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Anti-abortion group targets Democrats to stop Virginia’s reproductive rights constitutional amendment
Women Speak Out Virginia is sending 100 people out to knock on 150,000 doors in Richmond and Virginia Beach between now and late July. Their aim: influence voters to elect candidates this fall who oppose a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine reproductive rights into Virginia’s constitution. “As the largest pro-life voter contact program in the country, we are known for our impact on elections,” SBA Pro-Life America Virginia state director Marlene Downing said in a statement. “Our doorstep conversations change the minds of persuadable voters and energize pro-life Americans to go to the polls.”
Trump Administration to End Protections for 58 Million Acres of National Forests, Including in Virginia
The Trump administration said on Monday that it would open up 58 million acres of back country in national forests to road construction and development, removing protections that had been in place for a quarter century. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans to repeal the 2001 “roadless rule” that had preserved the wild nature of nearly a third of the land in national forests in the United States. Ms. Rollins said the regulation was outdated. ... The unspoiled land in question includes Tongass National Forest in Alaska, North America’s largest temperate rainforest; Reddish Knob in the Shenandoah Mountains, one of the highest points in Virginia; and millions of acres of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho.
Youngkin names Richmond hotelier Neil Amin to VCU board, former House leader Eric Cantor to W&M board
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has named local hotelier Neil Amin to the Virginia Commonwealth University board of visitors. Amin is CEO of Shamin Hotels, which is based in Chesterfield County and owns about 75 hotels on the East Coast. His term begins July 1. Each year, the governor nominates people to the board of visitors for each public college in the state. The members typically serve a four-year term that can be renewed once.
Petersburg mayor among prominent names chosen for new Richard Bland College Board of Visitors
Petersburg’s mayor and the general manager of one of the city’s pharmaceutical manufacturers will be among the charter members of Richard Bland College’s Board of Visitors. The list, released June 20 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office, also includes a former state education official and a longtime area business professional. ... Among the notable names on the board is Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham, a 1996 graduate of RBC.
Virginia delegates reflect on potential federal moratorium on state-level AI regulation
Elected officials in Congress are still considering an amendment in President Doanld Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would limit states’ abilities to regulate artificial intelligence. It’s a controversial move according to several Virginia elected officials, even as the Senate parliamentarian okayed its inclusion over the weekend despite Senate rule concerns. A former tech lawyer, Delegate Michelle Lopes Maldonado spoke at the Forum Global’s inaugural USA Artificial Intelligence Summit earlier this month— just as Congress considered adding the ban on states from putting their own limits on AI. “If we don’t have the ability as a state to regulate that, that’s a problem,” Maldonado said.
Amin: For hoteliers like me, reliable energy isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity
For more than 40 years, my family has operated a business that never sleeps. From the front desk and the guest services to the housekeeping and the kitchen and conference rooms, Shamin Hotels runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And every part of that operation depends on one thing most people take for granted — reliable electricity. ... There are only so many ways to generate and deliver electricity, and each comes with trade-offs. We need to take an honest, practical look at our options and invest in what will keep our lights on, our residents employed and our economy strong.
Federal judge temporarily halts lawsuit over Dominion’s Virginia Beach offshore wind farm
After a series of delays, a federal judge last week temporarily stayed a lawsuit against Dominion Energy’s wind farm off the Virginia Beach coast. Judge Loren AliKhan of the U.S. District Court in Washington ruled that the groups involved must decide whether they wish to proceed by late September. The lawsuit does not currently affect Dominion’s ability to move forward. The delays in the case stem from changes in federal leadership and policy under President Donald Trump, who has taken action to halt the offshore wind industry.
Warner, 21 other senators call for limits on Insurrection Act
Sen. Mark Warner wants to rein in a 218-year old law granting presidents sweeping power to send troops to suppress protests, a measure President Donald Trump has said he might use. Warner has joined 21 other senators sponsoring a bill that sets new limits on the Insurrection Act of 1807 — the law that President Abraham Lincoln invoked in the Civil War. “It’s clear that President Trump is unworried about defying the limits on executive power clearly outlined in our Constitution,” Warner said.
Virginia’s Democrats in D.C. push back on process behind Iran strikes
Minutes before the news broke Saturday that American bombers had struck Iran without congressional approval, US Sen. Mark Warner was addressing Virginia Democrats gathered at Richmond’s Main Street Station for an annual fundraiser. “God knows, if there's anything we should have learned in this country, it's a hell of a lot easier to start a war in the Middle East than to stop one,” said Warner to applause. But in reactions from Virginia’s congressional delegation in the hours after President Donald Trump announced strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the state’s Democrats focused most of their criticism on the process behind Trump’s decision to bomb Iran without congressional approval or standard notification — with others also weighing in on whether the US should involve itself further in the war between Israel and Iran.
Virginia Court of Appeals hears challenge in Suffolk case regarding automatic court dates, speed cameras
The Virginia Court of Appeals on Monday heard arguments on whether the city of Suffolk can be sued over its system to use cameras to catch speeders. Attorney Tim Anderson said Suffolk raked in $10 million last year after a third party vendor issued some 130,000 citations from cameras set up in work zones, school zones and other local roadways. But the city is breaking state law in the process, Anderson contends.