Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1951, Barbara Johns organized a walkout by about 400 students to protest poor educational conditions at Prince Edward County's only high school for black students. The students eventually sued to demand desegregation, and the case was rolled into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

The Republican ticket for November's statewide elections is set. Almost half of those running are women. More on that in Around Virginia.

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Joint Task Force Announces Arrests

The Virginia Homeland Security Task Force said it has arrested more than 500 people so far this year who are in the United States illegally. The team, a partnership between federal and state authorities, launched in February.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin described the partnership as a national model for cooperation. "These are folks that have been taken off the streets of Virginia, and we're a lot safer because of this," he said of the detainees.

The task force brings together more than 200 state and federal officers, including agents from the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Virginia State Police, and the Department of Corrections.

State officials said that of those arrested, 132 are affiliated with gangs, including MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and other transnational organized crime groups.

GOP Statewide Ticket Set

The Republican Party's slate of statewide candidates is set for November, with Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears as the nominee for governor, John Reid as the candidate to replace her as lieutenant governor, and Jason Miyares running for reelection as attorney general.

Earle-Sears is the first black woman to run as the Republican nominee for governor, and Reid is the first openly gay man chosen as a candidate by either party for any statewide office.

The GOP field was winnowed after Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity withdrew from the lieutenant governor primary. He said he didn't have the stamina to conduct the race after his recent heart surgery.

On the Democratic side, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger will be the nominee for governor, while nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general will be chosen in a June 17 primary.

Bridge Replacement Moving Up

A law enacted this year allowed the state to move ahead with a mega project to replace the Robert O. Norris Bridge beginning in 2028, eight years earlier than previously scheduled.

The almost two-mile span connects the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula over the Rappahannock River. The project will be funded through the Commonwealth Transportation Special Structures Program Revenue Bond Act of 2025.

The bridge is one of 18 mega bridges and tunnels in Virginia that are considered to be "special structures" because of size and complexity.

The new span will feature wider travel lanes, fully functional shoulders, and higher guardrails. After the new one is built, the existing bridge will be demolished.

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➤ Washington, D.C.: Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggans (R) co-sponsored legislation that would outlaw taking drone video of "sensitive national defense sites." It's already illegal to take photos at secure sites, but a loophole in the law allows video footage. (Details)

➤ Statewide: Forty-one of the 86 non-incumbents running for the House of Delegates in Virginia this year are women. Both the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor are also women. (Details)

➤ Virginia Beach: The city's oceanfront replenishment project relaunched after a brief pause over concerns that the sand being used was too fine. The goal is to dredge approximately 950,000 cubic yards of sand from the Atlantic Ocean Channel and move it to the beach. (More)

➤ Henrico: The school board approved a $944 million budget that will deliver raises to Henrico County Public Schools employees next year. The budget provides a 6% salary increase for all returning full-time employees and a larger boost for support staff. (Details)

➤ Fairfax: The Secret Service interviewed a GMU student after he published an essay on social media titled "When Must We Kill Them?" criticizing members of the Trump administration. "George Mason condemns this and all encouragements of violence," the university said in a statement. (More)

➤ Statewide: The Commonwealth's 300 vineyards are hoping to take advantage of federal tariffs on imported wine to boost domestic sales. "We want to get people to see Virginia wine country as their wine country," the head of the Virginia Wineries Association said. (Details)

➤ The Washington Capitals host Montreal tonight in the second game of their Stanley Cup playoff series. The Caps won the opening game on Monday, 3-2 in overtime. (More)

➤ James Madison University baseball visits UVA this afternoon in a matchup of two struggling teams. The Dukes are 13-27 while the Cavaliers, once ranked in the top 5 nationally, are 20-15. (Stats)

➤ Virginia Tech men's basketball added former Delaware point guard Izaiah Pasha to its roster. He comes to Blacksburg from the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining. (Details)

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➤ The Norfolk Redevelopment Housing Authority is offering first-time home buyers $60,000 to help them buy a house and pay closing costs. The house must be in the city of Norfolk and must be in good condition. (Details)

➤ Independent Bookstore Day is this Saturday, with several shops in Northern Virginia offering deals and activities. (More)

➤ Virginia lawmakers passed legislation defining Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) as valid business entities. A DAO is a blockchain-based business structure that operates without centralized leadership. (Details)

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➤ The Lyrid meteor shower is streaking across the sky this week. Virginia's Dark Sky Parks are the perfect places to view the show. (Details)

➤ Tablespoons Bakery, a nonprofit founded in Richmond to help adults with developmental disabilities practice job and life skills, will close next month. The owner blamed economic challenges. (More)

➤ Eight students from Patriot High School in Nokesville qualified to advance to the National Leadership Conference in July. (Details)

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