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U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear Mountain Valley Pipeline eminent domain case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it will not revisit a case involving six Southwest Virginia landowners who claim that the developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline were unconstitutionally given authority to seize their land. Since 2020, the six have argued that Congress erred in giving the legislative power of eminent domain to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an agency that oversees interstate pipeline construction. The commission allowed pipeline developers to take private property for the 303-mile natural gas project from West Virginia into southern Virginia, deeming it to be in the public interest.
Supreme Court ruling ensures veterans will receive education benefits
An Army veteran from Virginia recently won a nearly nine-year battle with the Department of Veterans Affairs over access to education benefits accrued through his service, a 7-2 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that favors those who volunteer to fight for this country. The VA sought to deny the vet, a 43-year-old from Richmond named Jim Rudisill, the totality for education access earned under two versions of the GI Bill. While the decision came too late for Rudisill, who now serves as an FBI agent, it could help plenty of veterans pursue their dreams following their service.
Youngkin’s plan to vacate James Monroe Building on hold
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to move state employees out of the aging James Monroe Building and into various existing offices across the city has been put on hold. The state will consider erecting a new office building — which Youngkin’s administration has said is not needed, as downtown office space remains available and employees work hybrid schedules. But state lawmakers disagreed, and ultimately won, saying the state government should invest in the city of Richmond and study the situation more.
‘We have to do something with Riverside’: Legislators, advocates want immediate improvements
Kevin Wyatt died earlier this year inside a cell at Riverside Regional Jail. The cause of death was an overdose of cocaine and fentanyl that his mother said came from within the walls of the Prince George County facility. “My son told me, ‘Mom, why do you have me locked up? There’s drugs in jail,’” Denise Gunn said. “’I get more drugs in jail and better drugs in jail than I can get on the street and at a cheaper price.’”
Dominion gets approval for battery pilots; Appalachian Power seeks bids for renewable projects
State regulators approved Dominion Energy’s long-term energy storage proposals last week, as Appalachian Power Company is seeking bids for a swath of renewable electricity sources, marking the advancement of renewable energy projects at Virginia’s two largest electric utilities. The approval for Dominion is seen as a critical next step in supplying electricity to the grid in the coming years, when renewable sources like solar and wind won’t be producing electricity, through storage technology that is more capable than the traditional technology more widely used today.
Virginia legislators seek reforms at Riverside Regional Jail
Virginia legislators are sounding the alarm over the health and safety conditions at Riverside Regional Jail in Prince George County. On Monday, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers held a press conference at the General Assembly Building in Richmond to address their commitment toward holding those in charge of the jail accountable. In a recent op-ed, state officials urged the board of city managers, county administrators and law enforcement officials who govern the facility, to install new, permanent leadership to address the jail’s failures to provide a safe and healthy environment for imprisoned people.
U.S. Supreme Court denies appeal of Mountain Valley Pipeline case
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to weigh in on the much-litigated question of whether the Mountain Valley Pipeline can take private land for its bitterly fought project. Without comment, the high court denied a request from six property owners that it hear their challenge of the company’s use of eminent domain to forcefully acquire easements through their land for the natural gas pipeline.
Richmond registrar broke city code when signing nearly $1M in contracts, officials say
Richmond General Registrar Keith Balmer violated Richmond procurement code on at least three occasions between September and February when he signed contracts with third-party vendors without seeking mandatory review and approval from other city officials, records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch show. The revelations come on the heels of the suspension of Balmer’s city-issued purchasing card due to alleged misuse as well as claims of nepotistic hiring practices in the Richmond Office of Elections.
Deaths, ill treatment at Riverside spark call for regional jail reform
Denise Gunn asked Chesterfield County prosecutors to go to court to revoke her son Kevin Wyatt’s probation last year, thinking he’d be safer in jail than on the street. He died in Riverside Regional Jail eight months later of an overdose of cocaine and fentanyl, she said. He was due to be released from the Prince George County facility in three weeks. When jail officials called Gunn, some 10 hours after her son’s death, they asked her if her son brought drugs into jail, she said. But he’d been there for months, she replied. How could he have?
Lawmakers, advocates react to Youngkin’s veto of Right to Contraception Act
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) is facing some backlash after vetoing two bills to establish a person’s right to contraception in Virginia. On Friday, Youngkin vetoed Senate Bill 237 and House Bill 609, which would have protected Virginians’ access to contraception like IUDs, condoms and birth control. Advocates say the bills were necessary after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called previous rulings on contraception access into question.