In a surprise move, Gov. Abigail Spanberger struck down collective bargaining legislation passed by the Democratically controlled General Assembly on May 14.
The governor sent the amended bill back to the legislature on April 13. The House of Delegates returned the bill as originally passed to the governor’s desk on April 23, forcing Spanberger to either sign it as written or strike it down entirely.
The veto is the latest split between the governor and legislature on a handful of key issues, including timing and other details related to the creation of a retail cannabis market. The General Assembly rejected proposed changes to HB642 on April 23, giving Spanberger until 11:59pm on May 23 to act on the retail cannabis bill.
What’s in a name?
Charlottesville will honor the late Melvin Eugene Walker, owner of Mel’s Cafe, with an honorary street designation near the restaurant’s former site, The city will unveil Mel’s Walk at 3pm May 30 on West Main Street between Seventh and Eighth streets NW.
End of the line
In a May 15 one-sentence unsigned order, the Supreme Court of the United States threw out a Hail Mary bid by Virginia Democrats to overturn the state Supreme Court’s decision that tossed the midcycle redistricting effort.
Surprise shakeup
University of Virginia men’s lacrosse Head Coach Lars Tiffany will not return for the 2027 season, according to a May 18 release from Virginia Athletics. The change in leadership came as a surprise, with Tiffany denying reports of his exit to Cville Right Now the week prior, after the Cavs were knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
