Search
Fredericksburg region’s United Way closing on June 30
After 85 years of raising millions of dollars for programs that helped people struggling in various aspects of life, the Rappahannock United Way will cease its operations on June 30. “This is not a decision we made lightly,” said Janel Donohue, president and CEO. “For more than eight decades, RUW has been honored to serve this community. We are proud of the impact we’ve made and grateful to all who have supported us along the way.”
Gibson: For the Virginia GOP, ‘sextortion’ is nothing new
In a democracy, elections should be decided by ideas — not by cruelty, humiliation or personal destruction. Unfortunately, that principle is under threat in Virginia. For the second state campaign cycle in a row, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the executive director of his Spirit of Virginia PAC, Matt Moran, have used personal attacks to try to destroy political candidates — not by debating policy, but by targeting their private lives.
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.
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.”
Residents, council members express frustration over Purcellville budget discussion impasse
In response to Purcellville Mayor Chris Bertaut’s last-minute cancellation of a special town council budget meeting on April 29, a group of residents gathered outside the town hall Tuesday night to express their frustration over recent events. The group, called “Purcellville Deserves Better,” submitted recall petitions on April 28 for three town council members — Susan Khalil, Ben Nett and Carol Luke — and Bertaut, which are currently being reviewed by the Loudoun County General Registrar’s office.
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.
Arlington unemployment claims spiked in March, adding to region-wide pessimism
Hundreds more Arlington County residents began seeking work in March as federal layoffs continue to drive a region-wide surge in unemployment, new data shows. A total of 4,929 Arlington residents were counted as without jobs and seeking work in March, the Virginia Employment Commission reported yesterday (Tuesday). That’s up 16% from the 4,249 recorded in February, and up a hefty 60% from 3,116 in March 2024.
WMATA removing 57 bus stops from Northern Va. service
Fifty-seven bus stops are set to be cut from Metrobus' routes in Northern Virginia, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The changes have been scheduled to take effect June 29. The 2025 Better Bus Network Redesign was first announced in November 2024, when WMATA released a list of 500 stops transportation authority wanted to get rid of across the DMV. WMATA's website claims fewer stops would make Metrobus service "quicker and more streamlined."
How two Va. candidates’ scandals reflect changing attitudes
When sexually explicit videos of House candidate Susanna Gibson surfaced online in 2023, John Reid — then a conservative talk radio host — was unapologetically blunt. “Don’t get mad that I’m the only person in Virginia media who will tell the truth about this trash woman,” Reid wrote in a Facebook post, which included a still from one of the videos. “Say no to legislative hookers.” Now, nearly two years later, Reid — the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor and the first openly gay nominee on a statewide ticket in Virginia — is facing his own controversy.
Schapiro: Youngkin blows up the Republican Party he built
All of Glenn Youngkin’s horses and all of Glenn Youngkin’s men couldn’t put the Republican Party of Virginia back together again. First, Youngkin pulled off the improbable: He was narrowly elected governor in 2021, seemingly signaling in a blue-trending state the comeback of a moribund GOP. Youngkin’s victory was a testament to, among other things, a generous self-investment.