Martinsville will eliminate all city-issued purchasing cards and tighten financial controls following scrutiny of more than $1.4 million in employee spending, City Manager Rob Fincher announced last week. The move, described as a “radical reset” of the city’s purchasing policies, comes after months of questions about how taxpayer funds were used under former City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides and after a Martinsville Bulletin investigation found spending far outpaced that of neighboring Henry County. … The announcement follows a May 13 Bulletin report, based on records obtained under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, showing that city employees charged more than $1.4 million on municipal credit cards over a 15-month period ending in March 2025. … Fincher framed the elimination of credit cards as a necessary step to rebuild confidence and strengthen oversight.

Kevin Carter, chair of the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors, is questioning whether school board member Susan Pauling violated her board’s code of ethics and “standards of honesty and public trust” in comments Monday at a county budget meeting. Carter sent a letter to the school board on Tuesday, asking it to review Pauling’s testimony during a public hearing on the county budget for the 2027 fiscal year. Supervisors are expected to vote on the budget next week. “We’re emphasizing compensation, buses, infrastructure, and health fund,” Pauling said at the hearing. “It’s understanding that, after four years of being flat-funded, this gives us an opportunity to increase our compensation for our teachers and our classified staff to a place where we’re in competition with our surrounding counties.” … In his written response on Tuesday, Carter described Pauling’s comments as “at best contradictory and at worst misleading to the public.”

A former Greene County supervisor has filed suit against the county administrator and his former colleagues on the Board of Supervisors after they refused to give him his job back mere days after he resigned. It’s only the latest chapter in the twisting and turning story of Francis McGuigan, a man known as much for his controversial takes as his contrarian attitude. McGuigan, who served as an at-large member on the board from January 2024 until January 2026, delivered a handwritten resignation letter to County Administrator Cathy Schafrik on Jan. 21. Two days later, he changed his mind and attempted to rescind his resignation. County officials, however, did not accept that rescission and proceeded to accept applications for an interim supervisor to fill his seat. Marie Durrer, a former Midway District supervisor, was ultimately selected and will fill the at-large seat until the upcoming Nov. 3 election.

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors is reversing course on a proposal that would have eliminated the county’s translator TV service. At Monday night’s budget public hearing, a statement from the Board announced the service will not only remain in operation, but efforts will be made to strengthen it. Officials say staff will now look for new funding sources and ways to improve the system, which will continue to be offered free of charge. The translator service, which began in 1977, provides countywide access to television signals from Hampton Roads stations including WTKR, WAVY, WVEC, and WHRO. County Administrator Mike Mason says the response from residents played a major role in the decision. According to Mason, the county received 110 phone calls and 274 petition signatures, most expressing concern about losing the service and the potential cost of replacing it. He added that all public comments are available on the county’s website.

The Virginia State Police is investigating a member of the South Boston Police Department. Matthew Demlein, public relations coordinator for Virginia State Police, confirmed Monday in an email to The Gazette that there is an active investigation on South Boston Police Department Cpl. Dennis Blanks. Demlein would not divulge any details surrounding the investigation and would not confirm the nature of the probe when questioned by The Gazette. … Confirmation of the state police investigation comes a month after the South Boston Police Department issued a statement that they were “aware of recent social media content regarding allegations involving a member of our department.” … There is no confirmation that the current incident and the department statement are linked.

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to provide a documentary film company with a recording of Elon Musk’s 2018 testimony before the agency as part of its securities fraud investigation into the billionaire entrepreneur. Jigsaw Productions, Inc., which is currently producing a documentary about Musk, sued the SEC in 2024 with free legal support from attorneys at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The lawsuit sought access to the audio and video footage of Musk’s testimony in connection with an agency investigation that resulted in Musk paying a $20 million fine. While the SEC turned over most of the transcript of the recording, it has refused to release the audio and video footage. In a 12-page opinion issued last week, Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of Jigsaw Productions. The judge rejected the government’s arguments that the recording should be shielded from the public to protect Musk’s privacy, pointing out that he is “an exceptionally famous public figure” and recently served as a senior federal government official.