Author
Plans to restore 1776 Commission recall efforts to revise Virginia’s K-12 history standards
As Virginians prepare for the beginning of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, Republicans, according to the party’s 2024 platform, plan to reinstate the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission, an initiative created by Trump in 2020 to “better enable a rising generation to understand the history and principles of the founding of the United States in 1776.” […]
More Virginia localities consider voting system changes
After Arlington County successfully adopted and implemented Virginia’s first ranked choice voting general election earlier this month, more localities are considering reforming their voting options. Leaders in Albemarle County and the cities of Fairfax and Newport News are considering ranked choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, for city council […]
Virginia supports expanding property tax exemption for select military spouses
A majority of Virginians supported a referendum expanding the state Constitution to provide real estate tax relief to surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty. The Constitution only applied to 100% disabled veterans and surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action as determined by the U.S. Department of Defense. Virginia’s […]
Va. launches resource hub to improve student and school outcomes amid performance data questions
Virginia legislators, educators and parents were surprised to learn in the past few months how many schools failed to meet expectations under a new accountability system compared to an older system that showed most schools were accredited. During an announcement on Friday about the Department of Education’s new Road to Readiness Hub to help improve student […]
Law students sue George Mason after objecting to a proposal to put tampons in male bathrooms
Two law students in Northern Virginia are challenging George Mason University for allegedly violating their First and 14th Amendment rights, after the school ordered them to have no contact with another student who proposed the university offer feminine hygiene products in all restrooms, a suggestion the law students said would compromise their safety and beliefs. […]
Why have only two Virginia localities adopted ranked-choice voting?
While many Virginians focused on this year’s congressional and presidential elections, Arlington County became the first locality in Virginia to use ranked-choice voting for city and county governing bodies in the general election Tuesday. But three years after a law went into effect giving localities the option to adopt ranked-choice voting, only Arlington County and […]
Subramanyam defeats Clancy in Va.’s 10th Congressional District race
State Sen. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun, has defeated Republican nominee Mike Clancy in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District race, according to The Associated Press. Subramanyam, a former tech policy adviser to former President Barack Obama, had said if elected, he will advocate for federal funding for Virginia infrastructure projects, which the district’s current representative, Democrat Jennifer Wexton, […]
Va.’s congressional delegation calls for reauthorization of Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act
Members of the congressional delegation from Virginia would like to see the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, or Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, reauthorized when it ends in less than two years. The BIL has fueled internet access expansion and funded several transportation and environmental projects in Virginia, including financially supporting the Long Bridge Project’s expansion and […]
Are House lawmakers ghosting college students and staff over campus protest rules?
Before the Virginia legislature’s last special session adjourned, the House of Delegates formed a committee to examine how colleges and universities statewide handle campus safety. The committee formed in the wake of a series of campus protests over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war last spring that led to the arrests of dozens of students and faculty […]
Virginia lawmakers consider K-12 plan to meet student needs, cost share among state and localities
On Thursday, Virginia lawmakers discussed ways to address the state’s decades-old funding formula, which determines the funding level for public schools, and considered a series of near-term recommendations that could be phased into the commonwealth’s plans within three to four years. Lifting the support cap, which limited the number of support positions the state would […]
Port of Virginia receives $380 million award to bolster sustainability efforts
The Virginia Port Authority will receive $380 million in federal funding to purchase new zero-emission cargo handling equipment and charging infrastructure. According to members of Virginia’s congressional delegation, the funding was provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports grant program, stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, designed to address and support […]
NoVa transportation district prepares for winter weather, reflects on legendary 2022 snowstorm
With lower temperatures approaching in the coming months, the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Northern Virginia District Office is advising residents and travelers to be prepared, with the district historically having the most snowfall in January and February historically and the looming specter of a winter storm that paralyzed Interstate 95 a few years ago. On […]