“The candidacy of former President Donald Trump is under scrutiny in more than a handful of states; the question of whether Trump will be on the primary ballot for Virginia, at least, appears to have been resolved,” reports Morgan Sweeney at The Center Square.

“The new year signals change, specifically new laws which will take effect in Virginia, especially in the health care sector,” reports Sarah Roderick-Fitch at The Center Square. “The Commonwealth will see a slew of new laws aimed at improving health insurance coverage, recognizing specific out-of-state counseling licenses, streamlining home studies for adoption and changes to the state’s medical marijuana oversight.”

“The U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Office for Civil Rights is investigating George Mason University (GMU) for “discrimination involving shared ancestry” following accusations of antisemitism against the school,” WJLA-TV reports.

After decades of conservation work and multiple pieces of state and federal legislation passed on its behalf, 2023 proved a banner year for the Chesapeake Bay, according to data gathered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Virginia’s Old Dominion University, reports Morgan Sweeney at The Center Square.

Virginia State Parks: “Construction is complete on Sky Meadows State Park’s Lost Mountain Trail, bringing it up to sustainability standards. The 2.2-mile trail, designed for hikers and equestrians, is one of six located in the park’s 248-acre Lost Mountain area, which opened to the public in the early ‘90s.”

“Due to several factors, including regular traffic and improper drainage, Lost Mountain Trail was suffering from significant erosion, making it difficult to traverse. Sky Meadows hired Ironwood Outdoors to address the issue, the third project at the park for the full-service trail building company since 2018.”

“Upgrades to Lost Mountain Trail started in early November and included five reroutes to avoid hazard areas, seven de-berm areas to improve the out slope of the trail, 49 rolling grade dips to prevent washout and 18 knicks to prevent pooling water.”

“The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is facing a looming budget shortfall, and Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen are hoping to ease operational costs related to national security and counterterrorism efforts, reports Sarah Roderick-Fitch at The Center Square. “The four congressmen penned a letter to President Joe Biden requesting his administration include at least $30 million in the FY25 budget to offset expenses stemming from supporting counterterrorism and national security concerns.”

“Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has released his proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 “Unleashing Opportunity” budget, replete with his characteristic tax relief and a record investment in education,” reports Morgan Sweeney at The Center Square.

“Prince William County School Board Chair Babur Lateef has filed to run as a Democrat for lieutenant governor of Virginia next year, according to documents from the Virginia Department of Elections,” Ben Peters at Insidenova.com reports.

 

“Virginia received the sixth most unaccompanied alien children (UACs), arriving primarily from the U.S.-Mexico border of 31,391 since fiscal 2015,” reports Bethany Blankley at The Center Square. “The numbers have significantly increased in the last few years.”