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Lewis: As Democrats duke it out in Va. primaries, GOP nominees won’t be seen together

By BOB LEWIS, Virginia Mercury

In about 10 days, we will know the names of all the candidates who will appear on November’s general election ballot for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in Virginia. What we might not know by then is whether both parties’ tickets are unified. The nominees are set in the Republican Party. So there should have been no need there for the acrimony and infighting that tests the bonds of party cohesiveness in the run-up to primary elections and then the strained, awkward rapprochements that follow. Right? The Democrats still have that bridge to cross with a six-way primary for lieutenant governor and a one-to-one showdown in the attorney general primary.

VaNews June 10, 2025


N. Va. leaders: More funding is not guaranteed for proposed Metro improvement plan

By SCOTT MCCAFFREY, FFXnow

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.

VaNews June 10, 2025


Yancey: Who does the unrest in Los Angeles hurt most politically? Here’s what history and polls tell us about Va.

By DWAYNE YANCEY, Cardinal News

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.

VaNews June 10, 2025


Rise in Virginia deportation orders sparks concern from lawmakers, community

By JOHN GONZALEZ, WJLA-TV

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.

VaNews June 10, 2025


Yancey: Only 2 of 12 statewide candidates have been to Virginia’s westernmost county

By DWAYNE YANCEY, Cardinal News

Doug Wilder set a standard that few candidates since him have met. In 1985, he formally launched his campaign for lieutenant governor in the most unlikely place possible: the Cumberland Gap, the westernmost point in Virginia. There was a certain political brilliance in Wilder going as far away from the state capital as he could. Few believed that he could win, that Virginia wasn’t ready for a Black candidate — so Wilder went to the whitest part of the state, Southwest Virginia. That guaranteed lots of free news coverage for a candidate who didn’t have much money, and it helped him make the rhetorical case that he was running to represent all Virginians. It also didn’t hurt that most of Southwest Virginia then was still strongly Democratic territory. Wilder was greeted with a warm reception, lots of free publicity and, that fall, 59.2% of the vote in Lee County.

VaNews June 10, 2025


New system for using credit cards to ride Metro earns Virginia leaders’ praise

By SCOTT MCCAFFREY, ArlNow

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).

VaNews June 10, 2025


Attorney for fired Hopewell city manager calls termination illegal, demands she be rehired

By BILL ATKINSON, Progress Index (Metered paywall - 10 articles a month)

The attorney for former Hopewell City Manager Dr. Concetta Manker is demanding she be reinstated to her post immediately, claiming her May 1 termination was handled improperly according to Roberts Rules of Order, the almost-universal conduct manual local governing bodies, including Hopewell's, follow for meetings. In a June 9 letter to City Attorney Anthony Bessette, Richard Hawkins gave City Council until June 20 to give Manker back her job or face legal action for wrongful termination. In addition to violating Roberts Rules, Hawkins also said one of the votes to terminate – from newly elected Ward 4 Councilor Ronnie Ellis – violated Virginia’s conflict-of-interest laws because Ellis works for the city.

VaNews June 10, 2025


Wilkins: Cutting solar tax credits will cost Virginia billions

By CHAD WILKINS, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)

When my company first began installing solar panels in Virginia, I knew I was helping businesses and homeowners save on their energy bills, hedge against utility rate increases, and achieve environmental goals. Now, 12 years later, I’ve witnessed solar energy grow from a promising technology to an engine of economic development, creating thousands of good-paying jobs and attracting billions in private investment.

Wilkins is the owner and founder of Convert Solar LLC, established in 2013 in Virginia Beach, and now employs 60 full-time solar professionals and 150 subcontractors across the state.

VaNews June 10, 2025


Spanberger in Norfolk announces plan to lower Virginia energy costs

By JANE ALVAREZ-WERTZ, WAVY-TV

Democratic nominee for Virginia governor, former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, made a stop in Norfolk Monday. Spanberger unveiled another pillar of her plan she says will make Virginia more affordable, specifically when it comes to energy bills. She visited the home of a Norfolk resident who recently made her home more energy efficient. Some of the changes include new windows and solar panels on the roof.

VaNews June 10, 2025


Virginia Senate panel says no to Cuccinelli, other Youngkin college appointees

By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)

A key state Senate panel has refused to confirm all eight of Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s latest appointments to college and university boards, including former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to the University of Virginia board of visitors. The Senate Privileges and Elections committee voted down Youngkin appointees to the boards of UVA, Virginia Military Institute and George Mason University by an 8-4 party-line vote.

VaNews June 10, 2025