Activate Virginia
@activateva.bsky.social
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activatevirginia.org activateva.substack.com
reposted by
Activate Virginia
"Metropolis does not use license plate recognition,â Morrissey said. âInstead, our computer vision platform is trained on a comprehensive and proprietary data set to recognize vehicles with a âvehicle fingerprintâ based on its unique characteristics..."
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Two of the city's largest parking garages are now using artificial intelligence to recognize your car
The city and the new operator, Metropolis, promise a smooth experience from the technology, but customers in other cities have filed class-action lawsuits over the system.
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/two-of-the-citys-largest-parking-garages-are-now-using-artificial-intelligence-to-read-your-license-plate/
1 day ago
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"Tuesday night, at its final meeting of 2025, Newport News City Council voted to approve a more than $3 million grant to give the Port Warwick Foundation the money in order to organize a festival thatâll include live performances, concerts..."
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https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/newport-news/newport-news-to-give-3m-for-memorial-day-music-festival/
about 12 hours ago
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"The off-duty officerâs wife, who was with him in the restaurant where the initial conversation took place, additionally had âno relevant informationâ to corroborate the officerâs account."
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1 day ago
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"According to prosecutors, federal officials searched the brothersâ names in a federal database of firearm purchases without including their middle initials, leading to what they described as âinaccurate reports of firearm purchasesâ by the two."
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Charges of conspiring to harm ICE agents dropped against Kempsville High assistant principal and his brother
Mark and John Bennett were charged with conspiracy to commit malicious wounding after an off-duty Norfolk police officer overheard a conversation between the brothers at a Vietnamese restaurant on âŚ
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/12/18/bennett-brothers-ice-threats-charges-dropped/
1 day ago
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âPeople already have health issues down there, are already fighting cancers and lung diseases. They donât need more,â Mello said.
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Then & Now: Mountain Valley Pipeline moves ahead with Montgomery County compressor station
Developers say the compressor station will help Mountain Valley Pipeline meet a strong demand for natural gas. Opponents say it could harm eastern Montgomery County.
https://cardinalnews.org/2025/12/19/then-now-mountain-valley-pipeline-moves-ahead-with-montgomery-county-compressor-station/
1 day ago
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"Jeffrey Epstein helped Leslie Wexner repurpose the CIAâs Iran-Contra planes from arms smuggling to shipping lingerie."
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Epstein, Israel, and the CIA: How the Iran-Contra Planes Landed at Les Wexner's Base
Jeffrey Epstein helped Leslie Wexner repurpose the CIAâs Iran-Contra planes from arms smuggling to shipping lingerie.
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-iran-contra-planes-leslie-wexner-pottinger-leese-arms-weapons-smuggling
1 day ago
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"In a statement to The Cavalier Daily, Deeds acknowledged that the Universityâs FOIA release did not include all of the materials that he requested."
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Deeds requested a range of records. Hereâs what he actually got.
Deeds acknowledged that the Universityâs FOIA release did not include all of the materials that he requested.
https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025/12/deeds-requested-a-range-of-records-heres-what-he-actually-got
1 day ago
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"Transparency by default is a good thing, but it has to be earnest and real and not just used as a political talking point. Press releases about raising the bar are irrelevant when that bar has been subterranean for the last eight years..."
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Transparency by Default Is Better Than Obfuscation By Design.
RVA 5x5 - December 17, 2025
https://rva5x5.substack.com/p/transparency-by-default-is-better
1 day ago
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"An FBI investigation into an alleged terror plot in Southern California bears the familiar hallmarks of the bureauâs long-running use of informants and undercover agents to advance plots that might not otherwise have materialized, court documents show."
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Longtime Paid FBI Informant Was Instrumental in Terror Case Against âTurtle Island Liberation Frontâ
Kash Patel touted the FBIâs investigative work against the âTurtle Island Liberation Front,â whose YouTube channel has 18 followers. A paid FBI informant did a heavy lift.
https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/fbi-informant-turtle-island-terror-plot/
1 day ago
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âWhat we found is that PFAS is pretty much everywhere,â said Nick McLelland, a masters engineering student at Virginia Tech who worked on the study. âWe found it 100% of our samples.â
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Most well water in Virginia likely has PFAS, researchers find
A recent study found there is virtually nowhere in Virginia where you wonât find some traces of PFAS in the water, even in rural wells.
https://www.wvtf.org/news/2025-12-16/most-well-water-in-virginia-likely-has-pfas-researchers-find
1 day ago
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"Metropolis does not use license plate recognition,â Morrissey said. âInstead, our computer vision platform is trained on a comprehensive and proprietary data set to recognize vehicles with a âvehicle fingerprintâ based on its unique characteristics..."
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Two of the city's largest parking garages are now using artificial intelligence to recognize your car
The city and the new operator, Metropolis, promise a smooth experience from the technology, but customers in other cities have filed class-action lawsuits over the system.
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/two-of-the-citys-largest-parking-garages-are-now-using-artificial-intelligence-to-read-your-license-plate/
1 day ago
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"A new state investigation into Virginia's only youth prison says Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center failed to document required wellness checks, substance use therapy and emergency drills."
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State audit questions safety at Bon Air youth prison
But Department of Juvenile Justice officials say the findings reflect paperwork issues, not unsafe conditions.
https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/12/17/bon-air-virginia-youth-prison-audit
2 days ago
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âIf there arenât charges or indictments, Iâm just going to go ahead anyway,â Rawls said, later adding, âIâm ready to move, Iâm tired of this.â
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Rawls says heâll release details about Martinsville city manager report as early as January
Martinsville City Council member Aaron Rawls said heâs been hearing from residents who want details about why Aretha Ferrell-Benavides was fired this summer.
https://cardinalnews.org/2025/12/15/rawls-says-hell-release-details-about-martinsville-city-manager-report-as-early-as-january/
2 days ago
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âTheyâve shared their research more publicly,â she said, âbut what matters more to me is how honestly theyâll talk about the harmful decisions that were made, who made them, and how those decision makers will be held accountable.â
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Virginiaâs probe into public universitiesâ displacement of Black neighborhoods no longer theoretical ⢠Virginia Mercury
A Newport News task force revealed its preliminary findings in a recent meeting, the most public update yet in a process many residents have urged be more transparent
https://virginiamercury.com/2025/11/13/virginias-probe-into-public-universities-displacement-of-black-neighborhoods-no-longer-theoretical/
2 days ago
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Dog attacks persist in Virginia prisons despite 2024 law change
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Dog attacks persist in Virginia prisons despite 2024 law change ⢠Virginia Mercury
Patrol canines have bitten incarcerated people in the head, stomach, arms and legs â and in two cases, attacked corrections officers.
https://virginiamercury.com/2025/12/11/dog-attacks-persist-in-virginia-prisons-despite-2024-law-change/
2 days ago
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reposted by
Activate Virginia
Prosecutors drop charges against Virginia Beach assistant principal, brother in alleged ICE plot
www.13newsnow.com/article/news...
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Charges to be dropped against Virginia Beach brothers accused of plotting violence against police, ICE
The Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office dismissed the charges without prejudice against John and Mark Bennett.
https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/virginia-beach/virginia-beach-files-to-drop-charges-against-assistant-principal-brother-accused-of-plotting-violence-against-police-ice/291-24614f16-f2ec-4bdc-9f79-da317e7b96a3
5 days ago
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"A little over a year after incorporating additional surveillance technology throughout the city, Martinsvilleâs Police Department is in the process of scaling it back."
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Then & Now: Martinsville begins dismantling network of gunshot detectors
The technology hasnât provided the kind of results the police department had hoped for, the chief said.
https://cardinalnews.org/2025/12/12/then-now-martinsville-begins-dismantling-network-of-gunshot-detectors/
2 days ago
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"Alcorn said even the possibility of a casino in the Tysons area could have a âchilling effectâ on economic development there, based on his conversations with property owners and developers."
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Fairfax board narrowly votes to oppose any casino legislation not requested by supervisors | FFXnow
By the narrowest of majorities, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors went on record today (Tuesday) opposing any state legislation authorizing development of a casino property within the county's b...
https://www.ffxnow.com/2025/12/09/fairfax-board-narrowly-votes-to-oppose-any-casino-legislation-not-requested-by-supervisors/
2 days ago
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âAnd at the end of the day, weâve got to help the people,â she said, ââand thatâs what Iâm going to remind members of my party.â
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Rising electric bills helped spur a Democratic upset in rural Virginia
Fossil fuels and transmission fees are driving up utility bills in southwest Virginia. New state lawmakers like Lily Franklin can help fix that.
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/politics/rural-virginia-elections-electric-bills-democrats
2 days ago
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"Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment accusing unnamed individuals connected to a sanitation contractor of harboring undocumented immigrants, including children, and providing them with fraudulent identification to work at an Eastern Shore poultry plant."
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Federal indictment alleges contractor used child labor, fraudulent IDs at Eastern Shore poultry plant
Prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing unnamed individuals connected to a sanitation contractor of harboring undocumented immigrants to work at an Eastern Shore poultry plant.
https://www.wtkr.com/investigations/federal-indictment-alleges-contractor-used-child-labor-fraudulent-ids-at-eastern-shore-poultry-plant
2 days ago
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âHow can you charge us more money for something we canât even use?â Carter said. "I canât wash my daughterâs clothes. I canât cook with this water. Iâm scared to clean with it, wash my dishes and my daughterâs bottles.â
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Virginia homeowners' water turns brown and becomes unusable. Now their utility company wants to raise prices.
Aqua Virginia is asking to raise their water and wastewater prices as customers report issues with brown and unstable water.
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/aqua-virginia-caroline-county-brown-water-nov-17-2025
2 days ago
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reposted by
Activate Virginia
"Staunton announced this afternoon that it will end its contract with Flock Safety and remove the six automated license plate readers installed throughout the city."
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Staunton cancels Flock contract, doesn't agree with CEO's ideology
Staunton has announced that it will end its contract with Flock Safety and remove all automated license plate readers installed in the city.
https://augustafreepress.com/news/staunton-to-cancel-flock-safety-camera-contract-doesnt-agree-with-ideology-of-ceo/
4 days ago
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"The lawsuit from Lisa Vedernikova Khanna, a candidate in Virginia, alleges that the California-based company âconditionedâ her employment on her ending her campaign..."
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Instacart director says she was fired for Democratic congressional campaign
Lisa Vedernikova Khanna, a candidate in Virginia, says in a lawsuit that the mobile shopping giant cited concerns her bid could hurt the company with President Donald Trump.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/15/instacart-congress-campaign-democrat/
4 days ago
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reposted by
Activate Virginia
jenntheflower
4 days ago
nice.
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reposted by
Activate Virginia
Matthew Gillikin
4 days ago
Letâs go Staunton!
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"Staunton announced this afternoon that it will end its contract with Flock Safety and remove the six automated license plate readers installed throughout the city."
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Staunton cancels Flock contract, doesn't agree with CEO's ideology
Staunton has announced that it will end its contract with Flock Safety and remove all automated license plate readers installed in the city.
https://augustafreepress.com/news/staunton-to-cancel-flock-safety-camera-contract-doesnt-agree-with-ideology-of-ceo/
4 days ago
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reposted by
Activate Virginia
"Michael Monaco"
5 days ago
"I want to be absolutely clear of what happened in this case," defense counsel said Thursday. "These charges were dismissed today, not because of a legal technicality, and not because the evidence was weak or questionable; they were dismissed because there was no evidence, none."
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Activate Virginia
COVA Coalition: progressive women in Hampton Roads, VA
5 days ago
Update on the alleged anti-ICE plot in
#VirginiaBeach
: "They did nothing wrong; they had a spirited conversation in a restaurant that was misconstrued by someone, and it went way too far..."
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"The credibility of a Central Virginia police officer is in question after he was accused of illegally using law enforcement technology to gain information about another officer, who was dating his ex-girlfriend."
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https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/mecklenburg-county/officer-accused-using-police-technology-snoop-new-boyfriend/
4 days ago
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Prosecutors drop charges against Virginia Beach assistant principal, brother in alleged ICE plot
www.13newsnow.com/article/news...
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Charges to be dropped against Virginia Beach brothers accused of plotting violence against police, ICE
The Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office dismissed the charges without prejudice against John and Mark Bennett.
https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/virginia-beach/virginia-beach-files-to-drop-charges-against-assistant-principal-brother-accused-of-plotting-violence-against-police-ice/291-24614f16-f2ec-4bdc-9f79-da317e7b96a3
5 days ago
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"A barking dog has resulted in the arrests of two Stafford men on multiple felony charges and the seizure of 243 chickens, police said."
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Stafford men charged with multiple felonies after authorities seize 243 chickens, other items
Juan Juarez, 57, and 34-year-old Juan Carlos Juarez Ayala were taken into custody and were each charged with 10 counts of felony animal fighting.
https://fredericksburg.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_7e944a17-e4fc-40ea-808b-984c96112367.html
5 days ago
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"As she prepares to start of first year as a state legislator, Nicole Cole talks the job ahead, opportunities and challenges, and getting a jump on the job."
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TALKING RICHMOND: Delegate-elect Nicole Cole
As she prepares to start of first year as a state legislator, Nicole Cole talks the job ahead, opportunities and challenges, and getting a jump on the job.
https://www.fxbgadvance.com/p/talking-richmond-delegate-elect-nicole
5 days ago
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"...Hu and other neighbors are drawing attention to what they say is an unfair and unhealthy plan. âThis is an environmental injustice, because you got this big corporation coming in saying we want to go through your backyard,â Hu said."
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Loudoun residents take fight against high-voltage power lines for Data Center Alley to SCC ⢠Virginia Mercury
Dominion Energy looks to build a new route of high-voltage transmission lines. However, the surrounding Loudoun County community has worries.
https://virginiamercury.com/2025/12/16/loudoun-residents-take-fight-against-high-voltage-power-lines-for-data-center-alley-to-scc/
5 days ago
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"I think that there is also something else going on with engaged voters, especially young ones. There is far less deference to positional authority. They donât really care what titles and roles youâve held."
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'WHO THE HELL IS CHARLIE SCHMIDT?"
Thatâs the question that 3 observers of the RVA political scene asked me yesterday morning about the winner of the Democratic firehouse primary for House District 77, the contest to replace Mike Jones...
https://bobholsworth.substack.com/p/who-the-hell-is-charlie-schmidt
5 days ago
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Activate Virginia
âThe people of Virginia have a right to live with dignity and security,â he said. âIt is the duty of the Democratic Party to deliver this vision.â
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Former ACLU attorney Charlie Schmidt wins Democratic nomination in House District 77 ⢠Virginia Mercury
Charlie Schmidt, a former American Civil Liberties Union attorney and self-described progressive Democrat, won the Democratic nomination Sunday for the Jan. 6 special election in Virginiaâs House Dist...
https://virginiamercury.com/briefs/former-aclu-attorney-charlie-schmidt-wins-democratic-nomination-in-house-district-77/
7 days ago
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âA pox on Republicans for starting it,â said former Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling in a recent interview, âand a pox on the Democrats for now wanting to be part of it.â
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Ill-fated GOP plot foreshadowed Democrats' plans for 2026 redistricting redo ⢠Virginia Mercury
In 2013, Senate Republicans sprung a surprise mid-decade effort to redraw district boundaries in their favor. Democrats lacked the votes to stop it, but the controversial move was short-circuited by G...
https://virginiamercury.com/2025/12/15/ill-fated-gop-plot-foreshadowed-democrats-plans-for-2026-redistricting-redo/
5 days ago
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âThe people of Virginia have a right to live with dignity and security,â he said. âIt is the duty of the Democratic Party to deliver this vision.â
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Former ACLU attorney Charlie Schmidt wins Democratic nomination in House District 77 ⢠Virginia Mercury
Charlie Schmidt, a former American Civil Liberties Union attorney and self-described progressive Democrat, won the Democratic nomination Sunday for the Jan. 6 special election in Virginiaâs House Dist...
https://virginiamercury.com/briefs/former-aclu-attorney-charlie-schmidt-wins-democratic-nomination-in-house-district-77/
7 days ago
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reposted by
Activate Virginia
The Virginian-Pilot
7 days ago
Portions of Poquoson River closed to shellfish harvesting
trib.al/B9nUiTd
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Portions of Poquoson River closed to shellfish harvesting
Portions of the Poquoson River will be closed to shellfish harvesting for at least several weeks starting Wednesday due to water quality concerns following the release of untreated sewage.
https://trib.al/B9nUiTd
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Activate Virginia
"Eviction filings in January 2025 reached the highest levels since January 2020, and data collected so far in 2025 shows an increase in eviction filing totals compared to our previous years,â Hoff told the commission.
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Evictions filings are on the rise in Virginia
Between July 2024 and June 2025, there were 139,450 reported eviction filings in the state. The number of eviction filings is nearing pre-pandemic levels.
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/12/07/evictions-filings-are-on-the-rise-in-virginia/
9 days ago
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"I donât know where he is,â Richmond Sheriff Antionette Irving said of Tavares Floyd. âBut heâs not in my jail.â
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Where is Tavares Floyd? Months after being indicted, court records still list him as a fugitive
âI donât know where he is,â Richmond Sheriff Antionette Irving said of Tavares Floyd. âBut heâs not in my jail.â
https://richmond.com/news/local/government-politics/article_f008a4eb-fecb-4c26-9da8-68969553a942.html
7 days ago
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"Schmidt laid out a progressive policy platform emphasizing more accountability for law enforcement, protections for immigrant communities...energy affordability and repealing Virginiaâs right-to-work law that limits union power."
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Charlie Schmidt edges Michelle Mosby in firehouse primary
Schmidt finished with 639 votes, compared to Mosby's 488.
https://www.richmonder.org/charlie-schmidt-edges-michelle-mosby-in-firehouse-primary/
9 days ago
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Surovell won't support an independent gaming commission unless the GA pushes through his donor's pet casino project first? This is one reason Democrats can't credibly attack GOP corruption in Virginia.
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Va. lawmakers prioritize establishing Gaming Commission as senator plans to re-introduce Fairfax casino bill despite pushback
The push to create a Virginia Gaming Commission in the upcoming Virginia General Assembly session comes amid renewed efforts to build a casino in Tysons.
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/lawmakers-prioritze-virginia-gaming-commission-fairfax-supervisors-oppose-casino-plans/65-16635b94-44b3-45f7-ade3-63ebc739925f
9 days ago
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â...Roem continued, âbecause all the heavy hitters of corporate Virginia hate this bill, and so they don't like it because it will limit their ability to make as much money as possible from sticking these things where they don't belong.â
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'Biggest of the big leagues': Sen. Roem to pitch sweeping data center crackdown in General Assembly
Data center reform was a pressing issue at a joint legislative meeting between the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, School Board and several members of the countyâs delegation to the Virgin...
https://www.insidenova.com/news/prince_william/biggest-of-the-big-leagues-sen-roem-to-pitch-sweeping-data-center-crackdown-in-general/article_a54504b4-6d68-4145-8120-ed41a69b4edd.html
9 days ago
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"Between January 2024 and October 2025, the group recorded between 39 and 76 storms at each site... The results showed that the spots within solar arrays often saw ârapid, and at times substantial,â amounts of surface runoff."
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Large solar farms in Virginia can produce ârapidâ stormwater runoff, researchers find
Virginia Techâs preliminary report is part of an ongoing study funded by the state to address growing concerns.
https://www.whro.org/environment/2025-12-11/large-solar-farms-in-virginia-can-produce-rapid-stormwater-runoff-researchers-find
9 days ago
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"Eviction filings in January 2025 reached the highest levels since January 2020, and data collected so far in 2025 shows an increase in eviction filing totals compared to our previous years,â Hoff told the commission.
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Evictions filings are on the rise in Virginia
Between July 2024 and June 2025, there were 139,450 reported eviction filings in the state. The number of eviction filings is nearing pre-pandemic levels.
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/12/07/evictions-filings-are-on-the-rise-in-virginia/
9 days ago
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"It is unacceptable for any elected officialâespecially one who claims to stand with working peopleâto defend a law that undermines those very principles" it wrote, referring to Virginia's right-to-work law.
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Right-to-work reforms possible for Virginia
However, debates among Democrats could showcase policy rifts.
https://www.vpm.org/news/2025-12-05/right-to-work-virginia-general-assembly-carroll-foy-spanberger-labor
9 days ago
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"But in Virginia, reporters from Leeâs newspapers and Courthouse News say they canât even get new civil complaints from their own counsel due to the terms of online subscription system called Officer of the Court Remote Access, or OCRA."
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News groups challenge Virginiaâs prior restraint on distribution of court records
Virginia law bars attorneys from sending court records to journalists. The commonwealthâs court records are controlled by a central administrator in Richmond and serve as a source of income for locall...
https://www.courthousenews.com/news-groups-challenge-virginias-prior-restraint-on-distribution-of-court-records/
9 days ago
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"But candidates such as Macy, Barlow and Mitchell are campaigning in a political landscape that could be bulldozed by spring."
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As Rasoul Explores Run For Congress, Macy Responds That She's Not a 'Career Politician'
An expected redistricting referendum next year could bring new opportunities and alter the status quo.
https://www.roanokerambler.com/as-rasoul-explores-run-for-congress-macy-responds-that-shes-not-a-career-politician/
10 days ago
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"An adjunct faculty member at VCUâs L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs has filed a $5.3 million defamation lawsuit against former Wilder School instructor Bill Leighty..."
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Wilder School faculty member sues fired instructor whose course she took over
In a $5.3 million suit, D. Pulane Lucas alleges former Wilder School instructor Bill Leighty defamed her in a letter circulated to VCU leadership this summer.
https://www.richmonder.org/wilder-school-faculty-member-sues-fired-instructor-whose-course-she-took-over/
10 days ago
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