Roxane Gilmore, a teacher and professor who served as first lady of Virginia during her husband Jim Gilmore’s term as governor from 1998 to 2002, has died

RICHMOND, Va. — Roxane Gilmore, a teacher and professor who served as first lady of Virginia during her husband Jim Gilmore’s term as governor from 1998 to 2002, died Wednesday. She was 70.

The former governor announced his wife’s death on social media and said she died after a long illness. He did not disclose the cause.

Virginia’s current governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin, said in a written statement that Roxane Gilmore’s “friendly and down to earth demeanor will be missed, as will her smile, laugh, humor and wit. But all these wonderful qualities will be long remembered.”

Youngkin credited her with overseeing an extensive renovation of the Executive Mansion in Richmond, the longest continuously occupied governor’s home, during her time as first lady.

“Virginia’s iconic Executive Mansion will always be her legacy,” Youngkin said.

Roxane Gatling Gilmore was a native Virginian, born in Suffolk. She graduated from the University of Virginia, where she met her husband.

She and Jim Gilmore had been married since 1977.

She was a professor of Classics at Randolph Macon College. She also taught in public schools in Henrico and Chesterfield counties.

Jim Gilmore, a Republican, was elected governor in 1997 and led the state’s response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, in which 184 people were killed when terrorists crashed a plane into the Pentagon.

Polls show Americans are broadly worried, if not disgusted, by the idea of Project 2025, a detailed plan drafted largely by members of Donald Trump’s administration, which would fill the government with Trump loyalists and enforce draconian policies if he’s elected.

Even though the MAGA DNA in Project 2025 is clear, Trump and his campaign have publicly tried to distance themselves from it — a sign of its political toxicity.

But one person who’s oddly calm about the potential damage Project 2025 could do to his state? Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. To enact Project 2025, Trump loyalists have discussed reviving an executive order he tried to enact in 2020, known as “Schedule F,” which would have stripped federal civil servants of their protections and allowed Trump to fire people for whatever reason. For the more than 140,000 federal employees who work in Virginia, such a move could have devastating implications.

But Youngkin suggested federal workers in his state would be just fine even if they are purged from their positions for political reasons or if a second Trump administration relocates entire agencies, as Trump did with varying success during his first term.

According to WVTF public radio:

In a campaign video this year, Trump said, “As many as 100,000 government positions could be moved out, and I mean immediately, of Washington to places filled with patriots.” But for Youngkin to tell hundreds of thousands of federal employees, many of whom may have been working in their positions for years, that they could easily transition into these “fabulous” jobs sounds beyond naive — if not downright callous. And Virginia Democrats were quick to pounce on Youngkin for the remarks.

Virginia’s governor has managed to pitch himself as a centrist and gets portrayed as a rising Republican star. But his remarks here highlight one glaring flaw: Though he can seem genial in person, that persona often feels like a cover for cruel and draconian policies.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

Lynchburg, Va. (WDBJ) – Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears will attend the back-to-school event hosted by One Community One Voice Lynchburg at the University of Lynchburg Saturday, August 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This free back-to-school event will include a free lunch, live music, a basketball clinic, eye exams, dental exams, LAYSI sports clinics, workforce readiness training, YMCA activities bus, gift cards & prizes, school clothes & shoes, backpacks, and school supplies.

Lynchburg City School representatives will also be there to meet and greet community members.

Registration is required to attend.

Click here to register for this event.

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