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Botetourt County Board of Supervisors candidate reprimanded by state bar association
Dirk Padgett, candidate for Botetourt County Board of Supervisors, received a public reprimand dated April 22 from the Virginia State Bar Association for violating rules that govern fees, safekeeping property and misconduct between a lawyer and a client. The state bar association took issue with Padgett’s recordkeeping regarding client fees, his use of the term “non-refundable” in a contract with a client, and an agreement he entered into with the client which, the association said, limited her right to pursue a complaint against Padgett with the state bar, among other issues.
U.S. Department of Justice demands answers about DEI from University of Virginia
When Governor Youngkin replaced a vocal supporter of Trump Administration views about diversity, equity and inclusion on UVA’s Board of Visitors, some thought that signaled support for a more cooperative approach. Now, however, the Department of Justice appears to be holding the university’s feet to the fire.
Visa restored for third — and final — UVa international student
The University of Virginia on Monday disclosed that the legal status of a third international student who had lost their right to study in the U.S. has been restored. A university webpage providing updates on recent federal actions noted the change, saying that as of Sunday the visas of all three UVa students whose records were terminated earlier in April from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, had been restored.
Living in the shadow of uncertainty near the Petersburg Compressor Station
Peggy Birchfield, 61, grew up in Prince George County — a block away from a compressor station near the edge of Petersburg. She moved away briefly, but returned to the same house as an adult with her husband, Howard. The station — an industrial factory that pressurizes gas by compressing it before pumping it through local pipelines — has been running for as long as she can remember, and she never gave it much thought until now.
Virginia Beach is home to Amazon’s first delivery center in the state with electric vans
You’ve likely seen them in your neighborhood. Gray vans emblazoned with Amazon’s signature blue curved arrow “smile” and a playful phrase such as: “I’m electric. Boogie woogie woogie.” The vehicles are the online shopping giant’s first electric fleet in Virginia and are based out of a new Virginia Beach delivery station on Harpers Road. A second massive Amazon building — a robotics fulfillment center across Dam Neck Road — is scheduled to open this year.
Yancey: Trump wants more manufacturing. Here are 7 forces at play, 6 of which complicate that goal.
President Donald Trump is zigging and zagging on tariffs — They’re on! They’re off! Exceptions! No exceptions! — but he’s been steadily consistent on one thing: He wants to restore America’s manufacturing base. That’s a goal that has eluded three previous administrations — Barack Obama, Trump in his first term and Joe Biden — despite very different policies on how to do that. Manufacturing jobs peaked under Jimmy Carter in June 1979, but fell most sharply under George W. Bush in the early 2000s — a fall that had more to do with the North American Free Trade Agreement and China’s entry into the World Trade Organization than it did with Bush’s policies. That freefall of manufacturing jobs bottomed out in February 2010, about a year into Obama’s first term, but hasn’t changed much since, which raises the question: Can any one president’s policies change these global trends?
John Reid imbroglio tests gender, sexuality and privacy standards in Virginia politics
Amid a political firestorm, John Reid’s continued campaign for lieutenant governor — the first time an openly gay candidate of any party has run for statewide election in Virginia — represents a litmus test at the intersection of politics, sexuality, gender and privacy in the digital age. After a Tumblr account with the same name as Reid’s shared sexually explicit images of men, Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked Reid to drop out of the race last Friday. Reid, who wasn’t in any of the online photos and has denied that the account is his, refused, saying he “won’t back down.” He also accused Youngkin’s PAC of extortion and some members of his party of attacking him because of his sexual identity.
Virginia lags behind in preschool access; neighboring states sprint ahead
A new national report has revealed that Virginia continues to trail behind much of the country when it comes to access to state-funded preschools. The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released its annual State of Preschool Yearbook on Tuesday, April 29, publishing data on enrollment and spending for state-funded preschool programs. Out of 44 states, Virginia maintained its rank of 30th in the nation for enrolling 4-year-olds in public preschool. By contrast, Washington, D.C. ranked first in the nation and West Virginia ranked fourth.
Northern Virginia businesses sour on economy, many citing Trump policies
Three months has made a huge difference in the economic expectations of Northern Virginia’s business leaders, with most more concerned about the region’s economy and their company’s own prospects. A quarterly survey conducted by Pinkston Business Leader for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce found 54% of business leaders are very or somewhat optimistic about their company’s performance over the next six months, down from 81% who said so in the same survey at the beginning of the year. When asked what aspects of President Donald Trump’s administration agenda will most benefit their company, over 50% said none.
Tech-powered rides offer a lifeline as Va. schools grapple with bus shortages
A tech company is stepping in where school buses can’t. HopSkipDrive, a national ridesharing company focused on “safety, equity and care,” is expanding its supplemental school transportation services to Virginia Beach — aiming to help students with complex needs get to class while creating new job opportunities for local drivers. The company’s network of “CareDrivers” — highly vetted caregivers trained to provide transportation in communities with unique challenges, such as students experiencing homelessness, in foster care or with disabilities — has already been operating in Northern and Central Virginia, and other parts of the country.