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80 years after D-Day, a national memorial in Bedford keeps memories alive
It’s commonly called one of the major turning points of World War II. On June 6, 1944 — D-Day — more than 150,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel to storm the beaches of Nazi-occupied Normandy, France, supported by paratroopers and aerial and naval bombardment. Thousands of Allied soldiers died after meeting fierce resistance from German forces, but the operation kicked off the eventual liberation of Western Europe. The National D-Day Memorial that honors the “valor, fidelity and sacrifice” of D-Day veterans is in Bedford, a site chosen in large part because it’s thought to have suffered the greatest per-capita losses of any American community on that historic day.
Schapiro: Ahead of D-Day anniversary, pols plan strategic retreat
Eighty years to the day that American soldiers stormed the shores of Nazi-held France — among the feats of arms ensuring free college tuition for the families of Virginians killed or disabled in combat — the state’s Republican governor and Democratic legislature, ordinarily locked in political battle, are poised for a strategic retreat to quell outrage over a threatened reduction in those increasingly pricey education benefits. Fancying themselves friends of the military — how could they not be in a state that’s ranked No. 1 in defense spending and has the third-largest veterans population in the country? — Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the General Assembly are vowing to reverse a provision both sides supported in the soon-to-take-effect budget ...
Virginia governor says state will abandon California emissions standards by the end of the year
Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday that Virginia will abandon California’s stringent vehicle emissions rules aimed at reducing carbon pollution at the end of the year when that state’s current regulations expire, citing an attorney general opinion. In response to a request from Youngkin and Senate Republican Leader Ryan McDougle, Attorney General Jason Miyares’ opinion issued Tuesday states that Virginia isn’t required to comply with new mandates adopted by the California Air Resources Board set to take effect on Jan. 1.
State air board adopts federal particulate matter standards
The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board voted to adopt federal standards for fine particulate matter found in wildfire smoke on Tuesday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently finalized new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM 2.5 — particles smaller than 2.5 microns. … Karen Sabasteanski, a Department of Environmental Quality policy analyst, told members of the air board that Virginia localities are already in compliance with the standards, meaning new emissions controls won’t be needed when the rules take effect this summer. “Compared to the rest of the country, we’re in good shape,” Sabasteanski said.
Charlottesville Police Civilian Oversight Board Can Request Police Reports Again—But Issues Remain
After eight months of being essentially non-functioning, the Charlottesville Police Civilian Oversight Board got some of its teeth back — it can now request access to police records it needs for proper misconduct oversight. But the long awaited resolution has some issues. On Friday, May 31, Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders signed new standard operating procedures providing detailed guidance on information sharing, ending a prolonged period during which the Charlottesville Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) was unable to access any police records or investigate potential cases of police misconduct.
Youngkin Pledges to Decouple Virginia from California Vehicle Emissions Standards by End of 2024
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has pledged to return Virginia to federal vehicle emissions standards, three years after the state’s Democratic-led legislature passed a law committing the state to follow more stringent emissions rules set by California. “The idea that government should be telling Virginians what kind of car they must drive is just simply wrong,” said Youngkin Wednesday afternoon at a press conference held at a Toyota dealership south of Richmond. … But environmental groups say the governor’s move is an illegal overreach of his powers, one that attempts to circumvent a law he finds distasteful but that his party has so far failed to undo in the legislature.
Dominion customers to get cheaper electric bills after state’s exit from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
A surcharge on Dominion Energy bills to cover costs incurred from Virginia’s now-abandoned participation in a multi-state greenhouse gas reduction program is going away next month, the State Corporation Commission decided. The decision, requested by Dominion, translates to a $4.43 savings on a benchmark monthly bill for 1,000 kilowatt hours – a bill that now costs $138. The electric monopoly said that Virginia’s withdrawal at the end of last year from what’s now the 11-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative means it no longer has to pay the body for the carbon gas it emits.
Casey: Reps. Griffith, Cline question Dr. Anthony Fauci and Attorney General Merrick Garland
Did you catch representatives from Western Virginia shining in some congressional hearings earlier this week? Those would be Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, and Ben Cline, R-Botetourt. OK, “shining” might not be the most accurate descriptor for Cline, R-Fincastle and Griffith. But hey, each got exposure and some of the limelight. That ought to be worth something, right? Cline and Griffith aren’t exactly household names beyond Front Royal and Big Stone Gap, respectively.
Virginia man’s brothers died in WWII, but French admirers keep their memory alive
Donald Stevens couldn’t make it to Normandy this year for the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday, but he considers his spirit to be there anyway. It’s there with his brother Paul, killed two weeks after landing at Omaha Beach in the Allied invasion. And it’s there with another brother, Bill, killed nearly a year later in Germany as the war neared its end. Donald Stevens, now 97, was the youngest of the three. When he became the sole survivor on active duty, the military told the teenage seaman second class to go home to prevent more deaths in one family. He refused and wound up relegated to a dead-end assignment in Philadelphia, angry and bereft.
Youngkin pulls Virginia out of California electric vehicle mandate
Virginia will stop following a California mandate for electric vehicles as of the end of this year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. That’s when California’s current mandate is superseded by new California Air Resources Board targets. The new California mandates step up the pace to require that all new car, truck and SUV sales be zero emission vehicles by 2035, with 35% of new sales being electric vehicles in model year 2026.