Search
Youngkin turns to AI to cut more red tape across Virginia Government
Days after declaring victory in his administration’s push to cut regulatory red tape by 25%, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is now looking to artificial intelligence to help push that number even higher. In an executive order issued Friday, Youngkin announced Virginia will launch the nation’s first “agentic AI” pilot program designed to streamline state regulations and guidance documents. The initiative will scan thousands of pages of agency rules using generative AI to identify redundancies, contradictions and overly complex language — all in the name of efficiency.
Bearinger: What, exactly, are we pledging allegiance to?
It’s a few minutes before 10 a.m. on July 4, and I’m sitting in the Robins Family Forum at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, feeling the anticipation. Every seat in the auditorium is filled; and the museum staff are busy outside, directing visitors into a second room across the lobby where they can watch the event on livestream. We’ve all come to witness and be part of a “Ceremony to Honor New Citizens,” otherwise known as “naturalization.” Most of us in the room are citizens by right, having been born in the United States. But in the center of the auditorium are 82 men and women from 39 countries who are here to become citizens by choice.
Report identifies major gaps in regional response to homelessness
The Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care’s Homeless Helpline is the primary access point for housing assistance in Planning District 16, which includes Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties as well as the City of Fredericksburg. But from July through December of 2024, the helpline was only able to refer one in 10 households to shelter out of the 1,256 who called seeking assistance, . . . The helpline’s limitations were just one troublesome aspect of the report, which also noted that housing in the region is becoming increasingly unaffordable, eviction rates are on the rise and racial disparities are disproportionately affecting Black households.
Coming in first, fourth or last? The ballad of Glenn Youngkin
As rankings go, is No. 4 really that bad? On its face, the political reaction to Virginia’s precipitous drop in CNBC’s all-important “Top States for Business“ rankings — we got the news that our long-time rival, North Carolina, supplanted the Old Dominion as No. 1 on Thursday morning — somehow feels both alarmist and apropos. “It’s terrible,” Democratic House Speaker and Portsmouth Del. Don Scott told the RTD’s Michael Martz on Thursday, pointing out CNBC’s emphasis on federal job cuts and tariffs in this year’s rankings: ... Gov. Glenn Youngkin, of course, dismissed the drop on X. “CNBC’s new methodology this year is thrown off by a new subjective metric that mistakenly ascribes substantial risk to Virginia from the federal government’s presence in the Commonwealth,” Youngkin wrote.
Fredericksburg Planning Commission unanimously recommends disapproval of Gateway data center
Thomas Johnson spent some time working at Hugh Mercer Elementary School, which means he was already familiar with a couple of the proposed transmission line routes for a data center project discussed at Wednesday’s Fredericksburg Planning Commission meeting. “With what I see, one goes through the car [rider] line and one goes through the play area,” said Johnson, a planning commissioner. “So, both would be very difficult obstacles for that entity.” Ultimately, concerns surrounding the transmission lines that would be required to feed power to the proposed 2.1 million square foot campus led to the project’s undoing.
'People are scared': N.Va. Korean community faces tariffs
Steve Lee hasn’t seen costs increase yet for the products he imports from South Korea for the specialty chicken franchise he runs here in the heart of Fairfax County’s thriving Korean community. But Lee, a former Democratic candidate for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, knows it’s coming if President Donald Trump carries through on his latest threat to impose a 25% tariff on most goods coming from one of the United States’ most reliable trading partners. . . . “Eventually (the cost of) products from Korea coming over will change, and our consumers will have to pay for it. And it hurts.”
Formerly ousted U.Va. president has questions about Ryan’s departure
Teresa Sullivan first wants to make one thing clear: She doesn’t have any inside scoop on what took place behind the scenes with the unexpected resignation of University of Virginia President Jim Ryan, whose last day leading the university was Friday. “I’m 1,400 miles away,” she says, having moved to Texas following her retirement last year as a member of U.Va.’s faculty. “I don’t understand what happened. For starters, does the Justice Department have some evidence of wrongdoing? What is the evidence? Did the board play any role in this, or do they just stand by and accept the resignation? I don’t know. Did the governor play any role? I don’t know.” Other than questions about Ryan’s resignation in June, which he acknowledged was due to the federal government’s pressure to oust him from the university he led since 2018, what Sullivan has is experience and context.
Virginia lands $16.4M from new opioid settlement with drugmakers
In another major legal win in the fight against the opioid crisis, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Thursday that the commonwealth could receive up to $16.4 million as part of a sweeping $720 million multi-state settlement with eight generic drug manufacturers accused of flooding communities with addictive painkillers. “Years ago, pharmaceutical companies exploited Virginians, treating them like test subjects while pushing dangerous, addictive drugs into our communities while lining their pockets,” Miyares said in a statement. . . . Virginia helped negotiate the deal alongside attorneys general from California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Utah. The announcement marks another step in Virginia’s broader legal effort to hold opioid manufacturers accountable — efforts that have now resulted in over $1.1 billion in secured settlements for the state.
Support for Trump policies coincides with Virginia’s drop in business rankings
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has consistently backed former President Donald Trump’s policies, even as reports suggest those policies have harmed Virginia’s economy. Despite growing concern, Democratic leaders have urged Youngkin — along with Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Attorney General Jason Miyares, to break their silence and challenge the administration’s approach, warning that continued support could further damage the commonwealth’s economic outlook. On Thursday, a key economic indicator—one Youngkin has previously cited as a benchmark of success — delivered more evidence that Trump’s policies are taking a toll on Virginia’s economy. CNBC’s annual list of Top States for Business was released Thursday morning, and Virginia fell from first place last year to fourth this year.
Virginia drops multiple places in CNBC’s Top States for Business
After a year in the top spot, Virginia has dropped to No. 4 in America’s Top States for Business list, though the commonwealth remains a business powerhouse. Virginia’s neighbor, North Carolina, claimed the top spot for 2025, CNBC revealed Thursday. Last year, Virginia barely beat the No. 2 Tar Heel State. ... The study revealed that budget cuts and tariffs dropped Virginia to 14th for economy. CNBC special correspondent Scott Cohn said this is Virginia’s worst showing since 2018.