Search
Candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia responds to super PAC allegations about funds
After months of dodging questions, embattled Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Hung Cao addressed allegations that he misrepresented how money raised by the Unleash America super PAC would be spent. Instead of explaining why the money raised by the super PAC did not go to Virginia Republican candidates for state office in 2023, Cao called the report that prompted the allegations a “hit job” by “the left," on Tuesday's episode of The John Fredericks show, a live conservative radio and TV show.
Virginia Beach marsh terrace project in Back Bay will be the first on East Coast
The marshes of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge provide crucial habitat for local wildlife and help slow down waves that contribute to chronic flooding issues. But over the years, rising waters have started to swamp the marsh. Water pushing in from North Carolina overtakes the wetlands, and sea level rise makes it worse. “It’s just eroding away the existing marshes,” said Kristina Searles, a stormwater engineer with the city of Virginia Beach. … Over the past century, more than 2,000 acres of marsh has been lost to open water at Back Bay, according to Virginia Beach, as well as about 70% of underwater plants. Searles is now managing a massive new city effort to restore about 47 acres of habitat above and below water.
Shenandoah County School Board votes to restore Confederate names of schools
For the first time in United States history, a school district that changed the name of schools that honored Confederate generals, voted to restore the Confederate names years later. The Shenandoah County School Board held a public hearing on May 9 at Peter Muhlenberg Middle School to discuss restoring the names of Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School to Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School. At the hearing, residents voiced their opinions on the school’s current names and whether they agreed with the restoration or were against it.
Metro’s new bus system proposal could eliminate more than 600 stops, rename routes
On Tuesday, the Metro’s board of directors approved a resolution to hold a series of public meetings next month so riders can weigh in on a major proposed overhaul of Metro’s bus routes. For well over a year, Metro leaders have been working on a plan to make major changes to the bus system. This week, Metro has finally put out concrete plans for the changes they are proposing.
General Assembly budget leaders, Youngkin reach compromise
General Assembly budget leaders and Gov. Glenn Youngkin have reached a compromise on the next two-year state budget that would use an additional $525 million in state revenues to pay for Democratic spending priorities — including raises of 3% each year for state employees and teachers — without raising taxes and crossing the Republican governor’s red line for a potential veto. House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, confirmed on Thursday afternoon that assembly budget negotiators had reached a deal with Youngkin that they hope to approve on Monday in a special session that would last one day instead of three.
Veterans rally the troops, state leaders in support of education benefits
When this year’s high school seniors started applying for scholarships, Stuart McFaden told his son, Riley, he didn’t have to worry about finances. “I paid your bill with my body, my sacrifice, my mind,” said McFaden, a Spotsylvania County veteran who served 20 years in the Marine Corps. “I told him to save those scholarships for other kids who could use the leg up.” ... McFaden and other veterans statewide recently discovered language in the state budget bill that would lessen VMSDEP’s benefits. Instead of covering the full costs, the program would become a last payer, used only after students have exhausted other local, state and federal funding.
Dominion Energy delays construction for offshore wind farm, says lawsuit won’t affect timeline
Dominion Energy delayed installation of the first batch of offshore wind turbine bases for its Virginia Beach wind farm, but a spokesperson said an ongoing lawsuit will have no impact on the construction timeline. Installation of the wind turbine monopiles, expected to begin this week, could get underway as soon as next week, said Dominion spokesperson Jeremy Slayton. He said a slight delay in the arrival of an installation support vessel pushed back the start date. However, Slayton said the Orion, the large ship which will transport and install the monopiles, is ready to go after a bit of required maintenance.
Friday Read A beloved alley cat now lives in the Watergate. Was she kidnapped or rescued?
The cat worked the not-so-mean streets of Foggy Bottom, earning her keep by playing bad cop with the rats. She kept a quiet, almost monkish life, at first. She dozed on sunlit stoops, her black fur shimmering like polished obsidian. She scaled fences that allowed her a prison guard’s view of Snows Court, a historic alley with brick sidewalks and narrow rowhouses. She slept in a boxy shelter on a neighbor’s lawn. She arrived in Snows Court in the summer of 2021, courtesy of the Blue Collar Cat program run by D.C.’s Humane Rescue Alliance. She was named Kitty Snows, after her new home, where she belonged to everyone and no one.
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.
Shenandoah County School Board votes to restore Confederate names to two schools
School board members in Virginia’s Shenandoah County voted early Friday to restore the names of two schools that previously honored Confederate leaders – four years after those names had been removed. The 5-1 vote came after hours of public comment during a meeting that began Thursday evening from people speaking on both sides of the issue. Vice Chairman Kyle L. Gutshall was the sole opposing vote. “I ask that when you cast your vote, you remember that Stonewall Jackson and others fighting on the side of the Confederacy in this area were intent on protecting the land, the buildings and the lives of those under attack,” said a woman urging the board to restore the Confederate names. “Preservation is the focus of those wishing to restore the names.”