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Wiegard: Virginia needs Congress to protect clean energy efforts
The U.S. House recently passed a budget bill that includes the near total repeal of all support for clean energy. For Virginia, this approach would increase energy costs, increase air pollution, accelerate climate change and decrease economic investments. Federal tax credits — designed to boost clean energy manufacturing in the U.S. — have been getting good results in parts of Virginia. Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, Rep. Jen Kiggans’ district in the Hampton Roads region has seen an estimated 3,000 new jobs, mostly related to offshore wind. Rep. John McGuire’s district in western Virginia has seen more than 5,000 jobs from solar, energy storage and clean tech manufacturing.
Local PBS, NPR stations ponder programming changes if federal money dries up
Roanoke-based Blue Ridge PBS has faced challenges before. When state budget cuts in 2013 led to the shutdown of broadcast towers in Marion and Norton, the station faced a setback to its mission to provide Central, Southside and Southwest Virginia with educational and cultural programming. Ten years later, PBS returned to Southwest Virginia with the launch of PBS Appalachia, which has its studio at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Bristol and is breaking new ground as a network station that uses an all-digital format rather than traditional over-the-air television signals. Now Blue Ridge PBS and other public media around the U.S. face a new challenge: Congress is considering a bill to cut federal funding to PBS, NPR and local public broadcasting stations.
U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs Virginia’s bid to scuttle felon voting ban challenge
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear Virginia's bid to scuttle a lawsuit challenging an 1869 state constitutional provision that imposes a lifetime voting ban on convicted felons, one of the toughest restrictions in the United States. The justices turned away an appeal by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, of a lower court's ruling that let the lawsuit led by two would-be voters in the state with felony records proceed.
Youngkin orders National Guard sexual offense ombudsman
The Virginia National Guard and the Virginia Defense Force will get an ombudsman to assist servicemembers who’ve complained of sexual assault, sexual harassment or retaliation, Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered Friday. The executive order comes after he vetoed legislation this year that would have created a Sexual Offense Prevention and Response Officer within the state’s Department of Military Affairs. The officer was to serve as an advocate for victims, including authority to issue a protective order on behalf of a victim.
Suffolk speed camera case heard by appeals panel
A three-judge panel will decide in the next several weeks if a case challenging work and school zone speed cameras was properly dismissed by a lower court, or if it deserves a full hearing. Monday, the Virginia Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case of Curtis Lytle v. City of Suffolk. Lytle sued the city in 2024 over issue with speed cameras used by the city. He was issued $100 fine by a camera in a work zone and sent the ticket by a third-party vendor. He alleges the city is not following state law by not using the Virginia uniform summons and the local court system for speeding tickets.
VPAP Visual Lieutenant Governor Primary Night Timeline
For a few minutes on election night, Sen. Aaron Rouse took the lead in the closely contested Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. Sen. Ghazala Hashmi and former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney had been in the lead at the start of the night, but the reporting of a large number of ballots from Rouse's hometown of Virginia Beach around 9:30 p.m. briefly put him in first place. This pattern quickly reversed as more ballots came in from Northern Virginia and across the state, leading to a narrow victory for Hashmi out of the three frontrunners. See how the election night results played out minute by minute and where ballots were reported throughout the night on the map and timeline in VPAP's latest visual.
Congressman Don Beyer will seek reelection
Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) has announced that he is seeking reelection as U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Alexandria. Beyer, who turned 75 on June 20, has been reelected five times to represent the district, serving since January 2015.
Spanberger bus tour visits Roanoke as election season heats up
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger parked her campaign bus in Roanoke on Monday evening and offered her party’s ticket for state offices as a safeguard against “chaos coming out of Washington.” “We turn on the news and it's one difficult story after next,” Spanberger said. “We have to let it fuel us. We have to say, ‘I do not accept what I am seeing, and therefore I will work to change it.’” Spanberger, a former CIA officer and a U.S. representative for Virginia from 2019 until her run for governor, spoke to a crowd of supporters in the Virginia Museum of Transportation rail yard.
U.S. Supreme Court turns away Virginia’s appeal in felon voting ban lawsuit
The Supreme Court turned away Virginia’s appeal on Monday that sought to quash a challenge to the state’s lifetime voting ban for people convicted of felonies, allowing the lawsuit to move ahead toward trial. Two disenfranchised voters claim the ban violates the Virginia Readmission Act, a federal law that set conditions for Virginia to regain congressional representation following the Civil War.
Jon Lucci kicks off House of Delegates campaign
Democratic nominee for the Virginia House of Delegates 32nd District seat Jonathan Lucci began his first-ever political campaign with an event at Winchester Brew Works in Winchester last week. During the event, Lucci introduced those in attendance to his story, proposed solutions to issues in education and healthcare, and discussed how he will try and win in November. ... Lucci is challenging incumbent Republican Del. Bill Wiley of Frederick County for the seat.