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Former Republican nominee will run again to replace U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly
Six months after being defeated by Rep. Gerry Connolly in what turned out to be his final election, the most recent Republican nominee for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District will return to the campaign trail. Mike Van Meter, who garnered almost 33% of the vote in the 2024 general election against the longtime Democratic incumbent, confirmed to FFXnow that he plans to run for the seat in the 2026 midterm elections.
Hampton hopes to redevelop Fort Monroe into a landmark. Years of stagnation have slowed it.
At a historic site that’s been hampered by development setbacks for years, officials said ongoing projects will help Fort Monroe look completely different a year from now. Virginia took over the 565-acre former Army base in 2011 and planned to restore and convert it for private development. Those plans have since been nixed due to rising project costs and uncertainty surrounding potentially hazardous materials still sitting on the fort’s grounds.
Youngkin PAC director breaks silence on Reid controversy
Matt Moran, executive director of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee, broke his silence Wednesday in the escalating feud with Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid — accusing Reid’s campaign of knowing about a controversial Tumblr account before the governor called for him to step aside. Moran’s response — delivered in part through an attorney and in part in a sworn affidavit — outlines a detailed timeline that he says shows Reid was given a chance to review the material but skipped the meeting. Moran also claims Reid’s campaign manager, Noah Jennings, acknowledged knowing of the account’s existence and asked for help finding clients this summer.
State police to immigrants: Checkpoints are for traffic safety, not ICE
The Virginia State Police have conducted two traffic safety checkpoints in rural northern Fauquier County since the start of 2025 but say that neither was tied to immigration enforcement and, although some citations were issued, no one was detained. Immigrants are on edge as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramps up its detention and deportation efforts across the country. But local law enforcement officials say policing practices have not changed.
Charlottesville beats out UVa for Trump-shuttered Federal Executive Institute
The Charlottesville school division has come out on top in a contest for the Federal Executive Institute property shuttered by the Trump administration earlier this year — beating out well-heeled competitor the University of Virginia. On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Department of Education approved Charlottesville City School’s application to acquire the 14-acre site — last assessed at $19.6 million — completely free of charge via a “public benefit allowance” available to educational institutions through the Federal Real Property Assistance Program.
Youngkin senior adviser denies Reid’s extortion allegation
Matthew Moran, senior political adviser to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, issued a sworn affidavit on Wednesday denying accusations that he defamed or attempted to extort Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid over sexually explicit images on an online account allegedly linked to the candidate. The images prompted Youngkin on Friday to ask Reid to withdraw from the race. Reid says the Tumblr account is not his and that he did not repost the images. He says he is staying in the contest.
Richmond says it will overhaul troubled employee purchasing card program
Less than 24 hours after The Times-Dispatch reported on another investigation into potential financial abuse, Mayor Danny Avula announced a “reset” of the city’s employee purchasing card program. The program allows certain employees to buy items using city funds. Last year, a city watchdog found Richmond’s election registrar had misused thousands of dollars on furniture, bodyguards and meals.
Leader of Youngkin PAC denies extorting candidate
The leader of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee has responded to allegations by Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid that he orchestrated smear tactics involving illicit online photos to get Reid to drop his bid. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Matthew Moran produced a three-page affidavit outlining the claims that he said were discovered through a third-party vendor’s report highlighting potential vulnerabilities in a campaign. The report, which Moran said was commonplace in politics, found information from a Tumblr account “which would put John in a negative light and impact the viability of his candidacy.
DOJ demands UVa. prove it’s dismantling DEI
The University of Virginia‘s president, rector and university legal counsel received a letter Monday from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division calling for the university to produce audio and video from a closed session of its board of visitors last month, as well as show evidence that every division of the university and its health system has dissolved and dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, following a board vote in March. The DOJ’s letter, dated April 28, says its civil rights office has received complaints that U.Va.’s administration has not made public a required 30-day report on its progress in ending DEI operations throughout the university, and alleges that U.Va. “may have failed to implement these directives.”
Kaine: Trump’s global trade war is strangling the economy. Congress must step in
Earlier this month, a bipartisan majority in the Senate passed my legislation to roll back the senseless tariffs President Donald Trump announced on Canadian imports on Feb. 20 — evidence that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned by Trump’s tariffs. Americans across the country agree. They know that tariffs are akin to a national sales tax, raising prices on all kinds of everyday goods, including groceries, clothing and medicine.