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Virginia Beach council supports referendum on voting system
Virginia Beach voters will likely find a referendum on the city’s voting system on their ballots this November after City Council approved asking a court to place it on the ballot. After hearing 14 passionate speakers, council members on Tuesday voted 7-4 in favor of having the referendum.
Yancey: Australians turn election days into festivals that raise money for the community. Why can’t we do the same?
Australia had a meaty election over the weekend — both politically and gastronomically. Politically speaking, Australians were the Southern Hemisphere’s version of Canadians in their recent election. A left-of-center party that had been trailing in the polls got a big boost out of President Donald Trump imposing tariffs and wound up winning. In both cases, the right-of-center leader who had tried to model himself after Trump not only lost but also lost his seat in parliament. Trump has now been credited (or blamed) with keeping left-of-center parties in power in both countries. That’s not what we’re here to talk about, though. We’re here to talk about food. Specifically, democracy sausages.
Chairman of Virginia GOP says Youngkin did not consult him before calling on Reid to drop out
The chairman of the Virginia Republican Party says Gov. Glenn Youngkin did not consult him before asking the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor to withdraw from the race last month over alleged social media postings. Youngkin called on John Reid, the nominee for Virginia’s lieutenant governor, to leave the race last month in response to alleged findings surfaced by GOP researchers. Virginia Sen. Mark Peake, the chairman of the state’s Republican Party, told WTOP that Youngkin made that call without his input.
Miyares breaks silence, says he will campaign with lieutenant governor nominee John Reid
Attorney General Jason Miyares commented for the first time on the controversy surrounding his running mate, Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid, in an exclusive interview with Virginia Scope on Tuesday. Miyares had remained silent since Gov. Glenn Youngkin called Reid on April 25 and asked him to withdraw from the race. That request followed the discovery of a Tumblr account featuring nude photos of men that shared a username with Reid’s private Instagram account. “Sure,” Miyares responded when asked if he plans to campaign with Reid on the trail as he seeks a second term in office.
Audit dispute triggers bitter feud between Virginia Beach Republicans and district leaders
What started as a call for financial transparency has exploded into bitter infighting within the Republican Party of Virginia Beach, pitting local GOP chair Laura Hughes and her conservative grassroots allies against the leadership of the 2nd Congressional District GOP Committee — and, by extension, the party’s entrenched establishment wing. With accusations of stonewalling, sabotage, and political retribution flying, the dispute has deepened long-standing tensions and raised concerns about how party unity will hold heading into key statewide elections in November.
Richmond school system, bus drivers clash over alleged strike and firing of five employees
Tensions between Richmond Public Schools and the union that represents its bus drivers are at an all-time high after the division fired five drivers earlier this month over what it says was an unlawful strike that led to the cancellation of afterschool activities for thousands of students. Chris Hollins, the assistant business manager with LiUNA Local 804, on Sunday said the union plans to file a lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court over the firings, as well as a federal lawsuit against RPS for infringing on the workers’ freedom of speech and freedom of assembly rights.
Favola: Gutting health care funding will only cost us more
Budgets tell the stark truth about a society’s sense of fairness, justice and economic opportunities. Sixty years ago, Congress enacted the federal-state Medicaid program because too many Americans could not afford to see a doctor when they were sick. This basic need still exists today, but is overshadowed by the desire of the Republican majorities in Congress to provide tax cuts to billionaires and corporations. Make no mistake, there are enormous human and societal costs associated with denying individuals essential health care.
Richmond school bus drivers fired after speaking about overtime pay
A union says Richmond Public Schools fired five bus drivers after speaking up about overtime pay at a school board meeting. But the district says the firings came after an unlawful strike. It's the latest in a multiyear controversy over whether RPS bus drivers are being paid overtime for hours they haven't worked, which an audit found last year has cost the district about $150,000 per month. The school bus drivers' union, LiUNA Local 804, has disputed the allegations.
Virginia Beach council votes to put election system question on November ballot
Voters in Virginia Beach will have the opportunity to cast a vote for the method in which they want to elect their City Council members. Seven of 11 council members voted Tuesday in favor of a charter change referendum on the election system to be placed on the November ballot. The referendum question would ask voters whether they want to keep the current single-member district system or if they support a voting system with some at-large seats on council.
Will politics keep Canadians away from Virginia Beach? The local tourism industry hopes not
With U.S. destinations reporting double-digit drops in Canadian tourists amid political tensions, Virginia Beach is hoping to keep its largest group of international travelers from looking elsewhere. Tuesday, President Donald Trump and Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney met at the White House to try and simmer down tensions between the neighboring countries related to ongoing trade disputes and "51st state" rhetoric from Trump. At least on the U.S. side of things, the fallout has been swift in recent months, with double digit percentage drops in Canadian tourism to many American destinations in protest of U.S. politics.