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Krizek and Ebbin: As gaming explodes, lack of oversight puts Virginia at risk
Nearly a decade ago, Virginia became the first state to establish a framework that legalized and regulated fantasy sports. Since then, fantasy sports and other forms of gaming have proliferated amid a marketplace that has continually evolved. Virginia’s once-innovative regulatory model, unfortunately, is now outdated and fails to provide the clarity, fairness and accountability that Virginians deserve. The solution is simple. Virginia needs to establish and empower a single, self-funding agency to protect consumers and ensure operators comply with legal requirements for responsible play.
Winters: We must tax billionaires if we want to save Virginia
Our president has been bought by greedy billionaires and corporations. The proof? In 2024, the fossil fuel industry spent $450 million to influence Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. This funding included direct donations, lobbying and advertising to support Republicans and their policies. And for many billionaire oil and gas CEOs, this investment is already paying off. It’s clear that billionaires, many of whom get rich off of water- and air-polluting industries, are using their exorbitant wealth to take over our democracy and advance policies that make them richer at the expense of our planet.
Shushok: In Virginia, private colleges are the new front line for access
This summer marks three years since I became president of Roanoke College. When I arrived in 2022 after 30 years serving at large research universities, including nearby Virginia Tech, I brought what some on campus jokingly (and not-so-subtly) called “big school energy.” I had a lot to learn about leading a small private college. ... Over the past two decades, many public land-grant universities in the U.S., including our own Virginia Tech, have boomed in popularity, prestige, resources and selectivity. At the same time, Virginia’s independent, nonprofit colleges and universities, like Roanoke College, have stepped up to become the front line for college access — a striking role reversal in the higher education ecosystem.
Who is running in the District 70 primary in Newport News?
... In Newport News, there are two Republican candidates running in the primaries to get on the November 2025 ballot, hoping to represent District 70 in the House of Delegates. ... Hailey Dollar is one of two candidates running in the Republican primary. Dollar is an army combat veteran who was born and raised in Hampton Roads, between York County and Newport News. ... Dollar's Republican primary opponent is Cynthia Scaturico. Scaturico was born in Illinois, then in 2014 she moved to York County for a few years where she worked at Smithfield Foods. During the pandemic, Scaturico moved to Iowa where she began her political career after being elected to the Board of Supervisors.
Norfolk firefighter who lost his job over medical marijuana use challenges firing after change in Virginia law
For as long as he can remember, Brandon Beltaine wanted to be a firefighter. He grew up watching the 1991 film “Backdraft” and took pride in people who worked hard. ... Beltaine attained that dream, completing the fire academy and started working as a Norfolk firefighter in 2018. But Beltaine’s career is now in jeopardy. He was fired in 2023 for medical marijuana use off the job — a dismissal that would now be illegal under changes made to Virginia law last year.
After Jamestown lost federal funding, Virginia grants millions to protect against rising waters
Despite losing some federal funding, Jamestown will potentially receive even larger support from the state. President Trump’s administration recently rescinded a $300,000 grant awarded to Preservation Virginia last summer for its efforts to protect Historic Jamestowne from the effects of climate change. But now, the group stands to get $8 million from the state toward flooding mitigation at the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America. All it should take now is a little bit of housekeeping among the state, James City County and Preservation Virginia.
Earle-Sears’ silence on Medicaid cuts ‘speaks volumes,’ Charlottesville Dems say
The Trump-endorsed One Big Beautiful Bill approved by House lawmakers late last month would slash $600 billion from Medicaid and threatens to strip health insurance from hundreds of thousands of Virginia’s poorest residents — and Winsome Earle-Sears isn’t talking. The Republican lieutenant governor running for governor has kept mum about the GOP budget bill which has moved to the Senate for consideration. Her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, has denounced the bill as a threat to rural hospitals, small businesses and working families. But Earle-Sears’ campaign has declined multiple interview requests on the subject from multiple news outlets, and the campaign did not immediately respond to a Daily Progress inquiry.
2 newcomers to Newport News compete in House District 70 GOP primary
An Army combat veteran and former Iowa Board of Supervisors representative are on the ballot in the Republican primary for House District 70 as newcomers to Newport News. Republicans Hailey Dollar and Cynthia Scaturico are running in the June 17 primary to see who will face Democrat incumbent Del. Shelly Simonds.
Republican candidates vie for Virginia’s 62nd District seat
Two Republican candidates are competing to represent Virginia's 62nd District in the House of Delegates, which encompasses Greene and Madison Counties, as well as large parts of Orange and Culpeper Counties. Clay Jackson, the current Chair of the Madison County Board of Supervisors, and Karen Hamilton, a small business owner and military wife, are both vying for the position.
Where the hot spots are for immigration enforcement
Efforts to arrest and remove unauthorized immigrants appear most aggressive in five southern states with Democratic-leaning cities, while deeply red, rural states are seeing less activity, according to an Axios analysis. Our review of removal orders, pending deportation cases and agreements between immigration officials and local law enforcement agencies sheds light on where the Trump administration is dispatching resources to support its mass deportation plan. The analysis shows local law enforcement agencies in Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia have been most cooperative with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in rounding up immigrants through deals known as 287 (g) agreements.