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Virginia hits lowest recidivism rate in the United States, VADOC says
The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) recently hit a milestone, with a new study showing the Commonwealth has the lowest recidivism rate in the country. VADOC Director Chad Dotson announced Thursday that recent data shows there is a 17.6% three-year reincarceration rate for inmates in state custody. The FY2020 rate is Virginia’s lowest in more than 20 years and an improvement from FY2019, when it was at 19%. VADOC noted that the state has had the lowest or second-lowest recidivism rate in the nation for 12 consecutive years.
Mills: Don’t cut farmers (like me) off at the knees
As a young farmer raising tobacco, small grains, cattle and chickens alongside my dad in rural Virginia, I’ve learned one lesson very clearly: To survive as a farmer in the Southeast, you’ve got to be creative. Commodity prices swing like a pendulum, and profit margins vanish overnight. For my family, flue-cured and dark tobacco are the stabilizers — the crops that help us weather the storm and stay on the land. That’s why I’m sounding the alarm about a little-noticed piece of the reconciliation bill making its way through Congress — one that proposes to carve tobacco out of the duty drawback program.
Radford Arsenal says new incinerator delayed eleven months; new completion date is 2026
The Radford Army Ammunition Plant is pushing back its completion date for a new incinerator that had been scheduled to be in operation by July. The Arsenal, as it’s commonly called, now expects to complete construction of the new facility by next June. The Radford Arsenal first announced plans to build a new energetic waste incinerator in 2018. Justine Barati is director of public affairs for the Army’s Joint Munitions Command, which oversees the Arsenal. She said they are delaying the completion date for the new incinerator until next summer, due to heavy rains and changes to the design of the new facility.
Program cuts costs of health insurance in Va.
Virginia's innovative reinsurance program for health coverage is reducing the monthly bill for each person covered by an Obamacare policy by nearly $100 a month, the State Corporation Commission reports. The state program reimburses health insurers for some of the costs of relatively large claims for payment from the hospitals, physicians and other health care providers treating policyholders. By doing this, the SCC projects average monthly bills this year will be $519 for each covered individual, compared with $617 if the program were not in place.
Ice cream sandwich maker investing $5.8 million in facility, adding jobs
Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches is outgrowing its space after getting picked up by Kroger and is expanding to a new production facility at 2807 Transport St. in Richmond. The locally owned company is investing $5.8 million in its new manufacturing facility, which offers more than 28,000 square feet of space. “Nightingale has doubled in size year over year and is bursting at the seams at our current facility ...
New Averett president says school is ‘so far from closing’ despite year of financial challenges
Averett University’s new president says he has a plan for financial recovery that includes repaying the school’s vendors and endowment, and could include further limiting academic options and selling more real estate. But the school’s ongoing financial issues are “not fatal,” and Averett will not close, Thomas Powell said. “As I meet people in town, the first question they ask me is, ‘Are you closing?’” Powell said. “Well, we are so far from closing.” The Danville school has been consumed by financial issues since last spring, when it revealed that financial mismanagement had led to a budget deficit.
Warner gets an earful at event with Richmond seniors
Virginia Senator Mark Warner was in Richmond Thursday morning to meet with seniors and groups that aid them. Many of the residents gathered in the basement of the Randolph Place senior living facility were angry with what was happening in Washington. Kate Ruby is with the Birdhouse Farmers Market, a local food source for folks who can get their SNAP funds doubled thanks to federal grants. That is until July when, thanks to cuts in Washington, Ruby said the grant funds run out. And while she was angry at the loss of funding, she was also angry about something else: “I don’t feel like we’ve got a good opposition party. I’m seeing a lot of angry noises and chest pounding, but not any real opposition!”
Frederick County Republicans joining Sixth District GOP Committee lawsuit
The Frederick County Republican Committee (FCRC) on Tuesday night agreed to join a lawsuit that will be filed by the GOP Committee of Virginia's Sixth Congressional District seeking to overturn a new state law which denies political parties the right to choose their nomination processes. It was decided on March 1 by the Sixth District Republican Committee on a 22-1 vote that the group would file a lawsuit seeking to overturn Helmer's Law, which went into effect in January 2024. The law, which was originally sponsored by Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax), requires political parties to use state-run primaries instead of their own nomination methods. Local elections are excluded.
Abigail Spanberger launches her first TV ad in Virginia governor's race
Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger is launching her first TV ad of the 2025 Virginia governor's race, detailing her background as she ramps up her campaign in one of the most closely watched elections of the year. “Too many politicians talk when they should listen and divide instead of unite. Enough is enough,” Spanberger says in the 60-second spot, shared first with NBC News. She also highlights her experience in the CIA and her time in Congress, stressing her work with both parties.
Democratic candidates for attorney general talk opioids, Trump and Southwest Virginia
Two Democratic candidates, Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor, will face off on the June 17 primary ballot in their bid to become Virginia’s next attorney general. Neither Jones nor Taylor is from Southwest or Southside Virginia, but both had ideas for how they could best support the two regions.