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Miyares talks first term and his reelection campaign
Attorney General Jason Miyares argues that Virginia is safer today than it was when he took office, pointing to declines in murder and overdose rates as the centerpiece of his reelection pitch to voters. In an interview with Virginia Scope, Miyares cited what he called a “remarkable turnaround” in public safety, touting the results of his office’s work on violent crime, fentanyl enforcement, and consumer protection. “There are more Virginians alive today than when I took office because of what we’ve done,” he said.
GOP candidates for state House seat debate data centers
Data center sprawl — and their massive power demands and big-dollar political contributions — were the hot topic of a recent forum involving Republican candidates vying for their party’s nomination to run for the 21st District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Gregory Lee Gorham, 65, of Sudley Springs, and Sahar Smith, 57, of Catharpin, took part in the event, which was sponsored by the Bull Run Republican Women’s Club and held at Giuseppe’s Ristorante in Haymarket. The third candidate, Xanthe Larsen, did not attend.
Richmond receives Notice of Alleged Violation from Virginia Department of Health for fluoride spike
The Virginia Department of Health has alleged that Richmond appears to have operated its Waterworks in violation of the Public Water Supplies law when the spike in fluoride levels occurred in April, which was caused by pump issues. According to an announcement by a city spokesperson, the city received a Notice of Alleged Violation from VDH on Monday, May 12, for an incident in April when a pump installation at the city’s water treatment plant caused fluoride levels to increase in city water temporarily.
Virginia aims to boost progress in SOLs by making it part of students’ final grades
Starting in 2026-2027, the results of standardized testing will make up 10% of a student's final grade. The decision came as part of a bipartisan effort to increase test results across the Commonwealth. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Virginia students have barely progressed in test scores since sharply falling after the COVID-19 pandemic. While Democrats and Republicans have traded blame for the outcome, both agreed an overhaul was necessary.
Rep. Vindman, state lawmakers decry federal environmental rollbacks at Prince William Forest Park event
Elected leaders representing Prince William County and nearby areas joined U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman during a Friday news conference denouncing the Trump administration’s approach to environmental policy outside the Prince William Forest Park Visitor Center.
Transco plans another natural gas pipeline project for Va.
The natural gas pipeline developer The Williams Companies plans another pipeline expansion in Virginia, this time to run from Pittsylvania County to parts north. The Transco Power Express would supply markets north of the Transco compressor station in Chatham with up to 950 million cubic feet of gas daily, serving “the power-hungry Virginia market,” Williams’ President and CEO Alan Armstrong said last week on a quarterly earnings call.
Report warns of deep hit to Virginia’s economy, citing federal government cuts
One in seven jobs in Virginia is directly or indirectly linked to the federal government. Cuts to the federal workforce and government spending will mean a significant hit to Virginia’s economy this year, according a new economic forecast. The University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service forecasts Virginia will lose 32,000 jobs this year because of federal government cuts, economic output will slow and the unemployment rate will rise to 3.9% this year and as high as 4.7% in 2026. Virginia’s current unemployment rate is 3.2%.
In sales, fast-food and some medical fields, 33% of Virginia workers struggle financially
One of every three workers in the Fredericksburg region and beyond — who hold down 20 of the most common occupations in the state — doesn’t earn enough money to make ends meet. That’s according to new research from United Ways across Virginia and their research partner, United for ALICE. . . . “The crux of the struggle,” as the United Way puts it, is the gap between wages and expenses. The report looked at costs in 2023 and noted that a family of four in Virginia needed, on average, more than $99,000 a year, just to cover the essentials.
Trump-China tariff reductions welcomed by Va. businesses
Virginia business welcomed President Donald Trump’s reduction on tariffs with China announced Monday morning. They hope it could lead to more industry changes. Don Bright with the lumber company Meherrin River Forest Products in Lacrosse said he had containers of logs on the water, headed for China, when the tariffs kicked in a few weeks ago. He had to work with shipping companies to find new ports, sometimes diverting to further-out stops and transporting product over land to meet the tariff deadline. Other shipments weren’t as lucky.
Maryland, Virginia try to boost blue catfish harvest, with mixed success
Maryland recently has taken a few tentative steps aimed at boosting commercial harvest of blue catfish(Ictalurus furcatus), the voracious nonnative predator devouring blue crabs and many native fish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Efforts to do likewise in Virginia, though, have been at least partially thwarted by resistance from recreational anglers and fishing guides who want to maintain them as lucrative trophy fish.