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Yancey: Both parties face challenges this year in Virginia. Here are some of the big ones.
We now have a Democratic statewide ticket to go along with the Republican ticket that was already in place. We think of general election campaigns as the “fall” campaign but, with early voting, the first votes will be cast in what is still officially summer. Early voting begins Sept. 19, so three months from today it will already be underway. Every campaign faces challenges, some bigger than others. Here are 10 challenges in this year’s campaign, four unique to each party and two that confront both parties.
Protecting American treasures deserves federal commitment
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year calls for $163 billion in spending cuts across a variety of non-military programs. It would slash a whopping $1.2 billion from the National Park Service and programs it oversees — including national historic sites. With that kind of money on the cutting board, a proposal to cut $158 million from the park service’s Historic Preservation Fund might sound unimportant. Make no mistake: Such a deep cut would effectively spell the end of a vital source of money that has been essential to preserving history in Virginia and in other states and on tribal lands across the country.
Virginia group plans nuclear test reactor to boost research efforts
A recently formed partnership in Virginia will look at the potential for creating a research facility that would include a micro-scale nuclear reactor for businesses and universities to use as they develop the next generation of nuclear power plants. The partnership — organized by a nonprofit called the Virginia Innovative Nuclear Hub, or VIN Hub — also aims to bring together Virginia’s nuclear companies and universities to research materials for advanced nuclear reactors.
Trump’s tax bill has become a battlefield for tobacco giants
Two of the largest tobacco firms in the United States are waging a lobbying battle over a key provision in the GOP’s massive tax and spending bill. The version of the legislation that the House passed last month included language to claw back a $12 billion tax break that tobacco producers — most of them in North Carolina — use to make their products cheaper to export. The version of the legislation the Senate is considering would leave the tax break untouched. Now cigarette manufacturers and their allies in Congress are wrestling over the final fate of the provision — with Sen. Thom Tillis (North Carolina), a Republican whom Democrats hope to unseat in midterm elections, stuck in the middle.
State agencies begin moving out of James Monroe Building
The state government has begun moving out of the James Monroe Building. The Office of the State Inspector General recently relocated to a small office complex on Governor Street called Reid’s Row. By the spring of 2026, the state expects the 29-story Monroe building to be empty, Banci Tewolde, director of the Department of General Services, told the state’s Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. General Services handles real estate for the state government.
Va. panel approves Barbara Johns statue for U.S. Capitol
A state commission has given final approval to Virginia’s bronze statue of teenage civil rights heroine Barbara Johns that will become part of the National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol by the end of the year. The Johns statue will replace a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that the state removed from the U.S. Capitol in December 2020. Each state gets two statues in the collection. Virginia’s other statue depicts George Washington.
Proposed Chester data center gets thumbs down from planners
The Chesterfield Planning Commission unanimously recommended against a rezoning case that proposed a data center in Chester. The development from Denver-based data center planning company Tract would be located on 744 acres at 16100 Branders Bridge Road. “Where I have a real challenge is where it’s located,” said Gib Sloan, who represents the Bermuda District on the planning commission, during Tuesday’s meeting. “We need to look at a case through the health, safety and welfare of its citizens.”
Planning Commission recommends denial of 700-acre data center project in Chesterfield
A proposed data center campus in southeast Chesterfield failed to get an endorsement from the county Planning Commission this week. Denver-based developer Tract is seeking zoning approval of a data center project on more than 700 acres just outside Colonial Heights. The assemblage includes 16100 Branders Bridge Road and multiple other parcels. Planning commissioners voted unanimously to recommend that the project be denied by the Board of Supervisors, which is anticipated to provide a final verdict on the zoning request at a future meeting.
Defense in Prince William Digital Gateway lawsuit asks judge to strike case
Following an eventful first two days, a scheduled four-day trial on the PW Digital Gateway data center project reached its penultimate stage Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by the Oak Valley Homeowners’ Association and 11 individual plaintiffs, all Gainesville-area residents.
Unreleased report cites millions in Richmond tax overpayments that weren’t refunded, ‘confusion’ in process
Three years after the Richmond Inspector General's Office began investigating a complaint regarding the finance department's handling of tax credits and refunds, no formal report on the matter has been published. However, CBS 6 obtained a draft report that outlined what investigators characterized as a confusing process for returning money to overpaying business owners and millions in excess taxes that were never credited back to taxpayers.