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Virginians react to news that Monumental Sports won’t be moving to Potomac Yard

By KATIE LUSSO, WUSA-TV

It’s official. Northern Virginia will not be home to the Washington Capitals or Wizards anytime soon. At a news conference Wednesday night, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Monumental Owner Ted Leonsis announced that Monumental Sports had reached an agreement to keep the teams at Capital One Arena in D.C. until 2050. Their announcement, just three hours after an announcement from the City of Alexandria, that they had “ended negotiations related to the Potomac Yard Entertainment District opportunity and the proposal will not move forward.” Outside of Wednesday’s news conference, members of the Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard celebrated.

VaNews March 28, 2024


NHL’s Capitals and NBA’s Wizards are staying in Washington after Virginia arena deal collapses

By SARAH RANKIN, MATTHEW BARAKAT AND STEPHEN WHYNO, Associated Press

When Ted Leonsis told District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser late last year that the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals he owns would probably be leaving Washington for Virginia, she told him no, they would not. Ultimately, she proved to be right. The teams are staying in the District for the long term after Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to lure them to Virginia imploded and the city and ownership reached an agreement on a $515 million, publicly funded arena project.

VaNews March 28, 2024


Caps, Wizards will stay in D.C. under deal announced by Bowser, Leonsis

By JONATHAN O'CONNELL, TEO ARMUS, GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, MICHAEL BRICE-SADDLER AND MEAGAN FLYNN, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and Ted Leonsis, owner of the Wizards and Capitals, signed a deal Wednesday that — if approved by the D.C. Council — would keep the teams in downtown D.C. until 2050, abruptly ending the owner’s planned move to Virginia. Under the terms of the deal, D.C. will spend $515 million over three years to help Leonsis modernize the arena, and Leonsis will sign a new lease keeping the teams in D.C. for 25 more years.

VaNews March 28, 2024


Lawmakers tour the state, offering contrasting budget visions

By JAHD KHALIL, VPM

Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly wrapped up a tour across the state Wednesday, as they promote the budget proposal Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been campaigning against. State Sen. Louise Lucas (D–Portsmouth) and Del. Luke Torian (D–Prince William) made a final stop at a hospital in Southwest Virginia. It comes after events in Hampton Roads, Richmond and Northern Virginia. The tours mark opposing sides taking their arguments to stops around the commonwealth — rather than expressing their views during press conferences at the Capitol and in letters to one another.

VaNews March 28, 2024


Governor honors former state Sen. Frank Ruff

By CHARLES WILBORN, Danville Register & Bee

Gov. Glenn Youngkin paid tribute Tuesday to former state Sen. Frank Ruff by signing a bill to rename the Center for Rural Virginia in his honor. Ruff announced his retirement from the General Assembly in December citing health concerns after a recent cancer diagnosis.

VaNews March 28, 2024


A look at who Youngkin pardoned in 2023

By RYAN NADEAU, WRIC-TV

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) pardoned nearly 100 people between Jan. 16, 2023 and Jan. 16 of this year. This is Youngkin’s second year issuing pardons as the Governor of Virginia. In his first year, Youngkin granted substantially fewer pardons — 30 in total. In his four years serving as Governor of Virginia, former governor Ralph Northam (D) granted over 1,200 pardons. Of Youngkin’s total 98 pardons, the vast majority of them were simple pardons — which the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia describes as a “statement of official forgiveness.”

VaNews March 28, 2024


How the equity fund could help more people cultivate and sell cannabis—if Youngkin signs the bill

By MICHAEL CHUN, VCU Capital News Service

Virginia’s plan for a recreational cannabis market includes a way to help micro businesses, formerly known as the social equity license, get involved with what is anticipated to be a multimillion dollar business — if the plan survives the governor’s desk. The Virginia Cannabis Equity Loan Fund will provide grants, low-interest and zero-interest loans to qualified micro business licensees, according to legislation passed by the General Assembly.

VaNews March 28, 2024


Governor’s VCU, Mason course review requests reflect a pattern

By NATHANIEL CLINE, Virginia Mercury

George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth Universities have submitted their syllabi for courses about diversity, equity, inclusion and race to Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera for review at the request of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a move that sparked frustration among some of the schools’ students and staff who said political influence has no place in classrooms. The administration previously reviewed and rescinded similar materials related to racism, discrimination and equity from Virginia Department of Education teacher training and classroom resources, following Youngkin’s 2022 executive order to eliminate “inherently divisive concepts” from being taught in Virginia public schools.

VaNews March 28, 2024


A lack of child care can be a barrier for community college students. Virginia is looking for answers.

By LISA ROWAN, Cardinal News

When Taneisha Mathews went back to school, her daughters went with her. It was Mathews’ second attempt at working toward an associate degree. When she first enrolled at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg in 2014, she was a teen mom who felt that going to college was what she was supposed to do — but she didn’t know yet what she wanted her career to look like. “I ended up flunking out because I mentally was forcing myself to do it,” she said.

VaNews March 28, 2024


Soil & Water Conservation district to pay state $300,000 for unauthorized approvals

By CHARLIE PAULLIN, Virginia Mercury

A group responsible for managing soil and water conservation efforts in Appomattox incorrectly authorized state payments for farming practices to reduce pollution entering waterways, an investigation found, and will have to pay back about $300,000 to the commonwealth. The Virginia Soil & Water Conservation Board voted Wednesday to direct the Robert E. Lee Soil and Water Conservation District, based in the Appomattox area, to make the payment after a former employee, John Wooldridge, approved the state funds to be used for several water- and soil-saving practices without having the authority to do so.

VaNews March 28, 2024