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New system for using credit cards to ride Metro earns Virginia leaders’ praise
New tech allowing Metro users to pay their fare by tapping debit or credit cards is receiving good grades from local leaders. At a meeting last week, representatives on the Metropolitan Washington Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board of directors said the new “Tap-Ride-Go” initiative will benefit both regular and infrequent users of the regional system. “The acceptance of this program already has been hugely successful. The numbers are well beyond the expectation we had,” said Virginia representative Paul Smedberg at a Thursday meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC).
U.S. Appeals Court Denies Challenge To Mountain Valley Pipeline Extension
A federal appeals court has cleared the way for an extension of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. In 2023, the Mountain Valley Pipeline received a three-year extension of its federal approval to build the Southgate Extension from Virginia into North Carolina. Groups challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals. On Friday, a three-judge panel denied their petition, clearing the way for MVP to complete the 31-mile Southgate project.
Molina Healthcare to close Henrico office, laying off 268 workers
Molina Healthcare, a Fortune 500 company that manages health care services for Medicaid and Medicare recipients, is closing its Henrico County office and laying off 268 workers, it said in a letter notifying the state. According to the Virginia Works website’s WARN notice page, California-based Molina notified the state May 13 that it will close its facility at 3829 Gaskins Road on June 30 and that all of its staffers there will be laid off as of July 14. The company provides managed health care services under Medicaid and Medicare programs and through state insurance marketplaces, and in Virginia, Molina is one of five managed care organizations (MCO), health plans that include providers that accept Medicaid.
Rise in Virginia deportation orders sparks concern from lawmakers, community
Virginia is now one of the top five states in the country experiencing a dramatic increase in immigration enforcement, with more than 2,000 individuals receiving deportation orders in March alone. Over 300 of those cases originated in the Richmond region, according to newly released federal data. The sharp uptick comes as part of a nationwide directive from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to triple daily arrests, aiming for a quota of 3,000 per day.
Yancey: Who does the unrest in Los Angeles hurt most politically? Here’s what history and polls tell us about Va.
The president federalizes the state’s National Guard — and then sends in the regular U.S. military to an American city to deal with a crisis. This action comes against the backdrop of a governor’s race in Virginia. The year was 1957, when President Dwight Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce the integration of Little Rock Central High School. In Virginia that year, Republican Ted Dalton of Radford was mounting the second of his two gubernatorial campaigns that challenged the iron grip of Sen. Harry Byrd’s political machine on Virginia. Four years before, Dalton had come closer to winning than any Republican ever had in Virginia. Come 1957, Dalton was trying again. He was thought to be doing well — there was no real polling in those days — but then came the Little Rock crisis that September.
N. Va. leaders: More funding is not guaranteed for proposed Metro improvement plan
Northern Virginia political leaders at the local and state levels seem to have a firm dollar figure associated with the proposal to improve Metro service across the region. There remains a question, however, regarding whether they’ll be able to come up with the funding. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is preparing to adopt a resolution on July 17 acknowledging that Virginia will need to commit an additional $153 million in fiscal year 2027 to implement operational upgrades and keep the transit system on track.
Healthcare company Molina laying off hundreds of employees in Henrico
As it prepares to wind down a contract with the state of Virginia, a California-based healthcare plan management firm is shutting down its local operations. Molina Healthcare plans to permanently close its office at 3829 Gaskins Road and lay off 268 workers at the end of June, according to a notice that the company recently submitted to the state government. Molina is a Fortune 500 company that manages government-sponsored healthcare programs in multiple states, including Virginia. But the company’s work with the Old Dominion is coming to an end.
13 Virginia localities sign agreements to help ICE
A handful of Virginia’s 133 localities, including two near Roanoke, have agreed to work with federal immigration enforcement. Several more, including the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office, are in the process of signing similar agreements, according to documents from the Department of Homeland Security. Richmond’s own police department does not have such an agreement, which Police Chief Rick Edwards has suggested would undermine detectives’ ability to solve crime in immigrant communities. Immigrant advocacy organizations also vehemently oppose the partnerships.
Trump administration changes funding rules for broadband expansion
Virginia officials and broadband providers have had the “rug pulled out from under them” by a U.S. Commerce Department policy shift on internet expansion, the state’s Broadband Advisory Council chairwoman said Monday. Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax County, said she was frustrated that the Trump administration has restructured the Biden-era Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, also known as “Internet for All.” The $42.5 billion program, part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, had prioritized fiber broadband over satellite and other wireless internet delivery systems to serve more rural regions.
Democratic attorney general candidates vow to fight Trump administration
The Virginia primary election is just more than a week away, and the Republican ticket for statewide races is set. However, Democrats must choose a candidate in two races, including attorney general. Shannon Taylor and Jay Jones are vying to take on Republican incumbent Jason Miyares in November. Taylor has served as the Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney for more than a decade and hopes to leverage her experience as a prosecutor statewide. ... Jones, a Norfolk resident, previously served in the House of Delegates and was an assistant attorney general in Washington, D.C.