Search
Maxson: Access to contraceptives is about more than birth control
In March, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation to protect contraception access in the state. House Bill 609 requires insurers to cover contraceptive medications and devices with no out-of-pocket costs and guarantees the right to use them. Despite a petition signed by 37,000 Virginians in favor of the bill, Gov. Glenn Youngkin sent it back to the legislature requesting it be amended to allow insurance plan sponsors with religious objections to contraception to opt out of the requirement. In their reconvening, the legislature did not accept the amendment and returned the original bill to the governor for his signature or veto.
New N. Va. data center firm sees big opportunities — outside N. Va.
Two regional real estate pros have launched a new company specializing in tapping data center demand outside Northern Virginia, citing local officials' cooling interest in the area's continuing to be home to the data center industry’s explosive growth. “Data center development is being choked off in Northern Virginia,” Ross Litkenhous, who recently co-founded Oasis Digital Properties LLC with Nick Over ... The new firm currently has eight deals in the works in King George and Wise counties, as well as other undisclosed places in southwestern Virginia.
VDOT buys Hanover building for $33.5M
The Virginia Department of Transportation has purchased the Mechanicsville headquarters of Owens & Minor for $33.5 million, with plans to move the state agency’s central office there in summer 2025. Much of VDOT’s staff will move from the Annex building at 1401 E. Broad St. into the new building at 9120 Lockwood Blvd. in Hanover County, according to Jessica Cowardin, assistant director of communications for the state agency. The 160,000-square-foot campus in Atlee Station Business Park was built by Timmons Group in 2006. VDOT also purchased an additional 50 acres, according to Newmark Group, which brokered the deal.
Youngkin signs bipartisan state budget, ending stalemate
The General Assembly on Monday approved a budget compromise for fiscal years 2024-26, ending a stalemate between Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Democrats that began in early March, when the legislature adjourned its regular session. The $188 billion spending plan, which includes no new tax increases, no additional tax relief and more than $2.5 billion in K-12 funding, passed in the House of Delegates 94-6 and in the Senate 39-1. The agreement averted an unprecedented government shutdown that loomed large ahead of July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.
Yellen visits Stafford amid effort to ensure rural areas no longer lag behind with broadband access
Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen visited Stafford County Monday as part of President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America Agenda” to promote high-speed internet in rural areas. Representatives from Comcast walked Yellen through some examples of the equipment used to set up and maintain high-speed broadband networks, although much of the fiber-optic cable network is underground. The site on Richland Road represents nearly 700 homes in the western part of the county that now have access to service.
Ship departs for Virginia Beach offshore wind farm site to install monopiles
After a short delay, the first batch of wind turbine foundations is now travelling to the Virginia Beach offshore wind farm construction site, a Dominion Energy spokesperson said Monday. The enormous steel monopiles, each almost as long as a football field, are headed to the construction site 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The monopiles were loaded last week and the ship is now travelling to the site of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, Dominion Energy spokesperson Jeremy Slayton said in a text message.
State budget excludes funding for Health Wagon
A new state biennial budget does not include $800,000 originally earmarked for the Health Wagon, a Southwest Virginia medical provider. On Monday state lawmakers approved a compromise agreement with Gov. Glenn Youngkin during a special called session in Richmond. The Health Wagon funding was recently removed following controversy over sharp increases in the salaries of Health Wagon executives which recently came to light.
Virginia governor swiftly signs compromise budget deal
Public schools will get more funding, teachers and other government workers will see a pay bump and Virginia’s tax policy will remain as is under compromise budget legislation the Democratic-led General Assembly sent Monday to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who swiftly signed it. Youngkin and legislative leaders last week negotiated an end to their long-running standoff over the state’s next two-year spending plan, agreeing to use higher-than-expected revenues to help fund key priorities without implementing a hotly debated new sales tax on digital goods, such as streaming services and computer software.
Virginia lawmakers to study campus safety policies after series of protests
The Virginia House of Delegates has formed a select committee on maintaining campus safety and allowing students to exercise their First Amendment rights, after more than 125 arrests at four of Virginia’s college campuses. According to Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Richmond, the Senate will announce its plans to form a similar committee on Tuesday. “I’ve heard very different scenarios from those who were on the ground and in encampments either as students or as community members that were part of those protests,” Hashmi said. “I think it’s important to get a very clear picture of what’s happened.”
Virginia’s skill game debate could stretch into the summer
After finishing work on almost everything else taken up during the 2024 session, the Virginia General Assembly and Gov. Glenn Youngkin have decided to keep talking about skill games. The governor and several lawmakers said Monday that they’ll continue seeking a way to get the slot machine lookalikes taxed and regulated in response to a major lobbying push by business owners and the companies that make and distribute the games. “What we decided was that we would pick that up at another day,” Youngkin said Monday as he signed a bipartisan budget deal that didn’t address the legality of skill games. “That’s a commitment that we’ve made.”