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Former Va. superintendent Lisa Coons to receive over $100,000 in severance
Former Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons, who resigned in March, is receiving more than $100,000 in severance payments from the state, according to information obtained from the governor’s office through a public records request. Before Coons resigned as chief executive of the Virginia Department of Education on March 14, the department had violated state procurement laws, failed to publish teaching materials for the new history standards that the department promised to teachers last year, and hemorrhaged longtime staffers since Coons’ arrival two years ago.
Virginia’s Republican statewide ticket rallies together
Hundreds of supporters packed into what became an uncomfortably warm, standing-room only event Tuesday night at the Volunteer Fire Department in Vienna to watch the Republican statewide ticket appear together for the first time. For an event billed as a unifying moment for the Republican nominees, who got off to a rocky start this year, the candidates did not themselves dwell for very long on their ticket-mates. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Attorney General Jason Miyares and conservative radio host John Reid, who are running for governor, attorney general and lieutenant governor, appeared on stage together for less than a minute at the end of the two-hour long rally.
Senate version of Trump's bill poses test for Va. Republicans in U.S. House
Former state Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, was a leader of Virginia’s long political battle to expand eligibility for its Medicaid program, so he hopes Virginia Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will stand their ground this week to block legislation by the U.S. Senate that he said would undermine the program’s expansion and other parts of the state’s health care safety net.
Court rules talk-based conversion therapy is legal in Virginia
A Henrico County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday ordered that licensed counselors be allowed to engage underage clients in a controversial form of talk therapy about gender identity and sexual orientation that medical and mental health experts say can be harmful. The case underpinning the new consent decree with the Virginia Department of Health Professions stemmed from a 2020 state law banning “any practice or treatment that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” Last year, Front Royal-based counselors John and Janet Raymond challenged the ban.
State’s first-ever audit of campaign finance report leaves many questions unanswered
Virginia’s inaugural audit of campaign finance reports raises almost as many questions about state oversight than it does in answering how accurately a group of seven randomly selected candidates listed their contributions and expenses. In a report to the General Assembly released Tuesday, the Department of Elections suggested changes to the audit law, providing more time to complete future reviewing and updating the agency’s computer systems. The document warns that the post-election review following statewide elections this November will be a far bigger — and much more expensive — undertaking.
Energy demands, regulations and federal funding challenge Virginia Clean Economy Act
In July 2020, the Virginia Clean Economy Act went into effect, setting the commonwealth on a path towards zero-emissions in its energy production by 2050. The lofty goals were designed to combat climate change and prepare Virginia to fulfill future electricity demands. Now as the state grapples with energy needs that have expanded since the passage of the bill — and with looming changes to federal energy policy — there are questions about if, and how, the law should be changed.
Trump administration keeps FBI headquarters in D.C., upending planned move
The Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to move the FBI headquarters from the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building to the sprawling Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center three blocks west in D.C., reversing decades of planning to relocate the agency to the suburbs and leaving some regional leaders infuriated. . . . The decision heightens regional acrimony over how federal assets are divided among the city, Northern Virginia and Maryland, with D.C. leaders celebrating the FBI staying put and suburban leaders incredulous that President Donald Trump snatched away a long-sought economic development prize.
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EXECUTIVE BRANCH
New Cardinal Care Managed Care program to serve Virginians with Medicaid
The new Cardinal Care Managed Care program, intended to assist 1.4 million Virginians, was announced by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services Tuesday. The program will serve those in the Commonwealth for Medicaid starting July 1 by prioritizing member-centered care that meets the diverse needs of Medicaid members while enhancing care and support.
SC GOP taps Virginia governor to headline Silver Elephant Gala fundraiser
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will keynote the South Carolina GOP’s annual fundraising gala, the state Republican Party announced Tuesday. Youngkin’s election in November 2021 gave Republicans nationwide a morale boost after Democrats won the presidency while gaining control of the U.S. Senate a year earlier.
Court partly reverses Va. ban on efforts to change minors' sexual orientation
Virginia’s state law that bans medical professionals from practicing conversion therapy — seeking to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity — on minors is no longer fully in effect. A Henrico County judge entered an order that permanently prohibits the state from enforcing parts of the 2020 law that apply to talk therapy. Other means of conversion therapy, such as electric shock and nausea-inducing drugs, are still banned.
Miyares’ office green lights agreement preventing state from enforcing parts of state ban on conversion therapy
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is siding with two Virginia counselors. Miyares’ office agreed to what’s called a consent decree to settle a lawsuit filed by John and Janet Raymond — two counselors who said Virginia’s ban on conversion therapy for minors violated their free speech and religious rights. The decree will prevent the state from disciplining counselors who engage in conversation “talk therapy” with LGBTQ youth.
Virginia AG says enforcing Virginia’s ban on ‘ex-gay therapy’ for minors would violate religious freedoms
Virginia’s attorney general office says it won't enforce the state’s ban on so-called ‘ex-gay therapy’ for minors. The notice comes after a consent decree was announced between the state and a Front Royal County counselor who wanted to engage in the practice. “For five years, Virginia’s children struggling over gender confusion and sexuality have been left without professional help,” said Victoria Cobb with the Family Foundation of Virginia announcing a new agreement with the Virginia Attorney General’s office. It would block any enforcement of the Commonwealth’s five-year-old ban on so-called “ex-gay” therapy for minors.
Grieving mother joins AG in challenging Virginia's early release policy
Virginia's enhanced earned sentence credits program is facing scrutiny as victims' families join Attorney General Jason Miyares in calling for reform, while supporters defend the initiative as an effective rehabilitation tool. Before 2020, offenders in Virginia were required to serve 85% of their sentences. However, a law passed by the General Assembly and signed by former Governor Ralph Northam changed this requirement, allowing inmates to earn up to 180 days off their sentence for each year served, effectively reducing their time to about 66% of the original sentence.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Trump nominates Todd Gilbert as U.S. Attorney; Shenandoah County delegate to withdraw from House race
Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to become U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, a move that ends his nearly two-decade tenure in the Virginia House of Delegates. In a statement Tuesday, Gilbert expressed gratitude for the opportunity to continue serving the region. ... Gilbert confirmed he will formally withdraw his name from the November ballot for the 33rd House District and notify the local GOP committee to begin selecting a replacement candidate.
Trump nominates Gilbert for U.S. attorney job in Western Virginia
President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, a former state prosecutor and speaker and minority leader of Virginia’s House of Delegates, to become the next U.S. attorney for the western half of the state. Trump selected Gilbert to serve, subject to Senate confirmation, for the next four years.
Trump nominates Gilbert for U.S. attorney post
President Donald Trump has nominated former House Speaker Todd Gilbert of Shenandoah County to be the next U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia — the top federal prosecutor for the western half of the state. Gilbert had been one of two attorneys recommended to the president by Virginia’s two Democratic U.S. senators, which is the standard procedure for such positions.
STATE ELECTIONS
Va. GOP's ticket campaigns together, but not side-by-side
Virginia’s statewide GOP ticket appeared together for the first time Tuesday night — for about a minute — at a rally in Fairfax County, following a controversy that had prompted Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the party’s nominee for governor, to keep John Reid, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, at arm’s length. Earle-Sears, Reid and Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is running for reelection, shared a brief moment on the stage together alongside Gov. Glenn Youngkin and many others at the end of the rally at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
At Northern Va. rally, GOP statewide ticket shows unity after months of party turmoil
After months of infighting that exposed deep fractures within the Virginia GOP, the party’s three statewide candidates appeared together for the first time Tuesday evening, projecting a message of unity at a packed rally in Vienna. The event at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department drew more than 500 supporters and marked a public effort to move past a bitter dispute that erupted this spring when Gov. Glenn Youngkin privately asked John Reid, the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor, to withdraw from the race.
GOP nominees share stage, but not unity
All three Republican statewide nominees appeared at the same event for the first time on Tuesday night in Vienna — but tensions appear to remain between gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears and lieutenant governor nominee John Reid. Reid said he is committed to helping Earle-Sears win in November, but she did not mention him during her speech and did not publicly interact with him after the event. While ignoring Reid, Earle-Sears advocated for attendees to support House of Delegates candidates and the Republican nominee for the Eleventh Congressional District’s election.
CONGRESS
Warner, Kaine say GOP budget bill would strip insurance from 323,000 Virginians
Virginia’s two Democratic senators voted against a Republican budget package that passed the Senate Tuesday morning in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after an all-night session. The nearly 1,000-page legislation now returns to the House where its passage remains uncertain. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released a joint statement opposing the measure. “Today, Republicans jammed through a partisan megabill that slashes Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and other critical programs that Americans rely on in order to pay for massive tax breaks to the very rich,” the senators said.
Virginia faces Medicaid cuts after US Senate passes Trump budget bill
On Tuesday, the US Senate passed its version of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” by a narrow 51–50 margin, with Vice President JD Vance casting the deciding vote after three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — joined Democrats in voting against the bill. The bill will cut roughly $1 trillion from Medicaid, according to a preliminary review done by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The legislation will now head back to the House of Representatives, where at least two Republican members of Virginia’s congressional delegation have said they opposed it.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
Virginia Tech researchers study link between large solar installations, property values
A new study from a Virginia Tech-led team of researchers explores how large-scale solar power plants affect the value of agricultural and residential properties. Researchers analyzed millions of real estate transactions around thousands of utility-scale solar facilities nationwide. They found that the construction of a solar facility increased the value of nearby agricultural and vacant land by 19% on average, while the value of nearby residential properties saw an approximately 5% temporary decrease.
McLean government IT contractor hiring almost 900
McLean, Virginia-based 22nd Century Technologies is investing $1 million to expand its headquarters and will hire an additional 880 workers. At a time when many big D.C.-area government contractors are scaling back expansion, minority-owned 22nd Century continues to grow operations in Fairfax County and across the U.S. The company relocated its headquarters from New Jersey to McLean in 2008. Fairfax County competed with sites in Texas, Florida and West Virginia for the company’s expansion.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Virginia senators seek injunction against seating 8 rejected BOV appointees
Nine Democratic state senators are asking a Fairfax County circuit judge to fast-track a preliminary injunction that would prevent three Virginia universities from installing rejected board of visitor appointees, the latest salvo in the senators’ war with the Republican Youngkin administration. On Tuesday, attorneys representing Virginia state senators filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against George Mason University Rector Charles Stimson, University of Virginia Rector Rachel W. Sheridan and Thomas E. Gottwald, who was previously president of Virginia Military Institute‘s board, from recognizing eight people whom Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed to the three schools’ boards but were rejected in June by a Senate committee.
Faculty members express deep concern over President Ryan’s resignation
Faculty members across the University expressed their shock and concern after the resignation of University President Jim Ryan last Friday, pressured by Trump’s Department of Justice. At the time of publication, around 160 faculty members have signed an open letter condemning political interference and urging the Board of Visitors, the University’s highest governing body, to resist pressure from the federal government. “The forced installation of a new president under these circumstances would impede the exchange of ideas, set a dangerous precedent for the destruction of academic freedom, and cast a shadow on the integrity of the research and teaching conducted at the university,” the faculty wrote.
The Unexpected Trump Target: As the University of Virginia’s president is forced out, the campus is reeling.
On Saturday, scores of students, faculty and staff members, and local residents joined James E. Ryan, president of the University of Virginia, for what could be the very last “Run With Jim.” Only this time, it was branded as a “Run for Jim.” Ryan, whose compelled resignation under pressure from the Department of Justice startled the higher-ed sector last week, had made recurring group jogs around campus his trademark. They helped cement his reputation among some as a president-of-the-people after taking office in 2018. Nearly seven years later, at the abrupt and emotional end of his presidency, Ryan addressed some of those people.
With four new appointees, entire Board of Visitors now Youngkin-appointed
Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the appointment of four new members to the Board of Visitors June 20 — James Donovan, Class of 1982 alumnus John F. Harris, Class of 1972 and 1974 alumnus H. Eugene Lockhart and Class of 1990 alumna Calvert Saunders Moore. The appointees began their terms Tuesday, officially marking the beginning of an entirely Youngkin-appointed Board. These four appointees enter the Board following University President Jim Ryan’s resignation and will be part of the Board which selects an interim president and conducts a national search for a new president.
VIRGINIA OTHER
FBI headquarters will remain in Washington, but at newer digs
After more than a decade of haggling over efforts to move the FBI’s headquarters to the Washington suburbs, federal officials announced Tuesday it will remain in Washington, but at a newer location. The bureau’s thousands of agents who now work in the crumbling J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue will move up the street, literally, to the more recently constructed Ronald Reagan Building. The announcement angered lawmakers in Virginia and Maryland, who had been working for years to lure the FBI to the suburbs, which would bring new revenue, more than 7,500 jobs and an economic boost from a newly constructed headquarters.
‘Fight the Flood’ program pairs Middle Peninsula property owners with flooding solutions
Lewie Lawrence hears the same thing over and over from people living along Virginia’s rural Middle Peninsula: They have issues with flooding, but don’t know where to turn for help. People say, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to pay for this, and nobody will call me back,” said Lawrence, a lifelong resident of the area and outgoing head of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission. “That is a constant and consistent theme.” That’s where the organization’s Fight the Flood program comes in.
LOCAL
Audit of Richmond’s fuel program reveals at least $44,000 in ‘questionable transactions’
At least $44,000 in Richmond taxpayer money was spent on “questionable transactions” through the city’s employee fleet fuel program, an audit revealed, which also uncovered inconsistent oversight and inadequate policies and procedures. On Tuesday, July 1, the Office of the City Auditor (OCA) released a 42-page audit of the fleet fuel program, which comes a week after it released a separate audit in late June of the city’s employee purchasing card program, which also found similar issues in oversight.
After thumbs down from commission, developer withdraws, plans to refile 700-acre Chesterfield data center proposal
Following a negative review by the Chesterfield Planning Commission, the company behind a proposed data center campus has withdrawn the project, with plans to come up with a new approach. Denver-based development firm Tract on Tuesday pulled its zoning application that would have set the stage for a data center park on 744 acres at 16100 Branders Bridge Road. But the company isn’t giving up on the project entirely.
Judge overturns Charlottesville 'upzoning'
The city of Charlottesville lost a major battle Monday in its fight to preserve a recent citywide rezoning after its two-man legal team forgot to make a timely filing — a mistake that led a judge to issue a default ruling against the city. Charlottesville Circuit Judge Claude Worrell said he would enjoin the city from enforcing the new zoning ordinance that would have allowed greater density in construction across the city. "Oh, geez," exclaimed City Councilor Lloyd Snook, a backer of the new zoning ordinance, when The Daily Progress informed him of the ruling. "They didn't even ask for an injunction."
The City of Charlottesville has to toss out its new zoning law — because its outside attorney made a mistake in an ongoing lawsuit
The City of Charlottesville has to abandon its new zoning rules after a judge ordered it to revert to the old ordinance. During a 10-minute hearing in Charlottesville Circuit Court on Monday, June 30, Judge Claude Worrell issued a default judgement in favor of a group of plaintiffs who, in January 2024, sued the city in an attempt to stop the implementation of the new zoning ordinance. The City Council voted unanimously to adopt that ordinance in December 2023, and it took effect in February 2024. The ruling came after the city’s outside counsel missed a June 2 filing deadline, Charlottesville Community Engagement reported June 30.
Samuels Public Library Opens New Chapter Without County Funding, But With Strong Community Support
Samuels Public Library began a new chapter today, one that library leaders call “unusual” but deeply meaningful. As of July 1, the library is operating without funding from Warren County for the first time in decades. Still, the halls were filled with smiling faces, coffee cups, and Apple House donuts as supporters streamed in for an open house celebrating community resilience and a commitment to keeping services alive. . . . Although the mood inside the library was cheerful, the backdrop to this event was serious. For over two years, Samuels Public Library has been at the center of a tense funding dispute with the Warren County Board of Supervisors, stemming from concerns over library content and operations.
Martinsville city manager responds to civil rights lawsuit
In a recently filed response, Martinsville City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides disputes the majority of claims in a civil rights lawsuit stemming from City Councilor Aaron Rawls’ ejection from a public meeting. Ferrell-Benavides’ answer was filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Danville. Ferrell-Benavides is a defendant in the case, along with Deputy Reva Keen of the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office. As of Monday, the city manager’s response is the only one that has been filed.
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EDITORIALS
Relocating HUD from D.C. to Northern Virginia will come at a cost
It’s certainly possible that the relocation of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development personnel to Virginia could be a boon to the commonwealth. Gov. Glenn Youngkin argued as such in making the announcement last week that HUD staff would move across the water from the District of Columbia to offices in Alexandria. Absent in the governor’s announcement, however, was any mention that HUD’s new digs are occupied by the National Science Foundation, whose 1,800 personnel will be unceremoniously evicted from space they’ve used since 2017. As the Trump administration continues to undermine the United States’ advances in science, research and innovation, Virginia should work to ensure NSF remains headquartered in the commonwealth.
Hoos your daddy, Virginia? (Hint: It ain’t Youngkin)
If you look closely, you can see the tail tucked between Jim Ryan’s legs. During an impromptu rally on Friday in support of the University of Virginia’s emasculated president, a few hours after submitting his resignation at the behest of President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, Ryan made his way to the front lawn of his on-campus residence to address the crowd that had gathered.
OP-ED
Newman: Cuts to Medicaid will worsen health outcomes
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act being considered by Congress will cut the Medicaid budget substantially and cause millions to lose health insurance coverage. Without access to good primary care and preventive measures, many more people will present to overloaded emergency departments with health disasters such as heart attacks and strokes that are much more expensive to treat. The net effects are a greater cost to society and personal catastrophe for those affected. Data from the Commonwealth Fund show the United States has poor health outcomes by nearly every measure relative to 10 other wealthy nations; this is because we are the only country of these that does not insure all our citizens.