Author
Virginia lawmakers pass bipartisan budget that leaves tax policy unchanged
After months of partisan combat over different priorities, Virginia lawmakers approved a bipartisan budget deal Monday with no major tax changes, funding boosts for education and mental health and salary increases for teachers and state employees. Both chambers of the General Assembly approved the new two-year budget plan by wide margins. In the House of […]
5 things to know about Virginia’s newly revealed budget deal
It took a little while, but Virginia’s Democratic-led General Assembly and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin have come up with a budget deal both sides can apparently live with. Legislative documents outlining the agreement were released Saturday morning to allow the budget to be voted on today when lawmakers return to Richmond for a special session […]
As special session approaches, are skill games dead or alive?
At a meeting of Virginia’s advisory council on gambling addiction late last month, Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, made a bold prediction. The battle over whether the state should legalize the slots-like gambling machines known as skill games reached a standstill in April due to policy disagreements between the General Assembly and Gov. Glenn Youngkin. There […]
Virginia health officials launch ‘surveillance system’ for kids sickened by cannabis
Virginia officials are instructing health care providers to start keeping track of “adverse events” involving children and teens being exposed to cannabis products. In an April 24 letter to clinicians, State Health Commissioner Karen Shelton said her agency had received enough reports of minors getting sick from products containing CBD and THC, chemical compounds found […]
Early voting begins for Virginia’s June congressional primaries
Virginia’s 45-day early voting window began Friday for the June 18 primaries that will set the stage for the state’s U.S. Senate race as well as a handful of competitive races for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans are choosing a nominee to challenge U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. in a statewide contest […]
After suing parent for $600K, Bedford School Board reduces case to $1
The Bedford County School Board is deescalating its efforts to sue a parent with a history of hostile interactions with school staffers about accommodations for his special needs son. But an attorney for the father involved blasted the statement the board issued this week and suggested the case may not be over yet. The board […]
Petersburg mayor says city ‘told the truth’ about casino pressure from legislature
Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham said Wednesday that he stands by the allegation that his city faced political pressure from the General Assembly to choose a particular casino developer or risk losing the opportunity to have a casino altogether. Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, whom the Petersburg City Council has alleged had a hand in that pressure, […]
Labor union says it’s filing FOIA suit over secretive Petersburg casino process
A hospitality workers’ union trying to ensure Petersburg picks a labor-friendly developer for its planned casino says it will sue the city over alleged transparency violations after the City Council appeared to make major decisions on the casino project behind closed doors. Unite Here, a union that represents casino workers across the country, announced Tuesday […]
Petersburg senator denies claim she interfered in city’s casino process
Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, says it’s “revisionist history” for city officials to accuse her of inappropriately meddling in the city-run process of picking a casino developer, but she hasn’t offered her own explanation for a casino letter Petersburg council members say the city manager was coerced into signing. Petersburg had been seeking General Assembly permission […]
FOIA Friday: Unsealed cannabis warrants and ‘highly variable’ transparency policies
One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in […]
Before picking Cordish casino, Petersburg letter said city preferred Bally’s
A week before the Petersburg City Council voted unanimously to pick Cordish Companies to potentially build a casino, City Manager John Altman Jr. signed a letter saying the city council intended to pick a competing company, according to a copy of the document obtained by The Virginia Mercury. The April 17 letter of intent addressed […]
Petersburg doubles down on Cordish as its casino operator
PETERSBURG – After a closed meeting that lasted more than an hour and a half, the Petersburg City Council abruptly voted Wednesday to pick Baltimore-based Cordish Companies as the developer that will have a chance to build a casino in the economically struggling city. There was nothing on the council’s meeting agenda indicating such a […]