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Emails show school board splits and dysfunction led to Norfolk superintendent’s firing
When the Norfolk School Board abruptly fired Superintendent Sharon I. Byrdsong last month, it was the final act in a years-long campaign against her by a faction of the board that opposed her even before she was considered for the position. In February 2020, the board voted 4-3 to hire Byrdsong after scrapping the search process to consider her. At the time, she was serving as interim superintendent. . . . The board divisions continued over the years, reaching a conclusion on June 11 when a last-minute resolution to the agenda was added during a meeting to terminate Byrdsong without cause.
Trump administration's freeze of education money could cost Loudoun schools $700K
The Trump administration is withholding nearly $7 billion in education money allocated by Congress, including about $700,000 slated for Loudoun County Public Schools. The money is for the Title III program, a U.S. Department of Education initiative to help low-income students. At LCPS, the money is primarily used to assist English Learner students. Of the approximately 82,000 LCPS students, nearly 12,000 — about 14% — are EL students. LCPS has an approximately $2 billion annual budget, and school division spokesman Dan Adams said in an email that if the money remains frozen, the costs would be paid through the division's operating fund.
Former Hopewell city manager sues city over firing
Former Hopewell City Manager Dr. Concetta Manker has filed a multi-million-dollar federal lawsuit against the city and four councilors for wrongful termination, saying she was let go May 1 over deliberate acts of racial discrimination and conflicts of interest by the White majority on council. The lawsuit, filed July 3 in U.S. District Court in Richmond, specifically calls out Mayor Johnny Partin Jr., Vice Mayor Rita Joyner, Ward 4 Councilor Ronnie Ellis and Ward 5 Councilor Susan Daye.
Virginia children thrive when their fathers show up, study finds
Children in Virginia are more likely to excel in school and avoid depression when their fathers are present and engaged, a new study shows. Approximately one in four children in Virginia live without their biological fathers, according to “Good Fathers, Flourishing Kids: The Importance of Fatherhood in Virginia,” a comprehensive study conducted by scholars from the University of Virginia, the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, and other research groups.
Hampton Roads teams deploy to Texas to help with rescue, relief efforts after devastating floods
A Virginia Beach water rescue team and two Hampton Roads charitable organizations are among the local groups heading to Central Texas to assist with rescue and relief efforts after flash floods claimed more than 100 lives. Eight members of the Virginia Beach Fire Department’s Swift Water Rescue Team left Sunday evening and are expected to arrive Tuesday, said department spokeswoman Barbara Morrison. A similar team from Bristol, Virginia, will join them, Morrison said.
Experts warn hospitals could close, health insurance premiums could jump after Trump signs big beautiful bill
Virginia’s hospitals are sounding the alarm after President Donald Trump signed his big beautiful bill into law. “The Senate did a couple of things that, at full implementation, are going to cost hospitals in Virginia more than $2 billion annually based on our projections,” said Julian Walker, vice president of communications at the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. The latest data from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found that about 11.8 million people could lose their health insurance as a result of cuts made to Medicaid and other programs.
Chesapeake-based Dollar Tree completes sale of Family Dollar stores
Dollar Tree announced on Monday the completion of the sale of its Family Dollar business. The Chesapeake-based company sold the business segment to Brigade and Macellum, two capital management companies, for $1 billion in cash. The net proceeds are estimated to total approximately $800 million.
Could ICE detention funding trickle down to Virginia's closed prisons?
Just over a year ago, Virginia closed four prisons run by the state. Part of President Donald Trump’s budget bill included billions in new funds for detaining those taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And in some places, that’s meant reopening old facilities. “At the end of the day, the federal dollars are there for a reason. And if we have facilities that can go to work, we should make them available,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said when asked if the four prisons Virginia closed last summer should be turned into ICE detention facilities.
State mental health authorities promise investigation, changes after Eastern State patient escapes second time this year
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services said it will conduct an internal investigation and make necessary security changes after a patient at Eastern State Hospital escaped over the weekend. Glenn Large, Jr., 50, escaped by scaling a fence Saturday morning. He was recaptured Sunday by James City County police and taken to jail. It marked the second time Large was unaccounted for this year.
Attorney Andrew Lucchetti jumps into race against Wittman
Andrew Lucchetti, a civil rights lawyer who lives in Mechanicsville and practices law in western Henrico County, is the third Democrat to declare a bid to take on Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, in congressional midterm elections next year. Lucchetti, 49, said he’s not daunted by Wittman, an 18-year Republican incumbent who has won 10 general elections by double digits. After all, he’s faced down a tougher opponent: himself. “My bad days made me who I am,” Lucchetti says in a video launching his campaign on Tuesday morning.