Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears announces run for governor, setting up possible historic contest for job
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears said Thursday she will seek the Republican nomination for governor next year, setting the stage for one of the most historic contests in Virginia history. Earle-Sears, who rode the GOP wave in 2021 into the second of the three highest political offices in the state, announced her candidacy at a rally in Virginia Beach. If no one else steps forward for the nomination, she would face presumed Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger, with the winner becoming the first woman to be a Virginia governor.
Virginia attorney general affirms that local, state police can work with ICE
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares published a new opinion on Thursday affirming that there is no legal barrier preventing local and state law enforcement in Virginia from working with federal immigration agencies regarding undocumented immigrants in custody. The formal opinion was requested by Bedford County Sheriff Michael Miller. He asked whether a sheriff is legally prohibited from complying with requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to notify the agency before releasing an inmate with an ICE-issued detainer.
Youngkin rips Virginia’s ‘sanctuary’ sheriffs, says they are ’neglecting their duty’
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, fed up with liberal sheriffs in the commonwealth, ripped those that claim sanctuary status and refuse to turn over criminal illegal migrants to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Without mentioning a specific county government or sheriff, Youngkin said on X, “Virginia is not a sanctuary state. It is unacceptable that local officials refuse to cooperate with ICE in holding illegal immigrants accountable. They are neglecting their duty to serve and protect Virginians and putting our entire commonwealth at risk.”
Georgia school shooting reignites debate over cell phones in Virginia schools
After two students and two teachers were shot and killed at Apalachee High School in Georgia on Wednesday, parents and lawmakers in Virginia have are bringing the debate over cell phones in schools back to the forefront. On Wednesday Sept. 5, Del. Holly Seibold (D-Fairfax County) renewed the topic on social media voicing her opinion after a 14-year-old student used an assault-style rifle to kill two students and two teachers in the hallway outside his algebra classroom, according to authorities.
U.Va. Health faculty demand removal of health system CEO, School of Medicine dean
[On Thursday] morning, the University’s Board of Visitors received a letter of no confidence for Craig Kent, chief executive officer of U.Va. Health, and Melina Kibbe, dean of the School of Medicine, Medicine professor and chief health affairs officer, demanding both of their removals. The letter, signed by 128 U.Va. Physicians Group-employed faculty, alleges that the two leaders have fostered an environment that compromises patient safety and creates a culture of fear among faculty. The letter accuses Kent and Kibbe of allowing “egregious acts” to occur at U.Va. Health and the School of Medicine, including hiring doctors with questionable quality of work, subjecting residents to harassment, excessive spending on executives instead of addressing staffing shortages, a lack of transparency on financial matters and violations of the Board of Visitors-approved code of ethics.
A Holocaust survivor died of food poisoning; his family is suing Boar’s Head
The family of a Newport News man who died after eating contaminated deli meat in late July is suing the meat manufacturer. Gunter “Garshon” Morgenstein, 88, bought Boar’s Head liverwurst July 30 from a Newport News Harris Teeter, and consumed some of it over the next several days. Morgenstein’s son said his father would typically spread the liverwurst over a bagel, just like he did as a boy growing up in Germany in the 1940s. But a few days later, Morgenstein began to feel weak and short of breath and developed a fever.
Friday Read How ‘Happy Birthday’ on a restaurant marquee led to a citywide sign war
Restaurant manager Samuel Turnage wished his father “Happy Birthday Jeff” on the marquee in front of his coastal North Carolina eatery in mid-July. Then he became busy with the summer restaurant rush and didn’t get around to taking the sign down. His father Jeff Turnage, who owns the restaurant, Ioanni’s Grill & Bar in Morehead City, was still being honored on the sign weeks later. That’s when Turnage’s friend Clarke Merrell — who owns Dank Burrito, just across the road on Arendell Street — decided to call out his buddy with a marquee sign of his own: “Ioannis quit being lazy change your sign.”
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Virginia affordable housing providers hit by inaccurate tax assessments
Nonprofit groups trying to offer affordable housing to lower-income Virginians say a state law meant to help with their real estate taxes isn’t always applied correctly. To fix that, they’re asking the Virginia Housing Commission to greenlight legislation from Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, that the General Assembly deferred acting on earlier this year.
Legislator says she brought food issues to Petersburg schools last spring
A state legislator said Wednesday she approached the city public school system last spring with concerns about lunch offerings, claiming those concerns went unanswered until the issue resurfaced last week with photos on social media and a promise from the school system that something would be done. Del. Kim Taylor, R-Dinwiddie County, said she met with the supervisor of the Petersburg City Public Schools’ nutrition program last April after constituents showed her photos of what their children were eating.
STATE ELECTIONS
Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears announces candidacy for governor
Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears will seek her party’s nomination for Virginia governor next year, she announced Thursday, kicking off a historic bid to become the first woman to lead the state and the first Black woman to serve as governor anywhere in the nation. Earle-Sears, 60, acknowledged the historic nature of her run in a written campaign announcement that also touted her nearly three years of work with the “Youngkin-Sears Administration,” a period she argued steered Virginia “back on course toward prosperity.”
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears announces run for governor
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears announced Thursday evening at a rally here (Virginia Beach) that she will seek the Republican nomination for governor next year, setting up a potentially historic campaign in which she could become the first woman elected governor of Virginia. Earle-Sears, 60, who lives in Frederick County, made history two years ago as the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia. She could face Attorney General Jason Miyares next summer in a fight for the Republican nomination.
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears launches run for governor in Virginia Beach
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears filed paperwork to run for governor in 2025. The Republican submitted a statement of organization with the Virginia Department of Elections. … Then she made her formal public announcement Thursday night in front of at least 200 supporters at Chick’s Oyster Bar restaurant in Virginia Beach, including city Mayor Bobby Dyer.
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears files paperwork to run for Virginia governor
Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has filed paperwork to run for Virginia governor in 2025. Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears’ statement of organization – paperwork needed to launch a campaign – was accepted by the Virginia Department of Elections on Sept. 4. Earle-Sears, the first woman to serve as Virginia lieutenant governor, was expected to jump into the governor’s race, recently acknowledging she was exploring a run.
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
Tennessee lawmaker Justin Pearson stumps for Democrats in Virginia with Rep. McClellan
Tennessee state lawmaker Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, on Thursday joined U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, in Ettrick to engage young Democratic voters ahead of the presidential and congressional elections this fall. His visit to support Virginia Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris came as Axios reported that former President Donald Trump’s campaign is scaling back in Virginia and other states he’d been focused on earlier this summer. Recent polling shows Harris with a slight lead over Trump. On Thursday afternoon at Ettrick Deli near Virginia State University, McClellan hosted a meet and greet with Pearson to talk about key issues, two months before the general election that will determine the outcome of McClellan’s race against Republican challenger Bill Moher to represent Virginia’s 4th Congressional District.
Tim Kaine, Democratic candidates urge early voting during Labor Day celebration
Both local and state Democrats gathered Sunday night in the Festival Conference Center to urge listeners to vote early and endorse candidates on this year’s ticket. The Harrisonburg Democrats, the Rockingham County Democrats and the JMU College Democrats hosted numerous city council, school board and congressional candidates at their annual Democratic Labor Day Celebration. Among the attendees were 11th District Sen. Tim Kaine and VA CD-6 District House of Representatives candidate Ken Mitchell.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Cannabis authority chooses Shenandoah Valley provider
On Thursday morning, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority selected AYR Virginia, a wholly owned subsidiary of AYR Wellness, a cannabis operator in eight states, as the winner of a conditional approval that puts it on the path to become the sole licensed pharmaceutical processor of medical cannabis for a region of Virginia that includes the entire Shenandoah Valley, as well as the cities of Charlottesville and Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania and Stafford.
Can a rail operator use Virginia’s $35 million for Shenandoah Valley Railroad Corridor repairs?
A proposed plan to transform the Shenandoah Valley Railroad Corridor into a rail-with-trail is chugging along, but the funds to improve the corridor are at the center of discussion about whether or not shortline rail operators vying to restore the railroad can use $35 million in state money for repairs to the nearly 50-mile rail track that runs from Front Royal to Rockingham County. Last year, the state appropriated up to $35 million, as part of a $245 million package, to “buy land for the proposed rail trail and conduct initial planning and site development.” Language in the budget noted that any land acquisition for the trail “shall not preclude the consideration of options to maintain rail transportation in the corridor.”
Va. Health Department continues investigation of Orange County water contamination
The Virginia Department of Health is continuing to investigate the cause of an August water contamination in Orange County. “Our goal is to figure this out,” said Dwayne Roadcap, director of the VDH Office of Drinking Water. VDH, the local health district and water treatment plant operator Rapidan Service Authority issued a “Do Not Use” advisory on Aug. 21. It was eventually downgraded to a “Do Not Drink” advisory before being fully lifted on Aug. 27.
Virginia may pause effort to allow dredging for crabs during winter
The effort to allow blue crabs to be harvested during the winter in Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay may be losing steam. After more than two hours of debate, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s Crab Management Advisory Committee recommended changing course on Aug. 20 from an earlier move to reopen the winter dredge fishery. The industry-dominated board voted 8-5 to urge the VMRC to keep it closed until an ongoing species stock assessment is completed in March 2026.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
How Prince William Co. landed LPGA’s 2024 Solheim Cup
Hosting tournaments like the Solheim Cup typically involves a bidding process before a site is selected. But facing a tighter than usual schedule to find a home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LPGA took a different tack in securing a location for the 2024 Solheim Cup in the United States. When Robert Trent Jones Golf Club officials expressed an interest in bringing the event to Prince William County this month, the LPGA took them up on their offer.
VIRGINIA OTHER
2 Virginia Guardsmen Are Running a Rural Anti-Government Militia
Two Virginians run a local county-approved militia, one that has made overt threats against the government. They also both happen to be top-performing noncommissioned officers in the Virginia Army National Guard, serving the very government one of them has repeatedly warned is drifting toward tyranny. It’s a seemingly contradictory set of roles that likely runs afoul of new Army rules that explicitly prohibit anti-government behavior – for soldiers both on active duty and in the Guard.
Rapidan group awarded $7.9M NOAA grant for fish passage
For more than two centuries, a dam across the Rapidan River in Central Virginia was an economic imperative—a structural edifice that propelled manufacturing and commerce by altering the river’s flow. But five years ago, the dam’s current stewards—the nonprofit American Climate Partners (ACP)—began considering the aging dam’s viability in the modern marketplace.
LOCAL
Loudoun Supervisors Urge Electoral Board to Reinstate Third Saturday for Early Voting
During their first meeting back after the August recess, county supervisors last night endorsed a letter, penned by Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), urging the county’s Electoral Board to reinstate a Saturday of voting removed by the board in August. The Electoral Board voted 2-1, Ellen Heald opposed, Aug. 15 to adopt a revised calendar without Saturday, Oct. 19 included as an early voting day. Board Chair Shelley Oberlander said the day had been originally included from the calendar used for the 2020 election during the COVID-19 pandemic and had not yet been updated to reflect this year’s election.
Sex Bias Suit by Ex-Fairfax County Fire Battalion Chief Partly Advances
Fairfax County, Va., must face a former fire battalion chief’s claims that she was denied a promotion to head chief based on sex and because she complained about widespread discrimination in her role as the Women’s Program Officer. But the county and International Association of Fire Fighters defeated the suit’s other claims, at least for now, as the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed those allegations without prejudice.
Frederick County School Board tables tightening rules on public comments
The Frederick County School Board voted 6-1 Wednesday evening to table proposed amendments to the board’s Policy 119P — Public Participation at Meetings. … The amendments, which would prohibit signs, posters, placards or banners from the board’s meeting room, as well as profanity and personal attacks against identifiable individuals during public comments, come on the heels of a School Board meeting in August where Frederick County Board of Supervisor Heather Lockridge (Gainesboro District), along with several other citizens, used the public comment period to decry a teacher’s purported gender identity ...
Charlottesville city attorney retires after investigation clears him of wrongdoing
Charlottesville’s city attorney will not be returning to the job after he was placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into an undisclosed complaint lodged earlier this year. The city announced Wednesday that although that investigation cleared Jacob Stroman of wrongdoing, he had nevertheless decided to retire. The announcement makes no mention of Ryan Franklin, an assistant city attorney who was placed on leave at the same time as Stroman and was fired before the investigation into Stroman concluded.
Charlottesville to ‘experiment’ with ranked-choice voting next year
Ranked-choice voting is coming to Charlottesville. In a 4-1 vote Tuesday night, City Council passed an ordinance that will institute the election model in next June’s Council primary. Charlottesville will be only the second locality in all of Virginia to adopt the model, made possible by a 2020 bill pushed by then-Del. Sally Hudson, a Charlottesville Democrat.
Smyth County man charged with child exploitation resigns from school board
The vice chair of the Smyth County School Board, who has been accused of spending more than $10,000 buying nude images from at least six juveniles he met online, has agreed to resign his seat, as requested last week by his five fellow board members. The resignation of Todd Stewart Williams, 53, of Chilhowie was effective Thursday. He faces a federal charge of sexual exploitation of children.
EDITORIALS
With election coming, USPS issues should give voters pause
Earlier this year, Virginia had the unwelcome distinction of having the worst rate of mail delivery in the country — worse than even the sparsely populated and rugged state of Wyoming. A flood of complaints prompted members of the commonwealth’s congressional delegation to demand answers, with a pledge to set things right. Mail service has improved somewhat, and there is reason to believe that will continue thanks to continued pressure from elected officials and the public. But delivery issues loom large in advance of the November election, and voters who intend to vote by mail must make accommodations to ensure their ballots are counted.
COLUMNISTS
Yancey: Earle-Sears files to run for governor. Now the 2025 race can really begin.
Finally. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears filed paperwork Thursday to seek the Republican nomination for governor next year, a move that should set lots of other things in motion. Democrats already have a nominee-in-waiting — Rep. Abigail Spanberger seems set to coast to the gubernatorial nomination unopposed — with multicandidate contests for lieutenant governor and attorney general already underway. Republicans, though, have been frozen in a kind of stasis as they waited for either Earle-Sears or Attorney General Jason Miyares (or both) to make a move. Until one of them did, no one else could really do anything public, either. Now, Earle-Sears has finally broken that logjam.
Yancey: 80 years later, a small town in Belgium still honors memory of a Roanoke soldier who died there
The liberation of Belgium began accidentally. In the first days of September 1944, the German army was retreating across northern France, with the American 2nd Armored Division in close pursuit. American officers sent scouts ahead on motorcycles to assess the situation. One of those that day was James William “Bill” Carroll from Alabama. By some accounts, Carroll didn’t realize he’d crossed the border into Belgium, but he had. The truth is a little more complicated, but no less dramatic.