A summary of news from across Virginia

As Virginia continues to have problems with mail delivery, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said: Seven other members of Virginia’s congressional delegation sent a letter to the U.S. Postal Service’s inspector general expressing their concerns.

The letter comes in the wake of delays and disruptions to the local postal service and a recent trial involving mail theft by a former mail carrier. Mr. Cain’s office requested a tour of the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Sandston, which is currently under audit by the Office of the Inspector General.

The letter’s signatories include Kaine, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, No. 1 Republican Rep. Rob Whitman, No. 2 Republican Rep. Jen Quiggans, No. 3 Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott, and No. 4 Democratic Rep. Jennifer McClellan. Congressman Bob Goode. R-5th place, Abigail Spanberger, D-7th place.

Development failure: Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has rejected a request by Virginia lawmakers for VCU Health to terminate its $56 million contract with the city due to a contract breakdown.

An agreement to redevelop the downtown public safety building was signed in 2021, but fell through months later due to rising construction costs and weak demand for downtown office space. VCU Health paid him $73 million to exit the project, which would have cost more than $300 million.

As part of the agreement, VCU Health committed to sending a pilot at a cost of about $56 million, said Kara Gunter, VCU’s vice president for foreign affairs and health policy. VCU Health, as part of the state agency, does not pay property taxes on its buildings. The city essentially asked for the pilot in exchange for giving away the lucrative land.

In the General Assembly’s budget proposal, lawmakers called on VCU Health to terminate the deal.

“This budget that has been presented to me will set Virginia back.”

— Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin explains the state budget approved by the Democratic-led General Assembly. He claims it would amount to a $2.6 billion tax increase after lawmakers rejected his proposal to cut income taxes across the board.

“It was like the biggest challenge of my life. But when you go up there and look down at the clouds, it’s the most breathtaking thing. “When I realized that I had just done this, it was It’s a feeling I’ve never felt before.”

— Jennifer Scherer, owner of Fredericksburg Fitness Studio, about a group of 12 people who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania last month. Eight were from the Fredericksburg area, and half were over 60 years old. They climbed a 6,340-foot snow-covered volcano during a 77.5-mile round trip hike.

Since 2017, oysters have been added to the Chesapeake Bay by the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance. The alliance brings together more than 100 partner organizations in Virginia and Maryland, and its goal is to introduce 10 billion oysters through restoration and aquaculture efforts. According to the coalition, one adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water each day.

Approximate number of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores that Chesapeake-based Dollar Tree will close. The company announced it would close about 600 Family Dollar stores in the first half of this year, and about 370 Family Dollar and 30 Dollar Tree stores over the next few years.

JUDGE: Charlottesville attorney Jasmine Yun was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday to be a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Virginia. She will be the state’s first Asian American jurist and the district’s first judge of color. Mr. Yun will assume the role when Chief Justice Michael Urbanski becomes senior judge in July 2024. Mr. Yun is Vice President of Corporate Integrity, Ethics and Investigations at Capital One Financial Corporation and previously served as General Counsel at the University of Virginia and as an Assistant United States Attorney. For the Eastern District of Virginia.

The General Assembly is stepping up efforts to crack down on e-cigarettes, including legislation that imposes stiffer penalties for underage sales and a registration system aimed at banning the sale of e-cigarettes that evade oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Congress also revised the tax treatment of heated tobacco sticks, another alternative to cigarettes. Philip Morris International said the move would delay the launch of its products scheduled for this spring and put it at a competitive disadvantage as it and Henrico County-based Altria Group move into reduced-risk tobacco products. He claimed to fall.

Senate Bill 582 and House Bill 790 would add nicotine vapor products to the list of tobacco products that cannot be sold to people under 21 years of age. These sales come with stiff new penalties, including a $10,000 fine and revocation of the seller’s or retailer’s license. Tax registration for fourth offense.

The Spotsylvania County School Board voted 5-0 to fire Superintendent Mark Taylor during a special meeting Tuesday night.

Taylor, who was hired by the previous board and started the job in September 2022, sparked a firestorm last year when he removed more than 30 books from county school libraries.

In November, voters removed three members who supported Taylor, replacing the majority of the board.

Kelly Guempel, assistant superintendent and chief academic officer, has been selected as acting superintendent and attends school board meetings in that capacity.