D.C.-area parents worry about learning loss and teacher shortages, poll finds
Nearly half of Washington-area parents say learning loss from the pandemic and teacher shortages are major issues for local schools, a Washington Post-Schar School poll found, as districts continue to look for ways to boost student performance. When asked to rate how serious certain issues were in their communities’ schools, 46 percent of parents of schoolchildren across the region say learning loss from covid disruptions and not having enough teachers are major problems. More than half of parents in D.C. name each as major problems, along with roughly half in suburban Maryland and just over 4 in 10 in Northern Virginia.
Student’s future in jeopardy after UVa denies access to Grounds citing protest
A nursing student arrested during a May 4 anti-war protest at the University of Virginia is still being denied access to Grounds, a prohibition that has already cost him a job and could result in him failing his academic program. A total of 27 people were arrested when Virginia State Police broke up an encampment of protesters opposed to Israel's monthslong war with Palestinian terror group Hamas, ... That total arrest number includes some who say they were never part of the protest but were in the area of the encampment when state police arrived. UVa issued all 27 who were arrested "no trespass" orders, or NTOs, preventing them from legally returning to Grounds. Most of those orders have since been lifted or modified. Mustafa Abdelhamid’s has not.
Virginia Explained: Data center expansion, with all its challenges and benefits
Humanity is almost a quarter of the way through the 21st century and Virginia — home to 70% of the world’s data centers — is on the frontlines of the latest emerging technology: artificial intelligence, or AI. The prevalence of data centers and the rising role of AI don’t equate to a dystopian battle between humans and machine control, though (at least at the moment). Rather, these issues are at the center of a debate over localities’ authority and revenue benefits, historic preservation, environmental considerations, and electricity demand and utility rate projections, all shaped by ever-increasing internet use.
Private meeting spurs new collaboration involving Virginia Tech and surrounding towns
Virginia Tech is signaling its intentions to take a more active role in infrastructure planning for the New River Valley. University representatives, as well as those from Blacksburg, Montgomery County, Christiansburg and the New River Valley Regional Commission, came together in a recent private meeting, and it was then announced that a new initiative to jointly plan for the future of the region is starting. … The announcement comes after Blacksburg Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith said in January that the Virginia Tech needs to take more accountability for the pressure its growth is putting on the town.
100 years after Charlottesville’s Lee statue went up, work starts to find a replacement
A hundred years ago, a bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee astride his horse Traveller was erected in what was then known as Lee Park in downtown Charlottesville, where it stood until … eight years ago, when Zyahna Bryant, a Black student at Charlottesville High School, wrote a petition to City Council calling on the city’s leaders to remove the “offensive” statue … The statue would remain up throughout this until … three years ago, when Lee was removed and the park renamed.
FROM VPAP
VPAP Visual Congressional Primaries by Year
While the overall number of congressional primaries remains steady, this year has the fewest contested Republican primaries since VPAP began tracking them in 2012, with only three districts holding Republican contests this year.
For the first time, all of these nomination contests will be state-run primaries. In past years, many districts used party-run conventions or firehouse primaries to choose their nominees. But a new law effectively requires a state-run primary by mandating that the method of nomination allows all eligible voters to participate, including active-duty service members and students attending out-of-state universities.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Youngkin joins veterans, families in commemorating Memorial Day at Virginia War Memorial
Hundreds of Virginians joined veterans, their families and Gov. Glenn Youngkin at the Virginia War Memorial on Monday for the Commonwealth’s 68th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony. “On Memorial Day, it is not the death of our service members, but it is how they lived their lives, that we must celebrate,” Youngkin said. Youngkin was joined by Major General James Wing, who served as the Adjutant General of Virginia.
12,000 Virginians who died in combat honored at War Memorial ceremony
Charles T. Lewis went 80 years without recognition. But last month, that clerical mistake was corrected, and Lewis, a Norfolk soldier who died fighting in Normandy during World War II, finally had his name etched in the Virginia War Memorial’s glass Shrine of Memory. His legacy — and that of nearly 12,000 other Virginians who died in combat — was at the heart of the 68th Memorial Day Ceremony held by the Virginia War Memorial.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Virginia’s new gambling agency, skill game monitor considered
The failure of Virginia lawmakers to legalize skill games in the 2024 session has raised questions about a special summer session to address the issue. But with record profits coming in, some want the state to remake its gambling oversight system first. “If you look on the right, that one-billion-dollar figure is really net revenue and we think that figure will change significantly as well,” said Collin Hood, a director at the Virginia-based consulting firm Guidehouse, explaining how much Virginia made from gambling in 2023 alone.
Toxic sediment cleanup at Chesapeake’s Money Point finally entering last leg
The industrial area of Money Point in Chesapeake was once the most contaminated section of the Elizabeth River, and among the worst in the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed. Visitors could smell toxic creosote that covered the river bottom feet-thick, a tar-based substance used by industrial plants to preserve lumber coming from places like the Great Dismal Swamp. By the 1990s and early 2000s, the ecosystem was pretty much dead, said Marjorie Mayfield Jackson, executive director of the nonprofit Elizabeth River Project.
New Va. budget allocates $3.75M toward cleaning up contaminated ‘Money Point’ section of Elizabeth River
With the newly signed Virginia state budget, $3.75 million will now go toward cleaning up a historically contaminated and polluted section of the Elizabeth River watershed. In the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, sitting below the waters just above the Gilmerton Bridge, lies a layer of tar runoff and creosote leftover from an industrial lumber yard in the early 1900s.
STATE ELECTIONS
Stoney talks economy, education during visit to Bristol
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said residents of Southwest Virginia have more in common with residents of the capital city than one might think. Stoney, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in the 2025 general election, visited Bristol and Abingdon last Friday. A former Secretary of the Commonwealth under Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Stoney also served as head of the state Democratic party.
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
Trump endorses Cao for GOP Senate nomination
Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Hung Cao for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Virginia to oppose Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine. In a Sunday post on the social media site Truth Social, Trump announced his “complete and total endorsement” of Cao, a retired military officer from Loudon County, over four other Republicans.
Bill and Hillary Clinton to headline Virginia fundraiser for Biden, hosted by McAuliffe
President Biden and former President Clinton will team up for a mega fundraiser inside the Beltway in late June, hosted by former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Axios has learned. The event will be the third iteration of a successful fundraising formula that includes an evening with two (or three) Democratic presidents for the price of one. Scheduled for June 18, it follows the “three president” extravaganza in New York in April and a planned event with Biden, Clinton and former President Obama in mid-June in Los Angeles, hosted by George Clooney. The New York event brought in $26 million for Biden’s re-election effort.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Tobacco commission announces more than $5 million in grants for Southwest, Southside
Eleven projects in Southwest Virginia totaling $3.71 million and eight projects in Southside totaling $1.33 million — focusing on site development, agribusiness, tourism and business development — were approved by the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission during the first meeting the panel has held in Lee County. Among the awards is a grant of $656,416 that will go toward constructing a shell building for a potential data center at a developing Wise County industrial park called Project Intersection. In recent months, county and economic development officials have said repeatedly that they hope to land data centers for Southwest Virginia.
Tobacco Commission approves $500,000 for Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill
The Virginia Tobacco Commission voted to approve a $500,000 grant toward engineering and design of an improved natural gas gate at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill in Pittsylvania County. The commission approved the grant during its meeting Wednesday in Ewing in southwest Virginia. "Prospect interest in the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill makes it imperative that engineering design for the natural gas gate to proceed so that the required gas gate infrastructure can be constructed to provide natural gas service to the property," according to staff comments on the commission agenda.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
CEO of Va. technology firm fined over ‘whites only’ job posting says disgruntled worker responsible
A Virginia-based technology company will pay more than $38,000 in penalties for posting a discriminatory job advertisement that only sought to hire White U.S. citizens, the Justice Department announced. Arthur Grand Technologies Inc., a firm that provides information technology services, in March 2023 posted a job advertisement for a business analyst position on the hiring site Indeed that asked in a bolded note for “Only Born US Citizens [White] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas,” according to a Justice Department news release. “Don’t share with candidates,” the advertisement read in brackets. Outrage quickly followed when the job posting was shared on social media.
How a simple fix could double the size of the U.S. electricity grid
There is one big thing holding the United States back from a pollution-free electricity grid running on wind, solar and battery power: not enough power lines. As developers rush to install wind farms and solar plants to power data centers, AI systems and electric vehicles, the nation’s sagging, out-of-date power lines are getting overwhelmed — slowing the transition to clean energy and the fight against climate change.
Data center boom takes central Virginia by storm with recent large-scale project approvals
Virginia is talking world domination — at least, when it comes to data centers. According to the Virginia Economic Development Project, the state hosts about 35% of the world’s hyperscale data center market, with the majority of those sites located in Northern Virginia. Now, all eyes on Central Virginia as it follows suit. If it feels like you’re hearing about new plans or proposals for data centers in the region almost every couple of weeks, that’s probably because you are.
Tennessee gives this hospital monopoly, which operates in SW Va., an A grade — even when it reports failure
A Tennessee agency that is supposed to hold accountable and grade the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly awards full credit on dozens of quality-of-care measurements as long as it reports any value — regardless of how its hospitals actually perform. Ballad Health, a 20-hospital system in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia, has received A grades and an annual stamp of approval from the Tennessee Department of Health. This has occurred as Ballad hospitals consistently fall short of performance targets established by the state, according to health department documents.
There’s a Shortage of OB-GYNS Locally, Statewide, and Nationally
In mid-February, Dakota Richardson went to the emergency room at Stafford Hospital for abdominal pain. Ultrasound imaging revealed a large cyst on one of her ovaries. “They told me they were not going to remove it right away because it wasn’t an emergency yet,” Richardson told the Advance. “But they said, we want you to go to your gynecologist.” She did, and a follow-up ultrasound showed that the cyst was still there. She and her doctor decided to move forward with surgery at Mary Washington Hospital to remove it.
End to no-strings-attached free checking raises concerns among some advocates for low-income residents
The Roanoke-based credit union Freedom First has become the latest financial institution to stop offering no-strings-attached free checking accounts. The credit union switched about 20,000 of its more than 60,000 members from its basic “Freedom Checking” accounts to its new “Freedom Perks” accounts on May 1. The new accounts carry benefits such as credit monitoring and roadside assistance but, starting June 1, will charge a $7 monthly fee unless a customer maintains a $2,500 average daily account balance or is under age 21. As Freedom First and other financial institutions have enacted such requirements, they have raised concern among some who argue that people with low incomes struggle to meet the requirements or pay the fees.
TRANSPORTATION
New flights are coming to Reagan National Airport. Where will they go?
An aviation law signed by President Biden this month will add five new round-trip flights to Reagan National Airport. The move followed a year of political struggle, with backers citing the benefits of adding nonstop destinations and boosting competition and critics warning of new delays and safety risks on the airport’s already overused primary runway in Arlington, Va.
VIRGINIA OTHER
How Florida’s abortion law is affecting East Coast abortion clinics
Clinics up the East Coast have seen a surge in patient traffic since a law banning most abortions in Florida went into effect on May 1 — but so far they have not experienced the collapse in care that many providers had feared before the new restrictions began in the country’s third most populous state, according to new data collected by a research team at Middlebury College. Wait times for abortion appointments have increased at approximately 30 percent of clinics across North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., the areas closest to Florida where abortion remains legal after six weeks of pregnancy, according to the data, which is based on a survey of clinics before and after the law went into effect.
Grand Contraband Camp in Hampton listed among the state’s most endangered historic sites
The Grand Contraband Camp — a place that provided a sanctuary for thousands of enslaved individuals seeking refuge behind Union lines during the Civil War — is listed this year among the state’s most endangered historic places. … In May 1861, shortly after Virginia seceded from the Union, three enslaved men working on a Confederate fortification in Norfolk — Frank Baker, James Townsend and Sheppard Mallory — appeared at the gates of Fort Monroe and asked for sanctuary. When a Southern officer demanded their return under the Fugitive Slave Act, which declared all citizens must turn in runaway slaves even if they lived in free states, Union Gen. Benjamin Butler refused, calling them “contrabands of war.”
LOCAL
Fairfax Co. schools staff eligible for maternity, paternity leave benefits starting this summer
Fairfax County Public Schools teachers and staff will be eligible to get maternity or paternity leave starting July 1. School Board Member Melanie Meren said Virginia’s largest school district is expected to learn more details about the county’s program this summer. Information on human resources-related matters is usually shared in July, she said. … The maternity and paternity leave, Meren said, gives the district an added recruitment advantage.
‘Your quiet community could be destroyed’: Gum Springs residents in Fairfax fight to preserve local history
In 1833, West Ford — a freed slave — bought 214 acres of land in Northern Virginia and founded the oldest free-sustained African American community in Fairfax County known as Gum Springs. “A Black man in Northern Virginia, buying property in 1833? That just didn’t happen,” said Ronald L. Chase, president of the Gum Springs Historical Society and Museum.
Loudoun Supervisors Advance Work-Group Approach to Dulles Airport Noise
Residents near Dulles Airport raising concerns about noise from aircraft overflights might have a chance at some relief after the Board of Supervisors on Thursday voted to move forward with a process to propose mitigation options to the Federal Aviation Administration. The action is the latest in a series of efforts by county leaders to address the concerns of community members. In January 2023, the board directed the staff to open a dialogue with the FAA and in February sent a letter to the FAA seeking assistance in mitigating the noise. After being unable to open regular correspondence with the FAA, the board hired Vianair Consulting in June last year to help with that process.
Opposition mounts to revived Catlett data center plan in Fauquier
More than 90 people who packed the old rescue squad hall in Catlett [last] week for a meeting about a data center complex proposed for just north of town had a resounding message for developers and county officials: Not here. First pitched in 2020, the project was recently revived with a new application to Fauquier County officials. Developer Headwaters is seeking a rezoning to allow up to four two-story buildings with 1.2 million square feet of floor space at the junction of Catlett Road and Gaskins Lane.
Opinions vary on proposed solar program in Washington County
County officials and residents of Washington County, Virginia, [last] week began discussing the pros and cons of a proposed large-scale solar energy project. Texas-based Catalyst Energy has proposed placing solar panels on as much as 1,800 acres to collect supplemental energy and sell power to the electricity grid. … Catalyst is interested in coming to Washington County because of proximity to Wolf Hills Energy, a natural gas-fired power plant located near the county’s western border with the city of Bristol Virginia, said County Administrator Jason Berry.
EDITORIALS
As primary election looms, make a plan to participate at the polls
Coming only days after most public school districts complete their academic year, Virginia’s June 18 primary election will almost certainly struggle to draw crowds at the polls this year. That’s unfortunate given the importance of several races on the ballot this summer. Nomination races for U.S. Senate and House will shape November matchups that will help determine the majorities of the Congress, which convenes in January. Voters shouldn’t overlook this opportunity to participate and should make a plan now to have their say. Tuesday is the registration deadline for those who intend to vote in the June primary, a date made less important thanks to measures that allow eligible Virginians to cast a ballot through same-day registration.
COLUMNISTS
Yancey: Senate candidate thinks driving to Abingdon is time wasted. Here’s why it’s not.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin last week got to experience some of the things that make the western part of Virginia unique. First he couldn’t fly into Wise County for a speaking engagement because a cloud was sitting on top of the mountaintop airport. Instead, his state plane diverted to Abingdon and the governor took a 49-mile ride to the town of Wise. His police escort couldn’t clear away one obstacle, though: a 100-ton boulder that, loosened by overnight rains, had fallen onto the road. The governor persevered, though. Even though he was running late due to the elements, he made all of his scheduled events last Thursday in Southwest Virginia ...
OP-ED
Rozell: GOP House races expose the risks of far-right primary campaigns
Can a Republican primary campaign that is so ideologically extreme navigate back to the electable middle in time for the fall election? Two Virginia congressional races are testing the proposition and either could ultimately determine the balance of national power and profoundly shape U.S. policy for many years. One is the confusing and bitter nomination fight in the rural, strongly conservative 5th Congressional District that exposes deep fissures in the GOP.
Haines: Youngkin fights bias in the opioid crisis. Why not maternal health care?
Last May, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order to expand Naloxone access and combat opioid overdoses. As vice chair of the Chesterfield County School Board last year, I was grateful for the governor’s efforts to combat well-documented bias toward those who struggle with substance-use disorder. Bias has prevented school boards from stocking life-saving naloxone. The governor’s strategic decision to attend a Revive! Training at Stafford High School with the first lady gave political cover to Virginia school boards considering policies to stock naloxone in their schools.
Shucet: HRBT tunnel ‘breakthrough’ and a Hidden Figure’s legacy
Bryan Jackson passed the island every day when he lived in Hampton and worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard as a sandblaster. The island looked small to him. “I always wanted to be on that little island,” he said. On April 17, Jackson gave up a day’s pay, $400, to be on the island — the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel’s north island. … Being on the island that day was a bonus for Jackson. He was invited there to see Mary the Tunnel Boring Machine complete the first leg of her journey. … Decades earlier, another Jackson made a breakthrough not far from this island. Jackson’s grandmother was Mary Jackson, the first Black female engineer at NASA. The tunnel boring machine is named for her.