Today's Sponsor:
Parents for School Options
Congratulations to the students graduating today from the Virginia Virtual Academy. Best of Luck!!!
Five Years After Virginia Beach Shooting, ’No One Is Getting Better’
The ceremony on Friday afternoon will begin with the naming of the 12 people who were killed on May 31, 2019, when an embittered city employee carried out a shooting spree at the building where he worked. At the end of the event, the site of a future memorial will be dedicated, where, eventually, the 12 names will be etched into the landscape of Virginia Beach. The children of Mary Louise Gayle, whose name will be among them, have no plans to be at the ceremony. Sarah Leonard, her daughter, is taking her children camping. Matthew Gayle, her son, is resuming a sailing trip he cut short exactly five years earlier when he learned of a shooting at his mother’s workplace. They could not bring themselves to join hands with a city that they, and members of some of other victims’ families, say let them down.
Virginia GOP condemns Trump verdict; Dems say no one is above the law
Many Virginia Republicans reacted with fury Thursday to former President Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in the New York hush money case. Some said it will only further their determination to elect Trump in November. Virginia’s Democratic officeholders asserted that no one is above the law. Meantime, two Virginia law professors — Ilya Somin of George Mason University and Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond — said Trump remains eligible to hold the presidency again.
UVa reverses course, allows nursing student arrested at protest back on Grounds
After public pressure and the threat of a lawsuit, the University of Virginia has reversed course on its decision to ban a nursing student from Grounds. Mustafa Abdelhamid was one of 27 people arrested when Virginia State Police cracked down on a May 4 anti-war protest at the school. Multiple arrestees, including Abdelhamid, say they were not even participating in the protest or the encampment where people had been voicing their opposition to Israel’s war with Palestinian terror group Hamas that has killed tens of thousands since Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack on the nation.
Friday Read Ancient Chesapeake site challenges timeline of humans in the Americas
With the Chesapeake Bay sloshing at his knee-high boots, Darrin Lowery stood back and squinted at a 10-foot-tall bluff rising above a narrow strip of beach. To the untrained eye, this wall of sandy sediment is the unremarkable edge of a modest island southeast of the Bay Bridge. To Lowery, a coastal geologist, its crumbling layers put the island at the center of one of the most contentious battles in archaeology: when and how humans first made their way into the Americas. The story of the first Americans has long been a matter of public and scientific fascination, undergirded at times by vicious disagreements.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Virginia disability advocates celebrate legislative wins
Disability advocates celebrated rare wins at a meeting of the Virginia Disability Commission Thursday afternoon. “It’s a huge deal, it really is,” said Jen Krajewski with the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. She was praising the record funding— about $300 million— approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin. The money will support about 3,400 families of those with disabilities in dire needs. Known as priority one waivers, it was a top concern for Youngkin and advocates as the state’s disability waiver waiting list grew to about 14,000.
State budget provides $4.9M to tackle invasive species
About a decade ago, Charlottesville landowners Rod and Maggie Walker realized that Asiatic bittersweet, a vining plant invasive in the eastern United States, had overtaken about 15 acres of their land. The vines climb over native trees, blocking sunlight, hogging nutrients and water, and weighing down branches. Like other invasives, they don’t have to deal with the predators and diseases from their native range in China, Japan and Korea — and local organisms aren’t able to fill those gaps.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Executive director named for Virginia Commission on Electric Utility Regulation
Virginia’s commission tasked with reviewing energy-related legislative proposals now has an executive director, after announcing the hiring of a Virginia Department of Energy member to fill the position. Carrie Hearne, of Richmond, will begin as executive director of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation next month. She will take the role after five years at Virginia Energy, where she was the director of affordability and competitiveness.
State police spent $13,000 providing security to VCU graduation
Virginia State Police spent about $13,000 in overtime to provide security at Virginia Commonwealth University's graduation, a spokesperson for the department said this week. The graduation needed more officers than VCU could provide, because it was attended by several thousand people and students indicated their intention to protest during Gov. Glenn Youngkin's speech. Ultimately, more than 100 students walked out as Youngkin began to speak, and the demonstration was over in a matter of seconds.
CONGRESS
Another near collision at DCA reignites Warner, Kaine ire over new flights
For the second time this spring, two planes nearly collided at Reagan National Airport, prompting Virginia's two senators to again criticize plans to add more long-haul flights at DCA. Around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, air traffic control at DCA told American Airlines flight 2134 bound for Boston to abort its ongoing takeoff procedure as it was about to cross paths with a private plane — call sign 0-AA or zero-alpha-alpha — that had already landed on an intersecting runway.
D.C.-area lawmakers react to another close call at Reagan National Airport
On Wednesday morning, an American Airlines flight bound for Boston from Reagan National Airport in Arlington had to abort its takeoff to avoid colliding with another plane. The Federal Aviation Administration said American Airlines Flight 2134’s takeoff was aborted by air traffic controllers because another aircraft had been cleared to land on an intersecting runway. The FAA is investigating the incident. … The incident has a congressional delegation from the D.C. area expressing concerns about the Senate’s vote to increase air traffic at the airport.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
She Made an Offer on a Condo. Then the Seller Learned She Was Black.
Perched on a hill with a view of the Atlantic Ocean, the condo in Virginia Beach was just what Dr. Raven Baxter wanted. It had a marble fireplace, a private foyer and details like crown molding and wainscoting in its three bedrooms and three bathrooms. At $749,000, it was within her budget, too. She offered the asking price, which was accepted, and sent over a down payment. And then when she was in escrow earlier this month, her broker called her late at night on May 17, a Friday, with some bad news. The seller wanted to pull out of the deal. Why? “You could hear the fear and disbelief in his voice,” Dr. Baxter said, recalling what her broker told her next. “He said, ‘I don’t know how to tell you this, but she doesn’t want to sell the home to you, and it’s because you’re Black.’”
HIGHER EDUCATION
University of Lynchburg to cut 17 programs, dozens of faculty and staff positions
The University of Lynchburg announced Thursday it will eliminate 12 undergraduate and five graduate programs, phasing them out over the next few years as students complete those programs. The announcement is the private university’s latest move to cut costs at a time when small colleges are in intense competition to attract new students. The reduction will impact about 5% of undergraduate students and 4% of graduate students.
University of Lynchburg cuts 17 programs, eliminates 40 staff member positions
The University of Lynchburg announced Thursday they are taking dramatic steps at the school as they enter a new era. But for some prospective students and current staff, those changes could be detrimental; 17 programs at the school are being cut, and 40 staff members’ positions have been “reduced.” Over the next three years, the school said another 40 faculty will be headed out the door for good as well.
Virginia University of Lynchburg at risk of losing accreditation
The Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL) has been placed on probation and is at risk of losing its accreditation. On May 21, the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) announced the Historically Black College University (HBCU) was under a warning to lose its accreditation. This comes after the Accreditation Commission voted to place VUL on probation in April.
VIRGINIA OTHER
Virginia’s members of Congress respond to verdict in Trump hush money trial
Virginia's Congressional delegation appeared split along party lines in their response to the conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Congressional Republicans railed against the verdict and lashed out at the Democratic Party as they issued their support for the former president on social media. Democrats noted that, though the decision was a somber reminder that no one is above the law, justice had been served.
Va. politicians react to guilty verdicts in historic Trump trial
Within moments of the historical verdict finding former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 election, Virginia lawmakers turned to social media to either vent their frustration with the outcome of the so-called hush-money trial or hail the verdicts of the New York City jury as just findings. “The American people see this for what it is: a politically motivated prosecution orchestrated by those who want to ‘get’ President Trump,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. “On Nov. 5th, Americans will render their verdict on Joe Biden’s failed leadership based on the issues that affect them every day.”
How a Richmond woman became a target in Trump trial defense
Former President Donald Trump cast a wide net in his defense against felony charges that he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to an adult film star with whom he allegedly had sex. Wide enough from reach from New York City to Richmond, where the daughter of the judge presiding over the trial lives. Long before a New York jury convicted Trump on 34 counts on Thursday, Loren Merchan became a target for Trump and his defense team, who tried for more than a year to force her father, Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, to recuse himself from the case in part because of her work as an executive for a Chicago-based digital marketing firm that has worked for high-profile Democratic politicians, including President Joe Biden.
Family of Central State Hospital patient repeats call for federal prosecution
The family of a mental patient who died in law-enforcement custody last year at Central State Hospital is re-stressing its call for U.S. Justice Department involvement after Dinwiddie’s top prosecutor downgraded charges against the remaining three defendants from second-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter.
LOCAL
Prince William Co. teachers get parental leave under ‘historic’ agreement
The Prince William Education Association, the union representing over 11,000 Prince William County public school teachers, finalized their negotiations for a historic collective bargaining agreement Thursday with the county school district. The finalized negotiations include more flexibility for staff leave, more support for staff transitioning to different grade levels and more compensation for staff acting as club leaders.
Prince William school system, local union reach updated bargaining agreement
Prince William County Public Schools and the Prince William Education Association announced Thursday the two sides had solidified negotiations for the 2024-2025 collective bargaining agreement, the school division announced in a news release. The two sides have agreed to the implementation of six weeks paid parental leave, coupled with a new short-term disability leave program that allows for up to 12 weeks of paid leave for the birthing parent. The new leave program will also guarantee the educator’s position remains available upon return to their school following the use of the leave options.
In embezzlement sentencing, judge says McDonald ‘betrayed’ community she purported to love
The former director of a local economic development authority in Virginia who was accused of embezzling $5.2 million through an array of bogus transactions was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in federal prison — ending a legal drama that featured the death by suicide of a county sheriff who was also implicated in the crimes. Jennifer R. McDonald wore a blank expression inside the Harrisonburg District Court as a judge chastised her for using her position as director of the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority to siphon the money between 2014 and 2018 to buy properties, pay bills and gambling debts, and enrich relatives and friends.
Recycling plant in Portsmouth launches AI system to sort through trash
Recycling and Disposal Solutions of Virginia handles about 3,000 tons of waste each month from the city of Portsmouth and private customers around Hampton Roads. For about two decades, the company has processed recycling at its Portsmouth plant, while sending trash straight to the landfill. But now, RDS is sending trash just next door, where new artificial intelligence technology can help extract valuable recyclables directly from trash bags. “We think that this is the future of recycling, and the future of trash management,” said Joe Benedetto, RDS’ president.
Today's Sponsor:
Parents for School Options
Congratulations to the students graduating today from the Virginia Virtual Academy. Best of Luck!!!
COLUMNISTS
Yancey: A convicted felon once drew nearly a million votes for president. In Virginia, he did best in Clifton Forge.
Former President Donald Trump is now a convicted felon, 34 times over. Among the many questions that this raises is a very practical one: Will Americans vote for a convicted felon for president? They have before. Eugene Debs ran for president five times: in 1900 as a Social Democrat and in 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920 as the nominee of the Socialist Party of America. That last time he ran from a prison cell in Atlanta, having been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sedition after criticizing U.S. involvement in World War I. Despite his conviction and incarceration — or perhaps because of it — he received more votes in 1920 than he ever had before, just under one million nationwide. He also made it to the White House later, albeit as a guest of President Warren Harding.
Yancey: Virginians from Emporia to Winchester went ashore on D-Day. Here’s what they said about it later.
In less than a week, the 80th anniversary of what came to be known as D-Day will be upon us — and then will pass on by us as time always does. The Allied landings on the Normandy beaches occupy a pivotal place in the history of the world, but they occupy a place in Virginia history as well. Coming ashore that June 6 morning 80 years ago were men who had signed up years before for the Virginia National Guard but had since been called up to the regular Army — and were now in the first waves assigned to break the Nazi hold on occupied Europe.
OP-ED
Deren: In Shenandoah, honoring slave owners is OK?
As a retired Virginia educator, it is disheartening to read about the Shenandoah County School Board’s decision to rename two of the schools within their district after certain Confederate Civil War generals. At a time when our nation needs to turn the corner on divisiveness and begin the arduous work of healing, some still strive to maintain outdated and hurtful policies that persist in dividing us. The Civil War was absolutely fought over the issue of slavery.
Register and Huntington: Foam plastics ban helps Virginia, and restaurants
Next summer, Virginians will witness measurable improvements as they drive along Virginia’s roads, visit beaches, parks or waterways. The improvement? Less litter from polystyrene food and beverage containers. Thanks to a 2021 law passed by the Virginia General Assembly, restaurants are required to phase out their use of containers made of polystyrene. For larger restaurant chains, the change will begin on July 1, 2025. Small restaurants will have an additional year.