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COMMENTARY: State Sen. Louise Lucas, a Democrat, used $300,000 in campaign funds to contribute to her legal defense fund and hire a law firm following an FBI raid in May on her businesses in Portsmouth. It was entirely legal, columnist Roger Chesley writes. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/31/v...

Virginia legislator was allowed to use campaign funds for her defense. So she did. • Virginia MercuryState Sen. Louise Lucas, the powerful Portsmouth Democrat, used $300,000 in campaign funds to contribute to her legal defense fund and hire a law firm following an FBI raid in May on her businesses…virginiamercury.com

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's report on groundwater supply east of I-95 revealed significant strain on the eastern aquifers that could put clean drinking water at risk. Two state senators want to take legislative action in a special session. virginiamercury.com/briefs/virgi...

Virginia senators request special session to act on ’deeply alarming’ groundwater report • Virginia MercuryState senators ask governor to convene a special session to consider and pass policies to rein in water use in the Virginia Coastal Plain aquifer system.virginiamercury.com

What should be included in Virginia's next energy plan? The governor's administration is seeking public input on a new outline of the commonwealth’s energy needs and how the state intends to address high energy costs while meeting its power generation goals. virginiamercury.com/briefs/spanb...

Spanberger administration seeks public input on new energy plan • Virginia MercuryEvery four years, Virginia law requires the governor’s administration to develop a new energy plan outlining the commonwealth’s energy needs and how the state intends to meet its power generation…virginiamercury.com

Washington Dulles Airport could get a $22.5 billion makeover under a plan announced by President Trump. The proposal would replace the airport's "people movers" with expanded rail service and walking tunnels, add a parking garage, and modernize terminals. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/29/r...

‘People movers’ out, more parking in: Trump announces $22.5B Washington Dulles makeover • Virginia MercuryThe sprawling renovation would preserve the iconic, concave sweeping roof of the Virginia airport’s main terminal but would update its interior and rebuild its A, B, C and D concourses.virginiamercury.com

Virginia localities are increasingly pumping the brakes on data center growth. Loudoun County is considering a pause on new applications, while Suffolk, Front Royal and Chesapeake are also weighing restrictions or temporary moratoriums. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/30/l...

Loudoun County, other Virginia localities consider hitting the brakes on data center development • Virginia MercurySupervisor presses board to pause review of data center applications amid comprehensive plan reviewvirginiamercury.com

Virginia has added thousands of Medicaid waiver slots for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but advocates say many young adults still face a "services cliff" when they age out of school, leaving families waiting for the support they need. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/30/v...

Virginia’s disability services gap persists despite progress, leaves young adults vulnerable • Virginia MercuryMedicaid waiver slots have increased in Virginia, expanding services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have lost school-based special education services. Even so,…virginiamercury.com

Virginia’s deep-blue #VA-08 has become a test of where the Democratic Party is heading. Four challengers say six-term Rep. Don Beyer represents an establishment that has been too passive against Trump. Tuesday’s primary could show whether voters agree. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/30/h...

How 8th Congressional District Democratic primary reflects party’s shifting identity and priorities • Virginia MercuryFour Democrats are vying to unseat six-term U.S. Rep. Don Beyer in a primary contest that analysts say could foreshadow how voters will react in this fall’s midterm election and future races.virginiamercury.com

A network of pro-data center advocacy groups backed by the Data Center Coalition is running nearly identical ad campaigns in Virginia and six other states as lawmakers and local communities debate the industry's impact on energy, water use and tax incentives. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/28/r...

Pro-data center industry group behind ad campaign in Oregon, Virginia, five other states • Virginia MercuryOregon Connects is one of several new nonprofits registered by the Data Center Coalition, an industry group backed by major tech companies.virginiamercury.com

Virginia is looking for a new company to develop and administer the state's SOL tests, launching the first competitive bidding process since 2005. The move is part of a broader effort to modernize student assessments after years of criticism over delays. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/29/v...

Va. education department seeks new student assessment vendor • Virginia MercuryThe Virginia Department of Education took the next step toward replacing its student assessment system, a move estimated to cost the commonwealth at least $30 million a year, after criticism over dela...virginiamercury.com

COMMENTARY: Virginia has strengthened protections for domestic violence survivors, but more needs to be done, Maria Riegger argues. She calls on lawmakers to address coercive control and study how other states have expanded legal protections for victims. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/28/i...

It’s time for Virginia lawmakers to expand protections for domestic violence victims • Virginia MercuryMassachusetts, New Jersey and other states have enacted legislation recognizing coercive control in family-law proceedings, offering Virginia legislators examples to study, writes guest columnist…virginiamercury.com

An independent review of the fatal shooting at Old Dominion University is calling for sweeping changes to campus safety, including stronger threat assessment, emergency response, communications and post-admission risk assessment. virginiamercury.com/briefs/indep...

Independent report calls for campus safety overhaul at Old Dominion University after fatal shooting • Virginia MercuryAn independent firm recommended Old Dominion University improve campus safety, threat assessment, emergency response, communications, and institutional processes in a report released Tuesday, after a ...virginiamercury.com

A Virginia railroad expert explains how scorching temperatures can cause rails to expand and buckle, why railroads slow trains during heat waves, and what investigators are looking at after Richmond's July derailment. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/28/d...

Does extreme heat cause train derailments? A Virginia railroad expert weighs in. • Virginia MercuryState has experienced at least 5 train derailments so far this year.virginiamercury.com

A Louisa County homeowner has sued Amazon, alleging construction of a nearby data center has left his well water brown, covered his property in dust, caused loud nighttime noise and vibrations, and damaged his home's foundation. Amazon disputes the claims. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/28/b...

Brown water, dust and loud noises: Louisa homeowner sues Amazon over data center construction • Virginia MercuryFrom the driveway of his Louisa home and business, Austin Newsome sees dozens of dump trucks barrel down Route 33 most days, hauling dirt and other debris. The road is stained rusty red from the soil…virginiamercury.com

A federal appeals court over the weekend denied the Trump administration’s request to resume a controversial plan forcing significant restrictions on vote-by-mail. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/27/r...

Trump administration sustains defeat on vote-by-mail order in federal appeals court • Virginia MercuryVirginia was among the 23 states brought the suit challenging the executive order.virginiamercury.com

Virginia business owner and White's Ferry co-owner Chuck Kuhn plans to turn over the service, property and assets to Montgomery County to aid the process of restarting the ferry service, which once helped 600-800 vehicles cross from Virginia to Maryland daily. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/27/v...

Va. co-owner's donation of White's Ferry paves way for Potomac River crossing's reopening • Virginia MercuryA Virginia-based ferry owner has donated his dormant transportation service that connects the commonwealth to Maryland, ending Virginia’s era of ownership in hopes of lifting the ferry suspension…virginiamercury.com

Policies put in place during President Trump’s second term contribute substantially to the declining availability of medical care in Virginia's rural communities — the same ones that are, by far, Trump’s strongest base of support, writes columnist Bob Lewis. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/27/r...

Rural Virginia has been kind to the GOP, yet Trump’s GOP allows rural healthcare to suffer • Virginia MercuryPolicies put in place during President Donald Trump’s second term contribute substantially to the declining availability of medical care in the rural communities of the commonwealth — the same…virginiamercury.com

“We want to make sure that everyone understands that we don’t want data centers in Goochland,” resident Cynthia Haas said outside Goochland High School, where developer Tract presented its plan to construct several data centers on 870 acres in the rural county. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/27/g...

Goochland residents rebuff data center developer Tract ahead of permit application • Virginia MercuryOn Thursday evening, dozens of Goochland residents donned red t-shirts and held signs that spelled out their displeasure with the idea of multiple data centers being built in the county’s technology…virginiamercury.com

Virginia's new wage transparency law requires employers to disclose salary ranges and bars them from asking about applicants' pay history. Lawmakers and experts say it provides more clarity for job hunters and helps employers keep salaries fair and competitive. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/27/v...

Virginia’s new pay transparency law changes the rules for job postings • Virginia MercuryVirginia job seekers now have a right to know what a position pays before applying online under a new state law aimed at giving workers more leverage in hiring and salary negotiations.  The new law,…virginiamercury.com

A federal judge in Virginia ruled Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not sufficiently justify restrictions imposed in 2023 on a drug used to terminate early pregnancies. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/24/r...

Federal judge in Virginia says certain abortion drug restrictions are unlawful • Virginia MercuryA federal judge in Virginia ruled Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not sufficiently justify restrictions imposed in 2023 on a drug used to terminate early pregnancies, adding…virginiamercury.com

COMMENTARY: Americans must recognize that our political differences are not inevitably divisive, because our futures are fundamentally connected. Politics are difficult, yes, but they do not need to be ugly. virginiamercury.com/2026/07/24/r...

‘E pluribus unum’ is not a slogan. It’s a choice. • Virginia MercuryLike two sides of a coin imprinted with the nation’s motto, “e pluribus unum” — out of many, one — America’s political factions are cast in opposition, but they are intrinsically bound together as…virginiamercury.com