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Arlington Officials Offer Sobering Economic Outlook Amid Federal Cuts; Del. Says Va. Doesn’t Have Funds to Help
Arlington County officials have asked state legislators for financial assistance in the face of federal workforce reductions and funding cuts, but Virginia leaders say the state doesn’t have the funds to give. During a May 19 briefing with members of the Virginia General Assembly, county leaders reported that Arlington is already feeling the effects of slashed federal funding, rising unemployment and a reduction in tourism dollars. One in five adult Arlington residents is employed by the federal government, Ryan Touhill, director of Arlington Economic Development (AED), noted during the briefing, and the federal government leases 12% of the county’s office space. Officials are now bracing for potential fallout from continued job losses and declining tax revenue.
Virginians Are Restoring a Forest Economy Built on Herbs and Tradition
The forest behind Ryan Huish’s home doesn’t look like a traditional farm, but beneath the bright green canopy in southwest Virginia, he’s nurturing a thriving garden of medicinal herbs. On a warm afternoon in April, Dr. Huish, a biology professor at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, led a troop of students along a footpath that wove through part of his family’s 60-acre property near Duffield. He encouraged students to pick edible plants like ramps (hints of garlic, they reported), pluck the leaves of trout lilies (sort of like kiwi) and dig up roots like Appalachian wasabi (yes, spicy). For centuries, these forest plants have been a part of Appalachian cultural heritage, used by local people for food, traditional medicine and extra income. But the market has long been poorly regulated, which has led to low prices and overharvesting.
Richmond’s interim chief administrative officer initially said erroneous real estate tax bills were sent on purpose
As confused Richmond residents received real estate tax bills last week that the city usually sends to mortgage lenders who handle the payments, Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sabrina Joy-Hogg initially told the City Council it was a deliberate move to promote transparency. “Finance has provided real estate tax bills to all residents, which adds transparency to taxes being paid,” Joy-Hogg told the council in a text message Friday night. “These bills are not wrong.” Joy-Hogg — who served in a top City Hall finance position before becoming interim CAO early this year — then indicated the bills had been sent to both mortgage companies and homeowners.
Virginia poll shows public against tariffs, DOGE cuts
A business-sponsored poll of likely Virginia voters shows majorities opposed to President Donald Trump‘s tariffs on imports from foreign countries and the Department of Government Efficiency‘s unilateral cuts to federal government jobs and spending. The Virginia FREE poll, surveying 1,000 likely voters between May 9 and May 13, showed 61% opposed to Trump’s tariff policies on imports from China and other U.S. trading partners, with opposition highest among women and Black voters. Smaller majorities of men and white voters said they oppose the president’s tariffs.
‘It’s going to be tough’: Virginia Republicans brace for a grim November
Virginia Republicans are bracing for November with a growing sense of doom. The GOP already faced a tough climate in this year’s elections thanks to tech billionaire Elon Musk’s war on the state’s robust federal workforce. Then came a bitter, intraparty feud over Republicans’ lieutenant governor candidate. Now, some Republicans are privately expressing concerns about the viability of their gubernatorial nominee, Winsome Earle-Sears. “With the demographics of Richmond, in an off year with the Republican White House, it’s going to be tough,” said longtime Virginia Republican strategist Jimmy Keady. “To be a Republican to win in Virginia, you have to run a very good campaign. You’ve got to have [tailwinds] and the Democratic candidate’s got to make a mistake.”
Gobar: Without reform, Virginia remains the Wild West for campaign finance
Last month, billionaires and wealthy special interests poured over $100 million into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race — a staggering sum for a supposedly nonpartisan state election. Elon Musk’s vote-buying schemes exposed a key vulnerability in our democracy, which is increasingly being auctioned off to the highest bidder. In Virginia, we don’t need to imagine what that future looks like — we’re already living it. If Musk and his billionaire buddies set their sights on Virginia’s upcoming elections — as they’ve hinted they might — they’ll find a playground built for them. With some of the weakest campaign finance laws in the country, Virginia offers a uniquely permissive environment for the ultra-wealthy to flood our elections and drown out the voices of everyday voters.
Virginia’s budget surplus grows as revenues beat expectations despite national slowdown
Virginia’s general fund revenues rose sharply in April, bucking signs of a national economic cooldown as the state continues to post steady long-time job growth and rake in more tax dollars than projected. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday that general fund revenues are up 6.3% — nearly $1.5 billion — compared to the same 10-month period last fiscal year. April alone brought in $322.4 million more than the same month in 2024, marking an 8.8% jump.
Lewis: Va. statewide GOP nominees refuse to buck Trump in a state where he’s a proven albatross
This is primary season and candidates have to double down on what the truest of your party’s true believers truly believe. The common logic is that you steer as far as you can to the right (for Republicans) or left (among Democrats) to rouse their base voters until they’re ready to chew barbed wire and spit out roofing nails. Then, after the preseason scrimmage is over, it’s time to tack back toward the center — where the dispositive mass of Virginia’s electorate has repeatedly proved it resides — and, if you still can, appear less the wild-eyed zealot and more the measured, moderate and sane candidate of November. But something weird is happening this year ...
Despite federal backlash, Albemarle County teaching students ‘whole truth history’
“Remember, your listeners are from Mars,” teacher Susan Greenwood told one of her fifth graders at Brownsville Elementary. “They know nothing about slavery, they know nothing about the Civil War.” Greenwood was circulating the classroom on February 4, giving pointed feedback on students’ writing for an assignment in her Virginia Studies class. The goal was to develop arguments to answer the core question in this unit on the Civil War: Was violence justified to resist slavery? Educators in Albemarle County, such as Greenwood, are practicing a new approach to teaching social studies that requires students to think critically and understand key events from a range of perspectives, including those whose voices are often omitted from standard accounts.
Yancey: 5 new factors that are shaping the governor’s race
We’re expecting a new Roanoke College poll before the month ends, and that will give us some numerical sense of where Virginia’s governor’s race stands. However, we don’t need polls to tell us about some of the forces that are shaping the contest that will put a woman in the governor’s office for the first time in Virginia history. Some things we knew all along: how voters feel about President Donald Trump, how they feel about Governor Glenn Youngkin, how they feel about lots of other things. Here are five new factors: 1. Spanberger tries to take ‘right-to-work’ off the table, but Earle-Sears presses the attack anyway.