Search
Yancey: The politics over UVa send us to a place we’ve never been before
Some years ago, a former state college president, by then safe in retirement, told me how easy it was to bamboozle members of the college’s governing board. While members of the gubernatorially appointed board of visitors may have accomplished backgrounds as strong business leaders in their respective fields, they rarely applied those skills to their work on the college board, he said. They hardly ever asked detailed — and certainly not critical — questions of whatever proposals the administration put before them. . . . Those days may now be long gone.
Ranked-choice voting in Charlottesville 'didn't make a powerful difference'
After months of buildup, Charlottesville’s first experiment with ranked-choice voting was anticlimatic. Proponents of the voting model — which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference instead of simply voting for one candidate for one open seat — say ranked-choice voting diversifies the candidate pool, reduces the effects of spoilers on the race, produces more focused campaigning and increases turnout at the polls.
Gas station's opening in Rockingham County draws a crowd
Before the sun came up on Monday morning, Cristi Trego left her home in Houston, Delaware, to make the four-and-a-half-hour drive to Mount Crawford in Virginia’s Rockingham County to stop at one particular gas station. “We love Buc-ee’s,” Trego said about herself and her 3-year-old grandson, Mason, as they were waiting in line to meet Buc-ee the Beaver. . . . The nation’s northernmost Buc-ee’s travel center, and the first in Virginia, opened Monday morning amid huge crowds, sweltering weather, and a parking lot that was full-to-bursting with cars. County sheriffs and Buc-ee’s employees eventually had to begin directing the traffic that came from as far away as Georgia.
Jefferson warned about monarchs. UVA president’s ouster shows why.
Thomas Jefferson spent his many years in public life stridently opposed to monarchs. The Declaration of Independence he helped author stands as a scathing indictment of offenses endured by the colonies at the hands of King George III and a stirring call for liberty, which he viewed as the antidote to monarchical power. One wonders, then, what the Sage of Monticello would think about a president leveraging the immense resources of the federal government to oust the leader of a university Jefferson founded.
Accreditor puts Emory & Henry on probation over fiscal concerns
Emory & Henry University has been placed on probation by its accreditor due to concerns about its fiscal responsibility. The private institution in Emory remains accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges but will spend the next 12 months on “probation for good cause.”
James City, York counties latest localities to mull data centers
As more and more data centers continue to pop up across Virginia, localities such as James City and York counties are looking to implement policies amid concerns over size, utility usage and noise. Lessons are being learned from jurisdictions in Northern Virginia, where data centers have been built without regulations in place, giving them free rein over how they operate. ... In Hampton Roads, municipalities are starting to incorporate policies about data centers with regards to where they can be located, as well as how much power and water they can use.
J.J. Davis named acting president of UVa
University of Virginia Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis will soon assume the role of acting president, taking the helm of Virginia’s flagship public university after the sudden resignation of Jim Ryan last week. When exactly Davis will take over is still unclear. “President Ryan’s resignation has not yet become effective, we’ll announce a date for that as soon as we have one,” UVa spokesman Brian Coy told The Daily Progress late Monday afternoon.
Coyner: Free college courses? In Virginia, it's the law
Two years ago, I carried a bill that passed with strong bipartisan support to open more doors for Virginia’s high school students. The law makes every course in the Virginia Passport and Uniform Certificate of General Studies programs free for high school students when taken through our community college system — whether in person at their local high school or online. Why? Because every student deserves a real pathway to college or a career that doesn’t come with crushing debt. Because families should have access to meaningful courses that count toward a degree without wondering if they can afford them.
‘Blue economy’ gives Hampton Roads competitive advantage, leaders say
Hampton Roads waterways give the region and state an economic competitive advantage, local leaders say. “The blue economy is more than a connection of water-based industries,” Virginia Peninsula Chamber President and CEO Bob McKenna said. “It’s a forward-looking collaborative approach that blends science, infrastructure and commerce to unlock the potential of our coastal and marine resources.” The Virginia Peninsula Chamber explored the “blue economy” in a Friday event, ...
Researchers look for reasons behind Osprey nest failures
It was early Tuesday morning when Keriann Spiewak lifted an 8-foot pole above one of Virginia Beach’s osprey nests on the Lynnhaven River. At the end of the pole, a mirror — about the size of a laptop screen — reflected a gathering of twigs, small branches and other nesting material. It did not reflect ospreys. “They’re gone,” she said over her shoulder. “We had three eggs in here that weren’t going to hatch, but now they’re gone, so we’re just checking if they were still there.”