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Dem lawmakers urge state action after U.S. food safety cuts
It’s time to take a hard look at what have been some obscure parts of state government now that the Trump administration has been cutting food safety oversight, the two chairs of the General Assembly’s health committees said Wednesday. The state’s agriculture and health departments each have food safety branches, but the federal government has taken the lead for decades. Now, though, staff cuts last month led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to suspend its quality control program for Grade A Milk.
Virginia consumer confidence nears record low amid tariff concerns
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.
Abigail Spanberger launches her first TV ad in Virginia governor's race
Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger is launching her first TV ad of the 2025 Virginia governor's race, detailing her background as she ramps up her campaign in one of the most closely watched elections of the year. “Too many politicians talk when they should listen and divide instead of unite. Enough is enough,” Spanberger says in the 60-second spot, shared first with NBC News. She also highlights her experience in the CIA and her time in Congress, stressing her work with both parties.
Democratic candidates for attorney general talk opioids, Trump and Southwest Virginia
Two Democratic candidates, Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor, will face off on the June 17 primary ballot in their bid to become Virginia’s next attorney general. Neither Jones nor Taylor is from Southwest or Southside Virginia, but both had ideas for how they could best support the two regions.
A casino proposal in Northern Virginia is a hot topic on the campaign trail this year
Special interests are hoping to strike it rich next year in Richmond. It's a shifting political landscape for a proposed Tysons Corner casino. The closer you live to a proposed casino site in Fairfax County, the more likely you are to oppose it. That’s how Delegate Holly Seibold of Vienna explains her opposition to the proposed entertainment district in Tysons Corner featuring a casino. “The constituents in my district would like their voices heard loud and clear," Seibold says. "They didn’t ask for this casino, nor do they want one.”
Christian students challenge Virginia’s exclusion of tuition aid to theological majors
Three college students filed a lawsuit against Virginia on Wednesday, claiming that the state's exclusion of theological majors from tuition aid eligibility is unconstitutional. "Students can pursue myriad different secular programs and even some religious programs in college while remaining eligible for both the State Tuition Assistance and National Guard Grants—but the one thing they cannot pursue are programs that government officials deem to be for religious training or theological education," the students wrote in their complaint. The students challenge provisions of the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program and the National Guard Tuition Assistance Grant Program, which are administered by the State Council of Higher Education and the Virginia Department of Military Affairs, respectively.
How work requirements for Medicaid could affect Virginians
The U.S. Senate is considering a massive budget bill, passed by House Republicans, that seeks to save money by adding work requirements to Medicaid. When Virginia tried adding similar work requirements years ago, the Department of Medical Assistance Services, which oversees the state's Medicaid program, said about 50,000 people would lose coverage. But that number would likely to be higher now since more Virginians are enrolled than in 2018. Rough estimates from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, for example, show nearly 200,000 Virginians losing coverage, including those who work or qualify for an exemption.
Consumer confidence in Virginia nears record low as economic anxiety grows
Consumer sentiment in Virginia continues to slide, reaching its second-lowest level on record, according to the latest quarterly report by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) at Roanoke College, released Wednesday. “While the labor market remains strong and wage growth is outpacing inflation, uncertainty is weighing heavily on consumers, particularly around tariffs,” said Alice Louise Kassens, Roanoke College’s John S. Shannon Professor of Economics and senior analyst at IPOR. “This uncertainty is reflected in both short- and long-term inflation expectations, which remain elevated despite recent easing in actual inflation rates.”
Virginia consumers remain pessimistic about tariff policy
Virginia consumers don’t know whether to buy now or hold off purchases because of shifting tariff policies and President Donald Trump‘s threats, according to a new survey by Roanoke College. Consumer sentiment continued to fall in Virginia, though not as steeply as nationally, according to the latest quarterly survey that the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research released on Wednesday.
Strawberry season cut short: Virginia farmers face new fungal foe
Late May is normally the heart of strawberry season at Messick’s Farm Market in Bealeton, which for almost a decade has used pick-your-own fields as the main attraction to its annual strawberry festival. But this year, strawberry season has been cut short at farms across the mid-Atlantic. The culprit: An emerging fungal disease called Neopestalotiopsis — better known as Neo-P. “They’re not producing like they normally would. It's pretty concerning,” Jimmy Messick said of his 5 acres of Chandler and Sweet Charlie strawberry plants.