The VPM Daily Newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of March 2, 2023:
Lawmakers reject new restrictions on political contributions (again)
Reported by VPM News’ Ben Paviour
Virginia lawmakers largely rejected legislation in this year’s session designed to impose new limitations on how they raise money — and what they do with it.
Lawmakers killed bills that would have banned them from using campaign funds for personal expenses, one that barred fundraising during special sessions and others that would cap the amount donors can give per year; there is currently no limit on donations.
Jillian Balow resigns as state superintendent of public instruction
Reported by VPM News
Balow, a former classroom teacher and state superintendent in Wyoming, was nominated to the Virginia Department of Education post by Youngkin at the start of his term in 2022. In her resignation letter, Balow highlighted her work implementing the Virginia Literacy Act and praised the governor for focusing on workforce-related educational initiatives.
Balow's tenure at VDOE was marked with high-profile fights over issues including revised state standards for history education and the treatment of transgender students in schools.
In other news:
- Virginia railroad union says safety concerns have been rising amid cost-saving moves (The Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- White supremacist serving life sentence fined for prison misconduct (The Associated Press)
- Richmond region’s medical cannabis provider to be sold again, though deal has been delayed (Richmond BizSense)
In case you missed it:
- Richmond advances new way of handling mental health emergencies (The Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- Prompted by Satan club, Chesapeake board changes rules for using school buildings (The Virginian-Pilot)