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Fairfax leaders angered at being left out of funding for future Va. transportation projects
Fairfax County leaders believe they and other Northern Virginia leaders are getting an unfair deal when it comes to state transportation funding. The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday (May 13) to send a letter to Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sheppard Miller III, expressing concern about being passed over in the latest round of “Smart Scale” funding for transportation improvements. The state program allows localities to submit proposals, which are then scored to see how they meet designated criteria. Final approval is given by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB).
Trump administration’s cancellation of internet access grants will cost SW and Southside Virginia, officials say
An Abingdon nonprofit organization, looking to expand broadband access and literacy, put its blueprints in place. People Inc. of Virginia used $55,000 in federal money and worked with multiple Southwest Virginia nonprofits to create a plan that would help a variety of Southwest Virginia residents with digital literacy, coding and consumer protection, and would provide devices for doing schoolwork to children living below the poverty line, among other actions. People Inc. set up similar plans in Northern and Central Virginia locations with another $70,000.
Youngkin calls Arlington County Board’s ICE policy a ‘dereliction of duty’
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) condemned the Arlington County Board’s recent move prohibiting local police from cooperating with ICE, calling it a “betrayal.” On Tuesday, the board unanimously voted to take language out of its “Trust Policy,” meaning county law enforcement cannot proactively contact federal immigration authorities about any issue involving undocumented immigrants.
Professor, civil rights icon Owen Cardwell, who desegregated E.C. Glass, dies
Owen Cardwell Jr., who joined Lynda Woodruff as the first two Black students to attend previously all-white E.C. Glass High School in 1962, died Monday at the age of 78. The son of a top official with the local chapter of the NAACP, Cardwell, at the age of 14, was one of the students picked when a call went out for Dunbar High School students interested in participating in a desegregation lawsuit in Lynchburg.
Former Richmond employee spent $840,000 at company registered to his house, records show
A former Richmond Fire Department employee spent at least $839,357.15 at a company registered to his own home between 2017 and 2024, according to records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Reginald Thomas, a former management analyst for RFD, used his city credit card, purchase orders and invoices to spend the funds at RPM Supply Co., LLC, which is registered to a house on Stevens Street in Henrico County, State Corporation Commission documents show. Henrico property records show Thomas and his wife are the owners of that home.
Richmond mayor has ‘no appetite’ to pursue $56M from failed VCU Health deal
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula has “no appetite” to sue over nearly $56 million the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System agreed to pay the city for a failed development project. But that’s where things stand now, and a lawsuit isn’t entirely off the table, Avula spokeswoman Mira Signer told VPM News. “He has no appetite pursuing a lawsuit at this point. It’s not dead," Signer said about Avula’s intentions during a phone call last week. “At this point, he is interested in finding places where they can co-invest.”
Virginia gubernatorial hopefuls share their housing ideas as commonwealth struggles with supply
Virginia’s housing problems, like the nation’s, date back to the 2008 financial crisis. The influx of homes created a bubble that burst and saw foreclosures at record rates. Developers have been reluctant to ramp up home construction ever since. Only now is the U.S. starting to reach pre-2008 levels of new construction for privately owned housing. Virginia is smack dab in the middle of the national average for such new construction, according to real estate industry trackers Construction Coverage. Their lead data analyst Michael Stromberg said incentives to build lean towards new luxury homes.
Chesapeake’s Planning Commission says no to data center proposal
The Chesapeake Planning Commission recommended the City Council deny a rezoning request for a major data center project. Citing a lack of information on key questions like water usage and noise, the commission voted 6-1 against the project. The lone vote against denying approval was commissioner Michael Malone, who instead put a motion forward to delay the vote for 120 days to get answers to those questions.
Salem to implement AI weapons detection system at high school
Salem City Schools will soon begin piloting a security system at Salem High School that uses artificial intelligence to detect weapons. The system works by using AI to monitor the school’s existing camera feeds for any sign of weapons. If a threat is detected, the system notifies a designated group of staff and administrators, as well as members of the Salem Police Department. Anyone who receives the alert can review the footage on their phone and assess the situation.
Chesley: Va. GOP congressman’s scrutiny on federal cuts, job losses needs company from other Republicans
U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, you wrote an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch this week pushing back against the madness emanating from Washington regarding budget cuts and federal job layoffs. It was welcome, given the chaos in D.C., but what took you so long? Are you, a Republican representing Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, really bucking a president from your own party – or is this just PR?