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Meet the two Democrats running in the primary for Virginia Attorney General
In Virginia’s attorney general race, Democratic voters have two candidates to choose from, former state Del. Jay Jones, in his second primary bid for the role, and longtime Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor. Virginia has an election every year, and this is a big one: this fall, voters will pick the next occupants of the three statewide offices — governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general — as well as all 100 seats in the House of Delegates.
Youngkin signs bills designed to improve foster care in Va.
Chesapeake resident Katie Jones knows all too well that in the past, Virginia’s foster care system hasn’t always worked like it’s supposed to. “I absolutely did not get what I needed as a child. No foster kid does,” Jones told 8News. That’s why Jones, who aged out of the foster care system several years ago, was on hand in Richmond on Thursday to witness Governor Glenn Youngkin sign two bills to improve Virginia’s foster care system.
Charlottesville teachers demand UVa turn down Federal Executive Institute
It's town versus gown. Things got off to a rocky start when the University of Virginia was founded in 1819. But for the better part of the past century, UVa and the city of Charlottesville have enjoyed a civil relationship in the 10-square-mile patch of land in the shadow of university founder Thomas Jefferson's Monticello estate. For decades, city residents have shrugged off grievances over the university's growing appetite for land and development. . . . But some residents have reached a breaking point.
Friday Read ‘There’s no way this is actually what I think it is’: Marine vet finds WWII-era mortar in Virginia backyard
In central Virginia, it’s not uncommon to unearth relics from Civil War battles. But finding a 50mm French mortar dating to World War II hidden in your backyard is something else entirely. That’s what happened to Hunter Vap, a Marine veteran and resident of Orange, Virginia. After a midnight encounter with an ancient piece of unexploded ordnance, he’d enlist county officials — and ultimately explosives specialists from Marine Corps Base Quantico, about 70 miles away — to safely dispose of it.
Youngkin calls Arlington County Board’s ICE policy a ‘dereliction of duty’
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) condemned the Arlington County Board’s recent move prohibiting local police from cooperating with ICE, calling it a “betrayal.” On Tuesday, the board unanimously voted to take language out of its “Trust Policy,” meaning county law enforcement cannot proactively contact federal immigration authorities about any issue involving undocumented immigrants.
Reforms to VCU Health must wait following Youngkin veto
The effort to restructure the leadership of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System will have to wait another year, after Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed the measure earlier this month. Following the failure of the Clay Street real estate project, in which VCU Health paid $73 million to exit, the governor, legislators and health system leaders all agreed to restructure VCU Health’s board of directors, which requires rewriting state law. . . . But the legislation will not become law, because Youngkin vetoed it, saying it would have unnecessarily shifted power from the governor’s mansion to legislators.
Virginia gubernatorial hopefuls share their housing ideas as commonwealth struggles with supply
Virginia’s housing problems, like the nation’s, date back to the 2008 financial crisis. The influx of homes created a bubble that burst and saw foreclosures at record rates. Developers have been reluctant to ramp up home construction ever since. Only now is the U.S. starting to reach pre-2008 levels of new construction for privately owned housing. Virginia is smack dab in the middle of the national average for such new construction, according to real estate industry trackers Construction Coverage. Their lead data analyst Michael Stromberg said incentives to build lean towards new luxury homes.
Yancey: Federal judge in Roanoke has a new side hustle: Author of a young adult novel.
Like many writers, the author of a new novel that’s set in Virginia has a day job to support his writing habit. In the case of “Charlie-Man,” a young adult novel coming out this summer, the author’s day job is one of the hardest gigs in the country to land: Thomas Cullen is a federal judge. Virginia is no stranger to judges who are also authors. J. Harvie Wilkinson III, who sits on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, has written six books, three of those after he ascended to the bench from the law school faculty at the University of Virginia.
Va. will allow some criminal records to be sealed next year
Next summer, certain people with past convictions will be eligible to apply for their criminal records to be sealed — meaning long-past convictions won’t show up on background checks. This can help people who have been formerly incarcerated and rehabilitated get a fresh start when applying for jobs, loans or apartments. The process stems from a 2021 law that underwent several years of workshopping before its delayed implementation. ... Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, virtually joined a panel of criminal justice experts Wednesday in Richmond to discuss the law’s evolution and the journey for beneficiaries that lies ahead.
Commonwealth’s attorney revokes Norfolk city attorney’s authority to prosecute shoplifting charges
While Norfolk City Council made good on Mayor Kenny Alexander’s pledge during his State of the City address to allow the city attorney to prosecute shoplifting cases, Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi quickly nixed the plan, revoking the city attorney’s authority to do so. Fatehi sent a letter to City Attorney Bernard Pishko Wednesday saying he planned to revoke Pishko’s ability to prosecute criminal cases in Norfolk Circuit Court as of 5 p.m. Friday, and put into place added oversight of General District Court charges being pursued there.