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Virginia NAACP sues school board for reinstating Confederate names
The Virginia NAACP sued a county school board Tuesday over its reinstatement of Confederate military names to two schools, accusing it of embracing segregationist values and subjecting Black students to a racially discriminatory educational environment. The school board in Shenandoah County voted 5-1 last month to revert the name of Mountain View High School back to Stonewall Jackson High School, and that of Honey Run Elementary to Ashby Lee Elementary. The vote reversed a 2020 decision to remove the original names against a backdrop of nationwide protests over racial injustice.
Youngkin wants to discard another climate law without legislative consent
Three years ago, the General Assembly voted to adopt emissions standards for new vehicles purchased in the commonwealth, favoring the strict rules developed by California over those enforced by the federal government. Last week, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that his administration would abandon those standards, and one need not be enthusiastic about the rules to be troubled by the controversial way Virginia’s chief executive did so.
Kaine: In vitro fertilization access must be protected
Judy and Roger Carr got married in 1973, hoping to have a big family. Over the following years, Judy suffered three ectopic pregnancies that left her unable to conceive the traditional way. This was 40 years ago — the earliest days of in vitro fertilization (IVF). At the end of 1980, only a handful of babies had been born via IVF worldwide, and none in the United States. The Carrs were destined to have the first in America.
Mountain Valley Pipeline gets final approval to begin operations
The Mountain Valley Pipeline was authorized Tuesday to begin operations, the final step in a bitter, decade-long battle between natural gas advocates and opponents. Approval of the deeply controversial project was granted in a one-page letter released shortly after 5 p.m. by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “We find that Mountain Valley has adequately stabilized the areas disturbed by construction and that restoration and stabilization of the construction work area is proceeding satisfactorily,” Terry Turpin, director of the commission’s Office of Energy Projects, wrote in the letter.
Metro still not complying with safety commission’s document requests, leader says
On Tuesday, the leader of a commission overseeing Metrorail on safety said Metro is still not turning over all of the safety-related documents the commission has asked for. Metro’s refusal comes despite a subpoena and calls from a Congressman for Metro to turn all the documents over. As 7News first reported in April, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) – which was created by Congress to oversee Metrorail on safety – hit Metro with a subpoena for refusing to turn over all documents the WMSC requested for an investigation into the “fitness for duty and occupation health” of Metro employees.
Operations of the hotly contested East Coast natural gas pipeline can begin, regulators say
A hotly contested East Coast natural gas pipeline was given the go-ahead Tuesday to start operating, six years after construction began at more than double its original estimated cost. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the 303-mile (500-kilometer) Mountain Valley Pipeline project across rugged mountainsides in West Virginia and Virginia over longstanding objections from environmental groups, landowners and some elected officials. Project developers told regulators on Monday that the pipeline was complete.
Educators union blames Petersburg School Board ‘interference’ for interim superintendent’s departure
The local educators’ union does not appear to buy claims by outgoing interim school superintendent Dr. John Farrelly that his upcoming departure is an “opportunity” for career growth. Instead, the Petersburg Education Association is blaming the School Board, saying it interferes too much with the day-to-day operations of Petersburg City Public Schools to the detriment of the futures of students and teachers.
Educators, staff in Fairfax County Schools back collective bargaining
Teachers and staff members in Fairfax County, home to Virginia’s largest school district, are a step closer to being able to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement for the first time in nearly 50 years. School employees overwhelmingly voted in favor of collective bargaining on Monday, with the Fairfax Education Association and the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers coming together under an alliance group, the Fairfax Education Unions, that will represent more than 27,000 school system employees in labor talks.
Fairfax County Public Schools workers vote to unionize
Fairfax County Public Schools teachers and other workers have elected a union to represent them in forthcoming labor contract negotiations. The Fairfax Education Unions (FEU), a team-up of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) and the Fairfax Education Association (FEA), announced yesterday (Monday) that it will represent over 27,500 FCPS employees in their first collective bargaining effort since they secured that right in March 2023. The elections, which began on June 3 and involved separate votes by instructional and operational workers, resulted in the unionization of Virginia’s largest public school system and represented the largest successful public-sector collective bargaining campaign in the U.S. in 25 years, according to FEU.
Prince William County supervisors mull hiring panhandlers to pick up roadside litter
Prince William County officials took a first look Tuesday at a plan to address panhandling through a part-time employment program and an effort to encourage residents to give to local nonprofits rather than directly to people asking for cash at busy intersections. The proposed program would pay panhandlers $13 an hour to pick up roadside litter. Participants could work two three-hour shifts a week, allowing them to earn up to $78 a week.