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Miyares’ office green lights agreement preventing state from enforcing parts of state ban on conversion therapy
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is siding with two Virginia counselors. Miyares’ office agreed to what’s called a consent decree to settle a lawsuit filed by John and Janet Raymond — two counselors who said Virginia’s ban on conversion therapy for minors violated their free speech and religious rights. The decree will prevent the state from disciplining counselors who engage in conversation “talk therapy” with LGBTQ youth.
Court partly reverses Va. ban on efforts to change minors' sexual orientation
Virginia’s state law that bans medical professionals from practicing conversion therapy — seeking to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity — on minors is no longer fully in effect. A Henrico County judge entered an order that permanently prohibits the state from enforcing parts of the 2020 law that apply to talk therapy. Other means of conversion therapy, such as electric shock and nausea-inducing drugs, are still banned.
SC GOP taps Virginia governor to headline Silver Elephant Gala fundraiser
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will keynote the South Carolina GOP’s annual fundraising gala, the state Republican Party announced Tuesday. Youngkin’s election in November 2021 gave Republicans nationwide a morale boost after Democrats won the presidency while gaining control of the U.S. Senate a year earlier.
New Cardinal Care Managed Care program to serve Virginians with Medicaid
The new Cardinal Care Managed Care program, intended to assist 1.4 million Virginians, was announced by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services Tuesday. The program will serve those in the Commonwealth for Medicaid starting July 1 by prioritizing member-centered care that meets the diverse needs of Medicaid members while enhancing care and support.
Judge overturns Charlottesville 'upzoning'
The city of Charlottesville lost a major battle Monday in its fight to preserve a recent citywide rezoning after its two-man legal team forgot to make a timely filing — a mistake that led a judge to issue a default ruling against the city. Charlottesville Circuit Judge Claude Worrell said he would enjoin the city from enforcing the new zoning ordinance that would have allowed greater density in construction across the city. "Oh, geez," exclaimed City Councilor Lloyd Snook, a backer of the new zoning ordinance, when The Daily Progress informed him of the ruling. "They didn't even ask for an injunction."
After thumbs down from commission, developer withdraws, plans to refile 700-acre Chesterfield data center proposal
Following a negative review by the Chesterfield Planning Commission, the company behind a proposed data center campus has withdrawn the project, with plans to come up with a new approach. Denver-based development firm Tract on Tuesday pulled its zoning application that would have set the stage for a data center park on 744 acres at 16100 Branders Bridge Road. But the company isn’t giving up on the project entirely.
Audit of Richmond’s fuel program reveals at least $44,000 in ‘questionable transactions’
At least $44,000 in Richmond taxpayer money was spent on “questionable transactions” through the city’s employee fleet fuel program, an audit revealed, which also uncovered inconsistent oversight and inadequate policies and procedures. On Tuesday, July 1, the Office of the City Auditor (OCA) released a 42-page audit of the fleet fuel program, which comes a week after it released a separate audit in late June of the city’s employee purchasing card program, which also found similar issues in oversight.
‘Fight the Flood’ program pairs Middle Peninsula property owners with flooding solutions
Lewie Lawrence hears the same thing over and over from people living along Virginia’s rural Middle Peninsula: They have issues with flooding, but don’t know where to turn for help. People say, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to pay for this, and nobody will call me back,” said Lawrence, a lifelong resident of the area and outgoing head of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission. “That is a constant and consistent theme.” That’s where the organization’s Fight the Flood program comes in.
FBI headquarters will remain in Washington, but at newer digs
After more than a decade of haggling over efforts to move the FBI’s headquarters to the Washington suburbs, federal officials announced Tuesday it will remain in Washington, but at a newer location. The bureau’s thousands of agents who now work in the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue will move up the street, literally, to the more recently constructed Ronald Reagan Building. The announcement angered lawmakers in Virginia and Maryland, who had been working for years to lure the FBI to the suburbs, which would bring new revenue, more than 7,500 jobs and an economic boost from a newly constructed headquarters.
The Unexpected Trump Target: As the University of Virginia’s president is forced out, the campus is reeling.
On Saturday, scores of students, faculty and staff members, and local residents joined James E. Ryan, president of the University of Virginia, for what could be the very last “Run With Jim.” Only this time, it was branded as a “Run for Jim.” Ryan, whose compelled resignation under pressure from the Department of Justice startled the higher-ed sector last week, had made recurring group jogs around campus his trademark. They helped cement his reputation among some as a president-of-the-people after taking office in 2018. Nearly seven years later, at the abrupt and emotional end of his presidency, Ryan addressed some of those people.