State lawmakers reach agreement on amendments to Virginia’s current budget
Virginia has a two-year budget, and so this year lawmakers were expected to approve legislation they like to call a caboose bill — the final car of a train that’s now two months late. The compromise announced Friday includes one-time tax rebates of $200 for individuals and $400 for joint filers. It also raises Virginia’s […]
The Hill: Democrats, parents’ rights and Election 2024
Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis may have a glass jaw. His presidential campaign apparently is reeling amid worries that Donald Trump and his henchmen could smash DeSantis to smithereens. Whether that’s premature or not, Democrats should not easily dismiss the cultural broadside — he’s the self-styled “anti-woke” governor — DeSantis has launched in Florida. The bigotry, book banning and […]
Roanoke Times: Governor approves compensation payment for wrongfully convicted Montgomery County man
By Mike Gangloff – David Wayne Kingrea’s long search for justice took another step this month as Gov. Glenn Youngkin approved more than $50,000 in compensation for Kingrea’s wrongful conviction and the year he spent in jail. Kingrea, 49, of the Pilot community in Montgomery County, said Thursday that the money will help him and […]
Roanoke Times Editorial: Bipartisan consensus on solar encouraging
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s energy plan makes solar farms and wind farms sound like a threat to the availability of the commonwealth’s diminishing supply of farmable and developable land. That document rants against the Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020, legislation passed when Democrats controlled the governor’s office and the General Assembly, which for the sake […]
Rip Sullivan: Youngkin’s energy plan would set Virginia back
Richmond Times-Dispatch Column: Oh, to have been a fly on the wall. I would have enjoyed watching Gov. Glenn Youngkin labor over what words to use in his energy plan that wouldn’t enrage the climate deniers he cannot cross as he considers a run for president. The words “clean energy” are in there — they […]
Richmond Times Dispatch: Could Virginia’s red flag law have helped in the UVa case?
University of Virginia shooting suspect Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. had been on the radar of the university’s Threat Assessment Team a couple of times, university Police Chief Tim Longo said during a news conference on Monday. Virginia has had a law on the books since 2020 that is aimed at keeping firearms away from people […]
Richmond Times Dispatch: No, electric vehicles aren’t a threat to Virginians
By DEL. RIP SULLIVAN and DEL. LAMONT BAGBY To hear Gov. Glenn Youngkin (“ludicrous”) or House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, (“dumb, dangerous and expensive”) on the subject of electric vehicles, you’d conclude EVs represent a terrible threat to Virginians. But you — like they — would be wrong. The automotive industry is quickly going electric […]
Virginia Business: Electric vehicle infrastructure buildout gathers power
Virginia Del. Richard “Rip” Sullivan Jr. is one of the General Assembly’s biggest advocates for electric vehicles. But when the Fairfax County Democrat went to buy a car in 2018, he started feeling anxious about the electric cars on offer — particularly their relatively limited range, given the lack of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in […]
Man taken into custody after threatening to shoot up Alexandria courthouse in murder/suicide
A Washington D.C. man was placed under an emergency substantial risk order on March 16 after allegedly threatening to shoot up the Alexandria Courthouse (520 King Street).Police found the man outside of the courthouse in his red Jeep Cherokee, after his ex-girlfriend called police and said that he was having a mental health crisis, according […]
Republicans kill legislation establishing Virginia’s legal marijuana marketplace
Richmond, VA – This morning, House Republicans in a General Laws subcommittee chose to take no action on critical legislation that would have put a stop to the illicit marijuana market and established the legal marketplace. They were handed a plan and failed to act on what Speaker Gilbert referred to as a “live grenade…rolling around.” […]
