Health and Safety
- Loudoun Democrats Re-Approve Aspen Substation — Sell It as Oxygen-Machine Reliability After Data-Center Boom
After briefly rescinding approval, the Democrat-majority board restores Aspen amid talk of 95 existing or proposed substations; Umstattd and Randall frame wires as life-safety while critics say homes had power before 200 data centers.
- Prince William County Allocates $1 Million for Expanded Firefighter Cancer Screenings
The Prince William County government has officially allocated one million dollars toward expanded medical physicals for local firefighters. This significant financial commitment is specifically designed to support early cancer detection among first responders who face elevated occupational risks. The funding represents a major component of the newly adopted fiscal year budget and underscores a gro
- Late on rent? New Virginia law gives tenants more time and protection from eviction
Tamiaka Bryant has rebuilt her life from scratch before. She doesn’t want to have to do it again. Originally from North Carolina, Bryant saw her hometown of New Bern pummeled by Hurricane Florence in 2018. Flooding and heavy winds caused an estimated $100 million in commercial and residential damage, prompting the city to spend the […]
- Virginia schools gain spending flexibility under federal program
Virginia schools will have greater agency in administrative decisions and flexibility in how they spend federal funds heading into the upcoming school year, potentially affecting low-income student programs and teacher development. Over the past year, the U.S. Department of Education has loosened some rules on how federal Title program funds can be used. In December, […]
- Virginia Budget Expands State Spending With $500,000 Grant for School Defibrillators
Virginia lawmakers have allocated a substantial half-million dollars from the state general fund for the upcoming fiscal year to equip schools with medical emergency devices. This aggressive spending measure represents a massive expansion of state involvement in local educational infrastructure. While protecting the health and safety of students is a universal priority, fiscal conservatives are […
- Virginia Lawmakers Push Costly Bureaucratic Expansion with New Marijuana Marketplace Budget
Virginia taxpayers are facing a massive bureaucratic expansion as state lawmakers push forward with a costly framework for a legal recreational marijuana marketplace. The newly amended budget reveals a staggering funding increase to establish retail sales by July 2027, raising serious concerns about government waste, fraud, and overspending. Fiscal conservatives are warning that the ballooning […]
- Taxpayers on the Hook for Massive $115.3 Million James Madison University Expansion
Virginia taxpayers are facing a massive financial burden as the upcoming FY2027 state budget includes a staggering $115.3 million allocation for a single building expansion at James Madison University. This nine-figure appropriation from the General Fund is earmarked for the College of Health and Behavioral Studies, representing a significant capital expenditure during a time of […]
- Virginia Republican Lawmaker Pushes for Expanded Workers’ Compensation Protections for Sheriffs and Deputies
In the 2026 session of the Virginia House of Delegates, Delegate Mitchell Cornett introduced legislation to expand critical workers’ compensation protections to sheriffs and deputy sheriffs across the commonwealth. The bill, HB130, sought to include these officers in the legal presumption that certain cancers developed after years of service are work-related. Current Law and What […]
- Virginia legislature grants emergency funds to help close leaking, bankrupt landfill in Chesterfield
The Virginia General Assembly allocated $10.6 million in the two-year budget lawmakers passed this week for the Department of Environmental Quality to help contain toxic leachate spilling from the bankrupt Shoosmith Landfill in Chesterfield County. The emergency funds will be used “to prevent it from becoming a catastrophe”, according the Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield. It […]
- Abigail Spanberger vetoes cannabis bill, stalling legal sales again
Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have created Virginia’s long-delayed adult-use cannabis retail market, halting an effort lawmakers spent months negotiating five years after the commonwealth legalized marijuana possession. The veto came after the General Assembly last month rejected Spanberger’s substitute proposal, which would have substantially rewritten the legis
- A Constitutional Change Too Far: Questions About Virginia’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment
The proposed Reproductive Freedom Amendment, currently being considered in Virginia, would create a constitutional right to abortion that is extreme, dangerous, and goes far beyond protecting women’s health and rights. Even voters who generally support abortion access should give it careful consideration. This amendment would elevate abortion rights to constitutional status in Virginia, shifting a