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With funding cut, what is the future of key Virginia refugee resettlement program?
For years, Commonwealth Catholic Charities has led much of Virginia’s work to help newly arrived refugees build lives in the United States. The nonprofit has operated its refugee resettlement program in the greater Richmond region, Roanoke and Newport News since 2010. ... But in January, the Trump administration abruptly suspended the Biden-era U.S. Refugee Admissions Program by executive order, halting all new refugee arrivals into the country and freezing government funding ... Luckily, the nonprofit was met with an “outpouring of support from the community,” Dillon said, which helped CCC secure housing and services for every refugee that had already been referred to CCC ...
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and Dominion look at nuclear plant on base
The agreement signed Friday would allow the Navy and Dominion Energy Virginia to explore building a Small Modular Reactor and other alternative energy options, such as a solar farm on base. “To be crystal clear, we believe the new nuclear (power) has to be part of the energy mix if we're able, if we're going to be able to meet the demand going forward, said Ed Baine, president of Dominion. SMRs are a smaller version of commercial nuclear reactors. They produce 300 megawatts or less. To save costs, the plants are manufactured off-site. Several companies are developing designs, but so far, no commercial SMR plant has opened in the United States.
Democrats plan ‘firehouse’ primary for 11th District special election
June will be a hectic month for many Fairfax County voters. In addition to participating in statewide elections, Democratic voters will be faced with choosing their party’s nominee for the 11th Congressional District special election to determine the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s successor. The Fairfax County Democratic Committee announced today (Friday) that it will select a nominee with a “firehouse primary” on June 28 — 11 days after the party’s June 17 primary, which has the statewide lieutenant governor and attorney general races on the ballot.
Spanberger unveils plan to make housing more affordable, accessible
Former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger unveiled her plans to make housing more affordable and accessible throughout Virginia while in Henrico County on Friday. “No matter where I travel, whether I’m in the City of Richmond or Richmond County, or Radford, or Roanoke, or Hampton Roads, I hear about the high cost of housing,” Spanberger said. The Democratic nominee for governor said that it starts with investing in ways to increase Virginia’s housing supply.
Spanberger pushes housing policy at new development in Henrico County
Virginia’s average home price has increased 6% over the last year, bringing it up to nearly $400,000 dollars. Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Abigail Spanberger offered ideas to address the problem at an event in Henrico County Friday morning. “We have people that are gainfully employed that now cannot afford to live in the localities in which they work because of a lack of supply,” said Martin Johnson with the Virginia Realtors association, discussing the state’s housing woes.
Levar Stoney says he’s ‘ready to go on day one’ as lieutenant governor
Levar Stoney was Richmond’s mayor from 2017 to 2024, after serving as secretary of the commonwealth during Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s administration. Now, Stoney is hoping to serve at the state level again. He’s one of six candidates in the June 17 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor; the winner will face Republican John Reid for the office currently occupied by Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears. VPM News state politics reporter Jahd Khalil recently spoke to Stoney about his campaign, as part of a series of conversations with all six Democratic candidates for the state’s No. 2 job.
‘I will punch back’ against Trump administration, Stoney says in Alexandria as Dem primary nears
With only 10 days left until the June 17 Democratic primary, former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney stopped in Alexandria Saturday afternoon for a meet-and-greet with some of his most influential Northern Virginia supporters. Facing five opponents in what’s expected to be a low turnout primary election, Stoney said that, if elected, he’d focus on housing affordability.
Fifteen years after shuttering its tax-prep app, Va. may be ready to compete with TurboTax again
The Virginia Department of Taxation’s website parts company with the web presences of other agencies in the commonwealth: It doesn’t offer its own tools to help you complete your primary task there — taxes. While you can renew a car registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles site and register an LLC at the State Corporation Commission’s site, Virginia Tax doesn’t let you file your state income taxes online and instead points you to commercial tax-prep services. That’s not because Virginia Tax hasn’t developed its own filing app. It’s because 15 years ago, the department shelved the iFile app that had already drawn more than 278,000 users in 2009.
NOVA Parks pushes back on Dominion Energy’s tree cutting project along W&OD Trail
A major tree-cutting project along the W&OD Trail in Loudoun County is set to resume this month. But Northern Virginia parks’ officials are pushing back on how Dominion Energy plans to address the root of the problem. Two months after pausing the project, Dominion Energy said it will resume removing specific trees to maintain the safety and reliability of the electric grid. The plans were put on hold in late March in response to complaints from counties and towns along the popular walking and biking path. But Paul Gilbert, head of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, or NOVA Parks, expressed apprehension about what Dominion has planned in a letter to the utility on Friday.
Local judge indicted on charge of bribery of a Spotsylvania County public official
Toward the end of the Aug. 13, 2024, Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting and following a closed session, the board voted on a vague motion, and county officials didn’t provide clarity afterward. Courtland District Supervisor Drew Mullins made a motion to authorize County Attorney Karl Holsten to cooperate with the Virginia State Police in an ongoing investigation regarding the actions of a person subject to the oversight of a public body in the county. The board unanimously supported the motion, and the meeting was adjourned. There is now a bit more clarity, however, regarding the circumstances surrounding the vote. Richard T. McGrath, the Chief Judge of the 15th Judicial District of Virginia, which includes the Fredericksburg region, was indicted Monday on a Class 4 felony charge of bribery of a public official.