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Nearly $4 billion deal reached for Washington Commanders to return to D.C.
The Washington Commanders and D.C. have reached a nearly $4 billion deal to build a 65,000-seat stadium at the RFK Stadium site, with plans to open the venue in 2030, according to officials with the city and the team. The D.C. Council still needs to approve the agreement for it to move forward. The Commanders plan to contribute $2.7 billion, with the city vowing to invest roughly $1.1 billion over the next eight years for the new stadium and redevelopment of housing, a sportsplex and other venues nearby.
Purcellville budget meeting delayed after commonwealth’s attorney advises against vice mayor’s participation
Several hours before a scheduled special Purcellville Town Council meeting April 29 to discuss the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, Mayor Chris Bertaut announced the meeting has been postponed until May 6. Bertaut said in a statement that the Loudoun County commonwealth’s attorney has issued clarification of his April 21 advisory opinion stating that Vice Mayor Carl “Ben” Nett is prohibited from participating in any votes or discussion concerning the town’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget deliberations.
Lawyer warns Youngkin aide over bid to push John Reid out of lieutenant governor race
A lawyer for John Reid, the GOP’s nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor, sent a cease-and-desist notice to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s top political adviser Monday, escalating a political spectacle that began last week when the governor asked that Reid abandon his bid over racy social media posts that Reid says are not his. The letter from D.C. attorney Charles R. Spies warns Youngkin adviser Matthew Moran to stop spreading information about a disputed Tumblr account and to preserve all records of his efforts to get Reid to quit the race.
Connolly won’t seek reelection due to health
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-11th, announced Monday that he will not run for reelection to Congress or remain as ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Reform Committee because of his intensifying battle with cancer. Connolly, a powerhouse in Northern Virginia politics for three decades, has been battling esophageal cancer for six months. He said in a statement to constituents that the cancer has returned.
Trump names Youngkin, 12 others to FEMA review council
President Donald Trump on Monday appointed 13 people to review the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including several highly regarded emergency managers and five Republicans and two Democrats. Trump created the council days after taking office as he suggested abolishing the nation’s disaster agency. The council was supposed to have held its first meeting on April 24, as outlined in Trump’s executive order. Members include Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia ...
Tensions rise as Reid demands Youngkin’s PAC retract ‘defamatory’ statements
A lawyer representing Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid sent a cease-and-desist letter Monday to Spirit of Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee. The letter directed the PAC’s executive director, Matt Moran, to “retract all defamatory statements made to the press and that you, Spirit of Virginia, its agents, and its affiliates cease and desist from making, releasing, or otherwise disseminating false and defamatory statements regarding Mr. Reid to any person, organization, or platform in the future.” The letter also instructed Moran and all associated entities to preserve all communications with Graham Moomaw, who first reported Youngkin’s call to Reid in The Richmonder, as well as communications with Virginia Scope.
Purcellville Residents Submit Recall Petitions for Mayor, Councilmembers
Purcellville residents on Monday submitted recall petitions for the town’s mayor, vice mayor and two councilmembers just five weeks after starting the grassroots effort. The move to unseat Mayor Christopher Bertaut, Vice Mayor Ben Nett and councilmembers Susan Khalil and Carol Luke came after residents repeatedly expressed concerns during council meetings that the council majority was having discussions between the four of them without informing the public or the remaining three members of council.
William & Mary adopts resolution in support of students and faculty
William & Mary adopted a resolution affirming “values-based and merit-based” support to students and faculty on Friday, while also standing alongside higher education’s fight for academic freedom. The university’s board of visitors voted 14 to 2 to approve the resolution. It affirms what it calls William & Mary’s values-based and merit-based approach to supporting all students during evolving federal guidance.
Kaine expects more hearings after latest Hegseth Signal scandal
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine remains firmly opposed to Pete Hegseth’s leadership and expects additional hearings on the defense secretary’s latest Signal scandal. Kaine and fellow Virginia Democrat U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, have both called for Hegseth’s resignation after the defense secretary revealed sensitive military information with unvetted civilians via private group chat not once but twice since his appointment. “I see one gaffe after the next,” Kaine told The News Virginian Friday after a tour of the Daikin Applied HVAC plant in Verona.
Clark: Lawmakers missed chance to help ELL students
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many, if not all education systems worldwide. In Virginia, recent data indicates that the Standards of Learning (SOL) test scores have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. For example, in the 2023-24 academic year, Virginia’s statewide pass rates were 76% in reading/writing and 71% in math compared to that of the 2018-19 academic year when pass rates were close to 80% for all subjects. What’s especially worrying is that there were groups of students who were already facing difficulties with the SOL’s before COVID-19, primarily English Language Learners (ELLs).