bases, including 3 in Central Virginia
President Donald Trump wants to return the names of Confederates to several U.S. Army bases, including three in Central Virginia. On Tuesday, June 10, Trump was set to speak at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. During his speech, he spoke on a variety of current events, including the ongoing protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles, California. Trump also announced his intent to restore the names of Confederate leaders to several military bases. In recent years, these bases were renamed after other military figures.
David Hogg defies DNC leadership by wading into another primary for open seat
Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg, the Gen Z activist at the center of a major intraparty dispute, is wading into another contested primary with an endorsement in the race to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia), a contest that reflects broader generational and ideological tensions Hogg has stoked. Hogg’s political group, Leaders We Deserve, is backing 37-year-old state Del. Irene Shin, who is part of a crowded Democratic field vying later this month to fill Connolly’s seat in Northern Virginia after his death last month. One of Shin’s opponents is Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw, a 42-year-old former chief of staff to Connolly whom the congressman endorsed to succeed him before he died at age 75.
Big money is flowing into Virginia’s primary contests
All those streaming ads you’ve been seeing for political candidates cost money, and broadcasting statewide in Virginia is expensive. The lieutenant governor might be the highest post on the ticket in next week’s primary, but the race for the Democratic nomination for attorney general is attracting top dollar campaign cash. The latest campaign finance disclosures show former Delegate Jay Jones and Henrico County prosecutor Shannon Taylor have both raised more than two million dollars. J. Miles Coleman at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics says that’s because rival interest groups are throwing money at this Democratic primary.
GOP candidates square off in primary for House District 97 in Virginia Beach
Virginia's 97th House District is one of the seats up for grabs in the upcoming election, as two Republicans are vying for the chance to unseat a Democratic incumbent. The House district covers a large portion of Virginia Beach. The Virginia primary is on June 17. Republicans Tim Anderson and Christina Felder are running against each other in the primary for the opportunity to challenge Del. Michael Feggans.
Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor face off for Virginia Attorney General Democratic nomination
Former delegate and attorney Jay Jones of Norfolk and Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor are locked in a spirited Democratic primary contest, both setting their sights on unseating incumbent Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares in November. While their immediate focus is on the June 17 primary election, both campaigns are taking a strong stance against President Donald Trump's policies and Miyares' refusal to challenge them.
After big changes in Virginia’s child care industry, candidates for governor offer more fixes
Parents know getting child care is a challenge, even as Virginia takes steps to improve the system. And while accessibility and quality have both increased thanks to record state spending, the two candidates for governor have their own ideas to meet persisting challenges. “We listen to our friends talk about how much they’re paying for child care and it's an extra mortgage," Tamisha Williams told Radio IQ as she balanced her baby daughter on her lap. "So, we just pause.”
Va. lawmakers reject latest Youngkin appointees to university boards
Senate Democrats rejected several appointees to Virginia’s governing boards at various colleges on Monday, including former Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli and former state commerce and trade secretary Caren Merrick. The Monday vote by the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee removed all eight appointees made by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The move, which Democratic leaders attributed to differences in political values, now puts the decision to find replacements in the governor’s hands once again.
Youngkin details mental health reform efforts
As Virginia’s effort to transform an overwhelmed behavioral health system moves from tackling the biggest gap — help for people in a crisis — to helping them before things get bad, a foundation that offers walk-in therapy is moving into Richmond. The Youth for Tomorrow facility in western Henrico County is the latest step in a continuing quiet buildout of Virginia’s Right Help Right Now behavioral health reform, said Gov. Glenn Youngkin, at a ceremony marking the nonprofit’s addition of a Richmond center to its eight Northern Virginia counseling centers.