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Democrats, Republicans fight after Cuccinelli’s UVa appointment blocked in committee vote
Ken Cuccinelli, class of 1991 alumnus and former Virginia Attorney General, will not be confirmed as a member of the University's Board of Visitors — at least according to a Virginia Senate committee, run by Democrats. The Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections Committee voted not to confirm Cuccinelli’s appointment Tuesday on a party line vote, eight to four, with three Republicans absent. The Committee also blocked appointees to the Board of Visitors at other Virginia schools. The Cavalier Daily reached out to Cuccinelli, but he declined to comment. Republicans say that this is not the end of the road for Cuccinelli’s appointment.
Virginia attorney general, top Democrat spar over fate of Youngkin university picks
A dispute over Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s picks for eight university board seats escalated Wednesday as the Virginia attorney general and the Senate majority leader sent dueling letters over whether the appointees can still serve. Senate Majority Leader Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) told university rectors on Monday that the members could no longer be on the boards, effective immediately, after a Senate committee rejected the eight appointments. But in a letter Wednesday to the rectors, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) claimed that Senate Democrats had misled them.
Pa. reaches reciprocity agreement with Virginia for concealed carry permit holders
Virginians who hold a permit to carry a concealed handgun will be able to keep it on their persons or in their cars when visiting Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a reciprocity agreement with Virginia that allows people with Licenses to Carry Firearms to do so in both states.
ICE agents detain people outside Va. immigration court, strong-arm activists filming
Agents with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained as many as 11 men outside an immigration court in Sterling, Virginia, Wednesday. News4 witnessed eight of the men being taken out of the court in handcuffs and shackles, then loaded into a van. Activists with New Virginia Majority say three others were already detained before News4 arrived. ICE agents on the scene did not say why the men were being detained or where they were taking the men.
Reports of imminent ICE raids in Northern Virginia amid military parade, nationwide protests
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to deploy "special response teams" to five Democratic-led cities and regions across the country, including Northern Virginia, MSNBC reported Wednesday. Sources told the cable news channel that teams have also been ordered to Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.
Virginia Vulnerable to Trump’s Proposed Cuts in Emergency Management and Disaster Relief
Virginia was one of several states in the Appalachian region slammed by Hurricane Helene’s rainfall last September. The storm caused the New River to crest at 31 feet a day after it battered the region. In one area of Damascus, homes were lifted up and washed away. A separate storm besieged southwest Virginia in February, knocking out power to 203,000 homes and closing 270 roads. Last month, a 1.5-mile stretch of U.S. Route 58, a major thoroughfare in the road-constrained mountainous region, reopened after getting washed out.
Supervisors mull regional water strategies in joint Hanover-Henrico board meeting
If solutions to this year’s water service problems are going to come through regional collaboration, two of the localities that rely on Richmond’s aging water treatment plant say they need their neighbors to join them at the table. That was one of the messages that came out of a joint meeting of the Hanover and Henrico boards of supervisors, which spent two hours Wednesday discussing potential paths to work with Richmond and Chesterfield on regional solutions to their shared water challenges.
Yancey: 25 places in Southwest Virginia that statewide candidates should see for policy lessons
In Tuesday’s column, I listed how few of the statewide candidates have been to Virginia’s westernmost county — Lee County, a tiny piece of which is closer to nine other state capitals than it is to its own in Richmond. ... There’s a political reason for a candidate to visit Lee County, even a Democrat who won’t find many votes there: The candidate can then claim he or she is prepared to represent all of Virginia. However, there are many places in Southwest Virginia that a candidate should visit to learn things that will come up in policy decisions later on. Since this is 2025, here are 25 of them.
$2.5M in unclaimed money heading to Virginians this week thanks to new law
The state is mailing roughly $2.5 million in unclaimed money to Virginians this week. Some of that money could be yours. The Virginia Department of Treasury's Unclaimed Property Division is doling out checks for everything from funds in lost or misplaced bank accounts and unpaid wages to uncashed checks, utility deposits, refunds or insurance policy proceeds. The department has always collected and held this money for residents, but previously, one had to file a claim with the state to get it back. Under a new law, Virginia is automatically returning the money to its "rightful owners."
Norfolk School Board terminates Superintendent Byrdsong’s contract effective immediately
The Norfolk School Board has voted to terminate the contract of Superintendent Sharon I. Byrdsong, effective immediately. The contract was terminated without cause, according to the motion. The School Board made the decision after emerging from a closed session. Byrdsong was appointed superintendent of Norfolk schools in February 2020. She has worked with the Norfolk Public Schools for over 20 years. ... A large crowd of citizens was on hand for the vote, with many chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, it’s the School Board that must go” as they exited following the vote.