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Virginia House District 62 primary candidates square off in GOP political forum

By CHUCK JACKSON, MadRapp Recorder

Republicans and potential independent voters in Virginia House District 62 had a forum Thursday night in Unionville giving voters in the June 17 primary election a chance to hear the views of the two candidates. Madison County farmer, small-business owner, and Board of Supervisor Chair R. Clay Jackson, 41, – a 12-year BOS veteran with 10 years of experience as chair – and Orange County businesswoman and homeschool mom Karen Hamilton squared off answering submitted questions.

VaNews May 30, 2025


Friday Read These Founding Fathers Were Frenemies. Maybe We Can Learn Something.

By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello is one of the most beloved sites in America, drawing more than 300,000 visitors a year up a steep mountain road to enjoy majestic views of the Virginia Piedmont and house tours that can feel like stepping into its creator’s complicated mind. But in 1775, it was a muddy construction site — and, as a guide told a tour group gathered on its front portico on a recent morning, a pretty good metaphor for the not-quite-born United States itself. “Things were just getting started, and they weren’t going great,” the guide said.

VaNews May 30, 2025


As Virginia police reforms take hold, decertifications jump

By EMMA ROSE BROWN AND DILLON BERGIN, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism

Decertifications of Virginia law enforcement officers have jumped fourfold annually since 2020, when lawmakers passed reforms during a push for police accountability, according to a data analysis by the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO and MuckRock. The dramatic jump in decertifications – once an exceptionally rare punishment – has both advocates for police reform and law enforcement officers saying the new regulations have made a difference. Five years after the murder of George Floyd energized national change for police accountability, Virginia lawmakers and advocates agree that further reforms are ahead.

VaNews May 30, 2025


Advocates say contraception initiative for low-income women will be lifeline with federal government cuts looming

By BRANDON JARVIS, Virginia Scope

A state-funded initiative that provides free contraception to low-income Virginians is reducing unintended pregnancies across the state, according to a new report delivered to the General Assembly. This report comes as Republicans in Virginia have opposed codifying the right to access contraception in recent years. The Virginia Contraceptive Access Initiative, or CAI, launched as a pilot in 2018 and expanded in 2020. About 95% of women served are between 15 to 44 years of age and 60% of women served are 100% at or below the federal poverty level, which is $25,820 for a family of three, according to VDH.

VaNews May 30, 2025


Howard: There is fraud and abuse in Medicaid, but it won’t cover $700 billion

By CHRISTOPHER HOWARD, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)

To preserve tax cuts for the richest Americans, Republicans plan to add almost $3 trillion to the national debt and make deep cuts to a wide range of government programs. Medicaid is a prime target. As much as Republicans claim that these reductions will simply minimize waste, fraud and abuse, it is impossible to make sizable cuts to Medicaid without hurting thousands and thousands of Virginians. Let’s do a little math. The GOP budget would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $700 billion over the next decade. Virginia’s share of that would be at least $2 billion. Could Virginia find $200 million dollars a year in Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse for 10 years in a row? No.

Howard is the Harriman Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary.

VaNews May 30, 2025


VPAP Visual Value of 2025 Legislators’ Stock Portfolios

The Virginia Public Access Project

Each year, General Assembly members are required to disclose stocks, mutual funds, and other financial securities they own. Legislators assign a range of values for each asset instead of an exact dollar amount, so the only accurate way to measure a legislator’s total wealth is by adding up the minimum value of all the securities listed. Because of this, some legislators' portfolios may be worth substantially more than the amounts shown.

VaNews May 30, 2025


From VPAP New Episode of Policy Matters: Your Window Into Virginia Politics with VPAP on VPM

The Virginia Public Access Project

Join VPAP’s Chris Piper and VPM’s Ben Dolle as they break down what’s ahead for Virginia’s June 17 primaries and how voters can get election-ready. They spotlight VPAP’s Early Voting Dashboard, Early Voting by House District visualization, and the “Zoom into Your Neighborhood” tool that shows voters their polling place, sample ballot, and more. Plus, they cover top VaNews stories, from an unusual budget veto showdown to behind-the-scenes dynamics in the Virginia GOP.

VaNews May 30, 2025


VPAP Visual 2025 Legislators’ Most Common Stock Holdings

The Virginia Public Access Project

Virginia legislators are required to file conflict of interest forms each year disclosing their ownership of securities, including stock in publicly traded companies. See the companies that were reported in the stock portfolios of at least five members of the 2025 General Assembly.

VaNews May 30, 2025


Virginia consumer confidence nears record low amid tariff concerns

By LINDSEY KENNETT, WSLS-TV

Consumer confidence in Virginia continues to fall, raising alarms about the Commonwealth’s economic outlook even as employment and wages remain strong. The Virginia Index of Consumer Sentiment dropped to 63.6 in the second quarter of 2025, marking a 14-point decline over the past six months. According to Roanoke College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research, that’s the second-lowest level recorded since the index began in 2011.

VaNews May 29, 2025


Virginia Natural Gas breaks ground on $50M operations headquarters in Chesapeake

By SANDRA J. PENNECKE, Inside Business

Virginia Natural Gas is building a new $50 million operations headquarters in Chesapeake. The project features 39,000 square feet of office space and a 30,000-square-foot warehouse. Roughly 150 employees — from the company’s Virginia Beach and Chesapeake locations — will work at the new facility on almost 30 acres on Clearfield Avenue. ... One of four natural gas distribution companies operating under Southern Company Gas, Virginia Natural Gas maintains its corporate headquarters on South Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach.

VaNews May 29, 2025