Odie Donald II is Richmond's CAO; McClellan, Hashmi to Focus on Rural Hospitals; Aird Named to Cannabis Retail Market Commission
➡️ There are 53 days until Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2025
➡️ There are 118 days until the November 4, 2025 general election in Virginia
➡️ There are 493 days until the November 3, 2026 midterm elections
➡️ There are 1,217 days until November 7, 2028
Black Virginia News is giving you vital news and information on the Black community in Virginia. We give you facts others ignore. Thank you to all of our subscribers! Please support unbossed indy news in Virginia. Thank you!
Follow us on 🦋 BlueSky | Facebook | Contact: BlackVirginiaNews@gmail.com.
🏛️ Trump Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to the Administration
💼 Executive Order Tracker | Federal Register List of Executive Orders
💼 Statutory whistleblower protections: Whistleblower
Rep. McClellan, Sen. Hashmi to Talk on Impact of Trump Budget on Rural Hospitals
This morning at 10:30 a.m. in the Senate Briefing Room at the Virginia General Assembly Building, there will be a press conference focusing on the Trump Administration’s cuts to Medicaid on rural hospitals.
U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, Senator Ghazala Hashmi, Ryan O’Toole, Co-Executive Director of Freedom Virginia, Victor McKenzie, Executive Director of SAARA of Virginia, Katie Baker, Virginia State Director for Protect Our Care and impacted health care professionals.
This event will be co-sponsored by SEIU Virginia State Council, Protect Our Care Virginia, and the Committee to Protect Health Care. It will be the first of a series of events across Virginia that will highlight how the Medicaid cuts will harm rural hospitals.
3 Must Reads
Palantir's $30,599,032.18 Relationship with George Mason University, Virginia Politics Revealed by Josh Stanfield, July 9, 2025
Richmond Police Cut off Federal Access to License Plate Readers, Richmond Times Dispatch, July 9, 2025
Report Outlines Challenges of Va.’s Special Education Compliance System by Nathaniel Cline, July 9, 2025
Virginia’s Battleground House of Delegates Races! LISTEN! 🎙️ NEW PODCAST EP 53. Fergie Reid, Jr. and Lauren Burke discuss Virginia’s Battleground races for 2025!
LISTEN! 🎙️ THE VIRGINIA PRESS ROOM podcast with Virginia Press Room with host Michael Pope, Lauren Burke of the Black Virginia News, Chris Saxman of The VIP Podcast and Rich Meagher of RVA's Got Issues.
Odie Donald II Sworn in as Richmond Chief Administrative Officer
Above: Richmond Mayor Danny Avula with new Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II on July 9, 2025
On July 9, Odie Donald II was sworn in as the City of Richmond’s Chief Administrative Officer. Unlike the past Richmond CAO, Donald was selected after a national search was conducted.
Donald confirmed by the Richmond City Council last month and brings “over two decades of municipal government experience, including serving as the founding City Manager of South Fulton, Georgia; leading the consolidated government of Augusta/Richmond County; and, most recently, serving as the Chief of Staff to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.”
"This is such an exciting day for Richmond," said Mayor Danny Avula. "Odie brings our team exactly the kind of experience, vision, and heart we need. He understands both the technical complexities of municipal operations and the human stakes of every decision we make."
Mayor Avula inherited a series of problems left over from the eight years of Richmond’s former Mayor, Levar Stoney. The issues included a water crisis that shutdown the Virginia’s General Assembly earlier this year as Richmond had no water service for almost a week.
Senator Aird Named to Cannabis Retail Market Joint Commission
Yesterday, State Senator Lashrecse Aird and Del. Paul Krizek were named the Vice Chair and Chair of the Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of The Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market. The Joint Commission was established as a result of Delegate Krizek’s HJ 497 legislation from the 2025 General Assembly. It will provide an opportunity for lawmakers to review the existing regulatory structure in the Commonwealth, which currently allows for the medical purchase of cannabis but not retail.
“Since the legalization of personal use in 2020, Virginians have been left in limbo — allowed to possess but with no legal pathway for retail purchase” said Senator Lashrecse Aird. “That gap has created confusion, inequities, and enforcement challenges. This commission provides the structure and public accessibility needed to approach this issue with the care that it deserves and ensure our final recommendations lay the groundwork for a retail market that works for all Virginians Being elected as Vice-Chair of this important Joint Commission is a privilege and I am committed to work hard to finally move Virginia forward toward a smart, equitable and sustainable cannabis retail market.”
➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽💻 Send press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to BlackVirginiaNews@gmail.com.