Category: Virginia

Virginia Asks Court to Toss Lawsuit Challenging Ban of School Mask Mandates

Virginia’s new attorney general has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit brought against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order banning school mask mandates. Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican like Youngkin, told the Virginia Supreme Court that the parents who sued lack standing and did not adequately state their case. “The Court should dismiss the…


Rare Blast of Snow, Ice Takes Aim at Southeast US Coast

NORFOLK, Va.—Freezing rain began to glaze parts of the Carolinas late Friday afternoon, while light snow started falling in southeastern Virginia—marking the beginnings of a storm that forecasters say could snarl a region that’s unaccustomed to winter precipitation. “From now through overnight, we’re expecting to get our greatest accumulation of snow and ice,” said David…


New Virginia Governor Discourages Mass and Asymptomatic Testing for COVID-19

Virginia’s new governor on Thursday unveiled a COVID-19 action plan that includes discouraging mass and asymptomatic testing for the disease and encouraging vaccination. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan (pdf) is aimed at relieving pressure on health care systems, keeping state residents healthy, and avoiding shutdowns. On testing for COVID-19, the plan says Youngkin “will discourage mass…


Virginia Parents Sue New Governor Over Banning School Mask Mandates

A group of 13 Virginia parents sued new Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week over his executive order banning schools from requiring children wear masks. In the suit, filed with the Virginia Supreme Court, the parents allege Youngkin’s order violated a state law passed and signed by former Gov. Ralph Northam last year. The law, Senate…


Virginia’s Youngkin Weighs Options as School Districts Insist on Mask Mandates

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is exploring options to respond to school districts defying his executive order, which gives parents the final say on whether their children wear a mask at school. Less than a week into Youngkin’s first term as governor, several major public school districts have already announced that they will not allow parents…


Office of Virginia’s New AG Jason Miyares Denies Firing 30 Staff Members Within Hours of Being Sworn In

A spokeswoman for Virginia’s new Attorney General Jason Miyares has denied reports that Miyares fired 30 staff members hours after taking office last week. Miyares was sworn in on Jan. 15, and quickly announced a string of investigations into the Virginia Parole Board and Loudoun County Public Schools, stating that “Virginians deserve answers,” transparency, and accountability in the wake…


Office of Virginia’s New AG Jason Miyares Denies Firing Civil Rights Division Within Hours of Being Sworn In

A spokeswoman for Virginia’s new Attorney General Jason Miyares has denied reports that Miyares fired all staff members of the civil rights division within hours of taking office last week. Miyares was sworn in on Jan. 15, and quickly announced a string of investigations into the Virginia Parole Board and Loudoun County Public Schools, stating that “Virginians…


Capitol Report (Jan. 17): Winter Storm Cancels Thousands of Flights

In the nation’s capital, activists held a peace walk to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Many tell us they’re encouraged by Dr. King’s legacy of unity and peace. A powerful winter storm ripped through the East Coast over the weekend, leaving over 200,000 homes and businesses without power. Thousand of flights were canceled or…


Virginia Governor Begins Withdrawing State From 10-state Cap-and-Trade Scheme

Virginia’s new Republican governor is moving to withdraw his state from a regional carbon emissions-trading exchange to which 10 coastal and New England states currently belong, a move that promises to be a major setback for the left-wing environmentalist agenda. On Jan. 15, the day he took office, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Executive Order 9,…


Virginia’s Loudoun County Pulls Sexually Explicit Book From School Libraries

Facing pressure from concerned parents, Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia said it will remove copies of a graphic novel containing explicit sexual scenes. The book in question, “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” was created by California cartoonist Maia Kobabe. It sparked controversy in Virginia and several other states after parents complained about the book’s graphic…