Search
Altria sees little impact from tariff increases
Rising import duties – even if paused – worry many U.S. manufacturers, but the firm with the biggest factory in Richmond, Altria Group, says it expects the impact on its cigarette-making business will be immaterial. Altria told investors Tuesday that while it is monitoring the impact of President Donald Trump‘s tariffs, it’s still expecting profits this year will rise.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Kaine meets with Ukrainians in Roanoke Valley, shares insights from recent visit
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine met with Roanoke-area Ukrainians and their supporters last week to share what he'd learned on a visit to the war-torn country and other European nations last month. Kaine visited Finland in February, and Poland, Ukraine and Germany during the Senate's Easter recess. During his mid-April visit to Ukraine, he placed flowers at the Bucha Memorial, which remembers the more than 400 civilians and prisoners of war executed in 2022 by members of the 234th Air Assault Regiment, a Russian paratrooper unit based in Pskov, a city with which Roanoke paused a sister city arrangement in 2023.
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.