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Youngkin signs ‘Lucia’s Law,’ prompted by Henrico girl’s murder

By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has signed legislation prompted by the murder of Lucia Bremer, a 13-year-old Henrico County middle school student ambushed in 2021 by a fellow student in her friend's garage. The measure, which the governor signed on the third anniversary of Bremer's murder, makes it a class 5 child neglect felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine, for adults to let a child possess a firearm after they are notified that the child poses a threat of violence.

VaNews March 27, 2024


Shreve: Up is down on planet Youngkin

By DAVID SHREVE, published in Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

As Virginians await the day in April when state lawmakers return to Richmond to take up Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s budget vetoes and amendments, one big thing is clear: Our governor’s well-articulated priorities — and combative political posture — now reflect very well the principal delusions of the modern Republican Party.

Shreve is a former history professor at the University of Virginia.

VaNews March 27, 2024


Youngkin highlights ‘Cake Pop Bill’ to aid small businesses

By CHARLOTTE RENE WOODS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Kelly Phillips of KP’s Kake Pops has had an “overwhelming” few months, from facing a potential misdemeanor count to helping inspire a change in state law. In December, the Henrico County resident — whose treats range from custom cake pops to French macarons and chocolate pretzels — received a citation from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, a state regulatory agency. It alleged that a social media post she made to promote her small business was in violation of state law.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Youngkin signs homemade food bill inspired by ‘kingpin of cake pops’

By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

The front yard of Virginia’s Executive Mansion was turned into a miniature farmers market Monday as Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill meant to make life a little easier for a home baker he called “the kingpin of cake pops.” He was referring to Kelly Phillips, a 41-year-old cake pop maker from the Richmond area who was told she could face a criminal charge last year for selling her treats to the public without being in strict compliance with Virginia’s food safety regulations. … Youngkin … called the cake pop issue an example of how government rules can at times seem to stifle entrepreneurial energy, joking that Phillips got in trouble for having “the audacity to use Instagram to promote her product.”

VaNews March 26, 2024


Hutson: In tumultuous times, women are leading the way

By MARY POPE HUTSON, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

In the wake of the highly publicized resignations of two Ivy League university leaders, the national press posed this resounding question: “Who would want to be a college president in this day and age?” It’s not just the fraught politics, which felled the likes of Harvard's Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania's Liz Magill. It’s the increasingly difficult economics of higher education, especially at a time when the pool of college-age students is shrinking and respect for the value of a college education is diminishing.

Hutson is the 14th president of Sweet Briar College in Amherst.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Board of Wildlife Resources considers new regulations on hunting dog retrieval

By CHARLIE PAULLIN, Virginia Mercury

Virginia’s Board of Wildlife Resources started a process that could require deer and bear hunters to use GPS collars on their dogs and try to notify landowners if they need to retrieve canines from their property, a change from the current law that allows hunters to fetch their dogs from others’ land without permission. The board voted last Wednesday at a special meeting held at the Henrico County Sports & Event Center to begin the regulatory change process with a 45-day comment period on the measures that are part of ongoing efforts to address Virginia’s contentious right to retrieve laws.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Virginia Democrats launch their own budget tour to push back on Youngkin’s criticisms

By SARAH RANKIN AND BEN FINLEY, Associated Press

Top Democratic Virginia legislators on Monday held the first in a planned series of public appearances designed to tout their budget legislation, offering counterprogramming to the broadsides Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been lobbing at the spending plan. Democrats, who have rejected Youngkin’s call to start immediate negotiations with him over their points of disagreement, instead urged him to reconsider his opposition to their proposals. The Democratic-led General Assembly passed the two-year spending plan earlier this month with some Republican support and will next meet in Richmond for a one-day session in April.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Sandbridge residents oppose wind energy cable landing as Avangrid makes another pitch

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

Avangrid Renewables recently renewed its pitch to the City Council for easements needed to connect its offshore wind project to the grid. But Sandbridge residents who oppose the cable landfall in their neighborhood still have unanswered questions about the proposal. In November, City Manager Patrick Duhaney and Mayor Bobby Dyer told Avangrid officials there wasn’t support for the Sandbridge landing, given the amount of community pushback. But the company is forging on and trying to reopen dialogue with the city.

VaNews March 26, 2024


The future is dim for solar developments in Orange County

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

The future of solar energy looks dim in Orange County. Last month, the county’s planning commission voted 4-1 to recommend the board of supervisors deny a special use permit request from ESA Solar. Despite losing this critical vote and facing significant community backlash, the Maitland, Florida-based solar developer was still optimistic about its prospect in front of the board to construct a 35-acre community solar farm.

VaNews March 26, 2024


York County School Board to get policy services from right-wing group

By BRIAN REESE, WAVY-TV

The York County School Board voted Monday night to purchase policy writing services from two organizations going forward, the nonpartisan Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) and the right-wing School Board Member Alliance (SBMA). After it appeared likely that the board would only go with SBMA’s policy services, Vice Chair Kimberly Goodwin motioned to approve policy services from both as a compromise. She said the cost for both was “peanuts” compared to the district’s overall budget.

VaNews March 26, 2024