Search
After Spanberger: 7th District Dems run local race in national spotlight
National Republicans are taking a keen interest in the Democratic primary in Northern Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, but their primary focus has been on one candidate — Eugene Vindman. He is a political newcomer with a familiar face because of the public role that he and his twin brother, Alexander, played in the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump.
VCU shoots down racial literacy requirement
Virginia Commonwealth University will not impose a racial literacy class requirement on students, its board voted Friday, the most contentious action the board has taken in years as the panel considered a significantly political issue. The board voted 10-5 to reject the mandate, as members in the majority said they opposed adding extra requirements for graduation. It was a defeat for members of the faculty, who developed their plan over a four-year time period, gaining support from academic committees and offices.
VCU raises cost of tuition by 2.7%
Virginia Commonwealth University’s board of visitors on Friday unanimously approved a 2.7% increase to the price of tuition, as the university strives to pay for new costs and invest in the school’s educational offerings. In the fall, the cost of tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate student will rise $350 to $16,720. A year of room and board costs $14,000. The price for out-of-state students will rise about $1,000 to roughly $54,000 for tuition, fees, room and board.
$3 billion data center project proposed for Powhatan
A California developer wants to bring Virginia’s data center boom to new territory: Powhatan County, on an undeveloped 119.9-acre tract abutting the Chesterfield County line north of U.S. Route 60. Ultimately, the project would mean a $1.5 billion investment in buildings and other improvements as well as about $1.5 billion in equipment, said Roxanne Salerno, Powhatan’s economic development manager.
Facilities run by Virginia’s behavioral health agency don’t comply with parts of disability rights law, audit finds
Unannounced inspections of the 12 facilities run by Virginia’s behavioral health agency last July found many Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance issues, per a new audit, including that most had inaccessible restrooms and paths from parking areas. The office of Virginia’s inspector general looked into whether the state-operated facilities overseen by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) complied with some requirements of the federal law prohibiting discrimination based on disability.
Port of Virginia details major expansion projects, including becoming deepest port on East Coast
The Port of Virginia plans to complete a number of massive infrastructure projects by mid-2027, including becoming the East Coast’s deepest port by August 2025, said Stephen Edwards, the Virginia Port Authority’s CEO and executive director. Speaking Thursday at the State of the Port event in Virginia Beach, Edwards said the $1.4 billion in infrastructure projects come as port officials look to do more business with regions such as the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. “The Port of Virginia is ready to capitalize on this opportunity that favors East Coast ports over West Coast ports,” Edwards said.
Yancey: 37 years ago, one of the Republican Senate candidates tried to run in Roanoke. Here’s what happened.
None of the five candidates seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to run against Democrat Tim Kaine have ever held public office. In some quarters, that’s considered a plus. Some of them, though, have tried. One of them has tried more than any other. In 2010, Virginia Beach attorney Chuck Smith ran for the U.S. House of Representatives against Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, in the 3rd District but lost, as Republicans typically do in that strongly Democratic district. In 2012, Smith ran for the Kempsville district seat on the Virginia Beach City Council, but finished fourth out of a field of four candidates. In 2017, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for attorney general but failed to qualify for the ballot. In 2021, Smith did far, far better ...
New regional group wants to push Hampton Roads forward without drag of bureaucracy
Bryan Stephens wants Hampton Roads to be the envy of its peers. But where other mid-sized Southern metros have succeeded, growing and drawing business, Hampton Roads often struggles. Stephens, who’s led the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce for the last decade, has seen the underpinnings that make the economies of those other regions hum. Hampton Roads leaders are now trying something new to push the region forward based on models that have worked elsewhere — a semi-formal group to turn conversations into action, without the bureaucracy, called the Regional Organizations Presidents’ Council.
Inside the Port of Virginia’s $450 million plan to lead in era of super-sized ocean containerships
The Port of Virginia is on track to become the functionally widest and deepest port on the U.S. East Coast by early 2025, as massive ocean containerships upend the economics of port terminals. Norfolk Harbor will be the only waterway channel on the East Coast with Congressional authorization for 55-foot depth from end to end and side to side. While there are channels on the East Coast that are wider than the Port of Virginia, they are not uniformly deep from end to end and side to side, regardless of tide. A $450 million dredging project at the Port of Virginia, which began in 2019, completed its widening measures in March, allowing two ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) to pass each other at the same time.
A Week After Mountain Valley Pipeline Burst, Builder Says Testing Works
A week after a section of the Mountain Valley Pipeline ruptured during testing, its builder says the failure shows the testing is working as designed and intended. Part of the pipe burst on May 1 at Bent Mountain in Roanoke County, Virginia, releasing an unknown quantity of municipal water used to pressure test the line. Initially, the only way the public knew about the incident was because a landowner reported the sediment-laden water had inundated her property to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality.