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Ramadan: Losing pandemic-era tax credits would devastate Virginia
Across Virginia, too many families still gather around the kitchen table facing impossible choices — what to pay now, what to delay, what to go without. But in recent years, one essential need has been made a little easier: health insurance. For over 350,000 Virginians, expanded access to affordable coverage through the federal marketplace has been a lifeline. That relief is thanks to the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTCs) — a bipartisan response to the pandemic that helped lower premiums and stabilize working families. But this progress is now at risk. These tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts. If they’re allowed to lapse, premiums will skyrocket — and the consequences will be felt immediately.
ICE increasingly targets undocumented migrants with no criminal record
The Trump administration is increasingly targeting unauthorized immigrants with no criminal record as it ramps up arrests, a Washington Post analysis of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data shows. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem often touts that ICE officers are arresting the “worst of the worst.” But more than half of those removed from the country since Jan. 20 do not have a criminal conviction. . . . Texas, Florida and California registered the highest number of arrests, but many other states saw substantial increases. In Virginia, ICE officers arrested four times as many people in the first months of the Trump administration as they did over that same period in 2024. That is the biggest percentage increase of any state.
Loudoun Supervisors Support Dominion Plans for Transmission Line in Existing Rights-of-Way
County supervisors this week affirmed support for plans by Dominion Energy to build a transmission line up through south Loudoun using existing rights-of-way. The Morrisville to Wishing Star line is planned to span three counties and will be 36.5 miles long. Of those, 4.8 miles are planned in Loudoun from the Mosby substation, which is south of Braddock Road and just north of the county line, to the planned Wishing Star substation, which will be built north of Rt. 50 along Northstar Boulevard.
A year before declaring independence, colonists offered ‘Olive Branch’ petition to King George III
Alarmed by the policies of President Donald Trump, millions turned out last month for protests around the United States and overseas. Mindful of next year’s 250th anniversary of American independence, organizers called the movement “No Kings.” Had the same kind of rallies been called for in the summer of 1775, the response likely would have been more cautious. “It (‘No Kings’) was probably a minority opinion in July 1775,” says H.W. Brands, a prize-winning scholar and chair of the history department at the University of Texas at Austin.
Report: South Korean car maker is interested in a former ethanol plant site in Hopewell
Hopewell is an apparent finalist to be the host city of an automobile-customization plant that could bring as many as 3,000 manufacturing jobs to town. South Korea-based Global Autotech Co. LLC is interested in the former Green Plains ethanol plant on South 6th Avenue, according to a report from the DBS Public Affairs Group, Hopewell’s legislative consulting firm.
Harned: Embrace transportation energy independence this July 4
It’s an American tradition: hit the highways for the beach or other fun destinations during the July 4 holiday. Recently AAA released its annual July 4 travel projection, and it’s going to be another record year for American travelers — 72.2 million on the highways, which is a 1.7 million increase from last year. AAA also shares great opportunities for information on technology and efficiency that can make for a better traveling holiday for Virginians.
Here’s how Hampton Roads lawmakers voted on Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
Republican leaders in the House found enough votes Thursday to pass President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” after several Republicans flipped their votes overnight to support the massive bill. The bill extends Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax breaks to make them permanent and allows workers tax deductions on a portion of tips and overtime pay. Overall, the bill will raise the country’s debt ceiling by $5 trillion.
VPAP Visual Women on the Rise in House Primaries
The number of women running for, and winning, party nominations for the Virginia House of Delegates has steadily increased since 2009. A record high share of House candidates were women in last month's primary elections, and the share of women who won a nomination was second only to 2017.
Despite residents' objections, Four Seasons board backs data center plan
Over the loud objections of several residents, the Four Seasons homeowners’ association board of directors voted unanimously Wednesday to endorse a plan to allow up to five data centers on undeveloped land between their over-55 community and Interstate 95. The vote came after a packed town hall meeting in the Four Seasons community room, where several residents pleaded with the board not to endorse a move to open the densely forested area behind their community to data centers. One person spoke in support of the project.
Ex-Richneck teacher’s lawsuit against former assistant principal can move forward, judge rules
The former teacher at Richneck Elementary School who was shot by a 6-year-old student in early 2023 can proceed with her lawsuit against the school’s former assistant principal, a judge ruled Thursday. But Newport News Circuit Court Judge Matthew W. Hoffman tossed the claims that Abby Zwerner filed against two other defendants — Richneck’s former principal and the former Newport News schools superintendent.