| Dear friends The arrival of a new Presidential administration in Washington gives us a great opportunity to stop the mindless destruction of our historic public art and monuments, to fairly and respectfully plan for a new era of memorializing our heroes and accomplishments and perhaps even to right the wrongs and reverse the destruction that occurred over the last several years. This is a truly remarkable moment, and we must not become complacent and assume that only elected officials can influence what happens with our historic sites and what is written and told to our kids about our past. We need YOU to volunteer and speak up in support of our leaders and to protest whenever you see one of the leftists trying to destroy or rewrite our shared story. This is the time to take action! The Virginia Council has been preparing for this opportunity to both educate the public and push back aggressively to stop those who are determined to denigrate both our ancestors and our nation and minimize the extraordinary growth and openness our free society has achieved! Please join us at our great public events and support us as volunteers and donors as we use this year to create new digital and printed content that explains our positions. This is OUR moment to return respect, normalcy, and decency to our society. Let’s do it!   John Reid Founder of The Virginia Council Get your tickets today for our next event! Mike Emanuel March 20, 2025 at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center VIP Reception begins at 5:45pm Program Begins at 7pm with doors opening at 6:15pm for General Admission ticket holders.  PURCHASE TICKETS HERE Want to know more about Mike Emanuel?? Mike Emanuel currently serves as chief Washington correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined FNC in 1997 as a Los Angeles-based correspondent. Emanuel also anchors FOX NEWS LIVE on Sunday afternoons at 1pm and was in the chair during an historic moment in the 2024 campaign. It was Sunday, July 21st when President Biden suddenly dropped out of the campaign and Emanuel had it first on Fox. Previously, Emanuel provided the latest breaking election news from Washington, DC during FNC’s Democracy 2020 election coverage. Additionally, Emanuel has covered both the House and Senate proceedings surrounding both impeachments of President Donald Trump, lawmakers passing tax reform, the confirmation hearings for the Trump and Biden Cabinets, and the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s three Supreme Court nominees. He also covered Secretary Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. In his role, Emanuel has reported on key congressional races, the IRS scandal, the hearings surrounding the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya attacks and President Barack Obama’s 2012-2016 State of the Union addresses from Capitol Hill, among other events. Come hear him speak about how the Washington D.C. press will cover the exciting and historic second term of President Trump in 2025! Virginia Election Updates: Schapiro: Black Democratic lawmakers grilling Spanberger By Jeff E. Shapiro Virginia Attorney General signs letter asking Costco to end its DEI policies | WRIC ABC 8News By Marysa Tuttle Virginia Assembly, Senate & Governor updates: Virginia's Democratic-led House and Senate pass separate proposals for amending the state budget | AP News Virginia House, Senate counter Youngkin budget amendment proposals By Jahd Khalil Firearm violence prevention bill passes House after previous failures By Brandon Jarvis At Crossover, Most Votes Aren't Close By VPAP.ORG Glenn Youngkin on X: "A defining moment for women’s and girls’ sports and for commonsense. Biological men should not compete in women’s sports. Title IX exists to protect women’s athletics and protect female athletes. Thank you, President Trump! 🇺🇸 https://t.co/OPM9lfVaSf" / X Virginia moves to protect economy from federal workforce crisis • Virginia Mercury By Markus Schmidt Avula sets hiring limits as City Hall braces for financial hit from water crisis By Graham Moomaw Governor’s car tax rebate nixed for one-time refund for all taxpayers, Helene recovery aid decreased in General Assembly budget proposals - Cardinal News By Elizabeth Beyer Virginia: Child welfare bills win broad support By Dave Ress Senate rejects new school standards delay, fight continues in budget talks • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline Virginia students' test scores haven't recovered from pandemic slump: NAEP report - Axios Richmond By Karri Peifer & April Rubin Virginia House, Senate move to fast-track CTE teachers • Virginia Mercury By Nathaniel Cline Virginia Democrats push budget amendments to fund more support staff positions in schools | WRIC ABC 8News By Tyler Englander Botkins was reinstated, but House Democrats removed four additional Youngkin appointees By Brandon Jarvis Education Department Cancels $15 Million in Grants for DEI Programs at Three Universities By Aaron Sibarium The General Assembly is in a heated debate over immigration enforcement | WVTF By Michael Pope GOP immigration bills crushed in Virginia Senate committee • Virginia Mercury By Markus Schmidt Democrats want to codify Youngkin’s 24-hour notification order By Brandon Jarvis Bipartisan contraception coverage bill flies out of Virginia House | WVTF By Brad Kutner Virginia lawmakers outraged over report of 'flawed' FBI headquarters search - Washington Times By Sean Salai Lawmakers' Proposed Changes to the State Budget: 2025 By VPAP.ORG  The next Virginia Council monthly meeting will be on THURSDAY, March 2 at Park Lane Tavern. Cheryl Wilson, who serves as the Executive Director for the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, will join us to discuss the exciting celebration planned for 2026. The Commission, which was created by the General Assembly for the purpose of planning for and commemorating the 250th anniversary of Virginia's participation in American independence will be active through 2031.  The next Virginia Council monthly meeting will be on THURSDAY, March 2 at 12 noon at Park Lane Tavern. Cheryl Wilson serves as the Executive Director for the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. The Commission is composed of legislative leaders, tourism and economic development officials, historians, and experts across a wide spectrum. Cheryl's background in planning and executing historic celebrations in the Commonwealth is unsurpassed. She served as the Executive Director of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission From its creation in 2006 to its culmination in 2015, Civil War 150 was a major multi-year event that involved nearly every locality in Virginia and cross-partner collaborations with other states. Fostering close partnerships with historic sites, national parks, museums, tourism organizations, and agencies across the state, Cheryl was responsible for planning, developing, and managing all commission activities and programs, including an award-winning mobile museum exhibition, popular Signature Conferences, dozens of large-scale commemorative events, a document digitization effort that located and preserved 32,000 documents, and a matching grant program for local partners. Cheryl then served as Executive Director of the Virginia World War I and World War II Commemoration Commission, which developed statewide programs to mark the 100th anniversary of WWI and the 75th anniversary of WWII, including poignant ceremonies to honor living veterans of WWII. Virginia 250 - Virginia Tourism Corporation Please join us for a very special update from Cheryl Wilson on Thursday, March 6 at noon. RSVP HERE Articles, News, & Quotes: AFL-Title-IX-Complaint-02_03_25.pdf Request for investigation regarding violations of Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972 by the K-12 public-school systems in Alexandria City, VA; Arlington County, VA; Fairfax County, VA; Loudoun County, VA; and Prince William County, VA. AFL calls on Trump Administration to investigate Virginia schools’ bathroom policies By Nick Minock Suit: VA Schools Still Let Boys Use Girls' Spaces, Violating Title IX By Breccan F. Thies Pricetag of "equity" in Fairfax County Schools: $6.4 million | Articles | fairfaxtimes.com By Asra Q. Nomani Virginia Tops Charts With ‘Sanctuary’ Cities, Counties: Study - Fairfax County Republican Committee By Morgan Sweeney Local federal employees facing 'fork in the road' - Fredericksburg Free Press By FFP Staff Judge denies city's request to dismiss whistleblower lawsuit By Samuel B. Parker South Richmond nonprofit has helped hundreds of veterans who need housing By Bob Rayner Eighteen RPS employees call for removal of human resources chief By Sarah Vogelsong Estimates show over 52,000 people moved to Richmond since 2020 - Axios Richmond By Karri Peifer 'There's blood on the hands': Outrage after UVa halts gender-affirming care for trans youth By Dmitry Martirosov Loudoun Supervisors Approve 3-Year DEIA Plan | News | loudounnow.com By Hanna Pampaloni VHSL says it’s not banning transgender women from women’s high school sports teams | WRIC ABC 8News By Ryan Nadeau (3) A Guy on X That's On a Mission. Live by the Code on X: "Just found out that the only ones who can take action against VHSL are @GovernorVA, @JasonMiyaresVA, or the Department of Education. So, in short, despite all the excitement around Trump’s EO and Youngkin’s victory lap, Virginia is still stuck in the same place—boys in girls’" / X BREAKING: NCAA Bans Biological Men From Women's Sports – RedState By Teri Christoph (7) Ian Prior on X: "Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence states at last night’s school board meeting that “an act of Congress” is required to cut federal funds to a school. @LoudounSupe, since you appear clueless, let me explain: Title VI and Title IX were enacted pursuant to https://t.co/HZwbkusfta" / X Sex offender 'exposed' himself in Fairfax Planet Fitness, Steve Descano didn't prosecute By Nick Minock He Who Controls UVA’s Strategic Investment Fund Controls Its Strategic Direction — The Jefferson Council By James A. Bacon Young cashiers at NY grocery store allegedly reject man's $2 bills, believing they were counterfeit By Shane Galvin City says former DPU director isn't getting severance pay, but won't release document with details By Graham Moomaw Cry Harder, Swamp Creatures — Kerry: By Kerry Dougherty Audit: Leadership vacancies at Central Virginia hub cost USPS $2.3M By Elizabeth Holmes Audit: Postal Service employees aren't showing up to work By Luca Powell Dominion says cost of Virginia Beach wind farm is up and customers will pay more By Katherine Hafner Henrico Doctors’ NICU to reopen for admissions one month after nurse’s arrest By WTVR CBS staff Goodyear to cut 850 jobs at Danville plant - Cardinal News By Matt Busse Virginia Beach will honor Willis Hodges, the first elected Black man in Princess Anne County By Mechelle Hankerson FAA reduces the number of flights into Reagan Airport - WTOP News By Mike Murillo Virginia joins the nuclear fusion race as region shifts to clean energy | Energy | bayjournal.com By Lauren Hines-Acosta SpaceX launch lights up Virginia skies By 12 On Your Side team  Interviews of Interest (15) Autism Capital 🧩 on X: "🚨NEW: Antonio Gracias (@AntonioGracias) breaks down what he and Elon Musk discovered about the way money currently flows in Government (MUST WATCH) "The way the Government works a Department just asks for money from Treasury and they send it out. We all run businesses, there's https://t.co/9yHSbB7DmK" / X VCU Suspends Trans Surgeries for Kids As Battle Brews in General Assembly By The Family Foundation Friday Tea Leaves - January 31st, 2025 Nelson Velez & Buddy Bishop review past predictions and look ahead to coming political and social shifts. The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Liberty Virginia preferential public access taken to full-bench Fourth Circuit | Courthouse News Service By Bill Girdner Outage hits Lee Enterprises newspapers in Virginia, elsewhere - Cardinal News By Matt Busse 88-year-old Romanian immigrant to become U.S. citizen after 19 years By Katie Farthing Virginia officials move to throw out immigrant rights case | Courthouse News Service By Joan Hennessy After years of trying, Roem's FOIA fees limit bill is moving forward | WVTF By Michael Pope Judge rules ex-FOIA officer’s case against Richmond can move forward By Sarah Vogelsong (1) Kyle Becker on X: "This is way bigger than the Politico scandal. U.S. taxpayers have been funding an obscure news agency called Internews Network for years. Internews is funded heavily by the U.S. government, primarily through USAID. There are 467 grants for Internews totaling a whopping $476.4 https://t.co/bvt5i52C3W" / X  The Virginia Council has been blessed with unwavering support from the community since its founding a few years ago. And we decided to add some new ways to thank you for your ongoing assistance in our efforts to educate and inform Virginians. "Announcing The Virginia Council membership reward program. Sign up today on our website for the various levels of support!" Member level: Simple membership is free when you sign up for our email newsletter or attend a monthly meeting. Liberty level: For an annual contribution of $100 you get the newsletter, access to our monthly meetings and a commemorative Virginia Council lapel pin. Patriot level: When you step up to make an annual contribution of $250 you receive first access to tickets to our annual Christmas and Patriot Parties, the commemorative Virginia Council pin, and the newsletter and monthly meeting access. President's Council level: For a commitment of $1000 you receive the newsletter, access to our monthly meetings, 2 lapel pins, 2 invitations to both of our annual parties, and 2 VIP tickets to one Virginia Forum lecture of your choice. We hope you'll find these rewards an added incentive to help fund our efforts to restore a full view of Virginia's history, monuments & role that government plays in our lives. We appreciate all your support and encouragement and look forward to bringing you more compelling voices of liberty, freedom, and conscience over the next year. To become a Liberty, Patriot, or President's Council member, please make a contribution here. To volunteer, click here. The Executive Board of the Virginia Council If you are interested in donating appreciated securities, we now have an account to make it easy for you (see the information below). Contact us HERE for more details.  The Virginia Council Preserving Virginia’s history and creating a more prosperous future for all Virginians. Stay Hopeful. Stay Connected. |
