President
- Virginia farmers talk meat production, fertilizer costs with USDA officials
United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy traveled to Doswell Wednesday to meet with Virginia farmers and meat producers and discuss the challenges they face – and what the federal government can do to help. Limited access to local meat processors is a persistent challenge […]
- Governor Abigail Spanberger fires Virginia Tech Rector Rocovich, appoints Dominion Energy’s Edward Baine as replacement
Gov. Abigail Spanberger has removed Rector John Rocovich from Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors, citing misconduct in a letter sent Wednesday. On Thursday, she announced that Edward Baine, executive vice president of utility operations and president of Dominion Energy Virginia, would replace Rocovich on the board for the remainder of his term, which ends in […]
- Loudoun Education Foundation Highlights Collaborative Efforts with Loudoun County Public Schools to Enhance Student Outcomes
These initiatives span categories including programs for students, support for educators, key events, and collaborations with various organizations. The foundation, which engages the community to fund critical and innovative efforts fostering student and teacher well-being, credits this teamwork for amplifying its reach. Specific examples include the Fueled program, serving meals to 2,000 students
- Virginia governor signs Dominion-backed bills. All eyes on regulators now.
RICHMOND, Va.—Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Thursday signed legislation that directs regulators to assign electricity costs to data centers and allows Dominion Energy to spend $900,000 a mile burying local distribution lines. The bills from Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling, D-Henrico, could have also required data centers to cover […]
- Dominion proposes slight decrease in offshore wind cost on monthly bills
Dominion Energy installed two test turbines to generate power 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, seen here in 2021, as a precursor of the largest offshore wind project in the United States. (Photo courtesy Dominion Energy) In its latest filing updating state regulators on how much the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project […]
- Abigail Spanberger vetoes bills allowing public employees to collectively bargain working condition, wages
Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed collective bargaining legislation Thursday, drawing major criticism from some of the state’s largest unions and labor advocate groups. The governor previously expressed support for the bills that would allow more Virginia public workers to organize in unions and negotiate their working conditions and pay rates. Spanberger first sought amendments to Senate […]
- NAACP asks US Supreme Court to overturn Virginia redistricting decision
A Fairfax County voter receives a sticker after casting a ballot. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Advance Project on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse Virginia’s high court ruling striking down the state’s redistricting referendum, arguing the decision nullified the votes of […]
- SEIU Union Funds Fuel Expensive Virginia Redistricting Referendum That Was Later Struck Down
In early April 2026, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia State Council announced a $500,000 contribution from member dues to Virginians for Fair Elections, the primary committee supporting a “Yes” vote on a controversial constitutional amendment for temporary legislative redistricting of congressional districts. The donation, highlighted in campaign finance disclosures on VPA
- Virginia Marijuana retail plan in limbo after lawmakers reject Spanberger changes
In Virginia, the future of a legal, regulated market for adult-use marijuana remains in limbo years after possession was legalized. (Photo Illustration by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Five years after Virginia legalized simple adult possession of marijuana, lawmakers are at an impasse over how to finally stand up a legal retail market, after the General Assembly […]
- FBI raids Sen. Louise Lucas’ Portsmouth office, marijuana business
State Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, on the Senate floor at the Virginia Capitol in Richmond. Federal agents on Wednesday raided Lucas’ Portsmouth office and adjacent cannabis business as part of a court-authorized FBI search operation. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury) Federal agents on Wednesday morning raided the Portsmouth office of state Sen. Louise Lucas, one […]
- Local governments race to attract data centers, often in spite of concerns from their constituents
Marvell data center is one of eight newly approved data center campuses in Culpeper County. (Photo by Evan Visconti/Virginia Mercury). Data centers — proposed beside town centers, on generational farmlands, in view of cemeteries and next to Civil War battlegrounds across Virginia — are testing local governments’ ability to regulate industrial land use. Concurrently, the […]
- New court challenge targets Virginia abortion amendment ballot language
Family Foundation president Victoria Cobb speaks alongside lawyers and plaintiffs in a case challenging Virginia’s pending ballot referendum to enshrine reproductive rights into the state’s constitution on April 30, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) Tazewell County makes news once again — this time over a second lawsuit challenging a proposed constitutional amendment that […]
- Abigail Spanberger’s first 100 days are flashing a warning Virginia Democrats should not ignore
Gov. Abigail Spanberger signs bills to set referendums for four constitutional amendments on Feb. 6, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/ Virginia Mercury) Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a package of gun bills on April 10, including a ghost gun ban, an industry liability measure and a closure of the intimate partner loophole. The bills are […]
- Data center tax exemption changes still holding up Virginia budget
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (left) and Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas speak with reporters on Wednesday. (Photo by Charles Paullin/Inside Climate News) This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News (hyperlink to the original story), a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. […]
- Mount Vernon’s Revolutionary War Weekend Returns May 2-3: Step Into History as America’s 250th Anniversary Approaches
MOUNT VERNON, Va. – Just one week from now, George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate will once again come alive with the sights, sounds, and smells of the American Revolution. The popular Revolutionary War Weekend, scheduled for Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, 2026, promises an immersive two-day living-history experience that transports visitors back more […]
- Early poll is sobering for Spanberger, but it’s a wake-up call, not an epitaph
Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks with reporters outside the Executive Mansion in Richmond earlier this month. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) The first report card on Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s still brand-new term is in, and she can’t be happy with it. I’m hearing she’s decidedly unhappy. A new survey by the Washington Post and George Mason […]
- 10 questions and answers about Virginia’s redistricting referendum
(Photo illustration by States Newsroom) Virginians will head to the polls Tuesday to approve or reject a closely watched constitutional amendment that could reshape the state’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections. The standalone spring referendum will cap months of legal battles, political messaging and unusually high early voting interest. The vote follows a […]
- Supreme Court ruling revives debate over conversion therapy bans, including in Virginia
The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom) An 8-1 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court has revived a legal fight over conversion therapy bans, siding with a free speech challenge to Colorado’s prohibition on therapists using talk-based conversion therapy with minors. Though the case has been sent back down […]
- Oakhill Farm, Monroe’s Loudoun County estate on pause
Landscape near Oak Hill Farm in Loudoun County, the former seat of President James Monroe, where legislators are trying to create a public park. (Photo by Alessandra Caceres Mendoza/VCU Capital News Service) By Alessandra Caceres Mendoza/VCU Capital News Service RICHMOND, Va. — Legislation to purchase the former estate of the fifth Founding Father for use […]
- Hampton Roads mayors want Virginia localities to keep control over collective bargaining
In a show of regional unity, mayors from the seven core cities of Hampton Roads united to oppose a bill that would allow public workers to collectively bargain over wages, benefits, and working conditions without local governments’ approval.
- Loudoun County Republican Committee Announces Ambitious Campaign to Establish Permanent Headquarters
The Loudoun County Republican Committee (LCRC) today unveiled plans for a transformative initiative to acquire and establish a permanent headquarters, marking a pivotal step in sustaining its rapid growth and enhancing its impact on local elections and community engagement.
- Governor Glenn Youngkin Issues Executive Order to Reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test in Virginia Schools
Executive Order 55 restores national benchmark to strengthen student health, character development, and academic excellence in schools across the Commonwealth. RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order (EO) 55 to reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test in the Commonwealth’s public school divisions, reinforcing the Commonwealth’s commitment to whole-child wellness and academic
- Earle-Sears and Spanberger spar over Jones’ text in their one debate
Gubernatorial hopefuls Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears and Abigail Spanberger, former Congresswoman, appeared on stage in person for the first time and probably only time during this election. They answered questions for one hour that ranged from the hated car tax to Jay Jones text messages to the Trump Administration and the ongoing shutdown of the federal government.
- RIP, Charlie Kirk, American Patriot and Friend of Israel
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old father of two and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed in broad daylight Wednesday at a Utah Valley University event.
- As Virginia Dept. of Education prepares for new academic benchmarks, education leaders call for more transparency
The Virginia Department of Education is facing calls for greater transparency regarding plans to raise academic benchmarks for students.
- AstraZeneca will build its largest manufacturing facility ever in Virginia, creating hundreds jobs thanks to the Republican Governor
AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical giant with a growing presence in Virginia’s life sciences industry, announced plans to build the largest drug-manufacturing facility in the entire world in Virginia. This will be the single largest investment in the history of the company. The U.K. biopharmaceutical firm said that the new facility would be a cornerstone in its […]
- The One Big Beautiful Bill is now law
Here’s what it means for you. Tax Provisions Significant Funding Provisions Significant Savings New Medicare Work Requirements Significant Benefits for America Economic Growth Potential: The tax cuts and business incentives are intended to stimulate economic growth, potentially increasing taxpayer income and reducing unemployment.
- Governor Glenn Youngkin Announces Delta Star Inc. Expands Lynchburg Manufacturing Facility
For Immediate Release: April 17, 2025 Contacts: Office of the Governor:Peter Finocchio, Peter.
- AttainX to Expand Cybersecurity Operations in Fairfax County
Woman-owned technology contractor to invest $175,000, creating 32 new jobs RICHMOND, VA — Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that AttainX, Inc., an SBA certified 8(a), Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) and CMMI Level 3 certified federal contractor, will invest $175,000 to expand its operations in Fairfax County.
- Evaporative Technologies Company to Expand in Virginia
For Immediate Release: June 18, 2024 Contacts: Office of the Governor: Christian Martinez, Christian.
- Glenn Youngkin Announces Consumer News and Business Channel Names Virginia America’s Top State for Business
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Virginia is ranked “America’s Top State for Business” by CNBC.
- Amazon announces deal with Dominion Energy to develop a small nuclear reactor
Amazon announced Wednesday that it entered into an agreement with Dominion Energy to pay for the development of a small modular reactor as the utility explores building one at its North Anna Power Station, an existing traditional nuclear power plant in Louisa County.
- Governor Glenn Youngkin Announces $90 Million in Grants to Develop Industrial Sites Across Commonwealth
Virginia Business Ready Sites Program helps attract new businesses by increasing portfolio of competitive project-ready sites RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced a total of $90 million in Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) development grants for 21 sites across the Commonwealth.