They posted on social media, hosted community events and held a rally for the 28-year-old mother and pediatric nurse. Within days of her disappearance, community members began to apply public pressure on her husband, Naresh Bhatt.

“My friend called me and said, ‘What do you think?’ and I said, ‘Let’s talk about it,’ so we initiated a group chat and then the movement was started,” said Bina Khadkalama, a member of the local Nepali community in Northern Virginia.

Bhatt was arrested about three weeks after his wife disappeared and charged with concealing a dead body. A prosecutor later said in court that the amount of blood found in Bhatt’s home indicated injuries that were not survivable.

Though his wife’s body remains missing, Naresh Bhatt waived his right to grand jury proceedings on Thursday, paving the way for him to head to trial by early 2025. The trial date is expected to be set during Bhatt’s next hearing in Prince William Circuit Court on Sept. 16.

Prince William Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Sweet described the waiver as a tactical move by Bhatt’s attorneys that limits prosecutors’ time to build their murder case — a process that typically takes longer than six months.

“We have multiple agencies, multiple witnesses who are out of the state — out of the country — that we have to prepare for,” Sweet said in court.

Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox argued that Bhatt was still entitled to a speedy trial, despite prosecutors’ wish for more time, adding that his defense couldn’t control whether the arrest was premature.

“They chose to charge in this,” Lenox said, adding: “I understand the inconvenience to the Commonwealth, but this is where we are.”

On Thursday, Manassas Park police said they were searching for evidence in the investigation at a nearby school, multiple parks and other community areas.

The investigation has drawn international attention to the small Northern Virginia community, where homicide cases are rare. In the courtroom, more than a dozen community members sat among the benches, wearing pink pins printed with Bhatt’s face.

“We’re always thinking about her, we’re doing so much here,” Khadkalama said. “The case is a 24-hour topic for us … I go to work, I drive home, I think about Mamta.”

Holly Wirth, a nurse who used to work with Mamta Bhatt, has been vocal in the case, hoping to gain accountability for her friend. She described Naresh Bhatt’s waiver of grand jury proceedings to be “legal gymnastics,” but said she believed prosecutors would still have ample time to prepare this case or other charges that they could be pursuing.

“Mr. Bhatt thinks he is smart, but I guarantee you, the weight of justice is leaning hard on him, and we are going to see this come to fruition,” Wirth said.

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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

During former President Donald Trump’s administration, her office under the U.S. Department of Agriculture was told it would be moving. About 75 people were going to be relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, Dodson said, but less than 40 actually moved. A rushed process that failed to consider the need to find homes, jobs for spouses and schools for children prompted some retirements, she said, and some took other federal jobs, hurting the agency in the end.

Now, with Trump proposing the relocation of up to 100,000 federal jobs from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia under his Agenda 47 plan, concerns about being abruptly moved are again troubling federal workers. The Republican’s proposals stir anxiety in the midst of an unusually competitive U.S. Senate race in heavily Democratic Maryland that could determine control of the Senate, with even the Republican candidate calling the plans “crazy.” The proposals also could hinder Trump’s chances to win Virginia, a state he lost in 2016 and 2020, where a U.S. Senate seat widely seen as safely Democratic is also on the ballot.

“It’s causing a lot of anxiety, a lot of discomfort within the workforce, as you are faced with these strong, negative, anti-federal worker stances and this uncertainty of what might happen to your job, your home and your livelihood,” said Dodson, who is acting vice president of American Federation of Government Employees local 3403, which represents the USDA’s Economic Research Service.

And concerns don’t end there. Federal workers also are worried about “Project 2025,” a proposed overhaul of the federal government crafted by longtime Trump allies that would eliminate thousands of jobs and remove civil service protections for some federal workers. The former president has repeatedly distanced himself from the proposal this summer.

But the plan still worries Michael Knowles. He said it calls for making the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ D.C. presence “skeletal, and agency employees with operational or security roles should be rotated out to offices throughout the United States.”

Knowles, who is president of AFGE local 1924, said most of his members took an oath to uphold the Constitution and faithfully administer the laws of the United States. He said the members, who all work in the National Capital Region, are committed to the mission of government service.

“And they would do what they need to do to carry out that mission,” Knowles said. “But I think the employees would look dimly on arbitrary or capricious decisions that didn’t seem to make any business or operational sense.”

Trump’s campaign did not return requests for comment.

The District of Columbia has the largest number of federal civilian employees, with about 160,700 jobs, according to the Congressional Research Service. Maryland and Virginia are in the top four jurisdictions, with about 138,940 in Maryland and 140,400 in Virginia. California has about 142,040.

The proposals to move a large number of federal workers infuriate local leaders in the suburbs of Washington in both Maryland and Virginia. In Maryland, a heavily blue state where Trump is deeply unpopular, it’s viewed by many as retaliation by the former president, who received only 32% of the vote there in 2020.

Trump made headlines while he was in office when he denigrated Baltimore, Maryland’s largest city, as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”

Angela Alsobrooks, the chief executive of Prince George’s County who is the Democratic nominee in the Maryland U.S. Senate race, described Trump’s positions on the federal workforce “as yet another reason that we absolutely must put Donald Trump in the rearview mirror.”

“Former President Trump is a ruthless leader, retaliatory in all his ways, and what he talks about in terms of really harming federal workers is evil,” Alsobrooks said after returning from the Democratic National Convention last month.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan, her Republican opponent, condemned the relocation proposals as “crazy.” He said they “would be devastating to the region, the state of Maryland and bad for the federal government.”

“It’s like, you know, Trump trying to turn the federal government into one of his failed casinos, where he thinks he can do whatever he wants,” Hogan, who has long been one of the GOP’s fiercest Trump critics, said in an interview. “I think it would undermine our entire democracy.”

Businesses that provide services to the thousands of federal workers fear the ripple-effect threat of the proposed changes. At Census Auto Repair & Sales, for example, across the street from the U.S. Census Bureau’s headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, service manager Tay Gibson says his shop would feel the impact directly.

“I would hate to see the federal workers leave,” Gibson said. “That would be business leaving as well, and that would affect small businesses like myself.”

Libby Garvey, chair of the Arlington County Board in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, emphasized the potential hit on the local economy.

“If a large proportion of (tax payers) suddenly lose their jobs (or have to) move away, that takes a terrible, major hit to our local budget, which impacts our ability to pave the roads, make sure the water is clean, provide public safety, fire, police, emergency personnel and provide good schools,” Garvey said.

Karen Hult, a political science professor at Virginia Tech, said the move could harm Trump’s chances in Virginia.

“Federal workers around Northern Virginia, and in the D.C. metro area generally, are, in fact, a bit of a voting bloc,” Hult said “The other thing, of course, are all the contractors — the beltway bandits. They make a big difference, too.”

But Hult also said the idea of relocating federal workers could resonate with Virginians outside of the northern part of the state, who may feel a distrust of the D.C. bureaucracy.

Filipe Campante, a Bloomberg Distinguished professor at Johns Hopkins University who focuses on political economy and urban and regional issues, noted that there’s a reason why capital cities exist, with the presence of federal employees nearby. Physical presence, he said, is necessary for face-to-face interactions that are important to maintaining accountability.

While Trump and his supporters see the relocation as a positive in terms of moving the “deep state” away from the seat of government, Campante said it also has a downside.

“I think it is a positive factor for accountability that you have civil servants also operating as a check on political appointees, and this would be weakened by moving these people away from where the center of the government is, so I think from that perspective it would reduce accountability,” Campante said. “Obviously, then, it depends on whether you think this accountability is good or not.”

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Witte reported from Annapolis and Suitland, Maryland.

Fairfax County police said Nicholas Giampa, 24, was pronounced dead at about 2 a.m. in his cell at the county jail, where he had been incarcerated since 2018. Police said they are investigating Giampa’s death but said that preliminarily they do not believe foul play was involved.

Giampa was arrested in December 2017 in connection with the fatal shootings of Scott Fricker, 48, and Buckley Kuhn-Fricker, 43, in their Virginia home.

The case attracted national attention because of evidence Giampa espoused neo-Nazi philosophies. Neighbors said the then-teen also mowed a swastika into a community field.

At the time of the killings, Kuhn-Fricker’s 16-year-old daughter told police she and Giampa had formed a suicide pact after her family forbade their relationship, discussing “wounding her parents if they tried to intervene,” according to court records. Officials said the Frickers objected to the relationship after learning that Giampa associated with neo-Nazis online, as well as the fact that he had been charged as a juvenile with possessing child sexual abuse images.

Fricker and Kuhn-Fricker were shot after finding Giampa in their daughter’s bedroom. The daughter told police she had given Giampa a security code that allowed him to enter the home after her parents had gone to bed.

According to police, Giampa reached for a handgun and shot Fricker and Kuhn-Fricker after the daughter unlocked her bedroom door. The daughter told police that Giampa put a gun to her head, but it did not fire. Giampa, then 17, then shot himself in the forehead. He was hospitalized for weeks but survived the injury.

At a 2018 hearing, psychologists testified that brain damage from the self-inflicted gunshot wound rendered Giampa unable to understand trial proceedings fully. At least one psychologist testified that Giampa would eventually be able to recover sufficiently to participate in his defense.

Giampa’s jury trial was postponed three times and had been scheduled to take place in January, according to online court records.

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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Jason Miyares, a Republican who serves as Virginia’s top prosecutor, said in an advisory opinion that the board of trustees for the Virginia Retirement System should instead make investments “based on securing the best financial results for VRS beneficiaries.” The retirement system’s members include state employees, public school teachers and employees of political subdivisions, such as counties, towns and cities.

“Investments must be driven by careful, calculated financial foresight, not clouded by unfounded ESG fads,” Miyares said in a statement. “This Opinion firmly reinforces the Virginia Retirement System’s responsibility and legal obligation to make objective investment decisions free from the sway of social or political agendas. Secure futures require sound economics.”

Miyares’ advisory opinion, written at the request of Republican Del. Nick Freitas, comes after some state pension programs have opted to prioritize environmental, social and corporate governance policies when making investments, also known as ESG investing.

Virginia Sowers, a retirement system spokesperson, said in an email that the retirement system does not have a policy to prioritize such investments.

“To meet its fiduciary duty, VRS carefully analyzes economic factors and assesses monetary risk to achieve the highest level of return for a given level of risk over the long term,” Sowers said. “This analysis does not include reviewing investments through a ‘social screen,’ nor does VRS deploy dedicated ESG funds in its retirement plans.”Stat

es such as Illinois and Maryland are required to consider sustainability and climate risks in their asset-related decisions. In Maine, the state’s pension fund is required to divest from fossil fuels by 2026, according to a policy passed in 2021.

Other states such as Florida, Indiana and Kansas, among others, created legislation against ESG investing.

In Virginia, legislators considered a 2022 bill requiring the retirement system to divest from fossil fuels, though it did not become law. Another 2023 bill that would restrict investments based on environmental and political factors did not pass.

Friday’s release was Miyares’ 10th opinion memo in 2024. Opinions by the attorney general give legal advice but are not binding on the courts.

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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Meg Bryce, a psychology educator who unsuccessfully ran last year for an at-large seat on the Albemarle County school board, said Thursday at a business meeting that she was thankful that Youngkin chose her for the board, which is responsible for determining statewide curriculum standards, high school graduation requirements and qualifications for teachers.

“I have so admired what this board has already done to increase accountability and transparency and excellence in Virginia schools,” Bryce said. “Those are things that I have already fought for and it’s my honor and privilege and just a joy to be a part of those efforts going forward.”

Bryce grew up in Virginia and earned a doctorate in cognitive science from the University of Virginia. During her campaign for Albemarle school board, community members criticized Bryce for taking her children out of public schools in light of the pandemic, according to the Daily Progress. Bryce, described by a board member as a capstone mentor at the University of Virginia, has since been criticized by community leaders as being unfit for the position.

Del. Katrina Callsen, a Democrat from Albemarle, said in a Tweet that Bryce was “a failed Moms for Liberty candidate.” Teacher and Democratic Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg said on social media that Bryce had no credentials and “spent a year running for School Board embroiled in culture wars.”

James J. Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association, said Bryce’s appointment is “one more example in a long list of shortsighted, politically motivated decisions that serves to advance Gov. Youngkin’s anti-public education agenda while further endangering LGBTQIA+ students in the Commonwealth.”

Board President Grace Creasey, also appointed by Youngkin in 2022, said she is thrilled to have Bryce be a part of the group.

“Having an expert in psychology on the board with teaching experience is a great addition for navigating the most critical issues facing our public schools and youth today,” Creasey said, referencing mental health and other issues students face. “She is going to be a phenomenal addition to the board and a champion for students.”

Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez said the governor was thankful Bryce would serve Virginians on the board, adding that she would be “instrumental in ensuring that every parent, student, and teacher receives the essential resources and support needed to thrive.”

Youngkin also tapped Ida Outlaw McPherson, a Hampton Roads-area attorney, to serve on the board, filling out the nine-member group after two seats opened up this month.

McPherson, a Howard University law school graduate, was previously appointed by Gov. Bob McDonnell to serve as the director of the Department of Minority Business Enterprise, now titled the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity. She also served as the former president of the NAACP Suffolk Chapter, Creasey said.

McPherson’s community work would help her bring a critical lens to the board, Creasey said.

Fedderman said almost all of Youngkin’s appointees, including McPherson, were inexperienced with K-12 public education policy and practice, and they “lack many of the requisite credentials generally expected for a seat on that Board.”

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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Police said they responded to a medical emergency shortly after 3:00 p.m. Saturday in Sandston, about 9 miles east of Richmond. Oxley, 27, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities are still determining a cause of death, police said.

Oxley was on the fifth season of “16 and Pregnant,” which aired in 2014. The episode followed her pregnancy and the birth of Oxley’s son, Drake.

Officials urged people with information to contact Henrico County police.

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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.