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Early voting starts Friday for June primaries; 13 on ballots in 7th District

By CATHY DYSON, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Early voting starts Friday for the June 18 primary elections, which feature a crowded field of candidates. Seven Democrats and six Republicans are in the running for the 7th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat from Henrico County, has held the post since 2018 and is running for Virginia governor in 2025.

VaNews May 2, 2024


UVa. student protest remains subdued in its second day

By EMILY HEMPHILL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A student-led protest at the University of Virginia remained peaceful as it entered its second day Wednesday, standing in stark contrast to how similar anti-Israel protests have unfolded across the country and the commonwealth. Roughly 80 protesters — a crowd including students, faculty and Charlottesville community members — spent the day on the school’s Lawn ...

VaNews May 2, 2024


Virginia District 7 Republican candidate for Congress pledges to join House Freedom Caucus

By ELIZABETH BEYER, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

One of the top Republican candidates for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District has pledged his fealty to the House Freedom Caucus if elected to office in November. Cameron Hamilton made his pledge to join the U.S. House Republicans' far-right wing during a podcast interview and on X, formerly Twitter, in March.

VaNews May 2, 2024


Kaine wants to help immigrant health care workers in U.S.

By EMILY HEMPHILL, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

In Uzbekistan, Dora was a well-respected oncologist with more than 25 years of experience taking care of cancer patients. In the United States, she was told that her medical license would not be accepted, that her English was too poor to work with patients. She was encouraged to get a job in a cafeteria or as a housekeeper. “That was a big humiliation for me because nobody had ever said those bad words to me. After that, I was depressed, I cried a lot,” Dora told The Daily Progress. Dora, who asked to use a different name to conceal her identity, found employment at a large-scale, chain grocery store in Charlottesville. Yet, as a former physician once in charge of an entire medical department, the job is “horrible for me.”

VaNews May 2, 2024


Number of incarcerated pregnant women increases amid opioid epidemic

By ALYSSA HUTTON, VCU Capital News Service

Karlee Clements was six months pregnant, “full on into addiction” and begging to go to jail because she was afraid she would kill her child. Soon after, she was incarcerated at Riverside Regional Jail for a violation. Because of her baby’s low heart rate, she was sent to Chippenham Hospital, where she spent the remainder of her pregnancy. Zip-tied to a hospital bed, with a Riverside officer next to her, Clements gave birth to a baby girl and spent three days with her, per Virginia law. Restraints are no longer allowed on inmates during labor, except under certain circumstances.

VaNews May 2, 2024


Report shows Va. teachers make less than national average

By MADDIE RHODES AND ADDY BINK, WAVY-TV

Educators have long called for higher salaries, and while efforts to achieve that were successful in some parts of the country in the last year, it isn’t enough to keep up with inflation, according to a new report. The National Education Association, the largest teachers’ union in the U.S., released its newest data on teacher salaries on Tuesday. On average, teachers in the U.S. are making $69,544.

VaNews May 2, 2024


Virginia offshore wind project hits whale trouble

By NIINA H. FARAH, E&E News

A federal judge has ordered the Biden administration to clarify its plans for protecting endangered whales during construction of one of the nation’s largest offshore wind farms. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has until Friday to file a report on whether NOAA Fisheries approved mitigation plans to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The order from Judge Loren AliKhan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia comes as Dominion Energy prepares to lay the foundation for wind turbines off Virginia’s coast.

VaNews May 2, 2024


Chesapeake infrastructure projects will cost millions more due to inflation

By NATALIE ANDERSON, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A new elementary school in Chesapeake will be $15 million more expensive than previously projected. The cost to widen George Washington Highway has increased $12 million. Those are two capital projects Chesapeake city leaders say are being impacted by high inflation rates that have been felt widely among consumers across the nation. As Hampton Roads cities finalize fiscal year budgets that will guide spending over the next year, local governments are feeling the pinch, too.

VaNews May 2, 2024


Virginia Beach denies collective bargaining of city employees

By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The City Council denied collective bargaining of city employees in a 5-5 vote with one abstention Tuesday, and instead decided to establish employee relations committees for full-time city workers. Police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services and public works personnel wanted to negotiate better wages and enhanced employment conditions. But Mayor Bobby Dyer said the timing wasn’t right yet “given the budget constraints we have now.”

VaNews May 1, 2024


Virginia lawmakers want postmaster general to deliver on promises

By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy may have bought time with an apology to a bipartisan Virginia congressional delegation that is irate over delays in mail deliveries — including essential medications — to people in the Richmond area. But U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Virginia Democrats, and Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, and Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, say they will not relax scrutiny of the Postal Service and its regional mail distribution center in Richmond.

VaNews May 1, 2024