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From VPAP June Primary: Who’s on Your Ballot?
Enter your address to find out who is on your ballot and where your polling place is for today's primary elections. Statewide primaries are being held to choose the Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, and Republican and Democratic primaries are being held in some areas for the House of Delegates and local offices.
10 Va. House of Delegates contests to watch Tuesday
With early voting already underway and primary day set for Tuesday, Virginia’s House of Delegates races are shaping up to be a revealing test of party identity, grassroots energy, and electoral ambition. For the first time in many years, Democrats have fielded candidates in all 100 House districts — a feat that underscores just how determined the party is to hold the majority it won back two years ago, and how fired up its base has become heading into another high-stakes election year. Many of the most compelling primaries are playing out in safely blue districts, where challengers are confronting Democratic incumbents from the left and prompting broader questions about the party’s ideological trajectory.
Appeals for federal relief funds for Va. schools uncertain
After the U.S. education secretary set a March deadline to use unspent pandemic relief funds, Virginia school officials are still awaiting a decision on their appeal whether the federal government will rescind the cutoff allowing them to use $33 million. Across the commonwealth, 14 school divisions, including Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Symth County, and the Department of Juvenile Justice have appealed to use $25 million. The Virginia Department of Education wants to use nearly $8 million.
Volunteers keep watch over Smith Mountain Lake’s water quality for nearly four decades
For nearly 40 years, volunteers and environmental experts have made sure Smith Mountain Lake is ready for a season of fishing, swimming, and other recreational use. And while finding help over that time is rarely a problem, concerns about Harmful Algae Blooms are bringing new focus to their work. Ferrum College laboratory supervisor Carol Love has been monitoring Smith Mountain Lake since the late 1990’s.
3 more Southwest and Southside localities come under state fire ant quarantine
Fire ants stayed in one part of Virginia for almost 30 years. Now, the invasive species is creeping toward Southwest and Southside Virginia, and a state quarantine to contain them has expanded yet again. Danville, Lee County and Pittsylvania County are among the 10 Virginia localities that have recently been added to the state quarantine as the warming climate makes western regions of the state more suitable for these small insects. The ants first appeared in Virginia in 1989 at a golf course in Hampton. Until 2017, they stayed put in Southeast Virginia. That year, they started to appear in Southside localities. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences extended a fire ant quarantine to some of these localities in response.
The Virginia Mercury’s 2025 elections questionnaire: lieutenant governor
With seven contenders vying to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, the Mercury asked all the hopefuls to answer a questionnaire to outline their political and legislative experiences, their plans should they be elected to preside over the state senate and their positions on policy that shapes citizens’ lives. Here are their responses.
Alicia Atkins challenges Delores McQuinn in 81st House District primary
Del. Delores McQuinn has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since winning a 2009 special election. In that time, she has never received less than 73% of the vote in a Democratic primary or general election for the House, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. On Tuesday, she will face off with Henrico County School Board member Alicia Atkins — in a primary that takes place at a time when the Democratic Party across the country is considering whether to elevate new voices or continue to rely on seasoned political leaders.
State health regulators fine Richmond $6.8K for violations related to January water crisis
Richmond has agreed to pay state water regulators a “civil charge” of $6,817 as part of an agreement to resolve violations related to January’s water crisis. [Last] week, the city announced it had reached an agreement with the State Board of Health to resolve a series of problems that contributed to the water outage earlier this year. The order of consent between the city and the state formalizes the steps being taken to address the issues at the city’s water treatment plant, including the financial penalty.
Yancey: 10 questions that Tuesday’s primaries will answer
I don’t know who’s going to win Tuesday’s Democratic primaries for lieutenant governor and attorney general but I can sure tell you who’s going to lose: Donald Trump. If all you knew was what you saw from the television ads of the six lieutenant governor candidates and two attorney general candidates, you’d think Trump is their opponent, not the others on the ballot. That’s likely good politics in a Democratic primary, but it also highlights just how few policy differences there appear to be between the respective candidates. Some primaries are a battle royale for “the soul of the party.” This year’s Democratic primaries for two of the three statewide offices — Abigail Spanberger is already the party’s nominee for governor — does not appear to be one of those.
Shenandoah Valley leaders bracing for One Big Beautiful Bill fallout
Shenandoah Valley leaders say President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, now being considered in the U.S. Senate, will have a devastating impact on health care, higher education and workforce development. They voiced their concerns over the budget reconciliation bill to U.S. Sen. Mark Warner on Friday at a business policy roundtable just outside Staunton.