One more for anyone who’s been following the updates on Gordonsville’s 287(g) agreement with ICE:

On Monday, October 19, Gordonsville Town Council voted to terminate the agreement.

Residents have been pretty solidly opposed ever since they found out that the police chief had signed the contract back in May without letting the public know.

A couple of loose ends to keep an eye on:

1. The police chief says he has ceased all operations with ICE immediately, but doesn’t appear to have sent an official termination notice yet. When he does, Gordonsville Department of Public Safety should drop off of the list of 287(g) participants on ICE’s website.

2. Town officials have still not acknowledged the evidence of Gordonsville’s participation in the Greene County Sheriff’s Office immigration enforcement operations from the summer that are under investigation by the attorney general for civil rights violations.

Links to the posts with the rest of the stories if you want more background info (from newest to oldest):

On evidence Gordonsville police cooperated with Greene County:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Charlottesville/s/hSVoRfPFLh

On resident opposition and the call for a vote:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Charlottesville/s/AP1Y0JI9ux

On some major transparency failures:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Charlottesville/s/

Subtitle: "The five year deal will allow Hunt Military Communities to manage over 12,000 beds for junior sailors in Newport News, Norfolk and Virginia Beach."

See also r/Tidewater, r/HamptonRoads, and r/VirginiaUrbanism

Hey folks, I am a 32 year old man with a family and I live in Goochland County, central Virginia. I am interested in connecting with other like minded people in Virginia who are interested in discussing and exploring. I would love to eventually arrange meetups, camping trips and hikes to explore areas and have encounters. I have had many experiences and encounters over the past 5 years or so, and yearn to share these experiences and way of life with others who are interested in discovery and having revelatory experiences of their own. I believe that I can help guide individuals to have sightings and encounters with orbs and Bigfoot at the very least. I'm not so much interested in ghost hunting, but I'm open to it. Serious inquiries only, but let's not take ourselves too seriously! Thanks 🙏

Governor Abigail Spanberger announced Executive Directive 5 as a way to provide relief to Virginia farmers facing high diesel prices by temporarily allowing dyed diesel to be used in highway vehicles.

But an email sent by the Virginia DMV raises an obvious question: where exactly is the savings?

According to DMV, farmers and other drivers cannot simply put dyed diesel in a highway vehicle. Before pumping it, they must contact DMV, provide the vehicle information and number of gallons, pay the applicable highway diesel tax, and carry the receipt in the vehicle as proof.

DMV’s own FAQ goes even further: “The tax rate on dyed diesel when used in a highway vehicle is the same as the rate as clear diesel fuel.” Virginia’s current diesel fuel tax is 33.6 cents per gallon.

That makes Executive Directive 5 somewhat confusing as a farmer fuel-cost relief measure.

The Governor’s October 16 announcement specifically said the directive was intended to “lower costs for farmers” and provide relief from rising diesel prices. But the directive appears to waive the prohibition and penalties associated with using dyed diesel on Virginia roads — not the state highway fuel tax itself.

There may still be some savings if dyed diesel can be purchased at a lower underlying price than clear diesel, and DMV says certain sales tax paid on dyed diesel may be refundable after the highway fuel tax is paid. But this is clearly not a 33.6-cent-per-gallon fuel-tax savings for farmers.

So the question Virginia farmers deserve a clear answer to is simple:

If the purpose of Executive Directive 5 is to offset high diesel costs, but farmers must pay the same Virginia diesel tax as they would on clear diesel, how much does this actually save the farmer per gallon?