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Drakes: School nurses could be the cure to chronic absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism in K-12 schools is at an all-time high in Virginia as the public education system continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronic absenteeism is defined as students who miss more than 18 days of school, and this number has doubled across the commonwealth since 2019. The Virginia Department of Education has launched a campaign in response to this issue, as gaps in learning have been revealed by the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) test scores.
McElwain: As other states ban abortion, Va. remains a beacon of hope
In a small town in Florida, a half-day drive from Richmond, a woman takes a pregnancy test after realizing her period is a couple of weeks late. If she goes into her nearest Planned Parenthood in Tallahassee to seek an abortion, she may be too late now that Florida’s six-week abortion ban has taken effect. Even if she makes it into the health center prior to the cutoff, she will have to come back again at least 24 hours later due to Florida’s mandatory waiting period. As Florida’s near-total ban on abortion takes effect, our hearts go out to all impacted. In these troubling times, I want to assure those seeking care: Virginia is here for you.
VPAP Visual Governor’s Amendments Adopted
When the General Assembly reconvened this year to consider Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recommendations, it adopted only 53% of his amended bills, a record low since 2006. See how this compares with recent years in VPAP’s latest visual.
Sen. Ghazala Hashmi files paperwork for Virginia lieutenant governor run
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) has filed paperwork for a run for Virginia lieutenant governor. Sen. Hashmi, a two-term state senator, has not formally announced a campaign for lieutenant governor. But the filing with the state she submitted is a needed step to take political donations and begin campaign work. “Senator Hashmi isn’t offering any comments today, but big news is coming soon,” the senator’s office said in a statement Monday.
Locals hold weekly vigils for hostages in Gaza
Until last week, former Richmond resident Hersh Goldberg-Polin had not been seen or heard from since Oct. 7 — the day he was taken hostage by Hamas militants at a music festival in the Israeli village of Re’im. But on Wednesday, Hamas released a video that appears to show Goldberg-Polin alive: a glimmer of hope after talks between Israel and Hamas previously had stalled. Prior footage of his kidnapping shows the badly wounded Goldberg-Polin, then 23, being loaded into the back of a truck alongside other abductees.
Youngkin says no to encampments on Virginia campuses, supports ‘peaceful’ protests
Amid the unrest over actions in the Gaza War, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Sunday that the commonwealth will permit “peaceful” protests, but will not tolerate intimidation and encampments on college campuses. Since Saturday, protestors have been arrested at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg and in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech. During CNN’s “State of the Union” television show on Sunday, Youngkin said that the First Amendment encompasses freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration. Still, he added it does not allow for intimidating Jewish students, preventing them from attending class and using annihilation speech to express deeply antisemitic views.
Amazon’s footprint in Hampton Roads grows
In the past year, Amazon.com continued its march across the commonwealth, announcing plans to build a 650,000-square-foot fulfillment center and a 219,000-square-foot delivery station in Virginia Beach, which are collectively expected to produce more than 1,000 jobs. About 60% the size of the Pentagon, Virginia’s second largest building belongs to Amazon — a 3.8 million-square-foot robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk ...
House Districts 7 and 10 aren’t the only Va. congressional races with contested primaries
With the filing deadline passed and campaigns ramping up on their spending, the June primary race is well underway for federal office in Virginia. All of Virginia's 11 U.S. House of Representatives seats, along with Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Kaine - who occupies one of two U.S. Senate seats in the commonwealth - will be up for election in November. Six U.S. House districts will have contested primary elections on June 18. Kaine does not have a Democratic primary challenger and will not appear on the June ballot.
Virginia congressman warns Metro over its treatment of inspectors general
Monday afternoon, Northern Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly (D – 11th District) warned Metro not to treat its newly named inspector general the same way it has treated previous inspectors general. “The key here is independence,” Connolly said in an interview with 7News on Capitol Hill. “Public safety and reliability of the system absolutely depend on an independent auditor.” The job of Metro’s inspector general is to hold the transit agency accountable on finances and safety-related matters. Last week Metro’s board of directors named Michelle Zamarin to be its fourth inspector general in fewer than eight years. Connolly said he wants to see her treated differently than previous inspectors general ...
Fairfax board eyes lower-than-proposed real estate tax hike amid budget constraints
Real estate taxes will likely go up for Fairfax County homeowners in the coming year, but perhaps not by as much as they could. The Board of Supervisors plans to approve a 3-cent tax rate increase, down from the four cents that was advertised. That will reduce the average tax bill hike from about $524 to just over $450. While additional funding is proposed for affordable housing, public libraries and parks, the county’s fiscal year 2025 budget won’t satisfy Fairfax County Public Schools’ full funding requests or include the pay levels sought by county employees.