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Jay Jones is going on TV with the first ad of the attorney general race
Former Del. Jay Jones is launching the first television ad of the Democratic primary for attorney general on Tuesday. “As a lawmaker, I protected abortion rights, and as an Assistant Attorney General, I took on big corporations, and I sued Glenn Youngkin to defend voting rights,” Jones says in the ad. The spot highlights Jones’ work from 2023, when he represented the Virginia NAACP in a lawsuit seeking access to a database used by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to decide whether to restore voting rights to individuals with felony convictions.
Connolly will back former aide to succeed him in Congress
Next year’s Democratic primary election contest to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia) in Congress kicked off Tuesday when Fairfax County Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw became the first candidate to announce a bid — with Connolly himself seeking to clear a path for his former chief of staff with an early endorsement. “This is not a moment for on-the-job training. We need a strong representative, experienced in addressing national issues that affect our community, who can stand up to Trump and lead from day one,” Connolly said in an open letter to be sent to constituents Wednesday that was obtained by The Washington Post.
Virginia food banks feel the effects of federal funding cuts
Bob Latvis knows there may often be changes in federal funding for food banks with any new administration. This time though, many Virginia food banks are in a state of limbo as they wait for federal support. The first Trump administration provided trade mitigations that increased available food for food banks and the Biden administration provided Commodity Credit Corporation funds to help food banks purchase and distribute resources. However, roughly $500 million in commodity credit funding was cut in March, $200,000 of which was headed for the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank.
Earle-Sears wants Va. to boost power with fossil fuels
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, said Virginia needs more energy— including from carbon-based fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas — during a Manassas fundraiser over the weekend that was partly funded by local data center developers. During her speech at the Prince William County Republican Committee’s annual Lincoln-Reagan dinner, Earle-Sears, 61, emphasized her desire for Virginia to look to more fossil fuels and nuclear power to generate electricity for businesses both large and small.
Advocates celebrate Youngkin’s signature on ‘junk fees’ legislation
Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin and Democrats who run the General Assembly are working together to go after junk fees. Anyone who has ever ordered a meal online knows the initial price is not what you end up paying – not after the transaction fee and the convenience fee and all the other charges. That's why Jay Speer at the Virginia Poverty Law Center says it was so important for the General Assembly to take action.
Youngkin signs bill to protect local pharmacies in Virginia
Governor Glenn Youngkin has signed into law a bill that creates a single pharmacy benefit manager for the state's Medicaid program. The legislation, part of the Save Local Pharmacies Act, will take effect on July 1, 2025. The move follows a broader effort to rein in the influence of PBMs, which are third-party companies that negotiate drug prices between manufacturers and insurers. Some of the largest PBMs, including Caremark (CVS Health), Express Scripts (Cigna), and OptumRx (UnitedHealth Group), also own pharmacies, a practice critics say creates a conflict of interest.
Energy storage bills among Youngkin’s vetoes
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed legislation that would have raised the targets for how much new energy storage the commonwealth’s two largest electric utilities must propose adding over the next two decades. Energy storage facilities store electricity during off-peak hours when it’s cheaper to generate and deploy it during high-demand periods when it would be more expensive to generate otherwise.
Real estate developer cites Faraldi’s prediction in lawsuit against city council
The developer of a residential community on Wards Ferry Road, in a lawsuit filed against the Lynchburg City Council, is calling the council’s decision to deny the company a rezoning permit “invalid” and “devoid of any reasoned basis.” City council’s 4-3 vote to reject Timberlake Investments LLC’s application to build 18 townhouses and a duplex on Wards Ferry Road, near Timberlake Road, came on the same night in March that the council voted to approve a 750-unit housing development on Wiggington Road proposed by Langley Land and Jam 89. . . . At the March 11 council meeting, Ward IV Councilman Chris Faraldi criticized council’s decision to approve the Wiggington Road development but reject the Wards Ferry Road rezoning application to build the 18 townhouses and duplex.
Yancey: Jobless workers in Emporia are paying the price for nation’s inability to deal with high housing costs
Emporia took a hard blow last week when the Georgia-Pacific plywood mill announced it’s closing, leaving 550 people out of work. That follows another hard blow last year, when the Boar’s Head Provision Co. meat plant in nearby Jarratt in Greensville County closed. No community wants to lose a major employer; between them, Emporia and Greensville County have now lost two in less than a year’s time. These two plant closings are unrelated — Boar’s Head was linked to a listeria outbreak that led to 10 deaths across the country. That’s a tragedy, but it may not directly stem from a public policy choice. However, Georgia-Pacific cited national declines in homebuilding and homebuying, and those are very much connected to public policy.
Va. higher education institutions weigh in on Youngkin’s budget cuts
Governor Youngkin signed off on the budget on Friday and cut $900 million. Youngkin is pushing pause on capital projects at 10 higher education facilities, to the tune of over $600 million. Some of that money would have gone to Central Virginia Community College to renovate their Amherst and Campbell buildings. They were expecting an estimated $50 million in funds.