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Spanberger holds significant lead over Earle-Sears, but it’s still early
Democrat Abigail Spanberger leads Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by 17 points in new polling from Roanoke College; 28% of those who responded to the survey are still undecided in the race, however. Harry Wilson conducted the survey, and he says that while that number seems high, he’s not too surprised considering the candidates in the race.
New poll shows Spanberger with 17-point lead over Earle-Sears
Former congresswoman and Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger fared better with voters than current lieutenant governor and Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, according to a Roanoke College poll released Thursday showing Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 43%-26%. This follows another poll published this week showing Spanberger with a 4-point lead over Earle-Sears. The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College interviewed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19 to determine that Spanberger leads Earle-Sears by 17 percentage points. Meanwhile, another new poll commissioned by business organization Virginia FREE conducted between May 9 and May 13 shows independent voters favoring Spanberger by 53%-47%.
Facing special ed teacher shortage, Va. education board votes to expand educator pipeline
The number of Virginia preschoolers with disabilities has increased by 24% over the past two years, prompting the Virginia Board of Education’s decision Thursday to have the state find new ways to get more special education teachers into classrooms. The board’s unanimous 7-0 vote directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to open the state’s compliance pathways in its state administrative code governing special education by removing the requirement for graduate-level coursework earned towards an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSPED) endorsement.
Reps. Kiggans and Wittman sold out their constituents
As the sweeping Republican spending bill lurched its way through the U.S. House in recent weeks, members of Virginia’s congressional delegation promised they would oppose those sections that made life more difficult for commonwealth residents or which imperiled our economic future. Yet when push came to shove — when residents of Hampton Roads really needed the elected representatives to defend their interests — U.S. Reps. Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman folded. On Thursday morning, they voted with their party and with the president instead of with the people they swore to serve.
Virginia Supreme Court, examining new law, rules in railroad’s favor against internet provider
A Virginia law meant to speed broadband deployment across railroad lines has hit its first guardrail, in the form of a state Supreme Court ruling. The court, drawing a distinction between a “public benefit” and a “public use,” ruled that Cox Communications cannot use the 2023 law to impose eminent domain on railways’ property while trying to reach the commonwealth’s more remote areas. Cox, a private, for-profit company, attempted to use the law to cross Norfolk Southern lines in eastern Virginia last year.
Friday Read James River cruise takes passengers back in time on the boat that made Virginia rich
Will Smith and Will Cash have been friends since middle school, college roommates at Radford and now they’re business partners, offering the public a chance to celebrate one pivotal part of Virginia’s history. Four days a week, they welcome guests to their boats— 7.5 feet wide, 44 feet long— furnished with simple wood tables and benches. They are replicas of watercraft dating back 250 years. “April 29, 1775, Jefferson writes in his journal. He’s just witnessed the launch of the very first batteau," Smith tells passengers on a sunset cruise. To understand why the batteau was a big deal, Smith says, you have to go back to a time when English settlers were growing and getting rich from the sale of tobacco. Their crop was hard on the land, sucking nutrients from the soil, and every few years they’d have to move west — farther away from the market.
Dems’ lieutenant governor candidates split over Tysons casino, skill games at debate
Virginia’s six Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor debated issues ranging from education to transgender rights during a Thursday night debate in Prince William County, the last time all the candidates will appear together in public ahead of the June 17 primary. While the candidates shared common ground on many progressive priorities, the biggest point of contention was a proposal to allow a casino in Fairfax County's Tysons Corner — one of the few issues that revealed a real divide among the field.
Protesters Line Up at Trump National as President Meets Crypto Buyers
The sidewalks and lawn at the entrance to Trump National Golf Course were filled with protesters Thursday night as the president attended a private dinner at the venue with buyers of his $TRUMP meme coin. Lawmakers and citizens booed gala attendees as they entered the golf course and while chanting “our democracy is not for sale” and “Trump must go.” The protesters specifically referenced the gift this week of plane from Qatar to President Donald J. Trump and the recently passed Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins or GENIUS Act, which establishes a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins.
Education Department opens investigation of admissions at selective Virginia high school
The Education Department said Thursday it is opening a civil rights investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia over the admissions policy at an elite, selective high school. A change in the admissions policy introduced five years ago at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology led to the enrollment of more Black and Hispanic students and faced a court challenge from some parents. The plaintiffs argued it came at the expense of Asian American students, whose numbers at the school dropped.
Magnet school in Northern Virginia faces federal racial discrimination probe over admissions policy
The Trump administration launched an investigation Thursday into the admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, citing a state report that found that the elite program lowered its standards to increase racial diversity at the expense of Asian-American students. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened the probe a day after Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares released the results of a two-year investigation into the 2020 revisions to the prestigious magnet school’s admissions criteria.