Friday, March 7, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1956, a constitutional convention changed Virginia law as part of the Massive Resistance movement to oppose school desegregation. The change allowed the state to provide public funds for tuition to parents who sent their children to private, segregated schools. Two years later, a federal court blocked the policy.

Parts of the Commonwealth are still recovering from recent flooding, and this week federal lawmakers joined Gov. Youngkin in asking President Trump for speedy aid. More on that in our Top Stories.

We’re sponsored today by New Sapience, offering an investment opportunity in AI technology.

Lawmakers Seek Emergency Aid

A bipartisan group of lawmakers once again asked President Trump to approve expedited FEMA aid for 11 counties that endured a new round of flooding last month.

“Significant federal assistance is needed in Southwest Virginia to help our constituents who are already recovering from the widespread damage of Hurricane Helene, which was the most significant disaster in the Commonwealth in over a decade,” said a letter to Trump signed by Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith of Salem.

Seven inches of rain fell over the weekend of Feb. 15-16, damaging hundreds of homes and destroying at least 18.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin requested an expedited major disaster declaration for Buchanan, Dickenson, and Tazewell Counties on Feb. 16, later expanding the request to include eight more counties on Feb. 26.

The White House has not responded to either request, although the president quickly approved a similar request from neighboring West Virginia.

Veterans Affairs Hosts Town Halls

An internal memo leaked from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) indicates plans to reduce the agency’s workforce by 80,000 jobs and return to 2019 staffing levels. The VA provides health care to more than 9 million Americans nationwide. More than a quarter of its employees are veterans.

Just after word of the cuts broke, VA officials on both sides of the state held town hall-style meetings.

At the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, some who attended expressed support for targeted cuts but said those cuts should be made carefully and should not include doctors or nurses. “Don’t come in with a chainsaw when you can do it with a scalpel,” suggested Joe Wafford, who served 27 years in the Navy.

The leader of the Salem VA Medical Center promised to give vets “the absolute best healthcare and treatment services that they trust us to provide to them that they’ve earned and that they deserve” despite recent layoffs at her facility. Some who attended were skeptical that care levels could be maintained with fewer people.

The VA has already cut more than 2,400 people, including retired Army Staff Sergeant Alexzandria Hunt. “It broke my heart,” Hunt said of losing her job in Hampton. “It made me feel like nothing, like I didn’t matter, like I was just a number.”

Things to Do This Weekend

Whether you want to volunteer, learn something new, or watch a game, opportunities abound across Virginia this weekend.

In Portsmouth, the Elizabeth River Project is seeking volunteers tomorrow to beautify Paradise Creek Nature Park by weeding, planting, cleaning, pruning, and doing light maintenance. If you’re in the Hampton Roads region but would rather stay indoors, try the Emotions at Play exhibit, running through May at the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach.

Auto enthusiasts can drive out to Roanoke for the 44th Annual MDA Car Show at the Berglund Center all weekend. Hunters may want to check out the Salem Gun & Knife Show at the Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday.

For sports fans, the University of Richmond is the top seed at the Atlantic 10 Conference women’s basketball tournament in Henrico, where the Spiders open play today. In Lynchburg, No. 22 Liberty hosts Kennesaw State for three games in Conference USA softball. Elsewhere, the state high school basketball semifinals are happening tonight at locations across the state.

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➤ Jarratt: An officer at Greensville Correctional Center and two associates were charged with smuggling contraband—including methamphetamines, fentanyl, and pot—into the prison. Police said the officer, who has been fired, possessed more than $300,000 worth of drugs when he was detained. (Details)

➤ Amherst County: The sheriff’s office warned about credit card skimming devices placed on top of card readers at several regional stores to steal transaction data. Customers are advised to inspect card readers carefully before using them. (Details)

➤ Petersburg: Terrence Richardson, one of the “Waverly Two” who was pardoned during Joe Biden’s final days in office, walked out of federal prison on Wednesday. He and another man were found not guilty by a jury in the 1998 murder of a police officer but were sentenced to life in prison by a judge. (More)

➤ Blacksburg: Students at Virginia Tech may pay more starting in the fall. Officials are considering raising tuition by up to 2.9% for the upcoming school year. (More)

➤ Richmond: John Hunter Raines, the former CFO of the Virginia Birth Injury Program, was sentenced to nine years in prison for embezzling more than $6.7 million from the state-funded program. (Details)

➤ Floyd: A high school playoff game ended with a basketbrawl on Tuesday. With less than a minute left in overtime, officials called three technical fouls on Virginia High School, which trailed by five, ensuring a victory for the Floyd County Buffalos. Fans then charged the court, and chaos ensued. (Watch)

➤ Virginia Tech lost to Georgia Tech in the ACC women’s basketball tournament 72-57 while UVA fell to Cal 75-58. (Scores)

➤ Old Dominion, seeded No. 5 in the Sun Belt women’s basketball tournament, opens play today. Top-seeded JMU earned a bye and doesn’t play until Sunday. (Details)

➤ Randolph-Macon’s women’s basketball team, champions of the ODAC, tips off in the Division III basketball playoffs today. Christopher Newport also made the field. (Bracket)

➤ UVA, No. 9 in men’s baseball, opens ACC play today with a three-game home series against Boston College. (Details)

➤ College sports are being remade by name, image, and likeness policies. Sign up for NIL Wire to know what’s changing.

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➤ The Small Business Administration set a March 31 deadline for organizations to apply for low-interest loans offered to help spur recovery from last summer’s drought. (Who Is Eligible)

➤ Dominion Energy wants to install four natural gas-fired electricity-generating units at a station in Chesterfield. It filed paperwork asking the State Corporation Commission to approve the $1.47 billion project. (More)

➤ The Virginia Press Foundation has a new name: the Virginia Local News Project. The goal of the rebrand is to highlight the importance of local news coverage across the Commonwealth. (Details)

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➤ Blood donors save lives. Meet Richard Martin, a man who’s been giving platelets for decades and recently made his 700th donation. (Details)

➤ The Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation has given nearly $1 million in grants to support 14 clinics and centers that deal with oral health. (The List)

➤ The Virginia Department of Health reports there are no cases of measles in the Commonwealth. The disease has been spreading in other states. (Details)

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