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Army lacks accountability in D.C. air disaster, families say
The Army has avoided accountability and shirked oversight months after the deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter in Washington, dozens of family members said in a letter to the Army’s top official, calling for action and greater transparency. . . . The Army stands alone in its lack of transparency and candor, 168 family members and loved ones said in a letter addressed to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Wednesday and obtained by The Washington Post. Army officials have not had meaningful dialogue with families since a short briefing from Army aviation officials in the days after the collision, with the families noting the rare disclosures related to the incident seemed deliberately timed near holidays to minimize public attention.
Youngkin lauds federal budget bill, plays down Medicaid cuts
Gov. Glenn Youngkin fully embraces the massive federal tax-and-spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last week, including cuts to Medicaid that Democrats and state hospitals say would cause hundreds of thousands of Virginians to lose health care coverage and potentially threaten the survival of small rural hospitals. Youngkin, speaking after an unrelated news event on Tuesday, said the spending package would deliver tax relief of about $2,800 per family. Most of that relief would come from extending the provisions of the tax cuts that the president signed into law in 2017. The law also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime and creates a $6,000 tax credit for seniors.
Underwater cable plant project in Chesapeake receives $28 million in state, local grants
A major facility that will produce underwater cables for the offshore wind energy industry is receiving about $28 million in state and local grants, with more than half of that coming from Chesapeake’s coffers. The grants are being awarded to a 750,000-square-foot manufacturing facility being constructed in the city by LS Greenlink USA, a subsidiary of South Korean-based LS Cable & System. Once constructed and operable by 2028, the plant will produce undersea cables used in the offshore wind industry.
Rep. Beyer highlights research grants canceled by Trump administration at Capitol Hill event
Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) joined scientists from across the nation on Capitol Hill today to showcase research that has been halted due to grant cancellations by the Trump administration. Congressman Beyer, who represents the 8th Congressional District of Virginia (which includes Alexandria), spoke at “The Things We’ll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants,” a three-hour event hosted by House Democrats on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building Foyer. More than twenty researchers whose federal grants have been terminated presented their work to lawmakers and discussed the impact of the funding cuts.
Cantor: Virginia prison cites unwritten policy when declining press comment
Tomeka Wallace didn’t know her son was being transferred from Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison until she got a call in February from a Maine prison official. Demetrius, her son, was among a group of men at Red Onion who previously harmed themselves and participated in a hunger strike to protest conditions at the super-maximum security facility in the southwest portion of the state. “I just happened to get a call that I almost didn’t answer,” Wallace recalled. “The lady said, ‘Do you know Demetrius Wallace? … Well, your son is in Maine.’ I said, ‘In Maine? You mean the state?’” Wallace is hundreds of miles from where her son’s now being held and said the entire carceral system needs to be changed.
City planner, wife ran permitless Airbnb in violation of city code
A city official and his wife for over a year operated an unpermitted Airbnb in violation of city code governing short-term rentals, according to records reviewed by The Times-Dispatch. The property in question is located on West Marshall Street in Jackson Ward. City assessment records show the rowhouse is owned by 17 W Marshall, LLC. State Corporation Commission records show that company is registered to Alexandra Mercer, wife of city planner Brian Mercer.
Historical markers approved for Lucy Addison in Roanoke, small newspaper in Highland County
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources has approved nine new historical markers across Virginia, including one for the famed Roanoke educator Lucy Addison, as well as the weekly newspaper in the smallest county in the state. Other notable markers include one in King William County to call attention to the Virginia “racial integrity” act of 1924 that was used to erase the existence of Native American tribes in the state, something that has since been called a “paper genocide.” The department notes that markers aren’t meant to “honor” a particular person or event but rather to recognize history that has happened.
Richmond hospital settles with last two families in infant abuse case
Henrico Doctors’ has agreed to pay two more babies who were injured in the hospital’s neonatal intensive-care unit, bringing the total number of settlements to 11. On Wednesday, Judge David Carson approved the agreements in Salem Circuit Court. The financial value of all 11 have been kept private. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is not identifying the victims or their families. Under the agreement, the money will be placed in trusts for the children to access when they are older.
Turnout rate was up slightly in Virginia's June primaries, data show
What was the voter turnout for Virginia's local primary elections? The Virginia Public Access Project reports that turnout ranged widely for the June 17 primary election, with some localities having a turnout rate of more than 20%. VPAP referenced data from the Virginia Department of Elections, using the total number of votes cast for candidates running for the listed office.
HD33 GOP nominee to be chosen by district committee by end of July
The Republican nominee for House District 33 will likely be selected by the end of July by a four-member committee representing each county in the district. With the majority of the weighted vote, Shenandoah County, represented by Sheriff Timothy Carter, holds the deciding share. ... The party plan directs Legislative District Committees to select a nominee when a certified candidate withdraws after the primary deadline, as occurred when Delegate Todd Gilbert stepped down as the candidate earlier this month following his appointment by President Donald Trump to U.S. Attorney.