Search
Democrats hold 5th District candidate forum in Danville
Three Democrats vying for the nomination to run for the 5th District Congressional seat faced off during a candidate forum at Danville Community College on Thursday evening. The three contenders, Gary Terry, Paul Riley and Gloria Witt, hope to replace current Rep. Bob Good, R-Campbell County, who is being challenged for the Republican nomination by state Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland.
25 arrested at UVa. after clashes with police
Authorities arrested 25 pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a sustained confrontation at the University of Virginia on Saturday, university officials said, after dozens of law enforcement officers in riot gear surrounded a student encampment and used pepper spray to disperse people from the area. The clash, which U-Va. President James E. Ryan described in a letter to the school community Saturday evening as “upsetting, frightening and sad,” marked the latest escalation during the past several weeks of protests on campuses over the Israel-Gaza war.
Coakley: Election officials aren’t just vote counters. We’re part of the community
Election officials and our work can be a heated subject, particularly in a world of viral media where conflict and extreme views often get the most reach. It would be easy for any voter to imagine “election officials” as a far-off group of people in their state capital or in Washington, D.C., who don’t know them or understand their community. In reality that couldn’t be further from the truth — election officials are part of every single community in the nation, and we conduct elections according to the highest standards of ethics and integrity.
General Assembly budget leaders might back off expanded sales tax
General Assembly budget leaders say they will back off expansion of Virginia’s sales tax if state revenues continue to be high enough to pay for legislative priorities. Those priorities include expanded state funding for public education and health care, as well as toll relief in Hampton Roads and additional money for the Washington Metro public transit system. Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, confirmed on Friday that state tax collections appear to be high enough to support spending priorities in the next two-year budget without expanding the sales tax to digital services ...
Excavation of graves begins at University of Richmond
After gaining state approval, the University of Richmond has begun excavating graves on campus that might belong to enslaved workers who lived on a plantation there 180 years ago. The state’s Department of Historic Resources on Monday approved UR’s application to excavate, and work began immediately, said Joanna Wilson Green, an archaeologist who oversees cemetery preservation for the department.
VCU protesters arraigned as dozens appear in court to support them
Twelve people were arraigned in a packed courtroom at the John Marshall Courts Building on Friday morning on charges related to Monday’s violent clash between pro-Palestine protesters and police outside the James Branch Cabell Library on VCU’s Monroe Park campus. [They] have all been charged with participating in an unlawful assembly and trespassing on VCU property after a group of protesters established an encampment on the lawn outside the library and refused to disperse when ordered by officers dressed in riot gear and carrying guns and pepper spray.
Dominion: Big development projects get electric bill discounts
Wooing Virginia development projects for the kind of growth that generates scores of jobs and millions of dollars of new investments can sometimes mean millions of dollars of breaks on electric bills. In Virginia, such projects received some $24 million worth of discounts on utility bills since Dominion Energy’s launch of an incentive program nine years ago, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis of State Corporation Commission filings.
Two Democrats seek to unseat Virginia Beach Rep. Jen Kiggans
Two Democrats are running in the June 18 primary to get the chance to challenge Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia) in the fall. Early voting for the race kicked off Friday. Missy Cotter Smasal is a Navy veteran and former small business owner. She ran for State Senate in 2019, but lost. The establishment of the party has lined up behind her. … Jake Denton is a lawyer and first time political candidate. He says many of the endorsements came before he entered the race.
Virginia repackages past incentives for Micron expansion in Manassas
Virginia is repackaging a five-year-old economic development incentive package for Micron Technology Inc. to bring a new line of semiconductor chip manufacturing from Taiwan to its production plant in Manassas. The package, which a General Assembly oversight commission approved last month, includes about $46 million in unspent financial incentives from an agreement with the Idaho-based semiconductor chip company in 2018. It included $70 million in state money for a $3 billion expansion of the plant and creation of 1,106 jobs.
Nearly complete Mountain Valley Pipeline springs a leak during tests
A section of the Mountain Valley Pipeline atop Bent Mountain ruptured Wednesday during tests to determine the pipe’s integrity before it begins to carry natural gas under high pressure. The buried pipe failed as it was undergoing hydrostatic testing, which involves running highly pressurized water through it to ensure there are no leaks or flaws, a Mountain Valley spokeswoman said.