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‘They should be arrested’: Youngkin holds firm on support for ICE raids at Virginia courthouses
Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday doubled down on the controversial use of courthouse arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, brushing off criticism that some of the individuals detained were simply in court to pay fines for traffic infractions and had no criminal record. “Let’s just be clear, the vast majority of the people that have been arrested at courthouses around the country are committing violent crimes,” Youngkin said at a press conference at the Virginia State Police headquarters in Richmond. “If someone breaks the law and is here illegally, they should be arrested.”
Fed’s hidden immigration weapon – Virginia’s surveillance network
Hundreds of Flock Safety cameras capturing images of motorists across Virginia weren’t supposed to be used for immigration enforcement. But they were. At least five Virginia counties shared data collected by Flock Safety automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) with federal authorities for immigration enforcement, despite prohibitions against using the surveillance for such operations, according to law enforcement logs. About 50 immigration-related enforcement searches were conducted in Flock data in Fairfax, Chesterfield, Isle of Wight, Loudoun and Stafford counties between June 2024 and April 2025, according to an analysis of the logs. . . . The logs reveal how data from more than 1,000 cameras tracking Virginia motorists was shared widely between agencies, and potentially used beyond its original purpose for criminal investigations and locating missing persons.
VPAP Visual Women on the Rise in House Primaries
The number of women running for, and winning, party nominations for the Virginia House of Delegates has steadily increased since 2009. A record high share of House candidates were women in last month's primary elections, and the share of women who won a nomination was second only to 2017.
‘Time is running short’: Letters show growing Justice Department ire at U-Va.
Over two months this spring, Justice Department officials sent seven letters to the University of Virginia, alleging possible racial discrimination in admissions and hiring, inaction to address antisemitism on campus, and a failure to remove diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the institution. The letters, obtained by The Washington Post through a records request, revealed the agency’s increasing frustration at U-Va. They warned that a failure by the university to take “immediate corrective action” could lead to punitive steps, including possible termination of federal funding.
Judge’s ruling means Charlottesville has no zoning laws whatsoever right now
Right now, Charlottesville has no zoning ordinance. During a 10-minute hearing for an ongoing lawsuit in Charlottesville Circuit Court on Monday, June 30, Judge Claude Worrell ruled that the city had to toss out its new zoning ordinance and revert back to the old rules. But there’s a catch, City Manager Sam Sanders told Charlottesville Tomorrow in an email Wednesday afternoon. “The old ordinance had to be repealed in order for the new one to be adopted,” Sanders wrote. “The void of the new one leaves us without one temporarily.”
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EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Youngkin: Arrests of immigrants in the country illegally make Virginia safer
Virginia’s cooperation with federal immigration officers has resulted in the arrests of 2,500 people who don’t have visas or other official permission to be in the United States, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday. He described them all as violent criminals, but when asked about an arrest at the Chesterfield County Court House of an individual who was there to deal with a traffic offense, he told reporters: “If you break the law and you’re here illegally then you should be arrested.”
Youngkin says 2,500 'violent illegals' arrested. But ICE data, advocates say otherwise
This week, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a partnership between federal and state law enforcement has hit a new benchmark in removing what he called “violent criminals here illegally.” But statistics provided by federal immigration authorities and immigrant advocates tell a different story. “Violent criminals that represent the most violent drug cartels and gangs who are living among us in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Governor Glenn Youngkin told the press at a Virginia State Police facility outside Richmond Wednesday. . . . But according to recent reporting on federal data by WRIC, roughly half of those being kept in migrant detention at Virginia’s two Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, facilities have no criminal history.
Critics clash with Gov. Youngkin over Medicaid, SNAP impacts of 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is throwing his support behind the Republican-led “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping federal budget package that’s stirred controversy over its potential impact on low-income Americans. Youngkin, in an interview with WUSA9 Wednesday, called the need to pass the bill “very important” and emphasized its promises of tax relief, border security funding and fiscal responsibility. . . . “I don't believe there will be people who need services who will have to go without,” the governor said.
STATE ELECTIONS
Glenn Youngkin wrote a GOP playbook for winning Virginia. Republicans hope Winsome Earle-Sears can follow it.
On a Tuesday evening in northern Virginia, Republicans on edge across the state finally got their wish: a campaign event featuring gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, backed by incumbent Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who beat a Democrat four years ago. A racially diverse crowd was packed into a firehouse waving signs that read “Axe the Tax,” a nod to an Earle-Sears campaign pledge to eliminate the state’s car tax. Youngkin lauded Earle-Sears’ biography and work as the state’s lieutenant governor. At the end, he appeared on stage with the entire GOP ticket, clapping along to the tune of the classic disco song “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”
Virginia’s statewide GOP candidates finally appear together — briefly
After more than two months of snubs and internal squabbling, the GOP candidates for Virginia’s statewide offices finally appeared in the same place at the same time Tuesday night — though they shared the stage at a packed firehouse in Vienna for just a moment after speaking separately to a raucous crowd. Gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears never mentioned lieutenant governor nominee John Reid, the first openly gay nominee for statewide office in Virginia, who some evangelicals in the GOP base have opposed. Earle-Sears praised state Attorney General Jason S. Miyares — who is seeking reelection — and urged the crowd to support Republicans running for Congress and the House of Delegates.
Arlington Republicans introduce candidates for statehouse and County Board
Arlington Republicans introduced two candidates for the House of Delegates and one County Board challenger at a Monday meeting. The party acknowledges that, as always, November will be an uphill battle in Arlington. However, the goal is to put forward “candidates who are well-versed in what’s happening locally” as part of a five-year strategy, party chair Matthew Hurtt said.
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
Paul Riley first Democrat to announce candidacy for 5th Congressional District
A retired U.S. Army officer and Crozet resident announced Wednesday that he is taking another shot at Virginia’s 5th Congressional District candidacy. Crozet residents and potential voters gathered at Claudius Crozet Park to meet Democrat Paul Riley and learn about why he chose to run for the 5th District seat, which includes the city of Lynchburg and the counties of Campbell, Appomattox, Amherst and Nelson, and part of Bedford County. Riley currently works as a national security contractor, “advising on critical issues impacting U.S. defense and global stability,” according to a news release.
The first Democrat to declare for a House seat from Virginia's fifth congressional district
A small crowd gathered in the shade of a picnic shelter at Crozet Park near Charlottesville to hear from a man who’d like to represent them in Congress – but from the moment he spoke it seemed people were not quite ready for that election. “Morning everybody!” the candidate called out. The crowd continued to chatter until someone finally insisted they quiet down. 58-year-old Paul Riley ran for a seat in the U.S. House two years ago but lost in the Democratic primary to Gloria Witt. Now he’s back, having learned an important political lesson.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Virginia increases funding for agricultural conservation projects aimed at Chesapeake Bay cleanup
Despite funding cuts across the board for programs and agencies on the federal level, Virginia farmers are seeing a win for conservation projects. The state is showing a dedication to sustainable farming measures by allocating $223 million for agricultural practices that stop pollutants and sediment disturbances that lead to runoff into the Chesapeake Bay. It is a $16 million increase over the last fiscal year, leading to the fourth year of increasing funding from the state.
New state renters protection law aims to reduce evictions for public housing tenants
Tenants living in public housing across Virginia are now protected by a new law aimed at reducing evictions and eliminating certain fees. As of July 1, public housing authorities issuing notices of nonpayment to renters must now print those notices on pink or orange paper to clearly inform tenants of their rights. This is part of a broader push to strengthen renter protections and help prevent homelessness.
CONGRESS
Virginia lawmakers flag Medicaid cuts as a problem in Trump’s tax bill
As Republican leaders in the House worked Wednesday to drum up the votes to pass President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill, which comes with substantial cuts to programs like Medicaid, two Virginians could be poised to play a pivotal role. Reps. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, voted for the House bill in May, despite expressing reservations over some of the initial provisions.
Medicaid on the brink as Congress races toward budget deadline
With roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding at stake, Congress is racing to finalize a sweeping budget package, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill,” ahead of President Donald Trump’s July 4 deadline — but key decisions about cuts to the health care program remain up in the air. A preliminary review by the Congressional Budget Office has heightened concern, and a bipartisan chorus of lawmakers and hospital associations across several states is warning against adopting the Senate version of the bill, which they say could devastate Medicaid-dependent health systems. . . . A central dispute between the two chambers involves how the Senate version would restructure Medicaid funding, particularly in ways that could undercut Virginia’s hospitals and the state’s expanded Medicaid program.
Loudoun's congressional delegation rips Trump tax and spending bill
President Donald J. Trump says his transformative tax and spending cuts bill will increase Americans prosperity and security, but the members of Loudoun County’s congressional delegation say its effect will be ruinous. The Senate passed the bill July 1 in a 50-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. The House of Representatives, which passed an earlier version of the bill and sent it to the Senate, took it up again July 2. Trump had demanded passage by July 4. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Virginia both voted no. In a written statement July 1, they called the bill “disastrous legislation,” saying it slashes Medicaid and other social safety net programs to fund tax cuts for the rich.
Chesapeake town hall highlights fears over 'Big, Beautiful Bill' including Medicaid cuts
Local Democratic lawmakers led a packed town hall meeting Tuesday night in Chesapeake to voice concerns about Trump's proposed mega bill. The town hall follows developments in Washington, where the spending and tax cuts bill, known as the "Big, Beautiful Bill," passed the Senate earlier in the day. Three Republicans joined Democrats in voting against it, with the vice president making the tie-breaking vote.
Trump’s tax bill would send an iconic Smithsonian spacecraft to Texas
The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum could lose the iconic Discovery space shuttle to Houston if a pair of Texas senators get their way. President Donald Trump’s massive tax and immigration bill passed the Senate on Tuesday with language effectively ordering the shuttle’s move to Texas. It would set aside $85 million to transport Discovery and construct a home for it at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center — which itself oversaw more than 100 shuttle launches over two decades. But the Smithsonian, which has housed the shuttle at its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Northern Virginia since 2012, estimated that the true cost would be north of $300 million.
Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Includes Provision to Move the Space Shuttle Discovery to Texas
Texas lawmakers have added legislation to the One Big, Beautiful Bill that, if passed, would move the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center to Houston. But in documents sent to Congress (and shared with Northern Virginia Magazine), the Smithsonian says that “The case against relocating the orbiter Discovery is both philosophical and practical.” . . . The provision in the Great Big Beautiful Bill would authorize $85 million to transport the shuttle from Chantilly to the Houston Space Center. But estimates from the Smithsonian say that would cover only a fraction of the cost necessary for the move.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
Emerson to lay off 87 workers in Charlottesville
Emerson Electric — the St. Louis-based Fortune 500 multinational corporation that provides engineering services and manufactures items such as industrial automation equipment and climate control systems — plans to lay off 87 workers working at its Charlottesville manufacturing facility, starting Dec. 31. Emerson Automation Solutions, in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, notified the state last week of plans to lay off employees due to the decision to permanently reduce operations at the Emerson subsidiary’s Charlottesville site.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Letters from DOJ reveal threats to U.Va. over admissions policies, Ryan’s leadership
Between April 11 and June 17, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division sent seven letters to University officials, according to documents obtained by The Cavalier Daily through a Freedom of information Act request. In these letters, the Justice Department sought confirmation that the University had removed affirmative action from its admissions policies and had ended Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Some letters also alleged that the University had failed to protect students against antisemitism. The letters did not confirm whether or not the Justice Department’s demands had been met.
UVa board meeting abruptly canceled after Ryan resignation
Several minutes after it was set to begin, a special meeting of the University of Virginia’s governing Board of Visitors over a "resignation faculty matter" was abruptly canceled “as it was no longer needed,” according to school officials. ... The virtual meeting scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday was called to “discuss a faculty resignation personnel matter,” as announced on the board’s website on Tuesday evening. At around 11:35 a.m. — with more than 300 people waiting online for the meeting’s livestream to begin — the link suddenly stopped functioning. The meeting was then listed as canceled on the board’s calendar.
Ryan to return to UVa as professor
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan may have resigned, but he won't be leaving UVa for good. The university announced Wednesday that Ryan will officially step down from office on July 11 and, after a sabbatical, will return to Grounds to teach at the schools of law and education
Former BOV member Bert Ellis says Ryan resignation an opportunity to move UVA to the right
Bert Ellis, a former member of the UVA Board of Visitors and outspoken critic of President Jim Ryan, believes Ryan’s ouster creates an opportunity for the school to move away from what Ellis sees as its recent left-leaning politics. “I wasn’t trying to move the University of Virginia towards the hard right, I just wanted it to move from hard left towards the middle,” Ellis said during an appearance on the Schilling Show on Monday. “He could have easily done that and been a hero and a leader in higher education but no. He drew his line in the sand on DEI.”
GMU's Innovation District in Prince William receives $2.6M from state
The Innovation District in Manassas is receiving a $2.6 million Growth and Opportunity for Virginia state grant in part to bolster George Mason University’s programming at its Science and Technology Campus. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the grant along with seven others June 27. . . . Specifically in Prince William, George Mason University is launching the Innovation District at its Science and Technology campus in Manassas to drive growth in life sciences, emerging technologies, aerospace and defense, cybersecurity and data infrastructure.
Averett University cuts liberal arts programs amid financial crisis
Averett University is making significant changes to its academic offerings, cutting several liberal arts programs in an effort to stabilize its finances after a former chief financial officer allegedly mismanaged $18 million from the university's endowment. The university is now suing the former CFO and the investment firm involved. Dr. Thomas Powell, Averett University's president, said the decision to eliminate programs such as political science and communications, along with three minors, is part of a strategy to save the school without cutting jobs.
VIRGINIA OTHER
Feds reinstate $33 million for Virginia schools
Virginia and other states will regain the ability to use $33 million in emergency relief funds, after the federal government last week reversed course on a March decision that prohibited them from using the funds. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon abruptly accelerated the deadline for schools to spend all allocated funds on March 28, leaving schools scrambling to make plans for the money. McMahon announced the rescission of that policy in a June 26 letter to chief state school officers, after several states sued the agency in the Southern District of New York, leading to injunctions that prevented the DOE from enforcing its policy. Virginia was not one of those states involved in the litigation, but its state education agency did file appeals with DOE.
LOCAL
Dumfries data center proposal draws fervor at town hall
Residents of a Dumfries-area retirement community turned out in droves for a Tuesday town hall to discuss proposed data center development near their property, a relative novelty for eastern Prince William County compared with such projects on the county’s western end. Supervisor Andrea Bailey, a Democrat representing the Potomac District, hosted the town hall at her district office in Dumfries for residents of the Four Seasons at Historic Virginia 55-and-over community off Dumfries Road and west of Interstate 95. The project, dubbed “Lexora Park,” could include as many as five data centers, according to an April 9 concept plan.
Gigaland data center developer offers county $15M for land conservation
The developers of Gigaland, a seven-building, 2-million-square-foot data center campus proposed near Remington, are offering $15 million to Fauquier County’s land conservation program as part of a package of incentives to encourage county supervisors to approve it. The project initially included an offer of $1 million for county parks and trails, $1 million for Remington recreation programs and $500,000 to the nearby Meadows subdivision to mitigate its effects. With the additional $15 million, “it’s a bigger proffer package than the county's ever seen for anything ever, and certainly, the economics are very compelling,” said county Supervisor Ike Broaddus.
How do you get 850 students to improve their attendance? In Norton, it’s all about relationships
Improving attendance at Norton public schools sometimes looks like tracking down one chronically absent student at a time. Sometimes, that entails going to find them at their part-time jobs. Sarah Davis, the attendance specialist at the small Southwest Virginia school division, recalled one student who was skipping afternoon classes so she could pick up extra shifts at a local fast-food chain. . . . Davis’s efforts, combined with those of school administrators and a nonprofit partner organization, have made significant progress to improve attendance in Norton. For the 2022-2023 school year, more than one-third of the 325 students at J.I. Burton High School were chronically absent, meaning they missed more than 18 days of school for any reason. For the 2023-2024 school year, chronic absenteeism dropped from 37% to just 2%.
Today's Sponsor:
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Virginia’s Brain Injury Screener is a free, online tool that helps you identify signs of brain injury and connects you to local support. EasyAccess.Virginia.Gov/BrainInjury
EDITORIALS
Hampton Roads needs clarity on proposed move affecting Fort Eustis
News in May that the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) headquarters will be moving from Fort Eustis in Newport News to Austin, Texas, came as an unwelcome surprise. There are still many unanswered questions about how this change will affect TRADOC operations and its military and civilian staff members, as well as what the implications will be for Fort Eustis and the military presence that is such an important part of Hampton Roads.
COLUMNISTS
Yancey: Attorney general opens criminal investigation into baby giraffes missing from the Natural Bridge Zoo
Attorney General Jason Miyares has opened a criminal investigation into the whereabouts of the two baby giraffes missing from the Natural Bridge Zoo, it was revealed in court Wednesday. That announcement came amid an all-day hearing on contempt of court charges against three people involved with the zoo: two members of the family that has run the Rockbridge County attraction and an animal property rights activist. They were charged with impeding court orders to cooperate with moving the four adult giraffes that had been awarded to the state after an animal cruelty trial.
OP-ED
Dempsey-Henofer: Charlottesville’s nervous system is telling us something
As a mental health therapist and small business owner in Charlottesville, I sit with people every day who are trying to make sense of the world — of their pasts, their relationships and the systems that shape how safe they feel in their own bodies. Many of my clients are LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent or navigating trauma rooted in institutions that demand they be quiet, compliant or “neutral.” And here’s something I’ve learned again and again: When neutrality is demanded in the face of harm, the body knows it is not safe. Charlottesville is feeling that now.