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Spotsylvania School Board votes to record closed sessions following assault allegation
After a contentious closed session meeting on May 20 resulted in one Spotsylvania County School Board member filing assault and battery charges against another, the board voted 6-0 Monday to record future gatherings that are not open to the public. April Gillespie of the Berkeley District abstained, stating that she agrees with recording closed sessions but needs more information from school board attorney Micah Schwartz before voting. Carol Medawar of the Courtland District made the motion, which was seconded by Lee Hill District representative Lisa Phelps. It was Phelps who filed an assault and battery charge on Nicole Cole of the Battlefield District, alleging that Cole slammed a door into her shoulder and extended her leg to trip her during the May 20 meeting.
Roanoke Democratic official: Former candidate’s paperwork at issue
After Jamaal Jackson announced he was withdrawing as a Roanoke City Council candidate Monday, city Democratic Committee officials later said his paperwork has been turned over to the commonwealth attorney’s office. Jackson announced his withdrawal in an email early Monday, and did not respond to further inquiries about why. Later that night, Roanoke City Democratic Committee Chair Mark Lazar sent an email to news outlets after 8 p.m. “Recently, the Roanoke City Democratic Committee received a complaint regarding ballot access petitions for Jamaal Jackson,” Lazar said.
Portsmouth, Hampton councils to consider giving themselves raises after state law increases pay scale
Mayors and city council members in Hampton and Portsmouth this month will consider whether to nearly double their annual salaries after state law was changed this year to allow cities to increase the elected officials’ pay. Legislation passed by the General Assembly in April amended the maximum amounts that Virginia mayors and council members can earn. The legislation creates new salary caps based on population, and nearly doubles the maximum amount local elected officials can earn if cities vote to increase pay. So far, two Hampton Roads cities are moving forward to discuss and consider the change.
Yancey: Bears are back, and they have long memories
Dear Local Bear: I see you’re back. Or maybe you’re a different bear from the one who hung around last summer and banged on the window one day after one of my indoor cats said something to you that was admittedly quite unneighborly of her. In any case, I don’t mind you trespassing on my property — living out here in the woods of Botetourt County, I accept that sort of thing. However, on your most recent nocturnal visit, you had the audacity to engage in vandalism and destruction of property. Not only did you toss the contents of the supposedly bear-proof trash can, you broke the door handles off my locked car! I know it was you, but you also left your muddy paw prints on my wife’s car.
With Trump’s support, Navy vet targets Tim Kaine in uphill battle for U.S. Senate seat
Political observers have already placed bets on Tim Kaine, predicting the Democrat will glide into a third term as the junior U.S. Senator of Virginia, a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the upper chamber since 2002. But Republicans vying for a chance to unseat the former vice presidential candidate say they see an opening with President Joe Biden at the top of November’s ticket. While Biden won Virginia by 10 percentage points in 2020, GOP primary candidates say the calculus has changed with heightened food prices, illegal border crossings and crime in American cities.
Virginia primaries: Why this year’s races hold national implications
Washington’s neighbor to the south is preparing for federal primaries that could provide a window into how elections will shake out in November. Virginians will vote on June 18 to choose the primary candidates for the Commonwealth’s 11 House seats and one Senate seat. Democrat Tim Kaine, who has served in the Senate since 2013, faces a field of five Republicans hoping to be the state’s first GOP senator since John Warner retired in 2009. Kaine was tapped as Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 presidential election and has held various important posts, including governor from 2006 to 2010.
Study: Va. Living Shorelines Boost Recreational Fishing Economic Impact
Virginia’s legislation that made living shorelines the default option for erosion control (versus bulkheads or riprap) was met with some skepticism back in 2020. But a new study shows a benefit beyond wetlands conservation: these shorelines are generating local and state revenue through the recreational angler industry. Tidal marshes and living shorelines along Virginia’s Middle Peninsula produce more than $6.4 million in economic value each year from recreational anglers, according to a study by a team of researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The study, published recently in Ocean & Coastal Management, is the first to assign an economic value to an ecological benefit of living shorelines.
‘We are responsible now’: D-Day memorial finding new ways to tell veterans’ stories, honor legacy
In April Cheek-Messier’s top floor office of the National D-Day Memorial’s headquarters overlooking Bedford’s East Main Street, plenty of World War II photos and memorabilia adorn the walls. Some images especially dear are of veterans Cheek-Messier met over the years who fought, sacrificed and are like family. As uplifting and heartfelt as they are, a stinging bittersweet reality is clear when she glances at them. “They’re leaving us. It’s hard,” Cheek-Messier, the National D-Day Memorial Foundation’s president, said in a recent interview.
East, West Join Forces in Loudoun Power Line Battle
Loudoun County has been grappling with impact of the growing demand for power for some time, but it has largely been limited to eastern Loudoun where the Lansdowne Conservancy has been leading the charge in mitigating the impacts of needed power infrastructure on local communities. Last December, the concerns expanded to western Loudoun as a proposal to build a 500-kilovolt line between Harpers Ferry and the Leesburg area were approved by PJM Interconnection, the regional power coordinator. Since then, the Piedmont Environmental Council and Loudoun Transmission Line Alliance have held community meetings in Purcellville, Hillsboro, Waterford and Lovettsville to raise awareness and garner community action on the lines.
Christiansburg site back in discussion for NRV passenger rail hub
Discussions are ongoing to potentially use a former Cambria option to extend passenger rail service to the New River Valley. The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority announced Tuesday that it is in preliminary discussions with Norfolk Southern Corp. to pursue that option to return passenger rail to the NRV on the Norfolk Southern main line (N-Line). The authority also is seeking to purchase the Manassas Line in Northern Virginia.