On Tuesday night, the Loudoun County School Board emerged from a closed session meeting on whether it would join an effort to block a proposed power line route and approved a vague motion “authorizing the School Board chair, counsel for the School Board and LCPS to take actions as discussed in closed session” related to the case. … The School Board regularly emerges from its closed meetings with similar motions that authorize actions without publicly disclosing what they are approving. It is rare that, as in this case, the school division ever announces the actions the School Board laid out in secret. … School Boards are permitted to discuss many topics in closed session, including student records, the performance of public employees, real estate acquisitions, security information, and litigation. However, if the board comes to a decision during the meeting, FOIA requires that the board make and vote on the motion during the open portion of the meeting and that the motion “shall have its substance reasonably identified in the open meeting.”

In response to reporting on federal charges in connection with what prosecutors alleged was an embezzlement scheme involving “sham vendors” and “false invoices,” Richmond Mayor Danny Avula emphasized policy changes implemented by his administration to prevent similar incidents from ever happening again. City transaction records obtained by The Times-Dispatch indicate that at least $2.8 million was drained from the fire department’s coffers. The policy changes Avula highlighted included appointing a new fire chief, creating new oversight positions for departmental spending, overhauling purchasing and procurement guidelines, putting an “anti-corruption policy” in place and ensuring that senior City Hall officials receive “regular updates” on spending.

The law firm that has served as Martinsville’s legal counsel through one of the most turbulent periods in the city’s recent history is no longer representing the city, according to city officials. Multiple members of the Martinsville City Council confirmed this week that Richmond-based Sands Anderson is no longer serving as the city’s attorney. The city would confirm only that the firm no longer represents Martinsville, while Sands Anderson did not respond to requests for comment. Neither side has publicly explained the separation. The departure comes as the city remains embroiled in multiple high-profile legal and political disputes, including federal lawsuits filed this month by Mayor L.C. Jones and former City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides. The firm became deeply involved in city affairs during 2025, when the Martinsville City Council directed Sands Anderson to investigate allegations involving Ferrell-Benavides and city finances. … Former Martinsville Commonwealth’s Attorney Andy Hall publicly criticized the heavily redacted version of the firm’s investigative report that was provided to prosecutors and later requested a special prosecutor to continue the investigation. … The report itself remained largely shielded from public view. A version released under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act was almost entirely redacted, fueling additional debate over transparency and attorney-client privilege.

Former University of Virginia students and other alumni might lose their UVA email accounts this week. UVA Information Technology Services says UVA Google accounts will be retired on June 30, with all Gmail and Drive data being deleted. The change does not affect access to other UVA systems former students and alumni are still eligible to use through NetBadge/SSO. Account owners need to download or copy all emails and files from their UVA Google account that they want to keep.

A government contractor who has been in talks to lease office space to ICE will need approval from the Suffolk City Council before making required modifications, according to city records obtained by The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press. … The city wrote that the proposed office use “is not permitted by right” in the property’s M2 heavy industrial zoning district and therefore requires a conditional use permit approved by the Suffolk City Council. The determination states that “the proposed office use, as well as any site improvements related to this proposed office use, including the requested security fence, cannot be approved until a Conditional Use Permit has been granted by City Council.”