Poll: Virginians deeply divided on Spanberger months after her landslide win
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s approval rating stands at 47 percent two months into the Democrat’s term, with 46 percent of voters disapproving and 7 percent expressing no opinion in a Washington Post-Schar School poll. Spanberger won in a 15-point landslide last year after touting her reputation for bipartisanship built on three terms representing a conservative-leaning district in Congress. But her current ratings reflect sharp polarization among Virginia voters in their views of the state’s first female governor. The approval mark for Spanberger is 13 percentage points lower than the average for Virginia governors in Post polling since the 1990s.
Spanberger accepted large Dominion donation for inaugural fund
Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who said on the campaign trail she does not take donations from corporate entities, accepted a $100,000 contribution from Dominion Energy for her inaugural fund one month after she won her election, according to a recent campaign finance filing. The contribution is drawing criticism from Clean Virginia — a group that gave Spanberger’s campaign nearly $1 million last year and whose main purpose is to fight Dominion’s influence in Virginia politics.
In rural Virginia, excitement and dread grows over Democrats’ redistricting referendum
Michael Shull never imagined that a Democrat from the wealthy suburbs of Washington would represent his community in Congress. His corner of Virginia, with its sprawling farms and winding country roads, has been electing Republicans for more than three decades. Then came an unusual nationwide redistricting battle, with Democrats and Republicans redrawing congressional lines to boost their chances in November’s midterm elections. Virginia could be next as voters consider a new map that would pair conservative rural areas with liberal suburbs, diluting Republicans’ electoral clout.
Virginia news deserts doubled in recent years
The number of "news deserts" in Virginia more than doubled between 2023 and 2025, per Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism's ongoing State of Local News project. Newspapers owned by small, independent groups are rapidly shuttering compared to those owned by large companies, usually leaving largely rural areas without a source of news. Since July 2024, Virginia has lost six independent newspapers to closure or merger, including the Independent-Messenger in Emporia and the News Progress in South Hill. As of last year, 16 Virginia counties didn't have a local news source. Another eight were at high risk of losing theirs. In 2023, just seven Virginia counties were in news deserts.
Their church in rural Virginia is on the cover of JD Vance’s book. They don’t know him.
The modest church on the cover of Vice President JD Vance’s new memoir unpacking his Catholic faith has a tiny but loyal congregation. What it doesn’t have, members said: any connection to Vance or Catholicism. There are a couple dozen regulars at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in rural southwestern Virginia, according to one, 78-year-old Marshall Funk, who attended his first service there in his mother’s womb. As they gathered Thursday evening for a potluck at the brick building with a white steeple — a classic Methodist style — Funk heard not a peep about politics.
From Red Oak to Greenville, Bluefield to Orange, and Goldvein to Silver Beach, VaNews delivers headlines from every corner of Virginia that would be hard to find on your own. This free, nonprofit resource relies entirely on voluntary contributions from readers like you. Please donate now! |
FROM VPAP
From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of The Virginia Press Room, Michael Pope is joined by Lori D'Angelo of the Daily News-Record, covering Democrats' plans to run in the proposed 6th District; Dan Egitto of ARLnow, covering outcry over misleading anti-redistricting mailers; and Patrick Larsen of VPM News, covering a controversial transmission line in central Virginia. Plus valedictory addresses, a new chief energy officer, and stone soup at the farmers market. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Virginia joins multi-state lawsuit challenging Trump’s election order
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones has joined a coalition of 21 states in suing President Donald Trump, launching a far-reaching legal challenge to a new executive order that critics say could upend how elections are run across the country just months before the 2026 midterms. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the lawsuit argues that Trump’s March 31 order unlawfully attempts to reshape voter eligibility and mail-in voting by directing federal agencies to create a national list of approved voters — and limiting ballot distribution to those on that list.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Lawmaker warns that collective bargaining bill could lead to big tax hike in Colonial Heights
Colonial Heights is not commenting on a letter written by its state delegate to Gov. Abigail Spanberger claiming that passage of a statewide collective bargaining framework could possibly drive the city’s real estate tax rate up almost 50 cents. In an April 2 letter to the governor, Del. Mike Cherry, R-Colonial Heights, claimed the proposed Public Employee Relations Board spelled out in House Bill 1263 and Senate Bill 378 would override local government control of its payrolls and “result in a significant tax increase on Virginia families.”
Keeping tax breaks for data centers is supported by Lynchburg area lawmakers
The debate over tax breaks for data center developers in Virginia wasn’t much of a debate at the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance’s Policy & Pancakes event on Wednesday, with each state lawmaker from the region expressing support for continuing the tax exemptions. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has not indicated whether she will support a proposed bill to end Virginia’s sales and use tax exemption for data centers. ... “What you do not do is change the rules in the middle of the game, because we all lose,” Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg, said ...
REDISTRICTING
Bipartisan civility was the rule at Cardinal Way luncheon — but redistricting struck a nerve
Republican and Democratic General Assembly leaders found civility amid the acerbic political landscape created by Virginia’s mid-decade redistricting effort in Roanoke on Friday during Cardinal News’ third annual Cardinal Way: Civility Rules luncheon. The good-natured and bipartisan exchange on a variety of topics between House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, and Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott County, turned partisan only toward the end of the hourlong conversation, when a question about redistricting was posed.
Two Democrats debate Virginia’s mid-decade redistricting referendum
You likely only have to turn on your TV or radio, or look out the window while you’re driving, to see an argument for or against redistricting. But in a meeting hall at William and Mary University Thursday, two Democrats debated the future of Virginia’s congressional districts. Thursday evening’s debate was between Fairfax Democrat Delegate Marcus Simon, arguing “vote yes,” and Democratic voting rights advocate Brian Cannon arguing “vote no.” Cannon and Simon go way back; they both helped craft Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting amendment back in 2020. It passed on a bipartisan vote, but without Simon and many other Democrats' support. That history was brought up by Simon, as well.
‘Disappointed’: Allen urges Spanberger to reconsider debate on redistricting ahead of referendum
Former Gov. George Allen (R) said he is “disappointed” that Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) declined his invitation to a series of debates on the controversial mid-decade redistricting referendum, though he urges her to reconsider in a televised virtual debate. On Thursday, April 2, Allen — who served as governor from 1994 to 1998 — sent an official letter urging Spanberger to reconsider after she reportedly declined the debate, calling her decision “her unwillingness” to debate.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Virginia set to rejoin RGGI as utilities prepare to pass the cost back to ratepayers
Virginia is poised to reenter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative this summer, a move that could again add a monthly charge to electricity customers’ bills as utilities resume buying carbon credits. State officials expect the commonwealth to participate in the program’s September auction once regulations to reestablish the CO2 budget trading program are finalized. Dominion Energy plans to petition the State Corporation Commission in June to add the cost of those credit auctions back onto ratepayer’s bills.
Virginia insurance regulators order rate cuts for several Aflac policies
One of the nation’s biggest health and life insurance firms has been overcharging Virginians for its accident, dread disease and other supplemental health policies, a State Corporation Commission Bureau of Insurance review As a result, Aflac, American Family Life Assurance Co., is cutting premium rates on 16 different policies by as much as 35%, its filings with the bureau show. The cuts will save more than 120,000 Virginia policyholders some $12.6 million a year, the filings show.
Tangier pays a price for years in the financial dark
Years without budgets, audits or regular financial reports have left the tiny town of Tangier, in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, with unpaid bills and an uncertain future, a state-commissioned report says. The town cannot reliably determine cash on hand or its financial reserves, a report to the Commission on Local Government found. The report said that the town hasn’t fully documented money it is owed and money it owes.
CONGRESS
Sen. Tim Kaine says Congress will ‘have a hard time’ reviewing Trump’s military budget request
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., on Sunday expressed skepticism about the Trump administration's 2027 budget plan, which includes a request of $1.5 trillion from Congress to fund the Defense Department, a 44% increase from the amount that was appropriated to that agency for this year. "I have a hard time seeing that size of an increase as being justified," Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told NBC News' "Meet the Press." The senator added that he and other members of the committee would be "taking a look at it" over the next several weeks.
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
AI local news network shuts down after plagiarism found
An AI-powered local news network shut down after Axios Richmond's questions about copied content on its Henrico site grew into a broader plagiarism scandal. The collapse of Nota News shows the growing risks of using AI to scale local journalism without clear editorial standards and oversight. This week, Axios first reported that AI-powered sites had launched in Henrico and Chesterfield as part of Nota, which was testing a national automated push to fill news deserts and cover county governments. Henrico Citizen founder and publisher Tom Lappas told Axios that multiple stories on Nota's Henrico site were "stolen" versions of the Citizen's reporting and that staff photos had been used without permission.
Virginia medical weed prices rank among highest in U.S.
Virginians are paying some of the highest weed prices in the nation through the state's medical marijuana dispensaries. High prices have been cited as a pain point for Virginia medicinal weed patients, one that can push them out of state or to the black market. Virginia patients pay just over $10 per gram on average for medical flower, per the latest stats from the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority's public dashboard. ... Meanwhile, through retail markets, Californians and Coloradans have some of the lowest average gram prices in the nation — last year they were $2.36 and $3.29, respectively, per Cannabis Business Times.
DOE awards contract for managing Jefferson Lab to LLC that includes Va. Tech
The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced it has awarded a $1.83 billion contract to operate the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, keeping the Newport News-based lab’s longtime operator involved while also adding new academic and corporate partners, including Virginia Tech.
VIRGINIA OTHER
Why people are talking about the cover of JD Vance’s upcoming book
An upcoming book by Vice President JD Vance is garnering attention not for its contents, but for its newly released cover. Vance and publisher Harper (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) introduced the religion-centered memoir “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” on March 31, announcing that it would be released in June. Vance described the book as a look back on his "personal journey and how I found my way back to faith," specifically his conversion to Catholicism after a protestant upbringing and a stint as an atheist. ... But eagle-eyed social media sleuths have pointed out one possible problem - the picturesque place of worship nestled in the green hills of Virginia featured on the cover appears to show a United Methodist church, not a Catholic one.
Trees take root as Virginia’s frontline defense against urban heat
As temperatures climb, some parts of the commonwealth are heating up faster than others — a result of too few trees and too little shade. Neighborhoods without tree canopy can be up to 15 degrees hotter than those with tree cover, and often those areas are home to communities of color and lower income households. To address the legacy of redlining and underinvestment in these parts of Virginia localities, state and local groups are working to lower temperatures naturally by planting trees.
Expanded trash-to-recycling plant using AI launches in Portsmouth under $450M regional agreement
Local leaders gathered in Portsmouth Thursday to celebrate a facility meant to transform how the region deals with trash. Earlier this year, the Southeastern Public Service Authority, which handles municipal waste for South Hampton Roads and western Tidewater, finalized a 20-year contract with Colorado-based AMP. The company uses artificial intelligence to remove recyclable materials from the trash stream, including organic waste that can be converted into a reusable substance called biochar.
ICE arrests in D.C. region reach nearly 20,000 during Trump’s second term
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made nearly 20,000 arrests in D.C., Maryland and Virginia from the beginning of President Trump’s second administration last year through March 10, according to a Washington Post analysis of recent federal data. By comparison, in the last full year of President Joe Biden’s administration, ICE recorded a little nearly 3,800 arrests in the region. After a dramatic spike in immigration enforcement in D.C. last year, ICE arrests in the nation’s capital have fallen sharply since December, federal data shows. But the rate has remained relatively steady in Maryland and Virginia, where elected leaders and immigrant advocates say they are not seeing any indication that enforcement efforts are lessening.
LOCAL
Lovettsville residents file legal petition to overturn Loudoun transmission line policies
Twenty Lovettsville property owners have filed a legal petition against Loudoun County's electrical infrastructure policies, saying a newly adopted Comprehensive Plan Amendment would hurt their properties and their quality of life. The petition was filed against the county Board of Supervisors in Loudoun County circuit court in March. The board updated its Comprehensive Plan earlier this year, adding preferences on where transmission lines go and how they're built.
Subramanyam: Army Has ‘Firm Intent’ to Acquire Middleburg Training Center
U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-10-VA) said he expects the Department of Defense to move ahead with plans to acquire the Middleburg Training Center to serve as the new home of the U.S. Army’s Caisson Detachment. ... The Caisson Detachment is part of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, a storied unit known as The Old Guard. It maintains a herd of roughly 50 horses that are organized into squads that serve as mounted escorts during military funerals.
Undocumented teen’s alleged school assaults trigger Trump administration probe in Fairfax County
With its top prosecutor and sheriff already set to testify before a House subcommittee on immigration policies this month, Virginia’s largest county is again facing Republican scrutiny over its handling of crimes allegedly committed by people in the country illegally, this time at a local high school. Earlier this [last] week, the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into the Fairfax County Public Schools system, following the arrest of an 18-year-old male student from El Salvador who allegedly groped several female classmates on a single day.
Franklin County sheriff’s deputies often make immigration arrests for ICE
Acting as agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Franklin County sheriff's deputies stopped motorists for traffic violations over the past six months and then turned them over to the federal government for likely deportation. Most of the 38 arrests of undocumented immigrants were made by a single deputy, according to information obtained through an open records request by the Legal Aid Justice Center and shared with The Roanoke Times. ... In Virginia, about 25 local sheriff's offices and regional jails are part of what's known as the 287(g) Program, which ICE describes on its website as a partnership with local law enforcement that "enhances the safety and security of our nation's communities." Critics describe it differently.
EDITORIALS
As Hampton Roads cities discuss the future, residents should speak up
While the members of Congress spar over federal spending and state lawmakers adjourned without passing a state budget, local officials are poised to make important decisions about the future of communities throughout Hampton Roads as they consider spending plans for the coming year. Building a municipal budget is a year-round exercise but, with those documents presented in recent weeks to our area’s city councils, the public now has an opportunity to weigh in before they earn final approval. Residents shouldn’t miss their chance to make their voices heard ...
COLUMNISTS
Yancey: How much representation should a political majority allow a minority to have?
There are at least two ways to view the issues that lay behind the upcoming special election on a constitutional amendment that would allow an unusual mid-decade redrawing of congressional lines. The obvious way is to see this through the lens of partisan politics — that this is either an old-fashioned power grab to knock out four of the state’s five Republican U.S. House members (that’s the Republican view on the “no” side), or that this is simply a way to even the score after Republicans in other states engaged in their own power grab to redraw lines to push out Democrats (that’s the Democratic view on the “yes” side). For those of you who feel one way or another we have these lovely signs which are now popping up across the countryside, urging voters to either “stop the steal” or “fight back.”
OP-ED
Johnson: Voters trust mail‑in voting — even as Supreme Court weighs Election Day ballot rules
As the Supreme Court weighs whether mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day should count in vote tallies, the debate is often framed as one of election integrity. Will voters’ sense of confidence in elections diminish if ballots arriving after Election Day change the apparent winner? That was a concern raised by at least one of the justices during Monday’s hearing. The case before the court raises a range of questions, from what “Election Day” means to the validity of grace periods and whether federal law overrides state election rules. But if a key question is about election integrity, what isn’t open to question is this: those who vote by mail overwhelmingly trust it.
Crum: Community survey invites residents to shape the region’s future
Hampton Roads is a region defined by its diversity — not just in people, but in place. From coastal shorelines and vibrant urban centers to quiet rural landscapes, historic landmarks, and modern employment and retail centers, our region offers something for everyone. It is a region where global commerce meets close-knit communities, innovation and tradition coexist, and our shared identity is shaped by both our differences and our common goals. It is this unique mix of industries, environments, cultures and communities that makes Hampton Roads such a special place to call home. It is also what makes planning for our future both a challenge and an opportunity.