Category: State News

Laken Riley’s Alleged Killer Indicted, Also Accused of Being ‘Peeping Tom’

Virginia Star Staff

A Georgia grand jury has formally indicted the man accused of killing 22-year-old student Laken Riley on ten charges, including murder, kidnapping and being a peeping Tom.

Jose Ibarra is charged with malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, tampering with evidence and interfering with a 911 call for help, Superior Court of Clarke County records show. The 26-year-old Venezuelan national was also handed down a “peeping Tom” charge related to his activities the day of Riley’s murder.

Read More

Dominion Energy Dismisses Attempts by Groups to Halt Offshore Wind Construction

The Center Square
Wind mills offshore

Three public interest groups are claiming a legal victory of sorts, saying their actions have led to at least a temporary delay in Dominion Energy’s efforts to begin construction on Virginia’s major offshore wind project – but Dominion disagrees.

The Heartland Institute, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow and the National Legal and Policy Center have taken action against Dominion several times now regarding the project.

Read More

Report: University of Virginia Receives an ‘F’ for Antisemitism on Campus

The Center Square
University of Virginia

The Anti-Defamation League gives the University of Virginia an “F” in its Campus Antisemitism Report Card as the pro-Palestinian protesters mark another day of demonstrations on campus.

As anti-Zionism demonstrations continue to creep up on college campuses across the nation, the ADL has been active in keeping score of antisemitic incidents prior to the latest campus uprisings, with the goal to serve students and their families information on the “current state of antisemitism on campus” and how those institutions respond.

Read More

Youngkin Meets with President of Finland During International Trade Mission

The Center Square
Glenn Youngkin Finland

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin met with Finland President Alexander Stubb, discussing opportunities the commonwealth and the northern European country can strengthen their business relationship.

The two leaders met in the nation’s capital, Helsinki as part of the governor’s economic tour of Europe. Youngkin used the visit to cement an established relationship between Virginia and Finland.

Read More

Virginia Rep Introduces New Bill Asking Department of Labor to Back Off Apprenticeship Programs

The Center Square
Apprenticeship Program

A new bill would push back on the U.S. Department of Labor’s ability to regulate apprenticeships.

The “Apprenticeship Freedom Act” from House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., was obtained exclusively by The Center Square.

Read More

Protesters Brought Children to ‘Gaza Liberation Encampment’ at Virginia Tech Prior to Arrests, Video Shows

Tom Pappert
Virginia Tech pro-Palestine protest

Activists who participated in the “Gaza Liberation Encampment” at Virginia Tech brought children to the ill-fated protest before dozens of protesters were arrested by police, suggests video posted to social media on Sunday. 

One video that surfaced on the social media platform X on Sunday after police ordered protesters to leave the encampment included a child who led the protesters in a chant. The video was captioned to ask police whether they are scared by children.

Read More

Youngkin Vows to Protect Free Speech on Virginia College Campuses While Protecting Jewish Students from ‘Hate Speech and Intimidation’

Tom Pappert
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin in a Sunday appearance on CNN pledged to protect the First Amendment on Virginia’s college campuses, but also vowed to keep Jewish students safe from “hate speech and intimidation” from anti-Israel protesters.

The governor stated during an appearance with Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union that his administration will allow protesters to peacefully demonstrate against Israel while preventing the establishment of anti-Israel encampments and protecting the rights of Jewish students.

Read More

Virginia Board of Education Progressing with ‘Accreditation and Accountability Redesign’

The Center Square
Virginia Board of Education

The Virginia Board of Education recently reviewed takeaways from 15 listening sessions it hosted as part of its “Accreditation and Accountability Redesign.”

“Virginia is one of the few states that continues to combine an accreditation and accountability system,” said Todd Reid, assistant superintendent of strategic communications for the state’s Department of Education. “Combining these systems into one measurement makes it virtually impossible to really determine how the students are academically performing at that school and how the school is shaping educational outcomes.”

Read More

Youngkin Travels to Europe for ‘International Trade Mission’ Ahead of May Special Session for Virginia Budget

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced on Wednesday he will embark on a week-long “international trade mission” to Europe as lawmakers continue work on the biennial Virginia budget ahead of the May special legislative session.

The governor’s office confirmed Youngkin’s “third international trade mission” will include stops in Germany, Denmark, Finland and Swizterland between April 28 to May 3. He plans to meet with business leaders, public officials and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Read More

Virginia County Jail Buys Devices to Fight Inmates’ Opioid Withdrawals with Electricity

Tom Pappert
Inmates

The Chesterfield County Jail is reportedly set become the first in the country to use a detox device to help inmates recover from opioid withdrawal symptoms by sending electrical impulses to the user’s brain.

According to its manufacturer, the Masimo Bridge device is “a small electrical nerve stimulator device that contains a battery-powered chip and wires that are applied around a patient’s ear in a short, non-surgical, in-office procedure, providing five days of continuous relief” from withdrawal symptoms by sending electrical impulses to parts of the brain associated with opioid withdrawal.

Read More

Meadows, Giuliani and Other Former Trump Aides Indicted in Arizona 2020 Election Probe

The Center Square

An Arizona grand jury on Wednesday indicted former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, and five other former aides to former President Donald Trump on felony charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Read More

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney Drops Gubernatorial Bid, Runs for Lt. Governor as Virginia Democrats Rallying Around Aaron Rouse

Tom Pappert
Levar Stoney Aaron Rouse

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Tuesday officially ended his gubernatorial campaign, instead declaring he will seek the Democratic Party’s nomination to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor.

Stoney will no longer challenge Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) to become Virginia’s next Democratic candidate for governor, and switched races on the same day State Senator Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor.

Read More

Virginia Drivers Must Obtain Car Insurance by July 1 as 2022 Law Goes Live

Tom Pappert
Driving a BMW in the country

Drivers in Virginia have until June 1 to obtain insurance for their motor vehicles due to a law passed in 2022 that removes the option to avoid insurance premiums with an annual fee to the commonwealth.

Governor Glenn Youngkin signed in 2022 legislation to end Virginia’s Uninsured Motor Vehicle (UMV) fee, which previously allowed citizens to annually pay $500 to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to register a vehicle without insurance.

Read More

California Judge Who Disbarred Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman Funneled Money to Super PAC Fighting Election Integrity

Rachel Alexander

California disciplinary court Judge Yvette Roland (pictured above), who disbarred Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar John Eastman last month, contributed to a Democratic PAC last year which funneled all of the contributions to a Super PAC that seeks to stop “undermining the most basic tenet of our democracy, the right to vote.” Despite the fact that the charges against Eastman were all related to his efforts investigating and stopping election corruption in the 2020 election, Roland did not recuse herself.

Read More

Youngkin to ‘Work with Legislators’ on Skill Games Concerns After Senate Tosses Governor’s Amended Bill

Tom Pappert
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin confirmed he will “work with legislators” to achieve compromise legislation addressing controversial skill games machines.

The Virginia Senate tossed Youngkin’s version of the bill, with just six senators voting in favor and 34 voting against. Youngkin’s amended bill sought to place strict restrictions on legislation that originally would have allowed skill games in convenience stores throughout the commonwealth.

Read More

Virginia AG ‘Demands’ Biden Address ‘Missing Migrant Children Crisis’

The Center Square
Jason Miyares Migrant Children Crisis

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares wants the Biden administration to act on “the missing migrant children crisis,” claiming the administration ignores the problem.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Miyares raised concerns over the “welfare and safety” of unaccompanied minors that he argues are not being “prioritized” by the Biden administration.

Read More

Youngkin, Virginia Democrats Agree to Finish Budget in May Special Session

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin Budget

Governor Glenn Youngkin and Democratic leaders in the Virginia General Assembly confirmed on Wednesday they will release a budget in May and pass it during a special legislative session.

The governor’s office released a joint statement including Youngkin, Speaker of the House Don Scott (D-Portsmouth), Senate Finance Chair L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) and House Appropriations Chair Luke Thorian (D-Dumfries) confirming they will continue work on a bipartisan budget that will ultimately be unveiled on May 13.

Read More

Virginia AG Miyares Announces Nearly $110 Million in Opioid Settlement Payments

Tom Pappert
Jason Miyares

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced on Tuesday the receipt of more than $100 million in opioid settlement payments from drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies who agreed to the financial compensation for their role in the opioid crisis.

The press release by Miyares’ office explained the latest round of payments totaled about $108.4 million of the $1.1 billion secured by Virginia in opioid settlements.

Read More

Virginia Conservative Leaders Celebrate Gov. Glenn Youngkin for ‘Common Ground Budget,’ Record Vetoes

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin Budget

A coalition of conservative leaders in Virginia praised Governor Glenn Youngkin for his “Common Ground Budget” and record vetoes on Monday.

The Virginia Conservative Leaders Coalition celebrated the governor’s “thoughtful navigation of Virginia’s fiscal priorities” in a Tuesday press release by Virginia Institute Action. The group claims the compromise budget proposed by Youngkin “exemplifies his leadership in bridging divides.”

Read More

Virginia Hospital PSA Asks Patients to Behave Appropriately Amid Rising Violence for Healthcare Workers

Tom Pappert
Virginia Nurse PSA

A new public service announcement by the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) asks patients to behave appropriately while receiving treatment or otherwise in healthcare settings. It was released amid rising workplace violence for health workers in hospitals.

The VHHA press release explains the “Help Us, Help You” campaign “draws attention to the heightened risk of workplace violence faced by health care professionals.”

Read More

Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Joins 20-State Coalition Against Biden Admin’s Decision to Abandon Immigration Law

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrants arrested at the southern border

Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Virginia’s decision to join a 20-state coalition of attorneys general who seek to compel the Biden administration to defend an illegal immigration law on Wednesday.

The coalition of attorney generals, led by Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and West Virginia, seek to intervene in a lawsuit brought by those advocating on behalf of illegal immigrants against President Joe Biden’s Department of State. 

Read More

Youngkin Confirms He Removed Tax Cuts from Virginia Budget as Olive Branch to Democrats

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin Budget

Governor Glenn Youngkin confirmed in comments made Wednesday that he dropped his request for tax cuts as an olive branch to Virginia’s Democratic lawmakers, who the governor hopes will similarly drop their requests for tax hikes.

Youngkin maintained that Virginia does not “need to raise taxes” and has “plenty of money in the system” during an interview with WTOP News. He told the outlet that Virginia lawmakers should “press forward with an agreement that we won’t raise taxes, and I will stop advocating to reduce them.”

Read More

Conservatives Applaud Youngkin in New Ad for Amending Bill Critics Claim Provides Free Healthcare to Illegal Immigrants

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin Medical Bill

Governor Glenn Youngkin received praise on Wednesday in a commercial celebrating his decision to amend a bill critics argue would have allowed illegal immigrants to receive free healthcare by expanding a federal program.

As passed by lawmakers, SB 119 would expand the federal 340B program that was designed to for hospitals to buy drugs at discounted prices in order to provide healthcare to low-income individuals.

Read More

Youngkin Takes Final Action on 1,046 Bills Passed by Virginia Lawmakers, Vetoes 153

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin on Monday night finished acting on the more than 1,000 bills passed by Virginia lawmakers during the 2024 legislative session, signing nearly 800 bills into law.

In total, Youngkin signed 777 bills into law. The governor made amendments to an additional 116 bills, sending them back to lawmakers for further review, and vetoed 153.

Read More

California Disciplinary Judge Issues 128-page Opinion Disbarring Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman

Rachel Alexander

California Bar Disciplinary Judge Yvette Roland disbarred Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar John Eastman.

Read More

Pollsters Find Virginia Republicans Prefer Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears over Attorney General Jason Miayres for Governor

Tom Pappert
Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears

A March poll of Virginia Republicans found Lt. Governor Winsome Sears is the current favorite candidate to succeed Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2025, with Attorney General Jason Miyares currently behind by more than 25 points.

The Cyngal pollsters claim Sears “holds an impressive 28-point advantages over Miyares on the governor’s ballot,” with 43.5 percent of support from Republicans. While Miyares had a distant 15.8 percent of support, a decisive 40.7 percent of those polled said they remain undecided.

Read More

Virginia A.G. Miyares Celebrates Victory as SEC Halts Biden Climate Change Mandate

Tom Pappert
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares celebrated a victory on Friday after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) halted the enforcement of its new climate changes rules for publicly traded businesses that were imposed by the Biden administration.

The coalition of 25 attorneys general originally sued the Biden administration to block SEC rule changes that require publicly listed businesses report what the government considers climate change risks. A press release from the attorney general notes companies would be forced to “release a plan to adapt to climate agenda recommendations” under the proposed rules.

Read More

Virginia Prescription Drug Affordability Bills Not Included in Latest Signed Legislation

The Center Square

Though lawmakers applied pressure to the governor this week by publicly calling on him to act, companion bills creating a Prescription Drug Affordability Board for Virginia were conspicuously missing from the list of 150 bills he signed on Thursday evening.

The Senate bill, introduced by veteran Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, is meant to reduce the price of expensive medications for Virginians. SB 274 would authorize an appointed board to restrict what the state and other payers pay manufacturers for certain drug products in the commonwealth. Those medications are then sold to wholesale distributors, government purchasers, or pharmacy benefit managers, next to pharmacies, and finally, to the consumer.

Read More

Youngkin Has Days to Act on Skill Games Bill amid Pace-o-Matic Donation Questions

Tom Pappert
Virginia Slot Machines

Governor Glenn Youngkin has just days to act on a bill that would legalize controversial skill games, which are often compared to slot machines, before lawmakers return to Richmond on April 17.

Lawmakers last month approved the legislation to authorize and tax skill games machines throughout the commonwealth, which proponents ague are distinct from gambling because the outcome is partially determined by a player’s skill. Critics argue they are functionally the same as slot machines.

Read More

D.C. Bar Disciplinary Panel Makes Nonbinding Preliminary Determination of Culpability for a ‘Thought Crime’ in Disbarment Trial of Trump’s Former DOJ Official Jeffrey Clark

Rachel Alexander

The disciplinary trial of Donald Trump’s former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark wrapped up on Thursday with the D.C. Bar’s disciplinary panel making a nonbinding preliminary determination that Clark was culpable on at least one of the two counts against him.

Read More

Virginia Farmers May Receive USDA ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’ Funds up for Grabs

The Center Square
Farmer Working

Virginia agricultural producers may stand to receive more funding from the Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program, as the organization announced another $1.5 billion is available for eligible conservation and climate projects throughout the country.

The program looks to help producers implement “climate-smart agriculture,” or farming practices that replenish natural resources and minimize climate change. This latest tranche of funding comes from the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, which the Biden administration has dubbed the “largest climate investment in history.”

Read More

During Jeffrey Clark’s Disbarment Trial, Cyber Security Expert Says Georgia’s 2020 Election Was Not ‘Conducted According to the Law’

Rachel Alexander

The second and final week of the disbarment trial of Donald Trump’s former DOJ official, Jeffrey Clark, began to wind down on Wednesday with more testimony from operations security expert Harry Haury.

Read More

Youngkin Vetoes Bill Mandating Climate Change and ‘Environmental Literacy’ in Virginia Schools, Acts on 103 More Bills

Tom Pappert
Teacher Student Learning

Governor Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday announced a veto of legislation that would have mandated “environmental literacy” education across the commonwealth’s schools.

The governor vetoed HB 1088, which would have mandated the Virginia Board of Education to create or purchase “instructional materials on climate change and environmental literacy that are based on and include peer-reviewed scientific sources.”

Read More

Virginia Democrat Claims Youngkin Using Vetoes to ‘Punish’ Lawmakers for Killing Arena Deal

Tom Pappert
Don Scott Virginia

Governor Glenn Youngkin was accused of using his veto power to “punish” Democratic lawmakers who contributed to the defeat of his plans to build an arena for the Washington Wizards and Capitals in Alexandria, Virginia.

After Youngkin vetoed Democratic-led bills to enact a $15 per hour minimum wage and regulate the legal sale of marijuana in the commonwealth, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) suggested the governor is using his veto to punish his political opponents but conceded to 13 News Now, “Nothing that [Youngkin] did was unexpected.”

Read More

Former Fulton County Elections Official Explains Why He Voted Against Certification Twice During Jeffrey Clark’s Disbarment Trial

Rachel Alexander

The second week of the disbarment trial of Donald Trump’s former DOJ official, Jeffrey Clark, resumed its second week on Monday. Clark, who is also a defendant in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ RICO prosecution, is being disciplined for drafting a letter that was never sent to Georgia officials after the 2020 election advising them of their options for dealing with the election illegalities.

Read More

Youngkin Vetoes Minimum Wage Hike, Bill to Regulate Marijuana After Virginia Democrats Successfully Kill Potomac Yards Arena

Tom Pappert
Virginia Gov Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin on Friday vetoed bills to regulate marijuana and raise the minimum wage, which were positioned by Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly as possible bargaining chips in negotiations to build an arena for the Washington Wizards and Capitals in Alexandria, Virginia.

The arena project was officially pronounced dead last week, when Monumental Sports and Entertainment announced a deal with Washington, D.C. to stay in the nation’s capitol for decades on Wednesday.

Read More

Rep. Bob Good Argues Virginia Voters ‘Could Care Less’ After Republican Endorses Primary Opponent John McGuire

Tom Pappert
Rep. Bob Good

Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) stated on Saturday that voters in his congressional district “could care less” about a recent endorsement received by his primary challenger, State Senator John McGuire (R-Goochland), framing his opponent’s supporters as “establishment moderates.”

Good told cable news outlet CNN he was unfazed by the recent endorsement of McGuire by Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03), who recently endorsed the Republican’s primary challenger.

Read More

Youngkin Vetoes Democrats’ Proposed Minimum Wage Increase

The Center Square
Minimum Wage

 Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed bills Thursday that would have raised Virginia’s minimum wage to $13.50 per hour in 2025 and $15 in 2026.

The companion bills were among the first to be prefiled by General Assembly Democrats, indicating their status as high-priority legislation.

Read More

Youngkin Vetoes Recreational Marijuana Sales Bill, Citing Threats to ‘Health and Safety’

Just the News
Weed Store

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday vetoed legislation that would have created a state-regulated market for recreational marijuana sales.

The Old Dominion currently permits qualified patients to secure marijuana for medical purposes and in 2021 legalized its use and cultivation by residents aged 21 and older, though it has not yet approved a framework for legal retail sales, according to The Hill. The measure would have set up the process to permit the market to open in May of 2025 and set up a maximum tax rate of 11.625%, the Associated Press reported.

Read More

Virginia Ports Get Influx of Marine Traffic Diverted from Baltimore

The Center Square
Norfolk Port

Virginia is beginning to experience some of the impacts from the cargo ship crash that brought down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, closing a vital shipping lane leading to one of the eastern seaboard’s busiest ports.

Shortly after on Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin offered to assist neighboring Maryland. Within hours, the commonwealth’s ports were already preparing to absorb some of the diverted shipping traffic.

Read More

Conservative Groups Sue to Stop Virginia Offshore Wind Project, Says Threatens Whales

Just the News
Wind Farm

Wildlife conservationists say that a recent uptick in deaths of these endangered whales corresponds with the development of offshore wind projects that are part of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda.

A coalition of conservative groups has filed a lawsuit against federal agencies and their top officials and the company planning to build what is expected to be the world’s largest offshore wind project.

Read More

Virginia Attorney General Warns Biden ‘Refusing to Fix’ Illegal Immigrant Crisis After Foreign Nationals Arrested for Child Sex Crimes

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrants

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Wednesday blamed the Biden administration for “refusing to fix” the illegal immigration crisis after two illegal immigrants were arrested for sex crimes against children in the commonwealth.

The attorney general made remarks about the illegal immigration crisis following the arrest of Isauro Garcia Cruz and Renzo Mendoza Montes, who are both illegal immigrants accused of crimes against children.

Read More

Gov. Glenn Youngkin Signs Two Gun Control Bills, Amends Six and Vetoes Two

Tom Pappert
Glenn Youngkin Signing Bills

Governor Glenn Youngkin on took action regarding 67 pieces of legislation Tuesday, with a number of gun control bills vetoed, amended or signed by the governor.

Youngkin said in a statement his actions represent a balance between advancing public safety and “protecting the right of law-abiding Virginians to keep and bear arms.”

Read More

Virginia Offering Assistance with Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The Center Square
Key Bridge collapsed

Following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is offering assistance to the state of Maryland.

The bridge spans over the Patapsco River and supports part of I-695, one of the major arteries around Baltimore.

Read More

Virginia Democrat Leaders Declare Themselves ‘Adults in the Room’ on Budget Debate, Youngkin Admin Acting Like ‘Spoiled Brats’

Tom Pappert
Virginia Democrats

Democratic leaders from the Virginia General Assembly held a press conference on Monday to discuss the state of negotiations to pass a budget for the commonwealth, raising claims about the governor’s behavior and aptitude during the negotiations.

Various Democratic leaders declared themselves the “adults in the room” during budget negotiations, claimed Governor Glenn Youngkin lacks political aptitude and accused his administration of acting like “spoiled brats” while refusing to respect the separation of powers.

Read More

Democrat Activist Faces Decades in Prison After Virginia Jury Convicts on Fraud Charges

Tom Pappert
Derickson K Lawrence

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday the conviction of Democratic activist and former congressional candidate Derickson Lawrence of fraud charges related lies he told to obtain over $25,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and the misuse of over $230,000 entrusted to his company to process another firm’s payroll.

Despite his business operating in Virginia, Lawrence ran in the Democratic Party primary to represent New York’s 16th Congressional district in 2018, ultimately losing to former Representative Eliot Engel.

Read More

Virginia Democrats Launch ‘Hail Mary’ Plan to Fund Arena with Casino Revenue Despite Objections by Youngkin, Capitals and Wizards

Tom Pappert
State Senator Scott Surovell

Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly are reportedly working on plans to build a new facility for the Washington Capitals and Wizards in Fairfax County after the defeat of proposed legislation to build the arena in Alexandria.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) pitched a plan to use the money from a new casino in Fairfax County to build an arena, according to The Washington Post. Surovell’s plan reportedly has the support of the company seeking to build the casino, as well as political consultant Ben Tribbett, who the outlet reported also works for Senator L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth).

Read More

Youngkin Casts Doubt on Building Small Nuclear Reactor in Southwest Virginia

The Center Square
Glenn Youngkin

After months of research and investigation into what it would look like to build a small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin revealed the region may not be selected for Virginia’s first SMR after all.

“There may be other places around Virginia that may be better suited for the first one,” Youngkin said. “We’re looking at places across the commonwealth. I do firmly believe that Virginia will be the first state to have a small modular reactor in a commercial fashion.”

Read More