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“This victory is an enormous step towards ending felony disenfranchisement in Virginia, one that Virginians can advance even further at the ballot box this fall.” — The ACLU of Virginia, WilmerHale and Protect Democracy in a joint statement
A "future voter" sticker in Fairfax County in August. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
By Charlotte Rene Woods
Among Virginians who are no longer incarcerated, only those convicted of murder and voluntary or involuntary manslaughter remain disqualified from voting under new guidance from the Virginia Department of Elections.
The update comes days before early voting begins in the midterm elections, and months after a federal judge ordered the state to narrow how it determines voter eligibility under the Virginia Readmission Act.
The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority has awarded more than $12.3 million to support opioid prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across the commonwealth. (Photo by Getty Images)
By Markus Schmidt
Virginia will steer more than $12.3 million in opioid settlement money toward state programs ranging from naloxone distribution and treatment services to youth education and recovery support on college campuses, the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority announced recently.
The agency’s Grants Committee approved its latest round of funding for 39 projects across 18 state agencies and public institutions. Seven are new projects, while 32 are continuations of previously funded efforts.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, both Virginia-based Democrats, have introduced legislation targeting the data center industry. (Photos by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
By Shannon Heckt
Two members of Virginia’s congressional delegation have introduced bills designed to create standards for siting data centers in communities, amplify transparency about the facilities’ power and water use and protect nearby communities from international threats.
“As a country we built our power infrastructure, our internet infrastructure, and the national highway system…with strong federal components or the federal government was the lead. Our data centers are looking like they could be a similar project,” U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun, said.
By Nathaniel Cline
King George County Schools will now allow sixth- to eighth-grade students to form non-curricular clubs, including one supporting LGBTQ+ students, after the school board settled with the families of two students who said the school did not allow them to form the LGBTQ+ club previously, according to a Monday announcement.
The school board faced litigation for allegedly blocking students from creating the organization last August, after community concerns surfaced that the proposed Gay-Straight Alliance club was not “age-appropriate” and would “not be a safe space, but a dangerous place,” the lawsuit read.
COMMENTARY
By Jim Spencer
In 1991, Martha Muguira became the first Latina to earn a doctorate at the College of William & Mary. The degree marked the happy ending of a local hero’s success story — and the beginning of a resource to expand educational access to other Hispanic students.
After a career in community service and education, Muguira died in 2012. Her friends and family established a privately funded fellowship to help more Latino and Hispanic students go to W&M’s graduate school of education.
“Preference is given to Hispanic or Latino women who have financial need,” the William & Mary website says.
NEWS TO KNOW
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