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VPAP Visual Measures of Legislator Wealth: 2025
Annual reports filed by members of the Virginia General Assembly are meant to disclose possible conflicts of interest, but they also provide a look at the wealth of elected officials. See how Republican and Democratic legislators compare across four different measures from the latest reports.
Va. Democrats on track to break primary early voting record
Ever since Virginia expanded early voting in 2021, more people have been using absentee mail-in and early in-person voting options. But if current numbers hold, Virginia Democrats could blow previous primary early voting records out of the water. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, by the end of the June primary in 2021, with five gubernatorial candidates on the ballot, Virginia Democrats had cast about 125,000 primary votes. In June 2023, with all House of Delegates and state Senate seats on the line, it hit 129,000. But as of last week, according to the Virginia Board of Elections, that number is over 80,000 votes so far this year. And there’s still three more weeks of early voting left to go.
Treacy, Agee, Martin and Stottlemyer: Is college worth it? Virginians certainly think so
People seem to disagree passionately about everything these days. But we found a big exception. In a newly released public opinion survey conducted for the Virginia Business Higher Education Council — a nonprofit, nonpartisan partnership that it’s our privilege to lead — more than 90% of Virginians agreed on this: “The most important investment our state can make is to ensure that every Virginia resident is able to achieve the highest level of education that suits their aspirations and abilities, whether that is a skilled trade certificate, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, or a graduate or professional degree.”
Trump pardons former Virginia sheriff convicted of taking $75K in bribes
President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he will pardon a former Virginia sheriff convicted of taking more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointing businessmen as auxiliary deputy sheriffs within his department. In a Truth Social post, Trump said Scott Howard Jenkins, 53, of Culpeper, Virginia, was supposed to report to jail Tuesday but "instead will have a wonderful and productive life." Jenkins, the former sheriff of Culpeper County, was convicted last year of one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. He was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison.
National parks face ‘cloud of uncertainty’ in face of cuts
Visitors to Shenandoah National Park over the Memorial Day weekend could not use the parking area for Old Rag Mountain in Madison County because of damage from flash flooding after recent heavy rains. Entering the holiday weekend, three trails remained closed to hikers temporarily and three other trails and parking areas reopened just in time on Thursday. Those closures were casualties of nature, but keeping trails open for hikers also requires people. In Shenandoah, just two employees of the National Park Service have the task of overseeing 500 miles of trails in the 198,000-acre park straddling the Blue Ridge Mountains and parts of eight counties, said Jim Schaberl, a Page County resident who retired early last year after 35 years in the National Park Service ...
Youngkin honors fallen heroes, calls for renewed commitment to patriotism during Memorial Day address
Governor Glenn Youngkin emphasized the sacrifices of service members who defended freedom during the 2025 Commonwealth's Memorial Day Ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. In his 17-minute address, Youngkin spoke directly to families who have lost loved ones in service to the country.
U.S. Department of Education says special education funds untouched in reduction process
Before a federal judge temporarily halted the dissolution of the agency Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education ensured “uninterrupted services” to children and youth with disabilities, in response to probing questions by U.S. senators from Virginia and other states about the future of special education. ... A key point of concern for the lawmakers was the one-month freeze on investigations into discrimination complaints that left a backlog of 12,000 complaints, “half of which involve students with disabilities,” Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia and 20 of their colleagues wrote.
‘A voice for people who didn’t have a voice’: Hundreds come out to honor and remember Rep. Gerry Connolly
An estimated 1,500 people waited in line on Monday in Fairfax County to honor the life and legacy of Congressman Gerry Connolly. He died last week from cancer at the age of 75. Connolly was elected to represent Northern Virginia in Congress in 2008. Prior to that, he sat on Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors from 1995 to 2007. ... The longtime public servant was remembered not just for his political contributions but also for his personal connections and unwavering advocacy for his community. "He was somebody who was a voice for people who didn't have a voice," said James Walkinshaw, Braddock District Supervisor and Connolly's former chief of staff.
Mourners remember Rep. Gerry Connolly at Fairfax viewing
A public visitation wrapped up at the Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home for Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, who passed away at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. A long line of mourners was seen at the funeral home Monday evening as people lined up to pay their respects to the longtime congressman. His office said about 1,500 people attended. "He cared about the people in this district," constituent Doris Evens said. "You could always reach him. If you had any problem, he would respond."
Transportation board approves Smart Scale projects
Four Fredericksburg District projects will get funding through this year’s Smart Scale program. That result is not what area planners wanted in the sixth round of the state program that scores and funds projects sent in by localities across Virginia. ... The Richmond and Hampton Roads districts cleaned up in this round. ... The Fredericksburg district was allocated $90.3 million to help pay for four projects. District planners sent in 34 applications for project funding.