Sudden Furloughs Rock Shipbuilder

Newport News Shipbuilding, owned by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), furloughed 471 workers on Friday. The reduction, which affects about 2% of the company’s workforce, took effect immediately.

The shipbuilder called the move a “furlough,” but some departing workers took exception to that term. “It’s unpaid. You can stay on a list if openings end up coming back to the company,” one said. “It’s a firing,” another stated.

HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division has nearly 26,000 employees, making it the largest private employer in Virginia.

The company builds submarines and aircraft carriers for the Navy at the Newport News facility.

Governor Enacts School Phone Ban

Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed two bills on Friday that ban students from using cell phones on school grounds during educational hours, codifying his earlier executive order into law.

“School should be a place of learning and human interaction—free from the distractions and classroom disruptions of cell phone and social media use,” Youngkin said.

The new legislation included exceptions for students with individualized education plans, Section 504 plans, or health conditions, allowing them to use phones in a medical emergency.

Some districts had allowed students to use phones during student downtime, but the new bell-to-bell policy is stricter. “‘Bell to bell’ includes lunch and time in between class periods.”

Race to Replace a Representative

One of Virginia’s 11 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives has been vacant since Rep. Gerry Connolly died on May 21. It will be a few weeks before a special election can be held to fill the opening.

Under state law, the governor can only schedule a special election for a Tuesday and may not schedule it in the 55 days before a previously scheduled election, such as the June 17 Democratic primary. That means the earliest a vote could be held would be June 24.

The 11th Congressional District is heavily Democratic—Connolly won two-thirds of the votes in 2024—and is home to tens of thousands of federal workers.

Six Democrats have said they will seek the office. Republicans may avoid a primary since Mike Van Meter—who lost to Connolly in 2024—is the only declared candidate.

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➤ Statewide: The Commonwealth features the country’s lowest recidivism rate. According to statistics released by the Virginia Department of Corrections, 17.6% of inmates in state custody were reincarcerated after their release in the last three years, down from 19% in 2019. (Details)

➤ Sterling: Law enforcement officers appear to have detained about seven people outside an immigration court building in a video released by an advocacy group last week. (Watch Video)

➤ Charlottesville: Cardiac surgeons at UVA Health pioneered the implantation of a new valve system that treats a condition that arises when one of the heart’s valves doesn’t close properly. (More)

➤ Richmond: State education officials are considering how quickly to implement new academic proficiency ratings to bring Virginia closer into line with federal benchmarks. Recommendations are expected later this month. (Details)

➤ Accomack County: A property owner in Hallwood pleaded guilty to poisoning more than 20 birds of prey, including at least one bald eagle. He was sentenced to one day in jail, two years of probation, and nearly $10,000 in fines. (More)

➤ Statewide: A cool, rainy month of May left most of Virginia with enough soil moisture to be ready for summer. The latest drought map, released last week, indicates that only small parts of the Commonwealth are considered too dry. (Details)

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➤ UVA baseball head coach Brian O’Connor is reportedly under consideration for the same job at Mississippi State. O’Connor has led the Cavaliers for 22 years and won the College World Series in 2015. (Details)

➤ Virginia Tech announced kickoff times for its first two football games of the year, both against SEC foes. (More)

➤ Virginia Wesleyan advanced to the championship round in DIII softball with a 3-1 win over Randolph-Macon in their second game of the day yesterday. In the first game, Randolph-Macon beat top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan 6-2 to set up the showdown. (Bracket)

Yesterday’s results: MLB | WNBA | PGA | LPGA | NCAAB | NCAASB | NASCAR | F1 | INDY | Soccer | Tennis

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➤ Leidos, a Virginia-based contractor, acquired Kudu Dynamics, a company that helps deploy artificial intelligence for military purposes. (Details)

➤ Richmond International Airport announced plans to add four new restaurants this year, including a Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and a Wolfgang Puck Bar & Bites restaurant. (More)

➤ Ameresco and BXP unveiled a solar array in Reston with a capacity of 1.3 megawatts that could generate up to 1.5 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity each year. (Details)

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➤ Rainey’s restaurant in Hampton plans to serve “soul food with a Caribbean flair.” Owner Julie Rainey intends to hire seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities—including her autistic grandson. (Details)

➤ The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center is taking care of a bobcat kitten that was found alongside a road after its mother was killed by a car last month. They plan to raise the animal and release it into the wild next year. (More)

➤ Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the grandson of former president John Tyler, died last week at the age of 96. His grandfather, the 10th U.S. president, was born 235 years ago. (Details)

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Are you attending a June wedding?

1. Yes, in Virginia
2. Yes, elsewhere
3. Not this year

Friday’s Results:

Do you fish? 

1. Yes: 35%
2. No: 43%
3. Only for compliments: 22%

What derisive nickname did political opponents give John Tyler after he became president in 1841?

Show me the answer