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Youngkin vetoes bills to create legal pot market, raise minimum wage

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

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) said Thursday that he has vetoed bills to establish a state-regulated marketplace for marijuana and to raise Virginia’s minimum wage, gutting two Democratic priorities a day after opposition to his plans for a sports arena in Alexandria led Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis to keep the project in the District. Both sets of bills had been widely seen as bargaining chips as Youngkin angled for Democratic support for the $2 billion arena project. Though he had expressed opposition to each, Youngkin had carefully avoided using the word “veto” while talks about the arena were still underway.

VaNews March 29, 2024


Projects raise questions about Warrenton’s growth plan

By HUNTER SAVERY, Fauquier Times

Quietly and quickly, big decisions about what growth should look like in Warrenton over the next few years have begun to inch their way before town officials in 2024. Last week, it was the Warrenton Town Planning Commission considering a proposal to radically overhaul the Warrenton Village Center along Oak Springs Drive near Broadview Avenue and Lee Highway to add 386 new apartments and amenities such as a swimming pool and dog park. Earlier this month, Warrenton Town Council and Fauquier County Supervisors agreed to start an annexation process that could eventually lead to the construction of up to 270 new homes on the south side of Warrenton as part of a proposed project known as the Arrington subdivision.

VaNews March 29, 2024


Youngkin arrived like a GOP star, but arena failure clouds legacy

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

No Virginia governor has come into office with a deeper dealmaking background than Glenn Youngkin, who as former co-chief executive of the Carlyle Group made a fortune acquiring and merging companies around the globe. But as the Republican chief executive of a purple state, Youngkin has struggled to translate that business acumen into political success — or even economic development success, with the demise Wednesday of his much-touted plan to bring the Washington Wizards and Capitals to Alexandria.

VaNews March 29, 2024


Former Del. Fariss granted bond on drug, gun charges

By RODNEY ROBINSON, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

A former Virginia House of Delegates representative from Campbell County received bond Thursday morning after his arrest over the weekend. Matt Fariss, 55, who represented Virginia’s 59th House District for a 12-year stint and left office in January after losing a re-election bid for a redistricted seat, was arrested Sunday and booked into the Amherst County Adult Detention Center, according to jail records. Fariss, who was present in court Thursday standing next to his attorney Chuck Felmlee in an orange jumpsuit with family in attendance, ...

VaNews March 29, 2024


Richmond ballpark could lose $25 million due to arena

By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

A $25 million chunk of funding for the nascent Diamond District baseball stadium is being held up by the debate surrounding Gov. Glenn Youngkin's now defunct plan to build an arena in Alexandria. The city of Richmond hopes to use state sales tax revenue to help pay off the minor league ballpark, but the law giving the city that authority expires in July. Now the Richmond ballpark needs help from Youngkin and state lawmakers. The tax problem is not dire enough to kill the Richmond project, but it could increase the difficulty of paying for it.

VaNews March 29, 2024


Yancey: Gov. Youngkin says Virginia’s continued out-migration shows why taxes should be cut

By DWAYNE YANCEY, Cardinal News

One Saturday afternoon, when he could have been watching basketball, Gov. Glenn Youngkin instead was at his computer, playing around with a database on homebuilding statistics. He didn’t like what he found. That discovery will have to wait just a bit while I explain the significance of the governor of Virginia spending his spare time researching construction stats. Since 2013, Virginia has repeatedly seen more people move out of the state than move in. The state is still gaining population — just more slowly — because births outnumber both deaths and the net out-migration. That period of time covers four different governors from two different parties but I’ve only seen one of them focused on that particular status — our current one.

VaNews March 29, 2024


Prince William’s tech corridor stretches into mid-county

By PETER CARY, Piedmont Journalism Foundation

Prince William County is poised to add yet another “data center alley” to its already burgeoning tech industry — this time in the mid-county area. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors moved Tuesday, March 19 to allow 85-foot data centers on 90 acres known as Parson’s Farm, a former landscaping outlet along Dumfries Road. In April, the planning commission will hear another application to add at least three more 80-foot-tall data centers at Colchester Industrial Park and surrounding properties about three miles south on Dumfries Road.

VaNews March 29, 2024


Persons: Honor promises to people with developmental disabilities

By GREY PERSONS, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Virginia stands at a pivotal moment in its history, poised to uphold its commitment to ensuring “A Life Like Yours” for all its citizens, including those with developmental disabilities. The recent allocation of $200 million in the state budget to eliminate the priority-one waitlist for Medicaid waivers marks an historic moment to be recognized and celebrated. At long last, this funding promises access to crucial services for thousands of individuals identified as needing support. However, it’s crucial to recognize that merely funneling funds into the existing system won’t suffice. Virginia must strive for a more integrated, individualized approach ...

Persons of Norfolk is president of The Arc of Virginia Board of Directors.

VaNews March 29, 2024


Lead Fairfax Co. prosecutor calls Gov. Youngkin’s gun vetoes ‘boneheaded’

By NICK IANNELLI, WTOP

The lead prosecutor in Fairfax County, Virginia, slammed Gov. Glenn Youngkin on guns, using the word “boneheaded” when describing the governor’s recent vetoes. It came after Youngkin announced earlier this week that he’d vetoed 30 pieces of gun-related legislation. While Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, a Democrat, said he was pleased that the Republican governor did not veto a bill that would create new restrictions related to firearms that have a serial number that has been scratched off. He told WTOP that Youngkin “did make a lot of, in my opinion, boneheaded decisions when it comes to common-sense gun laws.”

VaNews March 29, 2024


Loudoun couple charged with entering Capitol during Jan. 6 riot

By JESS KIRBY AND EVAN GOODENOW, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A Lowes Island husband and wife are accused of entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Thomas Kasperek and Dr. Daphne Thomas Kasperek were arrested by the FBI on March 28 during a search of their home on Blockhouse Point Place, according to Robert L. Jenkins Jr., the attorney representing Thomas Kasperek. ... They were charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building; and demonstrating or picketing in any Capitol building, according to a criminal complaint filed with their arrest. All the charges are misdemeanors.

VaNews March 29, 2024