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Youngkin pulling Virginia out of clean car emission standards mandate
Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday his administration will withdraw Virginia from a plan to follow strict car emissions standards set by California. The move, which will take effect when current standards expire at the end of 2024, drew applause from gasoline and auto dealer trade groups and condemnation from Virginia Democrats and environmental groups, who said the administration was overstepping its authority. In an announcement, Youngkin said Virginia will not follow new California rules set to take effect in 2025, which mandate all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035.
Against backdrop of car dealership, Youngkin announces reversal of California-driven electric-car sale rules
Saying he was “unleashing the power” of Virginia consumers, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he planned to do away with a California-driven initiative requiring that a percentage of vehicle purchases in the state be electrically-powered cars by the end of the year. “We are ending once and for all the California Electric Vehicle Mandate in Virginia,” Youngkin said to thunderous applause Wednesday afternoon in an appearance at Loyalty Toyota.
Yancey: Dwight Eisenhower’s mother grew up in Augusta County, but no historical marker remembers her
Eighty years ago Thursday morning, Americans woke up to the news that Allied forces had crossed the English Channel and were fighting on the beaches of Normandy — the day we now remember simply as D-Day. The first indications came shortly after midnight Eastern time, from a suspicious source: German radio. American news organizations were rightly skeptical until 3:32 a.m. — 9:32 a.m. at the landing sites — when radio stations interrupted their programming to bring a message from Col. Richard Dupuy … By then, the fighting was three hours old, and many of the Virginians who were in those first waves were already dead or dying — but the liberation of Europe had begun.
Virginia legislators express concern over medical school’s treatment of baboons
A group of three state legislators sent leadership at Eastern Virginia Medical School a letter expressing concerns over the treatment of pregnant olive baboons used for experiments. “We are especially troubled by the school’s history of repeated noncompliance with federal animal welfare regulations,” the lawmakers wrote. The letter comes after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a complaint with the city of Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi, calling for a criminal probe on May 14. PETA obtained extensive records showing that school researchers subjected mother baboons to traumatic, invasive procedures without legally required adequate care.
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.
Hard Rock Bristol casino pushes back opening timeline
The partners behind Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol on Wednesday announced an extension of the grand opening timeline for the permanent casino resort to “late fall” of this year. The casino was originally expected to open in July with the luxury hotel and other components later in the year. Instead of opening the permanent casino in stages beginning in July, the partnership team now plans to have a grand opening later this year with a fully operational casino and amenities for an overall better guest experience, according to a written statement.
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.
General Assembly taps 8 for judgeships
In a special session on May 13, the General Assembly elected eight individuals to fill seats on the circuit court, general district court and juvenile and domestic relations district court.
Cell Phone Ban Adopted in King George County Schools
King George County Public Schools this week became the first area school division to implement a total ban on cell phones, and similar bans are being considered in Stafford and Caroline county schools. The King George School Board adopted Policy JFCK at its regular meeting on Monday. The policy states that “possession or use of portable communications devices such as cellular telephones, or other hand-held computing devices, shall be prohibited at each school to prevent disruption of the educational environment and to maintain order on school property during the instructional day.”
Monumental data center project revealed for Pittsylvania County
A mammoth data center proposed in the Ringgold area — representing up to $5 billion in investment and at least $120 million in tax revenue over a 10 to 15 year period — cleared its first hurdle Tuesday night with a unanimous recommendation by the Pittsylvania County Planning Commission. The details of the project were aired by Tom Gallagher, representing Anchorstone Advisors SOVA, seeking to rezone about 946 acres located off U.S. 58 and Cedar Road to an Industrial District. ... Speaking in favor of the project — and shedding light on the extreme scope — was Joey Faucette, chair of the Pittsylvania County Industrial Development Authority.