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City of Richmond says nixed FEMA grant would not have prevented water outage
A second service disruption to Richmond’s water utility this year has resurfaced questions about the recent cancellation of a $12 million FEMA grant intended to reinforce the city’s water treatment plant. While a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Public Utilities said the scope of the work described in a 2023 grant announcement had nothing to do with the problems this week, it’s unlikely to cool flaring tempers after repeated boil water advisories and potential rate increases for repairs.
After contributions to Virginia, international students face uncertainty due to Trump’s visa changes
Virginia’s colleges and universities could lose millions of dollars and thousands of jobs after the federal government froze international student visa interviews on Tuesday, mounted efforts to require all foreign students to undergo social media vetting and announced plans to “aggressively revoke” Chinese students’ visas. The actions, spearheaded by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the behest of President Donald Trump’s administration, are likely to disrupt international students considering attending any of the schools in the commonwealth. Over 21,000 international students were enrolled at Virginia colleges and universities in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to the National Association of Foreign Advisors’ Association of International Educators.
Griffith discusses proposed spending cuts, Medicaid impacts
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith this week discussed cuts proposed through work by the Department of Government Efficiency and aspects of the budget bill related to health care, during a visit to the Twin City. Since President Trump established the DOGE agency in January it has reported finding $175 billion of what it terms wasteful government spending, fraud or corruption.
Trump signs tire plant legislation from Virginia Congressman Morgan Griffith
Congressman Morgan Griffith is celebrating a win for the rubber tire manufacturing businesses in Virginia. Environmentalists are worried about the consequences. Virginia has more than 3,000 employees who work in the rubber tire manufacturing business. That’s according to Census records. It’s also why a Biden-era rule requiring these businesses to install new equipment to reduce emissions was such a concern to Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith, who says the industry calculates fabricating and installing these new devices will cost more than $100 million nationwide.
Former Venezuelan congressman joins race to succeed Rep. Gerry Connolly
The race to find a replacement for the late Rep. Gerry Connolly has added another contender. Leopoldo Martínez, a lawyer who once served in Venezuela’s National Assembly, launched a campaign today (Thursday) for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, where he’ll compete for the Democratic nomination in an increasingly crowded field.
Virginia House District 62 primary candidates square off in GOP political forum
Republicans and potential independent voters in Virginia House District 62 had a forum Thursday night in Unionville giving voters in the June 17 primary election a chance to hear the views of the two candidates. Madison County farmer, small-business owner, and Board of Supervisor Chair R. Clay Jackson, 41, – a 12-year BOS veteran with 10 years of experience as chair – and Orange County businesswoman and homeschool mom Karen Hamilton squared off answering submitted questions.
Friday Read These Founding Fathers Were Frenemies. Maybe We Can Learn Something.
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello is one of the most beloved sites in America, drawing more than 300,000 visitors a year up a steep mountain road to enjoy majestic views of the Virginia Piedmont and house tours that can feel like stepping into its creator’s complicated mind. But in 1775, it was a muddy construction site — and, as a guide told a tour group gathered on its front portico on a recent morning, a pretty good metaphor for the not-quite-born United States itself. “Things were just getting started, and they weren’t going great,” the guide said.
As Virginia police reforms take hold, decertifications jump
Decertifications of Virginia law enforcement officers have jumped fourfold annually since 2020, when lawmakers passed reforms during a push for police accountability, according to a data analysis by the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO and MuckRock. The dramatic jump in decertifications – once an exceptionally rare punishment – has both advocates for police reform and law enforcement officers saying the new regulations have made a difference. Five years after the murder of George Floyd energized national change for police accountability, Virginia lawmakers and advocates agree that further reforms are ahead.
Advocates say contraception initiative for low-income women will be lifeline with federal government cuts looming
A state-funded initiative that provides free contraception to low-income Virginians is reducing unintended pregnancies across the state, according to a new report delivered to the General Assembly. This report comes as Republicans in Virginia have opposed codifying the right to access contraception in recent years. The Virginia Contraceptive Access Initiative, or CAI, launched as a pilot in 2018 and expanded in 2020. About 95% of women served are between 15 to 44 years of age and 60% of women served are 100% at or below the federal poverty level, which is $25,820 for a family of three, according to VDH.
Howard: There is fraud and abuse in Medicaid, but it won’t cover $700 billion
To preserve tax cuts for the richest Americans, Republicans plan to add almost $3 trillion to the national debt and make deep cuts to a wide range of government programs. Medicaid is a prime target. As much as Republicans claim that these reductions will simply minimize waste, fraud and abuse, it is impossible to make sizable cuts to Medicaid without hurting thousands and thousands of Virginians. Let’s do a little math. The GOP budget would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $700 billion over the next decade. Virginia’s share of that would be at least $2 billion. Could Virginia find $200 million dollars a year in Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse for 10 years in a row? No.