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Will protecting abortion access get Democratic voters to the polls? Spanberger thinks so.

By CAROLINE KING, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

Once again, maintaining abortion access has become the hallmark of Democratic campaigns in Virginia this election cycle. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Virginia is now the only state in the South with abortion access beyond 12 weeks. The Democrats running for statewide office want to keep it that way. It dominated the conversation when the candidates visited Charlottesville Tuesday on their eight-day, 40-plus-stop bus tour across the commonwealth.

VaNews June 30, 2025


With a big British backer, a Southside Virginia mine reopens

By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)

A $3.6 billion London-based investment firm has brought a Southside Virginia mine back to life — and with it, a processing plant that will secure a U.S.-based supply chain of critical minerals. The Atlantic Strategic Minerals mine straddling the Dinwiddie-Sussex county line has resumed producing ilmenite and zircon, from what the company believes is the richest deposit of zircon around. Both minerals are mainly imported now, but a new focus on ensuring that supplies of such critical minerals aren’t interrupted by political conflict makes what Dominic Raab, the former deputy prime minister of Great Britain and head of global affairs at Appian Capital Advisory LLP, calls “a strong business case.”

VaNews June 30, 2025


GOP nominee for lieutenant governor recalls meeting Ronald Reagan in Lynchburg

By MARK HAND, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

John Reid, the long-time conservative talk radio show host in Richmond who is now the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, had a feature on his show called “Reid on the Road” where he would take his listeners on journeys across the state. On one of his trips, Reid did a live show from the Craddock Terry Hotel in downtown Lynchburg where he reminisced about his visits to Liberty University. One of his best memories was from 45 years ago when he was only 9 years old and got to meet former California Gov. Ronald Reagan who was running for president, Reid recalled in an interview with The News & Advance.

VaNews June 30, 2025


Youngkin sets veto record as energy, AI fuel gridlock

By KATE ANDREWS, Virginia Business

Few observers of the Virginia General Assembly expected any groundbreaking legislation to emerge from this election year session, and for the most part, they were right. And Gov. Glenn Youngkin certainly did his part to keep that from happening as well. In the last full year of his term, the Republican firmly cemented his record as the Virginia governor with the most vetoes during his term — more than 400 total. This session alone, he killed 158 bills and amended 159 others.

VaNews July 1, 2025


Buc-ee's opens first Virginia store in Rockingham County

By PATRICK HITE, News Leader (Metered Paywall - 3 to 4 articles a month)

Courtney Carr traveled 291 miles to be at the grand opening of Buc-ee's in Rockingham County. She left her Pennsylvania home around 7:30 a.m. the day before and arrived in Mount Crawford six hours later. After a nap to prepare for the day (and night) ahead, Carr and her traveling companions were in the parking lot of the new travel center by 8 p.m. June 29. They weren't alone.

VaNews July 1, 2025


VPAP Visual New Laws in Effect July 1, 2025

The Virginia Public Access Project

See a summary of nearly 40 new laws that go into effect today in Virginia.

VaNews July 1, 2025


Hospital associations in Va., 13 states warn against proposed cuts to Medicaid and hospital funding

By CHARLOTTE RENE WOODS, Virginia Mercury

As Congress debates funding changes to Medicaid that could negatively impact rural hospitals and patients’ access to care, hospital associations in Virginia and 13 other states sent a joint letter to U.S. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, warning of the potential risks to health care access for people who need it the most. Provider assessment rates and state-directed payment programs are at risk — two funding mechanisms that are critical to hospital operation in Virginia and that determine how hospitals chip into the state’s expanded Medicaid coverage. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association estimated each program could take a $2 billion hit, if the proposal is fully implemented.

VaNews June 30, 2025


Whyte: Virginia could set a new standard for responsible gambling

By KEITH WHYTE, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Last session, the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate introduced companion bills to legalize and license online gaming, commonly referred to as iGaming. Virginia was among several states contemplating similar measures amidst a dramatic rise in consumer popularity in states with legalized iGaming — and to establish a clear regulatory framework for an activity that is already occurring in Virginia, largely through illegal and unregulated operators.

Whyte served 26 years as executive director for the National Council of Problem Gambling. He now leads problem gambling advisory firm Safer Gambling Strategies and serves as a board member on the Virginia Council on Problem Gaming.

VaNews July 1, 2025


Former campaign treasurer for Kaine and Warner admits to embezzlement

By SALVADOR RIZZO, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

A former campaign treasurer for Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner of Virginia and other Democrats pleaded guilty this week to embezzling more than $840,000 in political contributions to finance a trip to Italy, a private suite for an Elton John concert, a chartered yacht tour and other luxury expenses. Katherine M. Buchanan, 59, was the campaign treasurer for the two senators and former U.S. representative Stephanie Murphy of Florida and held the same job at several political-action committees supporting the three Democrats’ electoral efforts. She pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling funds from those entities and evading taxes.

VaNews June 30, 2025


Heaphy: What the University of Virginia Should Have Done

By TIMOTHY J. HEAPHY, published in New York Times (Metered Paywall - 1 to 2 articles a month)

On Friday, Jim Ryan stood on the lawn of Carr’s Hill, the residence of the president of the University of Virginia, alone in the center of a crowd of supporters. He offered brief remarks about his inability to fight the forces arrayed against him, including the Trump administration. No one stood alongside him — it was just the university president, Mr. Ryan, explaining why he had made the difficult decision to quit. The moment perfectly illustrated how Mr. Ryan was abandoned by the same people who were supposed to protect the university.

Heaphy is an attorney in private practice. He was university counsel at the University of Virginia from 2018 to 2022 and is the author of “Harbingers: What January 6 and Charlottesville Reveal About Rising Threats to American Democracy.”

VaNews June 30, 2025