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Strasburg’s First Bank to buy Prince George-based Touchstone Bank

By MICHAEL SCHWARTZ, Richmond BizSense

A bank from the northern part of the state is making its second acquisition in less than three years in part to expand its presence in the greater Richmond market. Strasburg-based First Bank on Tuesday announced its pending deal to absorb Touchstone Bank, which is headquartered in Prince George and has branches around the southern edges of the region. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter and would create a $2.1 billion institution with 32 branches.

VaNews March 27, 2024


Warner provides Capitol Hill update during Navy Federal visit

By BRIAN BREHM, Winchester Star (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) stopped by Navy Federal Credit Union‘s Winchester Operations Center on Tuesday morning to meet with employees and tour the facility. Problem is, he became so involved in speaking to staff that he never got to check out the campus. Warner’s 50-minute conversation with more than 100 Navy Federal employees touched on a variety of topics from Capitol Hill

VaNews March 27, 2024


Warner touts infrastructure funding, aid to Ukraine and affordable housing

By BOB STUART, News Virginian

Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark Warner was succinct and candid about several important topics during a Staunton appearance Tuesday at the Mill Street Grill. The commonwealth’s senior senator came to the Shenandoah Valley to discuss the benefits of the 2021 federal infrastructure legislation he helped negotiate. During his hour-long appearance, he also commented on the country’s border crisis, affordable housing, and aid to Ukraine.

VaNews March 27, 2024


Mountain Valley Pipeline again cited for environmental violations

By LAURENCE HAMMACK, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

State regulators have cited the Mountain Valley Pipeline with its latest round of violating rules meant to limit the environmental impact of burrowing a large pipe through the waters and mountains of Southwest Virginia. In a letter to company officials dated Monday, the Department of Environmental Quality demanded a fine of $34,000. Among the violations: Dirt and rocks being thrown into a stream from blasting, a wetland that was damaged by improper installation of a construction bridge, and failures to maintain earthen mounds, sandbags, and other devices designed to curb muddy runoff from the pipeline right-of-way.

VaNews March 27, 2024


Youngkin acts on gun bills, vetoing dozens as expected, amending six and signing two pairs

By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday he had vetoed 30 pieces of gun-related legislation, including measures that would have halted the sale of certain semi-automatic firearms. Youngkin’s vetoes, which drew criticism from Democrats, were not surprising. But the governor had been vague enough on the issue that he had left even gun-rights groups with a degree of uncertainty about how he would act on the dozens of bills the Democratic-controlled General Assembly sent him during this year’s session.

VaNews March 27, 2024


How the push for campaign finance reform in Virginia failed again in 2024

By DEAN MIRSHAHI, WRIC-TV

Virginia’s lax campaign finance laws allow state lawmakers to use campaign cash on vacations, club memberships, high-priced hotel stays and dinners and other personal spending unrelated to their political work. Efforts to set limits on that spending and other campaign finance reform proposals, including capping donations and banning public utilities like Dominion Energy from giving money to candidates, have failed to pass in Virginia for years. This year, many of these bills had quiet deaths in Virginia’s Democratic-controlled General Assembly.

VaNews March 27, 2024


From Richmond to NOVA, Virginia Dems tout budget, criticize Youngkin

By CHARLOTTE RENE WOODS AND MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia Democratic budget leaders brought their road show to state Capitol and Northern Virginia on Tuesday to contrast their priorities in the budget they adopted this month and counter criticism from Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The Democrats' statewide "Put Virginia Families First Tour," began Monday in Portsmouth and continued Tuesday with stops in Richmond and in Prince William and Fairfax counties in Northern Virginia.

VaNews March 27, 2024


Virginia governor vetoes dozens of gun-control bills thwarting Democratic legislators

By EMMA COLTON, Fox News

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed more than two dozen gun control bills Tuesday that had sailed through the state’s Democratic-controlled General Assembly before landing on the Republican governor’s desk. “I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia and today, I’ve done exactly that,” Youngkin said Tuesday in a comment provided to Fox News Digital.

VaNews March 27, 2024


Youngkin signs bill filed after shooting death of Henrico teen, vetoes 30 others related to guns

By CHARLIE PAULLIN, Virginia Mercury

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin handed down several vetoes, amendments and signatures on a number of gun and public safety bills the Democratic-controlled legislature pushed for this session. Among the measures Youngkin signed into law are ones that would create a felony charge for parents or guardians who allow a child under 18 to access a firearm despite knowing the child has a history of violent or threatening behavior.

VaNews March 27, 2024


Youngkin vetoes ban on assault-style weapons, other gun-control bills

By ANDREW CAIN, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed 30 more bills Tuesday afternoon, many of them gun control measures, including proposals to ban the purchase and sale of assault-style weapons. He also signed 31 measures and proposed amendments to six. Youngkin has now vetoed 80 bills so far this year and 121 in his term, breaking Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s record of 120 in his four-year term from 2014 to 2018.

VaNews March 27, 2024