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From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Sabrina Moreno of Axios Richmond, Michael O’Connor of the Virginia Dogwood, and Michael Martz of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. They discuss the week's top headlines: Virginia as a hot spot for immigration enforcement, consumers' tariff uncertainty, and proposed cuts to Medicaid. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
VPAP Visual Mapping Paid Conferences in 2024
In 2024, Virginia legislators and statewide office holders reported nearly 80 domestic conferences outside of Virginia, paid for by various organizations, often the host of the events. Under Virginia law, these paid conferences must be reported on annual disclosure forms.
VPAP Visual Paid Conferences: 2016-2024
After nearly disappearing in 2020, the number of paid conferences attended by Virginia General Assembly members and statewide officeholders has returned to pre-pandemic levels. This includes trips within Virginia, to other states, and outside the United States.
Va. agencies’ financial reporting increasingly inaccurate
Over the past several years, state agencies have increasingly been filing inaccurate and late financial reports, the office of Virginia’s Auditor of Public Accounts says. Now that the office has completed the latest round of its annual reviews, it has found state agencies needed to make $4.1 billion of adjustments to financial reports from last year, up from $2.4 billion the year before, said Zach Borgerding, the office’s deputy auditor for human capital and operations.
Williams: Can Henrico and Richmond become one? It’s not so far-fetched
Henrico County, which hugs the city of Richmond on three sides, once had its seat of government embedded within the heart of the city. A remnant of that era, still plainly marked as the Henrico County Court House, sits at 22nd and Main streets in Shockoe Bottom. The Victorian-era building is a majestic example of Romanesque Revival architecture ... The building has been a source of curiosity to me, particularly during times when relations between Richmond and its suburban neighbor seemed especially distant or strained, before settling into its current mode of mutual aid as Henrico lends personnel to a malfunctioning city water plant and a dysfunctional City Hall.
Judge and lawmakers question Trump administration’s plan to gut Job Corps centers
Members of Congress and a federal judge are questioning the Trump administration’s plan to shut down Job Corps centers nationwide, including the Old Dominion Job Corps in Amherst County, and halt a residential career training program for low-income youth that was established more than 50 years ago. ... Lawmakers asked Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer about the decision when she appeared before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday. “Job Corps, which you know has bipartisan support in Congress, trains young, low-income people, and helps them find good-paying jobs and provides housing for a population that might otherwise be without a home,” U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott said.
Federal policies could put a damper on regional summer tourism
Hampton Roads is fortunate to be a popular tourism destination each summer for visitors who flock to the beaches and enjoy the many historic attractions throughout our region. These guests fill our hotels, eat at our restaurants and represent a significant share of the region’s annual economic activity. Yet, as the summer season starts, many in the area are justifiably concerned that President Donald Trump’s hostility to foreign nations, including traditional allies, and his administration’s zealous and often ham-fisted deportation efforts will drive away tourists ...
Virginia Beach man awaits governor’s decision on absolute pardon: ‘It would make me whole’
The months following Darnell Phillips’ 2018 release from prison were a whirlwind. Most notably was the standing ovation Phillips received from Virginia lawmakers after he was introduced on the Senate floor several months after being set free. Afterward, senators shook his hand. Some even offered their apologies for the more than 27 years Phillips spent behind bars for the rape and beating of a 10-year-old girl that he’d always maintained he didn’t commit — and that now even the victim was saying he was innocent of.
Nelson officials raise major concerns with county social services leadership
Nelson County officials recently voiced major alarm in a letter to the county department of social services over an “inexcusable decline” in its level of collaboration and communication with key local partner agencies on several child protective services cases. The May 23 letter from the Nelson County Board of Supervisors sent to the Nelson County Department of Social Services Board states those agencies include members of a multi-disciplinary team, some of which expressed “these deep concerns and frustrations” at the DSS board’s April meeting.
More Federal Workers Are Flooding the Job Market, With Worsening Prospects
After Matt Minich was fired from his job with the Food and Drug Administration in February, he did what many scientists have done for years after leaving public service. He looked for a position with a university. Mr. Minich, 38, was one of thousands swept up in the mass layoffs of probationary workers at the beginning of President Trump’s second administration. ... In March, about 45 minutes after Mr. Minich accepted a job as a scientist in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the program lost its federal grant funding. Mr. Minich, who had worked on reducing the negative health impacts of tobacco use, observed that he had the special honor of “being DOGE-ed twice.”