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These Younger Democrats Are Sick of Their Party’s Status Quo
A number of prominent younger Democrats with records of winning tough races are forming a new group with big ambitions to remake their party’s image, recruit a new wave of candidates and challenge political orthodoxies they say are holding the party back. Members of the initiative, Majority Democrats, have different theories about how the national party has blundered. . . . According to Ms. Smith, members include: former Representative Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor of Virginia; Representative Mikie Sherrill, the party’s candidate for governor of New Jersey; Senators Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan; members of Congress from highly competitive districts including Representatives Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico and Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan; and the mayors of Cincinnati, Denver, Scranton, Pa., Newport News, Va., and Kansas City, Mo.
Inside the Univ. of Virginia gun incident that drew DOJ's ire
University of Virginia President James Ryan resigned last month amid a Justice Department investigation into allegations the school failed to wipe out its diversity programs. But a letter the agency sent U.Va., released last week as part of a public records request, reveals another reason the Justice Department targeted the university. In it, the department zeroed in on allegations that a fourth-year Jewish student had endured antisemitic bullying and that U.Va. had mishandled the case.
Richmond’s top election official sits down for one-on-one interview
Richmond’s Office of Elections is entering a new chapter with the appointment of David Levine as the city’s new general registrar. After a tumultuous period marked by scandal and leadership change, Levine said he’s committed to restoring public trust and ensuring transparency. Levine is no stranger to Richmond. He served as deputy registrar from 2012 to 2014 under former general registrar Kurt Showalter. Levine also brings years of election experience from Idaho, Maryland and Washington D.C. to the role. Now returning as the city’s top election official, he’s focused on reform and accountability.
State budget change will deliver bigger gaming tax payday for Dumfries
The Town of Dumfries is expecting a bigger payoff next year as a result of a change in the way Virginia allocates gaming tax revenues to communities that host facilities such as The Rose and Rosies, which feature off-track betting and slots-like betting machines. . . . The amendment, which goes into effect in July 2026, will boost Dumfries budget by at least $1 million a year. Torian says he led the tax change to help Dumfries and other localities with Rosie’s gaming facilities grow their economies.
Planned Parenthood centers in Virginia brace for potential Medicaid funding loss
Planned Parenthood centers in Virginia and across the nation are preparing for potential impacts from the Trump administration's "One Big, Beautiful Bill," which aims to prohibit Medicaid payments for services at facilities like Planned Parenthood for one year. A federal judge has temporarily blocked this provision for 14 days. Jamie Lockhart, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said the legislation could affect around 5,700 Medicaid patients in Virginia. She explained that these patients would lose access not only to abortion services but also to STI tests, cancer screenings, and contraception.
Richmond hospital settles with last two families in infant abuse case
Henrico Doctors’ has agreed to pay two more babies who were injured in the hospital’s neonatal intensive-care unit, bringing the total number of settlements to 11. On Wednesday, Judge David Carson approved the agreements in Salem Circuit Court. The financial value of all 11 have been kept private. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is not identifying the victims or their families. Under the agreement, the money will be placed in trusts for the children to access when they are older.
City planner, wife ran permitless Airbnb in violation of city code
A city official and his wife for over a year operated an unpermitted Airbnb in violation of city code governing short-term rentals, according to records reviewed by The Times-Dispatch. The property in question is located on West Marshall Street in Jackson Ward. City assessment records show the rowhouse is owned by 17 W Marshall, LLC. State Corporation Commission records show that company is registered to Alexandra Mercer, wife of city planner Brian Mercer.
Historical markers approved for Lucy Addison in Roanoke, small newspaper in Highland County
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources has approved nine new historical markers across Virginia, including one for the famed Roanoke educator Lucy Addison, as well as the weekly newspaper in the smallest county in the state. Other notable markers include one in King William County to call attention to the Virginia “racial integrity” act of 1924 that was used to erase the existence of Native American tribes in the state, something that has since been called a “paper genocide.” The department notes that markers aren’t meant to “honor” a particular person or event but rather to recognize history that has happened.
Cantor: Virginia prison cites unwritten policy when declining press comment
Tomeka Wallace didn’t know her son was being transferred from Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison until she got a call in February from a Maine prison official. Demetrius, her son, was among a group of men at Red Onion who previously harmed themselves and participated in a hunger strike to protest conditions at the super-maximum security facility in the southwest portion of the state. “I just happened to get a call that I almost didn’t answer,” Wallace recalled. “The lady said, ‘Do you know Demetrius Wallace? … Well, your son is in Maine.’ I said, ‘In Maine? You mean the state?’” Wallace is hundreds of miles from where her son’s now being held and said the entire carceral system needs to be changed.
Youngkin lauds federal budget bill, plays down Medicaid cuts
Gov. Glenn Youngkin fully embraces the massive federal tax-and-spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last week, including cuts to Medicaid that Democrats and state hospitals say would cause hundreds of thousands of Virginians to lose health care coverage and potentially threaten the survival of small rural hospitals. Youngkin, speaking after an unrelated news event on Tuesday, said the spending package would deliver tax relief of about $2,800 per family. Most of that relief would come from extending the provisions of the tax cuts that the president signed into law in 2017. The law also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime and creates a $6,000 tax credit for seniors.