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Virginia children thrive when their fathers show up, study finds
Children in Virginia are more likely to excel in school and avoid depression when their fathers are present and engaged, a new study shows. Approximately one in four children in Virginia live without their biological fathers, according to “Good Fathers, Flourishing Kids: The Importance of Fatherhood in Virginia,” a comprehensive study conducted by scholars from the University of Virginia, the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, and other research groups.
Hampton Roads teams deploy to Texas to help with rescue, relief efforts after devastating floods
A Virginia Beach water rescue team and two Hampton Roads charitable organizations are among the local groups heading to Central Texas to assist with rescue and relief efforts after flash floods claimed more than 100 lives. Eight members of the Virginia Beach Fire Department’s Swift Water Rescue Team left Sunday evening and are expected to arrive Tuesday, said department spokeswoman Barbara Morrison. A similar team from Bristol, Virginia, will join them, Morrison said.
Experts warn hospitals could close, health insurance premiums could jump after Trump signs big beautiful bill
Virginia’s hospitals are sounding the alarm after President Donald Trump signed his big beautiful bill into law. “The Senate did a couple of things that, at full implementation, are going to cost hospitals in Virginia more than $2 billion annually based on our projections,” said Julian Walker, vice president of communications at the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. The latest data from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found that about 11.8 million people could lose their health insurance as a result of cuts made to Medicaid and other programs.
Chesapeake-based Dollar Tree completes sale of Family Dollar stores
Dollar Tree announced on Monday the completion of the sale of its Family Dollar business. The Chesapeake-based company sold the business segment to Brigade and Macellum, two capital management companies, for $1 billion in cash. The net proceeds are estimated to total approximately $800 million.
Could ICE detention funding trickle down to Virginia's closed prisons?
Just over a year ago, Virginia closed four prisons run by the state. Part of President Donald Trump’s budget bill included billions in new funds for detaining those taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And in some places, that’s meant reopening old facilities. “At the end of the day, the federal dollars are there for a reason. And if we have facilities that can go to work, we should make them available,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said when asked if the four prisons Virginia closed last summer should be turned into ICE detention facilities.
State mental health authorities promise investigation, changes after Eastern State patient escapes second time this year
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services said it will conduct an internal investigation and make necessary security changes after a patient at Eastern State Hospital escaped over the weekend. Glenn Large, Jr., 50, escaped by scaling a fence Saturday morning. He was recaptured Sunday by James City County police and taken to jail. It marked the second time Large was unaccounted for this year.
Attorney Andrew Lucchetti jumps into race against Wittman
Andrew Lucchetti, a civil rights lawyer who lives in Mechanicsville and practices law in western Henrico County, is the third Democrat to declare a bid to take on Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, in congressional midterm elections next year. Lucchetti, 49, said he’s not daunted by Wittman, an 18-year Republican incumbent who has won 10 general elections by double digits. After all, he’s faced down a tougher opponent: himself. “My bad days made me who I am,” Lucchetti says in a video launching his campaign on Tuesday morning.
Miyares: Claims portal open after Fauquier-based debt company misrepresents services
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has announced the opening of a nationwide claims process and portal for customers of tax debt settlement company Wall & Associates, Inc. potentially eligible for restitution. After a 2024 trial, the Fauquier County Circuit Court found Wall & Associates, Inc. – which has or had a corporate office in Marshall – misrepresented the expertise of its salespeople as “tax consultants,” mispresented the average results or savings for people using its services and misrepresented the geographic area where services would be performed, according to a Monday news release from the attorney general's office.
Where your legislators stand on HEAT funding paying for public surveillance
Using funds for auto theft tipsters to pay more than a million dollars a year for surveillance technology is a step too far for some legislators in Virginia. Last year, only one tenth of one percent of the Help Eliminate Auto Theft fund budget went toward that law’s stated purpose of paying citizen tipsters. Instead, about one-third of HEAT’s $4.4 million budget went toward equipment grants for local law enforcement agencies. Cardinal News found that the majority of those grants were used for license plate reader cameras or similar public-facing surveillance technology. . . . State legislators were divided on whether surveillance technology was an appropriate use of HEAT funding.
VPAP Visual GOP House Primary Turnout
With no statewide primary in June, Republican turnout was driven by House and local elections. Despite the Democratic primaries for Lt. Governor and Attorney General, Republican turnout was higher in several House Districts. See how turnout compared between Republican and Democratic primaries in the districts with a Republican House Primary on the ballot. Select a district to see a list of all the primaries in that district last month.