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Gov. Glenn Youngkin visits Suffolk, touts signing of 31 mental health-related bills
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin paid a visit to Hampton Roads Thursday, promoting 31 bills recently signed into law, all with the goal of improving mental health care. He touted the 31 bipartisan bills during a ceremony at the Western Tidewater Community Services Board facility in Suffolk. Among them is the newly-signed “Irvo’s Law,” named after Irvo Otieno, 28, who died in custody last March after a mental health crisis. Otieno’s mother, Caroline Ouko joined the ceremony Thursday, saying Gov. Youngkin “kept his promise” in establishing legislation after her son’s death.
What is in Potomac Yard’s future after dead arena deal?
Months after Virginia’s Wizards and Capitals arena deal died, a big question remains: What’s next for Potomac Yard? It’s a large, valuable chunk of land with close proximity to D.C. and a new $370 million Metro stop that sits in what Alexandria and Arlington are trying to establish as an innovation corridor, thanks to nearby Amazon HQ2 and Virginia Tech’s forthcoming Innovation Campus. Plus, Alexandria needs more commercial growth to diversify its tax base and alleviate the burden placed on homeowners.
5th District GOP primary draws big names, big money
When the motorcoach wrapped in former President Donald Trump’s likeness and “Take America Back” campaign slogan turned the corner into the parking lot of the Louisa County Office of Elections last Wednesday afternoon, a crowd of about four dozen supporters of Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland County, erupted in cheers. For a brief moment, one could have imagined that Trump himself had come to pay a surprise visit to the county of 40,000 in the eastern part of Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, which political observers consider to be ground zero in one of the most viciously fought GOP primary battles nationwide this year — pitting a Trump-endorsed candidate against the chair of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus who orchestrated last year’s ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
DuVal: Leaving California EV mandate is best for Virginia’s business climate
Last week, following Attorney General Jason Miyares’ opinion, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that Virginia would no longer be subject to California’s onerous electric vehicle mandates when its current regulation expires at the end of 2024. If the second iteration of these costly and burdensome mandates passed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) were to have taken effect in Virginia, all new vehicle purchases by 2035 would have been required to be EVs and 35% of model year 2026 vehicle purchases would as well.
Spotsylvania supervisors elect to opt out of Regional Transportation Authority
The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday night to approve a resolution allowing the county to opt out of a Regional Transportation Authority. The supervisors voted 5-1 to approve the resolution with only Battlefield District representative Chris Yakabouski voting against it. “I think we need to move something forward, and I would challenge my board in the most respectful way of, it not this, then what?” Yakabouski said. “How are we going to do these things?” An RTA would involve Spotsylvania, Caroline, King George, and Stafford counties and the city of Fredericksburg.
In Arlington’s race to become carbon neutral, some residents seeking green upgrades feel left behind
Arlington is rolling out a series of green initiatives, pouring millions into revamping its public infrastructure. However, climate activists caution that the county’s current strategy might fall short of achieving its goal of countywide carbon neutrality by 2050, as it addresses only a tiny fraction of the county’s overall emissions.
Yancey: 3 questions that Tuesday’s primaries will answer
Elections don’t just tell us who has won and who has lost. They also help us answer questions. Here are some questions that Tuesday’s primaries across Virginia will help answer — at least for a while. What kind of Republican Party do Republicans want? The marquee race is the 5th District Republican primary, where state Sen. John McGuire of Goochland County is challenging Rep. Bob Good of Campbell County. Much of this race has been around who is the stronger supporter of former President Donald Trump. Trump himself has endorsed McGuire and called Good “bad for Virginia.”
Virginia House and Senate will take up military tuition benefit on different days
For much of the past week, some Virginia political leaders have been conveying a message that the General Assembly will undo a recent policy change that angered military families. But it became clear Thursday that the state Senate and House of Delegates haven’t agreed yet on a way out of the controversy surrounding the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program. The program waives college tuition expenses for spouses and children of military members who were killed or severely disabled as a result of their service. Senate leaders announced their chamber will return to Richmond on June 18, which is 10 days before the June 28 date the House had already selected. That schedule raises numerous logistical questions about what might happen if the two legislative chambers meet on different days to try to pass different bills on the same topic.
$12 million agricultural campus set to rise between Bristol and Abingdon
Rolling green pastures between Bristol and Abingdon are set to evolve over the next few years into an expansive $12 million agriculture campus for Appalachian Sustainable Development. On Thursday afternoon, officials with the nonprofit unveiled their plans for the more than 17 acres of land, which they plan to use as a regional hub that will champion agriculture by teaching people how to grow in more innovative, efficient and profitable ways. The goal is to create new agriculture and food businesses, more efficient and successful farms, a stronger regional workforce, and better access to nutritious food and positive health outcomes, according to ASD officials.
Clary: Who’s the fairest ‘liberal’ of all? It’s not Good, or McGuire
I started this summer as I normally do — binge-watching a classic American program while chipping away at other projects. “How I Met Your Mother” was the sitcom of choice. ... I didn’t expect to confront the harsh reality of political grandstanding in today’s partisan climate. But, alas, here we are. ... What does any of this have to do with “How I Met Your Mother”? Virtually nothing. It was the ads that brought me to this point. They were everywhere.