Plus: Early voting for the Aug. 4 primary elections began in most localities on Thursday. And what’s agrivoltaics?
Elizabeth Beyer
Elizabeth Beyer is our Richmond-based state politics and government reporter.
Posted inPolitics
State Senate drops tax exemptions in budget fight, introduces ‘impact fees’ for data centers
The state Senate had insisted on ending data center tax exemptions in 2027, eight years earlier than their scheduled expiration. That issue had become a sticking point between the state Senate and the House of Delegates in biennial budget talks.
Posted inPolitics
Spanberger, legislators announce agreement on legal cannabis sales
The plan calls for legal sales to start in July 2027.
Posted inPolitics
House budget conferees unveil their latest spending proposal, legal cannabis and a data center accountability commission included
The House proposal does not include ending data center tax exemptions early. Gov. Spanberger has issued her support of the proposal.
Posted inPolitics
Notes from the Square: Budget negotiations face another breakdown
Plus: An appeal for assistance for farmers, an update to FEMA aid, university board appointments and a victory for a coalition of attorneys general suing the Trump administration over SNAP changes.
Posted inPolitics
Rocovich sues Spanberger after his ouster as Virginia Tech rector
John Rocovich is asking for the court to find the governor’s actions out of compliance with state code and the constitution and is seeking for the court to order that he be reinstated on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
Posted inHealthcare
State to reorganize nursing scholarship programs after more than $10 million in funding was left unused
The scholarship programs were created to bolster the state’s healthcare workforce, particularly in rural areas where staffing shortages have been most severe.
Posted inPolitics
Notes from the Square: Long-stalled state budget negotiations moving forward
Plus: A fiscal reforecasting renders a boon, and hurricane season has begun as Southwest Virginians still haven’t fully recovered from recent severe weather.
Posted inPolitics
Background checks for private firearm sales will stop again, Lynchburg judge rules
The background checks, which had been halted since October by a Lynchburg judge’s injunction, restarted last month to comply with a new state law. A judge said Wednesday that the injunction still stands.
Posted inPolitics
State police announce private firearm sale background checks have resumed
The checks, which began again on Wednesday, had been halted since October following a Lynchburg Circuit Court injunction.
