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Judge’s ruling means Charlottesville has no zoning laws whatsoever right now
Right now, Charlottesville has no zoning ordinance. During a 10-minute hearing for an ongoing lawsuit in Charlottesville Circuit Court on Monday, June 30, Judge Claude Worrell ruled that the city had to toss out its new zoning ordinance and revert back to the old rules. But there’s a catch, City Manager Sam Sanders told Charlottesville Tomorrow in an email Wednesday afternoon. “The old ordinance had to be repealed in order for the new one to be adopted,” Sanders wrote. “The void of the new one leaves us without one temporarily.”
Glenn Youngkin wrote a GOP playbook for winning Virginia. Republicans hope Winsome Earle-Sears can follow it.
On a Tuesday evening in northern Virginia, Republicans on edge across the state finally got their wish: a campaign event featuring gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, backed by incumbent Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who beat a Democrat four years ago. A racially diverse crowd was packed into a firehouse waving signs that read “Axe the Tax,” a nod to an Earle-Sears campaign pledge to eliminate the state’s car tax. Youngkin lauded Earle-Sears’ biography and work as the state’s lieutenant governor. At the end, he appeared on stage with the entire GOP ticket, clapping along to the tune of the classic disco song “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”
‘They should be arrested’: Youngkin holds firm on support for ICE raids at Virginia courthouses
Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday doubled down on the controversial use of courthouse arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, brushing off criticism that some of the individuals detained were simply in court to pay fines for traffic infractions and had no criminal record. “Let’s just be clear, the vast majority of the people that have been arrested at courthouses around the country are committing violent crimes,” Youngkin said at a press conference at the Virginia State Police headquarters in Richmond. “If someone breaks the law and is here illegally, they should be arrested.”
Hampton Roads needs clarity on proposed move affecting Fort Eustis
News in May that the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) headquarters will be moving from Fort Eustis in Newport News to Austin, Texas, came as an unwelcome surprise. There are still many unanswered questions about how this change will affect TRADOC operations and its military and civilian staff members, as well as what the implications will be for Fort Eustis and the military presence that is such an important part of Hampton Roads.
Yancey: Attorney general opens criminal investigation into baby giraffes missing from the Natural Bridge Zoo
Attorney General Jason Miyares has opened a criminal investigation into the whereabouts of the two baby giraffes missing from the Natural Bridge Zoo, it was revealed in court Wednesday. That announcement came amid an all-day hearing on contempt of court charges against three people involved with the zoo: two members of the family that has run the Rockbridge County attraction and an animal property rights activist. They were charged with impeding court orders to cooperate with moving the four adult giraffes that had been awarded to the state after an animal cruelty trial.
Feds reinstate $33 million for Virginia schools
Virginia and other states will regain the ability to use $33 million in emergency relief funds, after the federal government last week reversed course on a March decision that prohibited them from using the funds. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon abruptly accelerated the deadline for schools to spend all allocated funds on March 28, leaving schools scrambling to make plans for the money. McMahon announced the rescission of that policy in a June 26 letter to chief state school officers, after several states sued the agency in the Southern District of New York, leading to injunctions that prevented the DOE from enforcing its policy. Virginia was not one of those states involved in the litigation, but its state education agency did file appeals with DOE.
Dempsey-Henofer: Charlottesville’s nervous system is telling us something
As a mental health therapist and small business owner in Charlottesville, I sit with people every day who are trying to make sense of the world — of their pasts, their relationships and the systems that shape how safe they feel in their own bodies. Many of my clients are LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent or navigating trauma rooted in institutions that demand they be quiet, compliant or “neutral.” And here’s something I’ve learned again and again: When neutrality is demanded in the face of harm, the body knows it is not safe. Charlottesville is feeling that now.
Critics clash with Gov. Youngkin over Medicaid, SNAP impacts of 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is throwing his support behind the Republican-led “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping federal budget package that’s stirred controversy over its potential impact on low-income Americans. Youngkin, in an interview with WUSA9 Wednesday, called the need to pass the bill “very important” and emphasized its promises of tax relief, border security funding and fiscal responsibility. . . . “I don't believe there will be people who need services who will have to go without,” the governor said.
Ryan to return to UVa as professor
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan may have resigned, but he won't be leaving UVa for good. The university announced Wednesday that Ryan will officially step down from office on July 11 and, after a sabbatical, will return to Grounds to teach at the schools of law and education
Averett University cuts liberal arts programs amid financial crisis
Averett University is making significant changes to its academic offerings, cutting several liberal arts programs in an effort to stabilize its finances after a former chief financial officer allegedly mismanaged $18 million from the university's endowment. The university is now suing the former CFO and the investment firm involved. Dr. Thomas Powell, Averett University's president, said the decision to eliminate programs such as political science and communications, along with three minors, is part of a strategy to save the school without cutting jobs.