Search
‘Here we go again’: Richmond hit with second boil water advisory in five months
For months, Richmond officials have said January's water problem should never happen again. On Tuesday, it happened again. “Here we go again,” said Melanie Horner, one of several city residents who took to their nearest grocery store on Tuesday morning to stock up on bottled water after learning tap water in some parts of Richmond had been deemed unsafe to drink without boiling it first. The routine felt all-too-familiar for many city residents and businesses as Richmond officials announced Tuesday that clogged filters at the water treatment plant had led to a loss of pressure.
How some local police agencies are using license plate reader surveillance cameras
“I’m not good,” the man behind the wheel of the black Toyota Corolla repeatedly told Radford city police officer J.K. Caudell during a traffic stop last July. Caudell found two empty vodka bottles under the passenger’s seat of the car and a mixed drink in the cupholder. The man’s parents had called police after receiving texts from him saying he was planning on crashing his car. Flock Safety cameras identified and located his vehicle based on information from the parents. Caudell pulled him over before he could harm himself or anyone else.
Youngkin vetoes $1.37M for Biscuit Run trail in Albemarle County
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto of a $1.37 million line item in the Virginia budget, eliminating funding for a walking trail connected to Biscuit Run Park in Albemarle County, has disappointed local lawmakers and residents alike. A major advocate for the project says the governor went “out of his way” to derail it, and the legislators who fought for the money say they don’t understand why Youngkin targeted such a small investment with such significant benefits for the community.
Yancey: U.S. House wants to axe a tax credit that has driven growth of high-wage manufacturing jobs in rural areas
President Donald Trump wants to boost American manufacturing, a goal that has eluded other presidents in the so-called “post-industrial” era but a laudatory one nonetheless. However, many of the manufacturing jobs that he and other administration officials talk most prominently about are likely minimum-wage or other low-wage positions. Meanwhile, the “big, beautiful” bill now moving through Congress would likely slow the growth of one fast-growing manufacturing sector where the average annual income is $81,600. Furthermore, those jobs are concentrated in places that voted for Trump in 2024, meaning that some Republican members of Congress are finding themselves in the position of potentially slowing manufacturing growth in their own districts.
They helped Democrats win back the House in 2018. Now they’re taking on a new mission
In 2018, Democrats won back the House — ending eight years of Republican control — with the help of dozens of candidates with national security backgrounds who vowed to serve as a check against the first Trump administration. This year, two of those successful candidates — Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill — are taking on a new challenge following President Donald Trump’s return to power: running for governor. As Democrats grapple with how best to improve their diminished standing with voters, the upcoming races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey will serve as crucial tests for the party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Earle-Sears facing potential legal scrutiny after originally failing to disclose trips paid for by outside organizations
Republican gubernatorial nominee Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is facing potential legal scrutiny after failing to disclose multiple trips paid for by outside organizations on her required financial disclosure forms. Earle-Sears amended her Statement of Economic Interests (SOEI) last week to reflect participation in seven trips funded by third-party groups, despite originally certifying in February that she had taken none. The Earle-Sears campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Virginia Scope.
Former state delegate, political newcomer square off in District 97 GOP primary
A former state delegate will square off with a political newcomer in the Republican primary for Virginia House District 97. The candidates are Tim Anderson, 50, an attorney, and Christina Felder, 28, a substitute school teacher. The seat is considered competitive. Republicans lost control of it to Democrat Michael Feggans in 2023 and are hoping to oust him to win it back. Anderson, an attorney who represented House District 83 from 2021-2023 and later ran unsuccessfully for a Virginia Senate seat, is making a bid for District 97 in an effort to flip the Democratic-controlled majority in the House.
Del. Hope debates challenger over historic preservation law’s impact on housing
Del. Patrick Hope and one of his challengers in the Democratic primary are at odds over how new legislation on historic preservation will impact housing. Arjoon Srikanth, who is facing Hope (D-1) in the June 17 primary, argued that legislation enacted last year will hold up development plans designed to meet housing goals. As a case in point, he held up a Crystal City-area project that may face delays over a disputed interpretation of the law.
Families, advocates protest alleged prison abuses
A few dozen people gathered at the state capitol in Richmond on Saturday to protest alleged abuses at Wallens Ridge and Red Onion state prisons. Activists and family members of people incarcerated at Red Onion say multiple men are participating in a hunger strike because of their treatment. April Wright came to the capitol from near Winchester. She says her son, Austin Arocho, has been mistreated while in state custody. He has two years left on his sentence, but Wright wants the facilities shut down for the sake of future generations.
‘Local elected official at heart’: Family, friends remember late Congressman Gerry Connolly at funeral
Nearly one week after he died of cancer, family, friends and community members gathered to honor 75-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) at his funeral service. Dozens of elected officials from local, state, and federal government helped fill Heritage Fellowship Church in Reston, where Connolly was known to attend and sit six rows back. The longtime public servant died May 21 with loved ones by his side in his Fairfax County home after his esophageal cancer returned weeks ago, which prompted him to step down as the ranking member of the House Oversight committee.