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McCreash: State lawmakers took away my second chance
In 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed a historic record sealing law set to take effect July 1. When I joined the Virginia Expungement Council in 2022, I was ecstatic to learn of this law, which gave me hope for a second chance. It was a promise to millions of Virginians such as me — an opportunity to wipe the slate clean after years of hardship and setbacks. After a decade of struggle, I believed that, at last, I could provide for my family, volunteer at my kids’ school, work towards my dream of becoming a math/statistics teacher, and move forward from a traumatic chapter in our lives. But in March, lawmakers shattered that hope.
No fooling the public about federal spending bill’s ugly effects
For years, Republican officials such as U.S. Reps. Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans shouted themselves hoarse about the mounting national debt, worrying it would saddle future generations with the decisions of today. Elect us, they said, and we’ll get it under control. More recently, Wittman and Kiggans were among those GOP lawmakers who stood against legislation that made cuts to Medicaid. Kiggans was also among a handful who argued against the folly of ending clean energy tax credits that would directly affect jobs and opportunity here in Hampton Roads. Now the public knows better. Last week, both Wittman and Kiggans joined with all but two Republicans to pass the embarrassingly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act ...
Richmond police cut off federal access to license plate readers
The Richmond Police Department cut off access to federal agencies seeking to use their license plate readers, the department announced Tuesday. “Moving forward, no federal agencies will have access to our license plate reader program,” said Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards. “This tool is vital to solving serious crimes in our city, and we will ensure it is used lawfully, responsibly, and in alignment with Richmond’s values.”
Town Council votes to ban data centers from Warrenton
Warrenton's leaders have officially pushed the reset button on data centers. Just seven months after the citizens of Warrenton elected new council members opposed to the controversial developments, the Warrenton Town Council voted unanimously in favor of a zoning change that essentially erases data centers from the town code. . . . The move is just the latest attempt to turn the page on the special use permit the town council approved in February 2023 for the Amazon data center slated for Blackwell Road in Warrenton —a move which pulled the town into several lawsuits and cost some council members their seats.
Richmond has spent at least $6.7 million on water crisis
January’s water crisis is estimated to have cost the city of Richmond at least $6.7 million, according to a memo provided to Richmond City Council in late June. From Jan. 6 to Jan. 11, a widespread water crisis left residents and businesses throughout Richmond — as well as Henrico, Hanover and Goochland counties — with little to no water. In the wake of this event, both city leaders and regulatory agencies have been looking into how to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.
Trump’s megabill slashes wind energy incentives, but Dominion’s Virginia Beach project spared
A late addition to President Donald Trump’s signature policy bill means Dominion Energy’s Virginia Beach wind farm will not be at risk of losing federal tax credits. The bill, which Trump signed into law Friday, slashes many of the solar and wind energy incentives enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act by former President Joe Biden and others. The bill quickly phases out clean energy tax credits for wind and solar projects. Now, projects that are not operational by 2027 will lose out on the tax credits.
Yancey: Two Virginia districts would be good targets for Musk’s new party, but what he really needs is ranked choice voting
Elon Musk wants to start a new political party. Good luck with that, pal. I will hardly be the first to point out the difficulties in that. While we’ve occasionally had third parties pop up around a galvanizing figure — Theodore Roosevelt and the Bull Moose Party in 1912, George Wallace and the American Independent Party in 1968, Ross Perot and the Reform Party in 1992 and 1996 — none have lasted in any serious form.
Registrar rejected original petitions by Roanoke County School Board candidate
The Roanoke County registrar rejected election registration materials submitted by a longtime county school board member in May, citing “major defects” in his petition pages. Tim Greenway, current member of the Roanoke County School Board, first submitted his petition pages to get on the ballot on May 24. School board candidates must submit a petition signed by 125 qualified voters to be eligible for election.
Virginia politicians look outside the state for political punching bags
Republicans running for statewide office in Virginia have a couple of surefire ways to rile up crowds at campaign stops: mention New York City’s mayoral race or Maryland’s budget woes. “New York … has nominated a socialist!” GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears thundered last week at a rally in Vienna, drawing a cascade of boos directed at New York Democrat Zohran Mamdani. . . . Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger has her own guaranteed crowd-riler: Washington, particularly Republicans’ cuts to Medicaid and other social relief programs. “We reject much of what we see coming out of Washington, D.C.,” Spanberger told a crowd last week in Lynchburg, turning the cheers to boos when she mentioned Republicans’ “terrible, terrible MAGA [budget] bill” that she said would lead to Virginia hospitals closing down.
Youngkin marks early success on regulatory reform, sets new goal for 35% reduction
Sweat beaded on foreheads inside the sweltering warehouse of 84 Lumber on Richmond’s Southside Tuesday, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin appeared unfazed by the heat as he declared victory on one of his administration’s signature promises — slashing red tape across Virginia’s government by 25%. “The heart of the day is recognizing that when we reduce the burdens of excess regulations on businesses in Virginia, businesses come, businesses thrive, businesses grow,” Youngkin said to applause. . . . The benchmark, established in Executive Order 19 during his first year in office, set in motion a sweeping review of every agency’s rules, guidance documents, and permitting practices — an effort that culminated in the streamlining or repeal of nearly 89,000 regulatory requirements and the elimination of 11.5 million words from official documents, according to state officials.