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In Hopewell, Youngkin signs bill banning cellphone use in schools
The week began with Memorial Day, but if Gov. Glenn Youngkin had his way, it would have ended with an “independence day” of sorts. “Freedom has been unleashed in the classrooms,” Youngkin proclaimed prior to signing legislation codifying his 2024 executive order prohibiting cellphone usage in public schools. He repeated the word “freedom” several times, noting that without the devices in their hands, students now have the freedom to learn from their teachers and interact with their peers while not being tethered to their phones.
Homeland Security removes ‘sanctuary jurisdiction’ list as Virginia cities and counties push back
The Department of Homeland Security's list of so-called "sanctuary jurisdictions" has disappeared from the agency's website. The list included several localities from Central Virginia. The removal comes as communities pushed back, saying they were incorrectly included on the list. Visitors to the DHS Sanctuary Jurisdictions web page now see an error message stating the page may have been "moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable." The site published Thursday listed more than 500 localities as sanctuary jurisdictions, including the City of Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover counties. DHS defined these as places "obstructing immigration enforcement."
Corneliussen: Fort Monroe is a world landmark, not merely a ‘regional’ one
Even more than Monticello, Fort Monroe on Point Comfort (look right when nearing Hampton on the bridge tunnel) inherently commemorates the world’s first freedom nation’s founding. Thankfully, overdevelopment can’t threaten Monticello. But leaving aside sensible, recently reported plans to repurpose two existing buildings, outright new development — harming spirit of place — has often threatened Fort Monroe since the 2005 announcement of the Army’s 2011 departure. Like Monticello, Point Comfort with Fort Monroe could become a World Heritage Site.
‘No MAGA left behind’: The trouble with Trump’s pardons
A jury convicted Scott Jenkins, the disgraced ex-sheriff of Culpeper County in Virginia, of taking more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for deputizing rich businessmen so they could get out of speeding tickets and carry guns without permits. Two undercover FBI agents who gave him envelopes of cash after he gave them badges testified at his trial. Luckily for Jenkins, he has long been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. On Monday, the day before he was due to report for his 10-year prison sentence, Trump pardoned him.
Feds list localities in Southwest, Southside as ‘sanctuary jurisdictions.’ These Trump-voting places are baffled.
Nearly one dozen Southwest and Southside localities were included on a list published Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security deemed to be “sanctuary jurisdictions.” Many of those localities are considered Republican strongholds that voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. That list included Amherst, Augusta, Brunswick, Charlotte, Halifax and Tazewell counties, along with the cities of Lynchburg and Martinsville — which was erroneously listed twice, as a county and a city — and the towns of Abingdon, Duffield and Tazewell. Abingdon, Tazewell and Duffield — a town with a population of 73 people — were also erroneously identified as “cities.” About 33 localities from across Virginia were included in that list. Update: As of Sunday morning, the list had been removed from the DHS site.
White: U.S. security at sea depends on NOAA
A recent executive order, “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” seeks to “promote national security and economic prosperity” by revamping U.S. shipbuilding capacity and rebuilding domestic maritime industries. It’s worthwhile indeed to have modern vessels and efficient maritime supply chains. But I cannot reconcile this push for robust ocean commerce with the Trump administration’s gutting of our ocean expertise. The U.S. has long had an exceptional understanding of the world ocean — operating on, under and above it with impunity. What is happening at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is devastating.
Chesley: Virginia sheriff’s stance on illegal immigration colors landscape on searches of Latino motorists
Traffic stops and searches of Latino motorists in Loudoun County have increased dramatically the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2024, sparking complaints from activists and some residents. The Sheriff’s Office asserts that deputies are simply patrolling more vigorously where serious crimes, historically, have occurred in the county. “We are not stopping vehicles nor doing searches on the basis of ethnicity,” Tom Julia, spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, said flatly, rejecting allegations of racial profiling. “We completely disagree that it’s targeting of any group.” Julia made convincing arguments.
Yancey: If manufacturing grows, those new jobs probably won’t be where the old ones were. What that means for Va.
Detroit is a real place but also a mythical one. It’s a city that lives in the American imagination as a symbol of the nation’s manufacturing prowess. The name “Detroit” serves as a kind of cultural shorthand — so when President Donald Trump, speaking recently about American automakers making cars in Canada, said, “I’d rather make them in Detroit,” he might have been speaking literally or he might have been speaking metaphorically. For his purposes, he might be just as happy to see those cars built in the actual Detroit, or somewhere else in the United States — both would satisfy his goal of reshoring American manufacturing jobs. Or would it?
Yancey: Gilbert steps down as House Republican leader; Kilgore named to replace him
Virginia House Republicans have made an unusual out-of-cycle leadership change. House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, and Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott County, has been elected to replaced him. Generally, parties elect their legislative leaders after the election, so the timing of this switch is a surprise. It also comes as Gilbert is one of several Republican under consideration to be named the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, the top federal prosecutor in the western half the state, and as both parties head into a fall election where all 100 seats in the House of Delegates will be on the ballot. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 advantage.
Rappahannock cited as ‘Sanctuary Jurisdiction’ by DHS
Rappahannock County found itself last week on a Department of Homeland Security list of 500 sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States that are “deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens”. Reached Sunday, Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie S. Compton said the county should not be on the list, adding she believed the county had been removed. “When we arrest illegal aliens, we take them to RSW [Rappahannock-Shenandoah-Warren Regional Jail in Front Royal], the sheriff wrote in a text message. “The jail notifies ICE, DHS, or the appropriate organizations.”