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VPAP Visual Measures of Legislator Wealth: 2025
Annual reports filed by members of the Virginia General Assembly are meant to disclose possible conflicts of interest, but they also provide a look at the wealth of elected officials. See how Republican and Democratic legislators compare across four different measures from the latest reports.
New boil water advisory issued in Richmond, months after January water crisis
Richmond officials issued a new boil water advisory Tuesday for large swaths of the city, less than six months after a catastrophic water crisis left much of the region without safe drinking water for days. “People can use the water,” Avula said. “They just need to boil it before they drink it,” Mayor Danny Avula said in a virtual press conference Tuesday afternoon, adding that the city doesn’t currently have plans to distribute bottled water.
Cowan: Officials should protect Chesapeake from data center noise
As a mental health professional, I never expected to speak out against a data center. But after learning more about the recently proposed facility in Chesapeake, I was, quite frankly, disturbed — disturbed that city leaders would consider placing such a massive industrial structure next to long-established neighborhoods. These are homes where families have built lives, where children play and where peace and quiet have long been part of daily life. At this month’s Planning Commission meeting, the developer addressed the projected decibel level of the facility and outlined general mitigation efforts. What he failed to address, however, is one of the most concerning and least understood aspects of data centers: low-frequency noise.
Va. Democrats on track to break primary early voting record
Ever since Virginia expanded early voting in 2021, more people have been using absentee mail-in and early in-person voting options. But if current numbers hold, Virginia Democrats could blow previous primary early voting records out of the water. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, by the end of the June primary in 2021, with five gubernatorial candidates on the ballot, Virginia Democrats had cast about 125,000 primary votes. In June 2023, with all House of Delegates and state Senate seats on the line, it hit 129,000. But as of last week, according to the Virginia Board of Elections, that number is over 80,000 votes so far this year. And there’s still three more weeks of early voting left to go.
‘Here we go again’: Richmond hit with second boil water advisory in five months
For months, Richmond officials have said January's water problem should never happen again. On Tuesday, it happened again. “Here we go again,” said Melanie Horner, one of several city residents who took to their nearest grocery store on Tuesday morning to stock up on bottled water after learning tap water in some parts of Richmond had been deemed unsafe to drink without boiling it first. The routine felt all-too-familiar for many city residents and businesses as Richmond officials announced Tuesday that clogged filters at the water treatment plant had led to a loss of pressure.
How some local police agencies are using license plate reader surveillance cameras
“I’m not good,” the man behind the wheel of the black Toyota Corolla repeatedly told Radford city police officer J.K. Caudell during a traffic stop last July. Caudell found two empty vodka bottles under the passenger’s seat of the car and a mixed drink in the cupholder. The man’s parents had called police after receiving texts from him saying he was planning on crashing his car. Flock Safety cameras identified and located his vehicle based on information from the parents. Caudell pulled him over before he could harm himself or anyone else.
Yancey: U.S. House wants to axe a tax credit that has driven growth of high-wage manufacturing jobs in rural areas
President Donald Trump wants to boost American manufacturing, a goal that has eluded other presidents in the so-called “post-industrial” era but a laudatory one nonetheless. However, many of the manufacturing jobs that he and other administration officials talk most prominently about are likely minimum-wage or other low-wage positions. Meanwhile, the “big, beautiful” bill now moving through Congress would likely slow the growth of one fast-growing manufacturing sector where the average annual income is $81,600. Furthermore, those jobs are concentrated in places that voted for Trump in 2024, meaning that some Republican members of Congress are finding themselves in the position of potentially slowing manufacturing growth in their own districts.
Youngkin vetoes $1.37M for Biscuit Run trail in Albemarle County
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto of a $1.37 million line item in the Virginia budget, eliminating funding for a walking trail connected to Biscuit Run Park in Albemarle County, has disappointed local lawmakers and residents alike. A major advocate for the project says the governor went “out of his way” to derail it, and the legislators who fought for the money say they don’t understand why Youngkin targeted such a small investment with such significant benefits for the community.
They helped Democrats win back the House in 2018. Now they’re taking on a new mission
In 2018, Democrats won back the House — ending eight years of Republican control — with the help of dozens of candidates with national security backgrounds who vowed to serve as a check against the first Trump administration. This year, two of those successful candidates — Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill — are taking on a new challenge following President Donald Trump’s return to power: running for governor. As Democrats grapple with how best to improve their diminished standing with voters, the upcoming races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey will serve as crucial tests for the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Earle-Sears facing potential legal scrutiny after originally failing to disclose trips paid for by outside organizations
Republican gubernatorial nominee Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is facing potential legal scrutiny after failing to disclose multiple trips paid for by outside organizations on her required financial disclosure forms. Earle-Sears amended her Statement of Economic Interests (SOEI) last week to reflect participation in seven trips funded by third-party groups, despite originally certifying in February that she had taken none. The Earle-Sears campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Virginia Scope.