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Northern Virginia businesses sour on economy, many citing Trump policies
Three months has made a huge difference in the economic expectations of Northern Virginia’s business leaders, with most more concerned about the region’s economy and their company’s own prospects. A quarterly survey conducted by Pinkston Business Leader for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce found 54% of business leaders are very or somewhat optimistic about their company’s performance over the next six months, down from 81% who said so in the same survey at the beginning of the year. When asked what aspects of President Donald Trump’s administration agenda will most benefit their company, over 50% said none.
Charlottesville beats out UVa for Trump-shuttered Federal Executive Institute
The Charlottesville school division has come out on top in a contest for the Federal Executive Institute property shuttered by the Trump administration earlier this year — beating out well-heeled competitor the University of Virginia. On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Department of Education approved Charlottesville City School’s application to acquire the 14-acre site — last assessed at $19.6 million — completely free of charge via a “public benefit allowance” available to educational institutions through the Federal Real Property Assistance Program.
Hampton hopes to redevelop Fort Monroe into a landmark. Years of stagnation have slowed it.
At a historic site that’s been hampered by development setbacks for years, officials said ongoing projects will help Fort Monroe look completely different a year from now. Virginia took over the 565-acre former Army base in 2011 and planned to restore and convert it for private development. Those plans have since been nixed due to rising project costs and uncertainty surrounding potentially hazardous materials still sitting on the fort’s grounds.
Youngkin PAC director breaks silence on Reid controversy
Matt Moran, executive director of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee, broke his silence Wednesday in the escalating feud with Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid — accusing Reid’s campaign of knowing about a controversial Tumblr account before the governor called for him to step aside. Moran’s response — delivered in part through an attorney and in part in a sworn affidavit — outlines a detailed timeline that he says shows Reid was given a chance to review the material but skipped the meeting. Moran also claims Reid’s campaign manager, Noah Jennings, acknowledged knowing of the account’s existence and asked for help finding clients this summer.
Youngkin senior adviser denies Reid’s extortion allegation
Matthew Moran, senior political adviser to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, issued a sworn affidavit on Wednesday denying accusations that he defamed or attempted to extort Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid over sexually explicit images on an online account allegedly linked to the candidate. The images prompted Youngkin on Friday to ask Reid to withdraw from the race. Reid says the Tumblr account is not his and that he did not repost the images. He says he is staying in the contest.
Richmond says it will overhaul troubled employee purchasing card program
Less than 24 hours after The Times-Dispatch reported on another investigation into potential financial abuse, Mayor Danny Avula announced a “reset” of the city’s employee purchasing card program. The program allows certain employees to buy items using city funds. Last year, a city watchdog found Richmond’s election registrar had misused thousands of dollars on furniture, bodyguards and meals.
Leader of Youngkin PAC denies extorting candidate
The leader of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee has responded to allegations by Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid that he orchestrated smear tactics involving illicit online photos to get Reid to drop his bid. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Matthew Moran produced a three-page affidavit outlining the claims that he said were discovered through a third-party vendor’s report highlighting potential vulnerabilities in a campaign. The report, which Moran said was commonplace in politics, found information from a Tumblr account “which would put John in a negative light and impact the viability of his candidacy.
Kaine meets with Ukrainians in Roanoke Valley, shares insights from recent visit
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine met with Roanoke-area Ukrainians and their supporters last week to share what he'd learned on a visit to the war-torn country and other European nations last month. Kaine visited Finland in February, and Poland, Ukraine and Germany during the Senate's Easter recess. During his mid-April visit to Ukraine, he placed flowers at the Bucha Memorial, which remembers the more than 400 civilians and prisoners of war executed in 2022 by members of the 234th Air Assault Regiment, a Russian paratrooper unit based in Pskov, a city with which Roanoke paused a sister city arrangement in 2023.
Altria sees little impact from tariff increases
Rising import duties – even if paused – worry many U.S. manufacturers, but the firm with the biggest factory in Richmond, Altria Group, says it expects the impact on its cigarette-making business will be immaterial. Altria told investors Tuesday that while it is monitoring the impact of President Donald Trump‘s tariffs, it’s still expecting profits this year will rise.
Fredericksburg region’s United Way closing on June 30
After 85 years of raising millions of dollars for programs that helped people struggling in various aspects of life, the Rappahannock United Way will cease its operations on June 30. “This is not a decision we made lightly,” said Janel Donohue, president and CEO. “For more than eight decades, RUW has been honored to serve this community. We are proud of the impact we’ve made and grateful to all who have supported us along the way.”