On Friday, Governor Glenn Youngkin participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony, signed new legislation, and participated in a roundtable discussion all based around supporting and improving education for the state of Virginia.
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Higher education institutions from across Virginia have begun the initial planning stages to establish K-12 lab schools as they await guidance from the Virginia Department of Education.
More than 30 schools have expressed interest in creating lab schools, which would be public schools run by colleges, universities or other higher education institutions. One of the goals of the program, which was approved by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this year, is to connect students with university resources they would not otherwise have access.
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The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is finishing model policies for school districts to give parents notice about lessons featuring “sexually explicit content,” according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
VDOE policy requires schools to post all “sexually explicit content,” including all materials used for the lessons and curriculum, on the school’s website and also requires parents to be alerted at least 30 days before the lessons take place. The policy says it is designed to help parents make decisions for their children “in accordance with their customs, faith and values.”
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A Virginia mother is preparing to call on Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia Board of Education to remove her sons’ out-of-school suspensions from their permanent record as it threatens their higher education chances, Stephanie Lundquist-Arora told the DCNF.
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As global and national gasoline prices continue to trend downward, the average cost for a gallon of gas in Virginia has fallen below $4.
As of Aug. 2, the average gallon of gas costs about $3.97, according to numbers provided by AAA. For a gallon of diesel, the average cost is dipping closer to $5 per gallon, but still sits at about $5.16. This is much lower than gas prices one month ago, which were about $4.63 for a gallon of regular gas and more than $5.70 for diesel.
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Virginia localities have begun receiving payments from an opioid-related settlement with three distributors, which are separate from the state funding and total more than $4 million in the first installment.
McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health agreed to pay the commonwealth and its localities about $530 million for allegedly being involved in higher overdose rates. Virginia will receive about $15 million and the Opioid Abatement Authority will receive more than $9.9 million in the first installment, in addition to the $4 million heading to localities.
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State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) is criticizing her opponent for Congress Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) for voting in favor of the CHIPS and Science Act while holding NVIDIA stock.
“Elaine Luria’s vote to provide billions of dollars in subsidies for an industry in which she owns up to $25 million in stocks would be unethical, self-serving, and the latest example of how she will put her bottom line ahead of her constituents’ well-being,” Kiggans said the day of the vote.
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Dominion Energy is now operating a 12 megawatt bank of three battery systems at its Scott Solar facility in Powhatan County. That’s the largest battery storage project the utility operates, according to a Thursday announcement, and is part of a pilot program aimed at developing energy storage alongside wind and solar power generation.
“Battery storage is an integral component to the clean energy transition in Virginia, supporting grid reliability for our customers during periods of high demand and by helping to fill gaps due to the inherent intermittency of solar and wind power,” Dominion Energy Virginia President Ed Baine said in a press release.
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Most Virginia localities were expected Friday to start receiving their share of the first payment in an opioid settlement, about $4.1 million split across the 133 localities. Additionally, Virginia’s Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) will receive about $9.9 million, Attorney General Jason Miyares announced.
“I’m thrilled to announce that after a long period of waiting, the payments to Virginia’s Opioid Abatement Authority and to Virginia’s localities under this landmark settlement are on the way. Now, Virginia communities will be able to take actionable steps to fight back against the opioid epidemic, knowing that more help is on the way,” Miyares said in a press release.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin announced about $27 million in loans for the 2022 Spring Affordable and Special Needs Housing (ASNH) awardees on Friday. The funds are aimed at 34 projects for both existing and new units for low-income households.
“These projects will provide critical support to our most vulnerable populations, strengthening our economy, and improving the quality of life for countless Virginians,” Youngkin said in a release. “Stable and affordable housing is foundational to building a thriving economy. These projects were carefully selected to ensure they make the most impact on their future residents and the surrounding communities.”
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Straight line winds damaged ten helicopters at Norfolk Naval Station on Tuesday, according to Military.com. A National Weather Service meteorologist said storm winds weren’t unusually strong.
“Known damages to the aircraft span from broken tail and rotor blades to structural dents and punctures in the airframes,” spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Rob Myers said in a statement to Military.com.
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Attorney General Jason Miyares is one of 23 attorneys general suing the USDA over expanded guidance adding discrimination based on sexual orientation and identity to its application of Title IX rules for the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which provides federal funding for food assistance programs including school meals.
“The Biden Administration is attempting to use the power of the federal government to force Virginia to choose between nutrition assistance for vulnerable children or advancing an extremist agenda,” Miyares spokesperson Victoria LaCivita said in a statement.
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What the world is witnessing in Ukraine is tragic, and it could get even worse.
Earlier this month, Russian strongman Vladimir Putin warned that he had not yet “started anything serious.” These callous lies were part of a speech by Putin to the Russian parliament that proves the West needs to double down on sanctions.
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Eight school board members from five school divisions filed a brief with the Virginia Supreme Court in support of West Point Public Schools after the district fired a teacher who refused to use a student’s preferred pronouns.
High school French teacher Peter Vlaming lost his job for refusing to use male pronouns to refer to a biologically female student who requested he use male pronouns. The school board claimed his refusal to use male pronouns was transgender discrimination on the basis of gender identity.
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A Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association poll found that community violence and crime is the top public health concern for Virginia voters.
“In the public opinion survey from Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, 51 percent of respondents cited community violence and crime as the top public health concern for their families. Health care workforce shortages, which have been intensified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, was the second most commonly cited public health concern with 25 percent of those polled listing it as their primary concern,” a VHHA release states.
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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin elected to donate his second-quarter salary to the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation, a group that helps fund various veteran-focused services in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The donation, which totaled $43,750, follows previous donations of his gubernatorial salary and Youngkin’s commitment to assist individuals who have served our country.
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Amid the Biden administration’s plans to sell historic amounts of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) has introduced the “No Oil for CCP Act.” The bill specifically bans exporting SPR oil to China, North Korea, Iran, or recipients under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
“Following reports that the Department of Energy sold nearly 1 million barrels of Strategic Petroleum Oil to a Chinese owned petrochemical company, I sounded the alarm on the implications this would have on our economy and national security. By prohibiting the sale of petroleum products to China, Chinese controlled companies, Iran, or North Korea, the No Oil for CCP Act would provide much needed oversight and increased security. Any transfer of the United States’ SPR’s oil to China – or other foreign adversaries – must stop. I look forward to advocating for this legislation and holding this Administration accountable,” Wittman said in a Wednesday press release.
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Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) has raised 424.8 percent more money in the last 18 months than in the same period leading up to the previous Senate election cycle, according to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
“I’d attribute that to her being in a highly competitive primary this time and building a much stronger public profile for herself,” CNalysis Director Chaz Nuttycombe told The Virginia Star.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin hit 49 percent job approval and 38 percent disapproval in a new poll from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The poll included questions focused on key budget policy debates, and reports 58 percent support a three-month gas tax suspension.
“The responses in the poll suggest what I have always stated: The people are always ahead of the leaders,” former Governor Doug Wilder said in a press release. “The grocery tax proposal is very receptive; gas tax suspension and/or stipend is greeted positively, which can be viewed as a direct response to rising inflation.”
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Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, interviewed Tennessee Army National Guard Capt. Mickey Shelton, who has applied for a religious exemption from the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, about his perspective on the purge of unvaccinated military personnel.
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Former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax says the FBI is investigating the origins of allegations of sexual assault that tainted Fairfax, potentially blocking him from becoming governor.
“Investigators have been given evidence of fabrication regarding the accusations and evidence regarding the orchestration of a lengthy smear campaign,” Fairfax said in a Tuesday statement. “For over three years, I have asked for this matter to be investigated because I knew the allegations were patently false and I knew that I would be exonerated.”
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Governor Glenn Youngkin presented a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certification to Walmart on Monday, commemorating national Hire a Veteran Day.
“The fabric of the Commonwealth I often refer to as the spirit of Virginia. And the spirit of Virginia is so much stronger with our veterans being so woven into that fabric,” Youngkin said. “So I want to thank our veterans first for loving our nation and for serving selflessly. I want to thank our veterans’ families, because when you serve, they serve. And finally, I want to thank Walmart.”
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The Hard Rock Bristol Casino’s temporary location earned $3.7 million in adjusted gross receipts (AGR) in its first few days, with a total of over $37.5 million played from July 5 through July 14. The casino had soft openings before opening to the public on Friday, July 8.
Virginia Lottery Deputy Director of Gaming Compliance Gina Smith highlighted the numbers and said the casino was crowded in its first days.
“I will tell you that Saturday, you could not even walk on the floor,” Smith told the Virginia Lottery Board on July 20.
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According to the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD), three men have been arrested and charged in connection with a scheme to steal and sell laptops from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
A release from FCPD says Franque Minor II, 35, of Maryland and Mario Jones Jr., 21, of Woodbridge, Virginia, were arrested as part of an investigation that began in March, when FCPS notified authorities that several thousand laptops appeared to be missing.
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Arlington County is the latest local jurisdiction to prohibit law enforcement from communicating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement about illegal immigrants residing in the county.
The Northern Virginia county’s adoption of its new “Trust Policy” comes after the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant charged with raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl in Ohio.
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Virginia’s unemployment had its largest drop in a year in June, down to a 2.8 percent unemployment rate, while labor participation stayed stable 63.8 percent.
Governor Glenn Youngkin highlighted the result in a Friday press release.
“The June unemployment rate dropping to 2.8 percent is promising news for Virginia’s economic health and is a welcome return to pre-pandemic unemployment levels,” Youngkin said. “In such a competitive labor market, we remain committed to expanding workforce development opportunities for Virginians. While the 94,000 job additions is promising, we must remain vigilant regarding the workforce participation rate, which does continue to lag. I am focused on increasing Virginia’s participation rate across the commonwealth.”
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Delegate Dave LaRock (R-Loudoun) is suggesting that Governor Glenn Youngkin could condition funding for Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia on if their medical centers stop providing abortions, but Youngkin has said that he can’t do that.
At a recent rally at the Virginia Capitol, LaRock said, “Here’s what I’m asking him to do: direct UVA and VCU medical centers to immediately cease these abortion proceedings. He needs to direct that state grants and other funds will not be distributed to entities who in any way promote, facilitate, or engage in taking the life of pre-born babies. A number of measures have passed through the legislature to this effect, very often to be vetoed by a hostile governor.”
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First Lady Suzanne Youngkin presented the third Spirit of Virginia aware to horse rescue nonprofit Hope’s Legacy on Thursday.
“Horses have a special place in my heart, and the work that animal rescues, like Hope’s Legacy, provide to God’s creatures surely inspires. It has been an honor meeting Maya and witnessing her care of these beautiful animals and interacting with these beautiful animals. Your selfless work exemplifies the true Spirit of Virginia,” Youngkin said in an announcement.
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After dead menhaden fish washed ashore on Silver Beach in Northampton County on July 5, Delegate Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach) is reviving an old political battle over banning reduction fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.
“The menhaden issue predates our terms by decades, but the reality of the Chesapeake Bay is that we have one company in Virginia that is harvesting 100,000,000 pounds of menhaden fish from Virginia waters annually,” Anderson wrote in a Wednesday letter to Governor Glenn Youngkin.
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Attorney General Jason Miyares and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron sent a letter to Google warning the search engine not to remove crisis pregnancy centers from search results for abortion services.
“Google has two options – protect the freedom of the marketplace of ideas or face legal consequences. American consumers expect diversity of opinion and thought,” Miyares said in a Thursday press release.
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Some Virginian servicemembers are set to get restitution and debt forgiveness after Harris Jewelry allegedly targeted the military community with deceptive and fraudulent practices. Attorney General Jason Miyares announced a multi-state settlement that will provide up to about $1 million for 3,828 Virginians who received protection plans, and $1.7 million in debt forgiveness for 1,011 Virginians.
“Harris Jewelry targeted our military community, misleading, deceiving, and defrauding thousands of active duty servicemembers through their financing program. Our servicemembers are critical to the American experiment, dedicating their lives to the protection of our freedoms and way of life. I’m grateful we were able to reach an agreement and provide relief to thousands of Virginians,” Miyares said in a Wednesday press release.
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Virginia’s Fiscal Year 2022 General Fund revenues finished with a $1.94 billion surplus, after finishing Fiscal Year 2021 with a $2.6 billion surplus, the largest in Virginia’s history.
“While I am pleased that our additional revenue can be reinvested in Virginia, the Commonwealth’s general fund revenue surplus confirms that Virginians have been overtaxed for way too long,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a Thursday evening announcement of the 2022 surplus.
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The Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology has voted to reduce the training hours required for a cosmetology license from 1,500 to 1,000, although steps including a public hearing remain in the process to change the regulation. Governor Glenn Youngkin highlighted the July 11 vote in a Tuesday press release.
“Reducing regulatory obstacles that get in the way of both businesses and talented Virginians from entering the workforce has been a priority of mine since day one. Not only will this allow individuals to get to work sooner and help businesses find skilled workers, but it even reduces the amount of student loans a graduate will have to take on,” Youngkin said.
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RICHMOND, Virginia — Empower AI, a provider of artificial intelligence technology for Medicare and Medicaid, held a grand opening at its new office outside Richmond. Governor Glenn Youngkin and Secretary of Health and Human Resources John Littel toured the office with company officials.
“We think about the role that Medicaid and Medicare plays in the lives of so many Americans and Virginians, and to have the kind of trust in analytics that can detect errors at the kinds of rates that you all do, and make sure that we’re having an efficient execution of this most important of services — it is really exciting,” Youngkin said in remarks to employees. “So I just hope all of you feel the weight and the gravity of what you’re doing in order to deliver one of, if not the, most essential services to so many Americans and Virginians.”
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President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday morning, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms. He has begun taking Paxlovid,” she said in a press release.
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Envigo and DOJ officials announced a settlement in the government’s lawsuit against the Cumberland beagle-breeder-for-medical-testing; 4,000 beagles will be relinquished to the Humane Society of the United States and Envigo will be permanently prohibited from engaging in activity at the facility requiring an Animal Welfare Act license.
“This settlement brings to an end the needless suffering caused by Envigo’s blatant violations of animal welfare laws at this facility,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) said in a Monday press release. “We will continue to vigorously enforce animal welfare laws to ensure that animals are provided the humane care that they are legally owed and deserve.”
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Virginia had the most representatives voting ‘Nay’ on Monday against a resolution supporting adding Sweden and Finland to NATO. The resolution passed with 394 votes in favor, just 18 votes against, all Republican, and 19 members not voting. Three of Virginia’s four Republican congressmen voted against the measure: Congressmen Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09), Bob Good (R-VA-05), and Ben Cline (R-VA-06), while Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) voted in favor.
In a press release, Griffith said that the Senate has the constitutional power to ratify adding the two countries to NATO, but not the House. He said that the resolution also calls for other NATO countries to support adding the two countries.
“I think that goes well beyond the House’s jurisdiction,” Griffith said.
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If investment returns for Virginia’s pension system come in around negative 6%, the commonwealth’s unfunded liabilities could nearly triple for Fiscal Year 2022, according to a report from the Reason Foundation.
Virginia’s unfunded liabilities for FY2021 were slightly less than $6 billion, but early indicators estimate an average negative 6% return on investments for FY2022. If the commonwealth’s returns are at that rate, its unfunded liabilities would increase to slightly more than $17 billion.
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Incumbents are leading in fundraising in Virginia’s competitive congressional races, according to new second-quarter reports; Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) has about $4.9 million cash on hand, Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) has about $4.3 million cash on hand, and Representative Jennifer Wexton has about $3.6 million on hand. Luria’s Republican challenger State Senator Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) has $413,279 cash on hand; Wexton’s challenger Hung Cao has $354,183 on hand, and Spanberger challenger Yesli Vega has $246,070, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
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The Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program announced 11 graduates on Wednesday, the culmination of a two-year program to help Virginia companies launch into international markets.
“The success of Virginia businesses both at home and broad is key to maintaining a strong and resilient economy,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) press release.
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All but one public university in Virginia are taking steps to address students’ tuition burden after a call to action from the governor.
Earlier this year, Glenn Youngkin requested that the commonwealth’s public universities reverse their planned tuition increases, citing inflation.
The University of Virginia (UVA) is the only public university not to announce a plan to reverse its tuition increase. NBC29 reports that UVA students will see a 4.7% tuition and fee increase, raising rates for first-year in-state students to $14,878 and $50,348 for out-of-state students.
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The House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with added funding after Virginia Representatives Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) and Elaine Luria (D-VA-02) blasted the administration’s original military spending proposals for not including a large enough budget and for planning to decommission some ships. Wittman was the only Virginia Republican voting in favor of the bill after the House Freedom Caucus criticized it the day before the vote.
After passage of the NDAA on Thursday, Wittman praised it in a press release: “In today’s increasingly divided political world, today’s passage of the NDAA is encouraging proof that Congress can still work together for the greater good of our nation. This year’s NDAA does right by our servicemembers and their families, reverses Biden’s reckless defense cuts, counteracts Biden’s harmful inflation, provides the resources we need to deter Chinese aggression, and protects our homeland.”
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Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, interviewed Chief Warrant Officer 3 Fianna Litvok, a military intelligence technician in the Virginia Army National Guard, about her request for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate exemption, as well as how the mandate is affecting morale in the guard.
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The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) launched an online tool to direct consumers to price transparency documents, including estimates and services pricing for hospitals across Virginia.
VHHA President and CEO Sean Connaughton said in a press release, “This new online tool continues a long tradition of Virginia hospitals promoting transparency about health care prices, the COVID-19 pandemic, inpatient behavioral health admissions, health care quality in hospitals, and so much more. With the support of our member hospitals and health systems, we are pleased to present this information to the public.”
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News seized 118,566 pairs of “counterfeit cotton foot coverings” — diabetic socks worth about $1.9 million in retail if they were authentic.
CBP officers “certainly do not suffer from cold feet when it comes to enforcing intellectual property rights laws,” a CBP press release quipped.
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The Virginia Department of Health has eliminated a recommendation for asymptomatic COVID-19-exposed individuals in schools to quarantine. The updated COVID-19 guidance applies to K-12 education, child care, and camps, although individuals who test positive still need to isolate at home for at least five days.
“This revised guidance outlines that quarantine is no longer routinely recommended for asymptomatic individuals after exposure to COVID-19 infected individuals. In general masks are not routinely recommended in these settings, indoors or outdoors, except during isolation as specified below,” states the guidance, which applies to teachers, staff, and children.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin ceremonially signed State Senator Siobhan Dunnavant’s (R-Henrico) SB 774 to allow the use of “bus boxes” underneath school buses to deliver packages – an invention of Clueless Robotics, a team of middle school students from Saint Bridget Catholic School. Two boxes per bus yield a 22-square foot…
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Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) have introduced legislation to rename the “Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial” to “the Arlington House National Historic Site.”
“As our country and our Commonwealth grapple with the history of racism and slavery and engage in a long-overdue reexamination of public symbols, we have an opportunity to make it clear that we do not revere Confederate leaders or condone the enslavement of human beings,” Beyer said in a press release.
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Virginia earned the top rating — “Meets Requirements”– for the 11th consecutive year on a federal report card looking at outcomes for students with disabilities.
“Results-driven accountability looks beyond compliance with the provisions of IDEA [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] to see whether the efforts of special educators at the state and local levels are actually improving outcomes for students with disabilities. This latest federal rating shows that Virginia’s special educators continue to do just that,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said in a Virginia Department of Education [VDOE] press release. “I think every school in the Commonwealth can take a page from the special education playbook by providing individualized instruction plans and tailored interventions for all students.”
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Governor Glenn Youngkin announced his first two appointments to the Board of Historic Resources (BHR), including Richmond-area art historian Dr. Ann McLean, who has appeared both on Richmond’s Morning News with John Reid and Bacon’s Rebellion critical of efforts to rename the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library and destroy monuments. The other appointee is Hon. Aimee Jorjani, nominated by Trump to be the first full-time chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The BHR is a seven-member group of governor-appointed Virginia citizens responsible for approving nominations to the Virginia Landmarks Register, to create new or revised state historic markers, and to hold historic preservation easements, according to its website.
“I think we should try to preserve the wonderful heritage that we have in Virginia and that our heritage has come under a vicious attack,” McLean told The Virginia Star.
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