One described last night’s Loudoun County School Board meeting as if it were staged in Portland, Oregon, as jazz hands complemented public comments dedicated as an opposition to the potential weakening of the religious exemption of homeschoolers.
Solar energy is coming back to revive places that were left in the past when coal became a little wanted energy resource, with Virginia near the forefront of the national trend. If completed, the projects would add 1.5 megawatts of solar energy production to the burgeoning industry in the Commonwealth, with more expected to come in the near future.
Delegate Dave LaRock (R-Loudoun) said recently on his campaign website, “[The LCSB] took advantage of the resignation of a conservative member, the absence of another conservative member due to a family health emergency, and some sly language to sneak through some policy positions that should concern all of us.”
Although President Donald Trump has commonly remarked that “tariffs are the greatest,” it seems that rural America bailouts are not helping stave off farming bankruptcies in the heartland.
Members of the Northam Administration claim that these fiscal overruns have nothing to do with the expansion of the healthcare program under the Obama-era federal Affordable Care Act, which has led the state to extend coverage to over 300,000 low-income Virginians. They explained that it will help save the state money, but that will continue until the federal government rescinds the plan, leaving Virginia to pick up the bill somewhere down the road.
On Monday morning, President Donald Trump took to Twitter criticizing the special counsel’s handling of the investigation. The commander-in-chief is demanding that Mueller interview the “hundreds” of other campaign employees and associates involved in the 2016 election who had no contact with Russia.
“Throughout my time in the House of Delegates I have found the committee process to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my job as it allows for a greater understanding of a wide array of issues. As a small business owner I know the importance of cultivating an environment where businesses and entrepreneurs can thrive with as little government interference as possible. The Commerce and Labor committee does important work and I look forward to getting right to work,” Delegate Tony Wilt (R-Harrisonburg) said.
After winning in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, congressman-elect Denver Riggleman has continued his quick pace at freshman orientation for the 116th Congress. Although it is a lot to take in before the next session begins, he says “there’s the dinners, and all the good stuff that goes along with this honeymoon period.”
One area in the Commonwealth that needs extra attention insofar as state funding is concerned is public education infrastructure. Virginia has funded K-12 public education through the state lottery system, which has brought in around $9 billion, with record profits topping $600 million in 2018. If the General Assembly repeals Virginia’s existing ban on casino gambling, a potentially large coffer could be opened to fund not only higher education or K-12 education, but other areas that need vital funding – transportation infrastructure, combating the opioid epidemic, school safety measures, countering human trafficking, creating a larger law enforcement presence towards gang violence, more affordable healthcare, among many others.
President Trump is now clear: he will refuse to cooperate with White House Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election if he is subpoenaed.
