Democrats on the House Privileges and Elections Committee are blocking five appointments from Gov. Glenn Youngkin. This is in addition to the nine appointments that the state Senate already blocked, reports Virginia Scope.
The committee removed a former Democratic state senator as well as a Dominion Energy employee from the list of appointments they approved Friday morning.
A lawsuit challenging the Prince William Digital Gateway – a rezoning that would allow up to 37 data centers at the edge of Manassas National Battlefield Park – survived an effort to dismiss it Thursday when a judge said she needed more evidence about a key element of the case, reports Prince William Times.
The ruling breathes new life into a lawsuit filed by Gainesville area residents who are upset about the county supervisors’ decision to open 1,700 acres of farms and homes to industrial data center development. The lawsuit was filed by the Oak Valley Homeowners’ Association and 10 residents who aim to undo the rezoning decision.
Federal employees were reportedly informed that they must stop including their pronouns at the end of emails, one of President Donald Trump’s latest actions to root gender ideology and diversity, equity and inclusion policies out of the federal government, reports The Center Square.
ABC News reported on the memo, which gave employees until 5 p.m. EST Friday to make the change, which applies not just to emails but all federal communications.
Press release:
At approximately 2:45 P.M. on Saturday, February 1st, units with Stafford County Fire and Rescue (SCFR) responded to a reported structure fire in the 100 block of Aquia Creek Road, near Aquia Creek. Callers reported a neighboring residence on fire, and first arriving units marked the scene less than 10 minutes later and confirmed fire and smoke coming from the rear and roof of a single-family residence.
Should Virginia ditch the longstanding practice of electing the General Assembly and the governor in odd year elections?, reports Virginia’s Public Radio.
The first odd year election in Virginia was in 1851, after a new state Constitution was approved and members of the House were elected to a two-year term. Before that, members of the House had one-year terms, and voters selected members every single year.
A Manassas man was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for providing drugs and alcohol to a child in exchange for sex acts and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting the same victim as well as other children.
According to court documents, Olajide Benjamin Ayilaran, 24, met a 14-year-old girl during the summer of 2023 and began communicating with the victim via iMessage. In the messages, Ayilaran offered to provide the victim drugs, alcohol, and nicotine products in exchange for sex acts. Between at least Nov. 21, 2023, and Feb. 29, 2024, Ayilaran met the victim nine times, usually in the morning before the victim went to school, to exchange the products for sexual acts. Ayilaran would wait for the victim in his car in a nearby park. When the victim arrived, he gave her the drugs and alcohol and then had the victim perform sex acts on him in the car.
As bird flu cases continue to rise in the U.S., UVA Health infectious diseases expert Dr. Patrick Jackson provided insights into the latest developments and potential risks during a media briefing. With over 60 confirmed human cases nationwide and recent detections in birds across Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, concerns about the virus’s spread have resurfaced.
Jackson reassured the public that while the presence of bird flu in Virginia is noteworthy, it does not significantly change the risk level for humans. “We’ve known for a long time that H5N1 influenza, in its current strain, is widely distributed in wild bird populations,” he said. “The fact that it’s been detected in poultry operations in Virginia was something we expected to happen sooner or later.”
Due to an unforeseen number of staff absences, Stafford County Public Schools is experiencing bus delays this afternoon.
Several schools are being significantly impacted by delays, including North Stafford High, Brooke Point High, and Colonial Forge High, which have reported delays ranging from 15 to 45 minutes. The elementary and middle schools, such as Garrisonville Elementary and Stafford Middle, are also experiencing delays, particularly for routes that have been combined or affected by traffic.
A fatal crash in Nokesville on January 30 has left one man dead and another injured, according to the Prince William County Police Department. The incident occurred at approximately 3:28 p.m. at the intersection of Aden Road and Parkgate Drive.
Authorities report that the driver of a 2008 Nissan Titan, identified as 29-year-old David Joseph Russell Callen of Manassas, was traveling southbound on Aden Rd at a high rate of speed. The Titan crossed into oncoming traffic, colliding with a 2022 Subaru Outback heading in the opposite direction. The force of the collision caused the Titan to leave the roadway, rolling several times before coming to a stop on its roof.
