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Warner: Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ could make it more expensive to fly in and out of DC area

By JOHN DOMEN, WTOP

The Senate continues to work on what’s been dubbed the president’s “big, beautiful bill” this week. It’s a massive tax and spending plan hitting several parts of the federal government. And in recent weeks, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has landed on the GOP’s radar. It’s all of 17 lines out of 33 pages from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, but it orders the federal government to renegotiate the lease it has with MWAA — leases that were just signed last year and run through the year 2100.

VaNews June 17, 2025


Southern Poverty Law Center report: Militia movement is ‘reformatting’

By DAVE CANTOR, WVTF-FM

The Southern Poverty Law Center issues an annual report tracking far-right movements across the country. Its most recent findings, which were released at the end of May, include information on the militia movement and its connections to the Commonwealth. Since 2020, at least 20 localities in Virginia have had active militia groups, according to media reports, though SPLC researcher Rachel Goldwasser says that number’s a bit higher.

VaNews June 17, 2025


Pokharel and Tanyu: In race to develop AI, colleges overlook cybersecurity

By SANSKAR POKHAREL AND YASEMIN TANYU, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)

Tomorrow’s data breaches are being written in today's classrooms. If we continue treating security as an afterthought, we risk graduating students who are ready to build the future — but unprepared to secure it. In an era where cyber threats evolve faster than textbooks, a staggering 43% of cyberattacks now target small- to medium-sized enterprises, many of which employ graduates unequipped with real-world cybersecurity skills. Arguably, our academic approach to cybersecurity is long overdue for a transformation.

Pokharel recently graduated from George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in information technology. Tanyu is an incoming junior at Virginia Tech studying computer science.

VaNews June 17, 2025


In Virginia’s primary election, voters to decide statewide Democratic nominees

By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER AND LAURA VOZZELLA, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Polling places opened at 6 a.m. across Virginia on Tuesday for this year’s primary races to pick Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, with a handful of localities also selecting a House of Delegates nominee from one or both major parties and some choosing candidates for local offices. Democrats have a nominee for governor — former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger — and Republicans are set with their full ticket: Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for governor, talk-radio host John Reid for lieutenant governor and Attorney General Jason S. Miyares seeking reelection.

VaNews June 17, 2025


The curious campaign of Levar Stoney

By BOB STUART, News Virginian

There are many ways for a political candidate to garner the glowing press he desires while on the campaign trail. He can host rallies and town halls, attend forums and speaking engagements, visit community colleges and housing developments. This is what industry insiders call “earned media,” that is publicity that a candidate neither owns (like a website) nor pays for (like an advertisement). Earned, owned and paid media are considered the three pillars of publicity. But there is a fourth, and uncelebrated, pillar: simply cold calling a newspaper. Which is what Levar Stoney’s campaign did.

VaNews June 17, 2025


From VPAP June Primary Election Results

The Virginia Public Access Project

See results from yesterday's primary elections, including Democratic nomination contests for lieutenant governor and attorney general, and both Republican and Democratic primaries for the House of Delegates and local offices.

VaNews June 18, 2025


Officials Investigate More Threats of Violence Against U.S. Politicians

By JOHN YOON, New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

Officials in at least three states said on Monday that they were investigating or prosecuting people for making threats against politicians, a day after the police in Minnesota arrested and charged a man over the assassination of a state lawmaker. In Texas, the authorities said that an armed man who threatened to harm lawmakers at the State Capitol had been detained. In Georgia, a man was arraigned after prosecutors said he threatened sexual violence against two United States senators. And in Virginia, a former Coast Guard officer was arrested and accused of making threats against President Trump online.

VaNews June 17, 2025


Early voting for Virginia Democratic primaries wraps up with high turnout and competitive races

By CAMERON THOMPSON AND CALEB OGILVIE, WTVR-TV

Early voting for Virginia's statewide Democratic primaries ended Saturday with voters turning out to select nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general ahead of the November general election. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Virginians cast more than 189,000 early or mail-in ballots across various contested Democratic races compared to over 15,000 in Republican races. For Paris Johnson, voting early was a way to influence change. "Voting is a way for us to express our voice, and it's a way for us to have a little bit of power," Johnson said.

VaNews June 17, 2025


A look back at the first 6 months of Caesars Virginia in Danville: More revenue, more visitors, more jobs

By GRACE MAMON, Cardinal News

It’s been half a year since Caesars Virginia opened its doors in Danville, becoming one of the first casino resorts in the state. The grand opening on Dec. 17 took the city from having a temporary casino to having a full-scale resort — and everything that comes along with it. Running the resort is a whole different ballgame than operating the semi-permanent tent that housed the temporary casino, said Caesars Virginia General Manager Chris Albrecht. “It’s a much larger operation,” Albrecht said. “[The temporary facility] was a very focused gaming experience. Now you’re dealing with the complexity of hotel guests, higher-end restaurants and concerts.”

VaNews June 17, 2025


Prince William County board chairs clash on plan to build data centers behind Four Seasons

By JILL PALERMO, Prince William Times

Deshundra Jefferson, the chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, and the former chair, Corey Stewart, are at odds over a proposal to rezone land behind Four Seasons, one of the county’s largest over-55 communities, for as many as five large data centers. Stewart, 56, spent 16 years on the board of supervisors and left in 2019, when he declined to run for reelection. He’s now an attorney working with landowners interested in rezoning their properties for lucrative data center deals.

VaNews June 17, 2025