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Fredericksburg Council may consider a ranked-choice voting system
The Fredericksburg City Council might take a new look at how future city elections with multiple candidates for a single position are determined. Councilman Will Mackintosh Tuesday night raised the idea of exploring a ranked-choice voting system in future city elections. In such a system, voters would list their preferences in order in single-seat races involving three or more candidates. ... “I just wanted to start the conversation and see where it goes,” Mackintosh said. “It would ensure that no one would win without at least 50% of the vote.”
New water crisis report calls for 'regional utility coordination'
City officials on Wednesday evening released the latest report to detail officials’ emergency response to January’s water outage. It’s the third report on Richmond’s first water crisis, following a review of the city’s water infrastructure and standard operating procedures by engineering firm HNTB, and a probe by officials in the Virginia Department of Health. The new document, produced by Hagerty Consulting, in many ways retreads now-familiar territory ... Here are three takeaways from the latest review.
Nelson County Social Services calls claims of degrading work 'unfounded'
Nelson County officials and other local agencies are ringing alarm bells over an “inexcusable decline” and lack of transparency in the county Department of Social Services, but the board charged with oversight of that department says those allegations are “unfounded” or already addressed. The Nelson County Board of Supervisors issued a letter on May 23 to the Department of Social Services board in response to “credible reports” the county received from key local partner agencies regarding the department’s poor collaboration and communication on several child protective services cases.
New exhibit examines coal dust pollution in Newport News
Environmental studies have yet to directly link Newport News residents’ health problems with coal dust pollution the community has spent generations advocating against. An exhibition opening Thursday is presenting its own evidence. Local nonprofit EmPower All is collaborating with The Repair Lab, an environmental justice research lab out of the University of Virginia, to present “Evidence: Coal Dust in Hampton Roads.”
'The law is the law': Va. senator rejects Trump move to rebrand Army posts to former names
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is rejecting what he calls the Trump Administration’s "whim" to change the names of Fort Gregg-Adams and two other Virginia Army posts back to their original branding, saying he will continue to refer to the installations with their current names because "the law is the law." In a Zoom session June 11 with Virginia reporters, Kaine said he does not believe President Donald Trump has the authority to overturn congressional litigation that changed the names of Forts Lee, A.P. Hill and Pickett to Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Walker and Fort Barfoot, respectively. The legislation, part of the unanimously passed 2020 Defense Authorization Bill, was vetoed by Trump in 2020 because of the removal of the names of Civil War Confederate heroes. Congress, however, overrode the veto, and the Biden Administration moved forward with the initiative.
Parker: Martinsville is no county, and hardly a sanctuary
Apparently, I now live in “Martinsville County, Virginia.” That’s news to me — and to anyone with a functioning map. Martinsville is an independent city surrounded by Henry County, where I actually live. There is no such place as “Martinsville County.” But that didn’t stop the Trump regime and its Department of Homeland Security from naming it a so-called “sanctuary jurisdiction” for undocumented immigrants. ... It’s not just wrong. It’s fiction.
Battery facility proposed in Spotsylvania
A Texas-based company wants to build a battery power storage facility in Spotsylvania County. Only a few details on the proposal are available as it is early in the process, but the company, Plus Power, plans to host a community meeting later this month to provide more information about the proposal.
Tuesday primary to narrow field for 49th District race
Voters in Danville and some parts of Pittsylvania County will get to select the party candidates for 49th District of Virginia’s House of Delegates seat in Tuesday’s primary. ... The 49th District covers all of Danville and the southeastern portion of Pittsylvania County. It also extends east into Halifax County. The seat was held by Del. Danny Marshall, a longtime Southern Virginia lawmaker, who announced his retirement. Madison Whittle and Vanessa Scearce are vying for the Republican Party’s nomination. Gary Miller and Jasmine Lipscomb are on the ballot seeking the Democratic nod.
National parks lose superintendents in Richmond, Petersburg amid 'tough time'
Valentine’s Day was the worst day that Scott Teodorski said he spent in 36 years working for the National Park Service. Teodorski, then-superintendent of the Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker Historic Site, had to tell three park service employees at the two sites that they were out of a job in a purge of probationary employees as part of President Donald p’s attempt to slash the size of the federal workforce and government spending.
Virginia professors’ association calls for end to “politicization” of university leadership
A group of Virginia professors and academics is speaking out against Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointments to university Boards of Visitors across the state and calling for an end to what they say is the “politicization” of university leadership. This comes after the Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections Committee voted 8-4 to reject Youngkin’s appointees, including former state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. On June 11, the American Association of University Professors Virginia Chapter sent a letter to the General Assembly, expressing support for the Committee’s decision to block the appointees and calling on the legislature to “[w]ithhold confirmation of all future BOV appointments by Governor Youngkin until he demonstrates a sustained commitment to appointing individuals who uphold academic freedom, respect shared governance, and prioritize institutional integrity over politics.”