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Army suspends helicopter flights to Pentagon after airliners abort landings
The Army said Monday that a Virginia-based helicopter unit was suspending flights to the Pentagon after an incident last week that led to two airliners being directed to abort landings at Reagan National Airport. Army spokeswoman Heather Chairez said the service’s 12th Aviation Battalion was pausing the operations until an internal inquiry is completed. The battalion operates a fleet of Black Hawk helicopters and was the unit involved in the Jan. 29 midair crash with an American Airlines flight that killed 67 people.
Army pausing helicopter flights near Washington airport after close calls
The Army is pausing helicopter flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon. The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion directed the unit to pause helicopter flight operations around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following Thursday’s close calls, two Army officials confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday. One official said the flights have been paused since Friday.
5 Virginia prison guards are injured by inmates accused of being MS-13 members
An attack by inmates at a Virginia prison injured five guards, according to state corrections officials who said most of the assailants were MS-13 gang members who entered the U.S. illegally. Three guards were stabbed and were transported for medical treatment along with two others hurt Friday at Wallens Ridge State Prison in western Virginia, the state Department of Corrections said.
Proposed Medicaid cuts condemned at Leesburg town hall
Proposed Medicaid cuts would be ruinous to Loudoun County's most vulnerable individuals, including poor people and adults and children with disabilities. That was the message from panelists and speakers at a May 3 "Medicaid Summit" hosted by Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-10th. Some 120 people attended the town hall event at Leesburg Elementary School, including people with disabilities and their caregivers, parents and grandparents.
Sports wagering rises more than 20% in March
Sports wagering in Virginia rebounded during March, rising 23.9% compared to the prior month, according to a new report from the Virginia Lottery. Total wagers reached nearly $690 million statewide during the 31 days of March, hitting $689.66 million. That is up noticeably compared to the $556.83 million wagered during February, lottery figures show.
Spat over gay nominee aims Virginia GOP ire at unusual target: Youngkin
Virginia Republicans already faced a steep challenge in overcoming the anti-Trump energy of Democrats in statewide elections this year. Now the GOP ticket for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general has been disrupted by an unlikely factor: Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), whose effort to oust his party’s first-ever openly gay candidate for statewide office has led to division and disarray. The candidate — lieutenant governor nominee John Reid, a deeply conservative Richmond talk-radio host — defied Youngkin and refused to withdraw, saying he is not responsible for the social media feed with racy photos of men that the governor cited in calling for Reid to drop out.
Deeds: Washington jeopardizes Virginia’s bipartisan work on health care
Virginia is enjoying bipartisan support for improving young people’s access to mental health services. The governor and the General Assembly have worked together over the past 3 1/2 years to support efforts to expand access to behavioral health care in our schools and in our communities and invest in the behavioral health workforce. We have significant needs in this area, and we are working jointly to meet those needs. But budget cuts in Washington threaten to thwart our progress and starve our initiatives of the money they need to succeed.
Charges against former Pulaski Town Council member headed for dismissal
Attorney Michael Reis appeared in Pulaski County General District Court on Friday, May 2 for a disposition hearing on misdemeanor charges relating to conflicts of interests during his tenure as a member of the Pulaski Town Council. The potential conflict came to the attention of prosecutors when a video surfaced showing Reis encouraging other members of the Pulaski Town Council to provide matching funds for a block grant that would go towards renovating the Calfee Community Cultural Center (CCCC). The grant was worth $1 million, but required $100,000 in matching funds from the Town. Reis’s wife, Jill Williams, is Executive Director of the CCCC and owner of Wide Angle Strategies, which stood to profit from work done from the million-dollar block grant in question.
VPAP Visual Early Voting By House District: June Primaries
Early voting has begun for the June 17 primaries. Check back daily for the latest count of early ballots cast, broken down by House of Delegates districts. The data include votes for statewide, House, and local primaries where available, so there may be votes in districts that do not have a House primary.
Trump’s tariffs added $4M to this Virginia wind project in just a few weeks
Off the coast of Virginia, Dominion Energy is building what will be the largest offshore wind facility in the U.S., a 2.6-gigawatt project that will provide energy to as many as 660,000 homes. It has been under construction since 2023 and is expected to be completed by 2026—but President Donald Trump’s tariffs are adding to the project’s costs. Already, through the first quarter of 2025, Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project has incurred tariff costs of $4 million, CEO Bob Blue said on a recent earnings call. That increase came from Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel, which the president announced in early February and which went into effect March 12.