Search
GOP actions in the states, including Virginia, put contraceptive access in the 2024 spotlight
Republican lawmakers in states across the U.S. have been rejecting Democrats’ efforts to protect or expand access to birth control, an issue Democrats are promoting as a major issue in this year’s elections along with abortion and other reproductive rights concerns. Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, pushed the issue into the political spotlight this week when he said in an interview that he was open to supporting restrictions on contraception before he reversed course and said he “has never and never will” advocate to restrict access to birth control.
Henrico County-based Altria seeks approval for lockable e-cigarette and flavored vaping pods
Henrico County-based tobacco giant Altria Group‘s vaping unit is asking federal regulators to let it sell a device that locks out users unless they can verify that they are old enough to legally use it. At the same time, Altria’s NJOY unit is asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve watermelon- and blueberry-flavored nicotine vaping pods. The FDA does not currently allow fruit- or candy-flavored vapes.
An ACLU lawyer defended racists’ free speech rights. Now she’s running for Congress
After growing up learning about the Civil Rights Movement and the importance of people being free to advocate for their beliefs, Leslie Mehta says providing legal help to the racist organizers of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville was one of the hardest things she’s done as an attorney. Mehta, who’s now running for Congress in Virginia as a Democrat, was serving as legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia seven years ago when the chapter made a controversial decision to represent rally organizer Jason Kessler in litigation against Charlottesville officials.
Classes end for final time at two Franklin County schools
The classrooms of Burnt Chimney and Henry elementary schools emptied for the final time on Wednesday. Teachers waved goodbye to students as they loaded onto buses and vehicles, marking the end of an era for these communities. The Franklin County School Board voted to close the schools in February due to the financial strain of less state money due to dropping enrollment.
Hung Cao, hopeful to represent GOP against Kaine, calls Staunton area ‘podunk’
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Hung Cao again failed to address critical questions about spending by the Unleash America super PAC when asked by a conservative talk show host on Tuesday, May 21. But he did continue his attacks on the story that prompted critiques from members of his own party. Instead of explaining why the money raised by the super PAC did not go to Virginia Republican candidates for state office in 2023, Cao again called the report that prompted the allegations a “hit job” and referred to the Staunton News Leader, which reported the story, as a “podunk local newspaper” on an episode of the Alec Lace show Tuesday.
Kiggans says the ads are a lie. Democrats say her voting record tells a different story
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-VA02, is defending herself against attacks accusing her of voting for legislation that could potentially cut funding for veterans’ services. A former Navy pilot and nurse practitioner, Kiggans represents the Hampton Roads region in Congress, where a large portion of the population is active-duty military personnel. Vote Vets, a group that says they elevate the voices of veterans and military families through progressive legislative policies and electoral endorsements that impact the lives of active service members and veterans, is calling out Kiggans for her comments defending herself in a recent video.
The decision to close schools usually comes down to money. But the experience is far more emotional.
When people ask what will happen to the decades of yearbooks, trophies and other memorabilia inside Henry Elementary School when it closes this summer, Tiffany Herman doesn’t have answers. The PTO secretary and her fellow board members are first working on allocating the remaining money the organization raised for the school before it has to dissolve its nonprofit status. But her biggest concern right now is trying to get her younger daughter excited about going to fourth grade at a new school. … Henry Elementary is one of two schools completing their final academic years on Wednesday in Franklin County, one of several school divisions in Southwest and Central Virginia facing ongoing declining enrollment and the funding challenges that often accompany it.
Va. lawmakers provide money to keep child advocacy centers open amid declining federal funding
The state budget recently signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin includes funding for child advocacy centers. “I’m always worried that funding’s gonna get cut from those programs,” said Randy Bonds, captain of support services at the Christiansburg Police Department. He and his team investigate dozens of cases of suspected child abuse every year and rely on CAC’s to help interview children. “All of our training is basically geared toward interviewing a suspect,” Bonds explained. “And it’s a complete different mindset to interview a 5-year-old child, as you can imagine.”
Williams: On civil rights, policies must outweigh political platitudes
As Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke at the historic site of a student walkout on the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, his earnest persona belied a public policy hostile to what those equity-seeking students stood for. “And what a day it is. It started right here in Farmville — an extraordinary demonstration of courage and bravery by Barbara Johns and her classmates,” he said in a social media post from the Moton Museum, a former all-Black school that lacked a cafeteria or gym and relieved its overcrowding by placing students in tar-paper shacks.
Protesters urge Newport News school board to reverse policies for transgender students
Back in late 2023, Newport News superintendent Dr. Michele Mitchell, changed procedures of transgender students to align with Governor Youngkin’s model policy. She did this without a vote from the school board. On Tuesday, a large group rallied outside the school board meeting to ask the board to reverse the procedures that were put in place. They are also fighting for a policy to be passed that allows the school board to vote on procedures, instead of the superintendent putting the procedure in place by themselves.