Virginia Scope – The Virginia Senate is blocking multiple appointees from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration. A source told Virginia Scope that these appointees had no idea they were not going to be removed.

Jeff Goettman, Yesli Vega, Meg Bryce and Ken Marcus were among the appointees blocked.

When these appointments made it to the full Senate floor Friday afternoon, the debate lasted hours.

WRIC-TV — In an effort to improve workers’ rights, Virginia Democrats have introduced two bills during this year’s General Assembly session to allow all public employees at both the state and local levels to collectively bargain. 

“We need collective bargaining and we need it now,” Harry Szabo, an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University said at a press conference on Friday. 

Currently, public workers are allowed to join a union, but they can’t collectively bargain for higher wages or better working conditions unless collective bargaining has been approved by their locality. 

Traffic disruptions and lane reductions are set to begin on northbound I-495 (Capital Beltway Inner Loop) near Tysons, Virginia, as part of the 495 NEXT project’s Big Beam Weekend. The impacts will start tonight, Friday, January 24, at 9 p.m., and continue through 5 a.m. Monday, January 27. Motorists are strongly advised to avoid the area and plan alternate routes, as significant delays and backups are anticipated.