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Dems’ lieutenant governor candidates split over Tysons casino, skill games at debate
Virginia’s six Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor debated issues ranging from education to transgender rights during a Thursday night debate in Prince William County, the last time all the candidates will appear together in public ahead of the June 17 primary. While the candidates shared common ground on many progressive priorities, the biggest point of contention was a proposal to allow a casino in Fairfax County's Tysons Corner — one of the few issues that revealed a real divide among the field.
Virginia Supreme Court, examining new law, rules in railroad’s favor against internet provider
A Virginia law meant to speed broadband deployment across railroad lines has hit its first guardrail, in the form of a state Supreme Court ruling. The court, drawing a distinction between a “public benefit” and a “public use,” ruled that Cox Communications cannot use the 2023 law to impose eminent domain on railways’ property while trying to reach the commonwealth’s more remote areas. Cox, a private, for-profit company, attempted to use the law to cross Norfolk Southern lines in eastern Virginia last year.
What to expect from a special election to replace late Rep. Gerry Connolly
In an election year dominated by state offices, Fairfax County voters now face the prospect of also electing a new lawmaker to represent them in Congress. Following the death of longtime Rep. Gerry Connolly yesterday (Wednesday), voters will soon need to select a new representative for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District — a critical decision given the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. But, when could that happen? And how does the special election process work? According to Virginia law, it’s a joint effort between the state executive and local political parties.
Virginia’s western congressional delegation forms own search committee for U.S. attorney post
Virginia’s three Republican congressmen from the western part of the state have formed their own search committee to select candidates for the next U.S. attorney for the commonwealth’s Western District. Their effort comes after Virginia’s two Democratic U.S. senators conducted interviews and provided two names for consideration to the White House to replace acting U.S. Attorney Zachary Lee. Lee assumed the role on Dec. 21, following the resignation of U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh. The power to appoint a new U.S. attorney belongs to President Donald Trump, subject to Senate confirmation.
For state police job, recruiters handed Youngkin a ‘superstar’ candidate. He hired an insider instead.
In the wake of a sudden retirement announcement by Virginia’s longtime state police superintendent, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that a nationwide search would take place to hire a replacement. But in the end, Youngkin chose an internal candidate while the recommendations from the nationwide search didn’t get a final-round interview, according to two sources familiar with Youngkin’s recruitment for the state police job. Both asked to remain anonymous given the sensitivity of the deliberations.
Central Virginia food banks, pantries issue warning about effects of potential SNAP cuts
Central Virginia’s food banks and pantries are voicing their concerns about potential major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. Early Thursday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Big Beautiful Bill Act, and, with sweeping tax breaks and significant cuts to funding, the vote marks a significant success for the Trump administration’s agenda. As Congress heads home for the Memorial Day break, the bill is on its way to the Senate, where some changes are expected. One of the federal programs that stands to be significantly diminished, however, is one that allows lower income, qualifying Americans to purchase food from grocery stores. In an effort to curb food aid spending, the bill would rip billions of dollars from SNAP over a 10-year period.
Yancey: Is Spanberger up by 4 percentage points or 17? Why two new polls have very different results.
Two new polls came out Thursday. Both show the same thing: Virginians don’t like President Donald Trump and want Democrat Abigail Spanberger to be their next governor. They do that in very different ways, though: A poll for the pro-business group Virginia FREE shows Spanberger leading Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by 4 percentage points. The Roanoke College poll, though, finds Spanberger leading by a staggering 17 percentage points. The polls also differ in one key way: The Virginia FREE poll finds that most Virginians approve of the job that Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is doing. The Roanoke College poll finds, for the first time, that most Virginians now disapprove of Youngkin’s governorship.
Navy wants to test drinking water for synthetic chemicals near Chesapeake’s Northwest Annex
The Navy is asking Chesapeake residents who live within a mile of the Northwest Annex to reach out and have their drinking water wells sampled for certain long-lasting synthetic chemicals. The testing is for for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — a combination of thousands of different chemicals that have been commonly used in household and industrial products for decades, particularly due to stain- and water-repellent qualities.
Democratic leadership signals willingness to reexamine Virginia Clean Economy Act
Passed during a Democratic trifecta in 2020, the Virginia Clean Economy Act was viewed as a monumental step toward modernizing the state’s dirty power generation. But in the face of President Donald Trump’s alternative energy funding cuts and data center-fueled power demand, the most powerful Democrats in Virginia’s legislature appear open to reviewing the law. “We went a long while with more supply than we had demand, now it's flipped upside down. We have much more demand than we have supply,” the top Democrat in the House of Delegates, Speaker Don Scott, told Radio IQ after a meeting of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation, or CEUR, held at the General Assembly building Thursday. “And so, we have to respond. And I think sometimes you have policies we have to examine and make sure we meet demand and keep costs low.”
Friday Read James River cruise takes passengers back in time on the boat that made Virginia rich
Will Smith and Will Cash have been friends since middle school, college roommates at Radford and now they’re business partners, offering the public a chance to celebrate one pivotal part of Virginia’s history. Four days a week, they welcome guests to their boats— 7.5 feet wide, 44 feet long— furnished with simple wood tables and benches. They are replicas of watercraft dating back 250 years. “April 29, 1775, Jefferson writes in his journal. He’s just witnessed the launch of the very first batteau," Smith tells passengers on a sunset cruise. To understand why the batteau was a big deal, Smith says, you have to go back to a time when English settlers were growing and getting rich from the sale of tobacco. Their crop was hard on the land, sucking nutrients from the soil, and every few years they’d have to move west — farther away from the market.