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After HR probe, Richmond officials suggest ‘restructuring’ of election office
Human resources officials in the city of Richmond recommended an “immediate departmental restructuring” of the city election office after an internal investigation concluded the city’s registrar and deputy registrar violated nepotism and ethics policies. The results of the HR investigation into the Richmond election office — which is separate from a more far-reaching probe underway by Richmond’s inspector general — were sent to state and local election officials on Tuesday. The Virginia Mercury obtained copies of the findings through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Douglas: Sadly, Youngkin chose Big Pharma over Virginians in need
As CEO of the Virginia Community Healthcare Association, the primary care association representing Virginia’s 30 federally qualified health centers serving nearly 400,000 individuals at over 200 locations across the commonwealth, I write today with deep disappointment regarding Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto of Senate Bill 119. This critical piece of legislation held immense promise for countless Virginians struggling to afford the medications they need to stay healthy.
Rockingham County School Board votes to leave Virginia School Board Association
The Rockingham County School Board voted to leave the Virginia School Board Association at its June 10 meeting. In a 3-1 vote, the school board decided to leave VSBA and join the School Board Member Alliance. Vice Chair Sara Horst made the motion to leave VSBA, and it was seconded by Chair Matt Cross. Horst said at the meeting that she would like the school board to leave VSBA as members but still utilize its policy services. … Jackie Lohr, the only board member who voted against the change, raised concerns about leaving VSBA. She said it would be important to stay members to provide VBSA with a conservative voice.
Child care challenges are threatening economic growth in Southside, study finds
About 52% of the Danville-Pittsylvania County area is considered a child care desert, according to a new Virginia Tech study. This means that there’s inadequate access to quality child care — an issue that the study found is hindering the region’s economic growth. Alongside housing and infrastructure, child care was identified by community workshop events over the last year as a main inhibitor of economic progress.
Kaine Announces Plan To Lower Drug Costs
Sen. Tim Kaine announced the first step of his plan for economic relief for Virginians facing rising costs and inflation at a summit Monday at a retirement home in Lansdowne. This first step, which Kaine referred to as the “first plank of his ‘Kaine Kitchen Table Agenda,’ ” involves lowering the cost of prescription drugs like insulin. This follows prices for several prescription medications for maladies like heart disease and parasitic infections being raised drastically throughout the 2010s, according to NPR.
Bob Good’s brother accused of berating primary opponent McGuire at church
The brother of a congressional candidate allegedly verbally assaulted his brother’s opponent in a church on Sunday. John McGuire is running for Virginia’s Fifth District Congressional seat against incumbent Bob Good. McGuire was attending Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg over the weekend, where he said Good’s brother, Steve Good, came up to him following the early service.
Shenandoah County School Board sued after reinstating Confederate school names
The Virginia NAACP and five students are suing a school board that voted last month to restore the names of two schools previously named for Confederate leaders, saying the decision creates a discriminatory educational environment for Black students. The federal complaint filed Tuesday says the reversal denies Black students an equal opportunity to education by forcing them to attend a school named after Confederate leaders. “It just feels like a huge step in the wrong direction,” said Briana Brown, one of the student plaintiffs, and a rising senior in a program housed in Mountain View High School. “And if we let them get away with this, what’s next?”
Petersburg schools’ acting superintendent resigns weeks after taking over
Petersburg City Public Schools’ acting superintendent John Farrelly resigned, the school division announced Tuesday evening, less than two months after he took over the school district. The former superintendent, Tamara Sterling, disappeared in late February and officially resigned March 20. The reasons for her departure have been shrouded in secrecy as school officials refuse to answer questions about the circumstances surrounding her parting. ... The Petersburg school division is under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Education due to its schools’ troubles.
Metro still not complying with safety commission’s document requests, leader says
On Tuesday, the leader of a commission overseeing Metrorail on safety said Metro is still not turning over all of the safety-related documents the commission has asked for. Metro’s refusal comes despite a subpoena and calls from a Congressman for Metro to turn all the documents over. As 7News first reported in April, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) – which was created by Congress to oversee Metrorail on safety – hit Metro with a subpoena for refusing to turn over all documents the WMSC requested for an investigation into the “fitness for duty and occupation health” of Metro employees.
Virginia NAACP sues Shenandoah school board after district restored Confederate names
The Virginia NAACP on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Shenandoah County School Board for what it called “reaffirming discrimination,” after the school system voted to rebrand schools with Confederate names in May. The lawsuit alleges that the school board violated the U.S. Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunity Act. The plaintiffs seek to remove the Confederate names, mascots and vestiges, and to prevent any future school naming involving Confederate leaders or references to the Confederacy.