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National Democrats tap Spanberger to respond to Trump’s State of Union
Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night, marking her arrival as a national party leader ... Spanberger, a three-term congresswoman from Henrico County, campaigned in part on the damage that she said Trump's policies had done to Virginians and the state's economy since his return to the White House last year. ... "For sure, party leaders see Spanberger as a potential national figure in the Democratic Party," said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
Virginia farmers worry legal weed market will leave them behind
Virginia’s legislature is on its way to legalizing a retail weed market across the state, years after it decriminalized the substance. But small business groups and Virginia farmers are sounding the alarm ahead of any bills’ final passage. Graham Redfern is with the Cannabis Small Business Association and runs his own farm and food shop in Caroline County in line with the existing, legal hemp market. He’d like to get into the marijuana business once a retail market is legalized, but he’s got concerns. With a November 1st, 2026, start date in the House, and a January 1st, 2027, in the Senate, Redfern said both offer a number of obstacles. “Cultivation requires significant investment and long lead times. Planting cycles cannot be accelerated to meet arbitrary, regulatory deadlines," Redfern said at a press conference at the Capitol Thursday.
Leibowitz: Paid family and medical leave would close the benefits gap for small businesses
As a Richmond-based small-business owner, I know firsthand that employers want to be able to offer competitive benefits to our employees — not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also so we can better attract and retain great workers. Yet, the cost of offering benefits like paid family and medical leave is often prohibitive to small-business employers like me. This is particularly problematic because of my unique situation, having an additional office in Washington, D.C., where those employees have access to up to 12 weeks — and in some cases, up to 14 weeks — of paid family and medical leave through D.C.’s program, while employees in my Richmond office can’t access similar benefits.
Bill to ensure lab test results are delivered with maximum ‘compassion and humanity’ clears House
Amanda Whatley told lawmakers in the House of Delegates this month that she learned her daughter was dying of leukemia through an app. She was advocating for House Bill 973 by Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, which she said could prevent others from sharing that pain. If the measure becomes law, it would require a 72-hour waiting period for test lab results relating to malignant cancers or genetic markers to be released as part of patients’ health records. The aim is to divulge sensitive health information as responsibly and compassionately as possible.
Del. Barry Knight, a retired hog farmer from Virginia Beach, dies at 71
Del. Barry Knight, a longtime Republican lawmaker who represented Virginia Beach in the House of Delegates since 2009, died Thursday. Knight, 71, had been battling health issues and had not attended the 2026 General Assembly session in Richmond. In 2024, Knight was diagnosed with kidney cancer, specifically renal cell carcinoma, which metastasized in his shoulder, he told The Virginian-Pilot in an interview last December.
Mehta: Feeding hungry minds is an investment in Virginia’s future
The one thing more expensive than education is ignorance. Without basic nutrition, children physically do not have the energy to grow and learn. That is why Virginia should help lead the nation in providing free breakfasts to striving learners across the commonwealth. In Virginia, no less an authority than Thomas Jefferson can be considered to be the founder of our public education system, designed to train future generations of Virginians to take full advantage of their rights and encourage them to become the best versions of themselves. This year, Sen. Danica Roem is sponsoring SB 4, which seeks to offer free breakfast to every student in Virginia’s public education system.
Yancey: GOP scores another court win on redistricting. Will this one force the Virginia Supreme Court to act faster?
For the second time in a little more than three weeks, a Tazewell County judge has issued a ruling that says the April 21 special election for proposed constitutional amendment to allow for the Democratic-controlled General Assembly to redraw congressional district lines is legally invalid. The first case resulted in a narrow ruling that only applied to Tazewell County. The latest ruling, handed down Thursday, is a more sweeping one that specifically tells state officials to stop “administering, preparing for, taking any action to further the procedure for the referendum or otherwise move forward with causing an election” on the grounds that the legislation behind the redistricting is full of legal problems.
Tazewell court again blocks Virginia redistricting vote after RNC sues
A Tazewell County Circuit Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking a special election in April that could redraw Virginia’s congressional districts, after the Republican National Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee filed a lawsuit Thursday. Tazewell County Circuit Court Chief Judge Jack Hurley ruled that an emergency injunction order sought by the plaintiffs would be in effect until March 18. He denied a motion from the defendants to transfer venue and a motion to stay the ruling while the Supreme Court of Virginia considers the appeal of an earlier lawsuit brought by Virginia Republican officials. The judge also denied a defense motion to stay the temporary restraining order pending appeal.
‘Right-to-work’ repeal died a quiet death
The charge that Democrats would repeal Virginia’s so-called “right-to-work” law was a centerpiece of last year’s Republican campaigning and their argument that their opponents were too radical for Virginia. Now, a repeal bill has died a quiet death in the General Assembly. Senate Bill 32, sponsored by state Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, never even got a hearing before the gatekeepers of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee. “I don’t think bills should die that way,” she said. ... Even as Spanberger repeatedly said on the campaign trail that she would not sign a repeal, then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin said electing Democrats would mean an end to the law and lead businesses to shun Virginia.
Virginia judge blocks Democrats’ referendum, a blow to redistricting effort over 4 U.S. House seats
A Virginia court on Thursday effectively blocked Democrats’ planned April voter referendum to redraw the state’s congressional maps, another potentially devastating blow to the party’s effort to pick up four more U.S. House seats in the national redistricting battle. Virginia Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones has already vowed to appeal the ruling by a Tazewell Circuit Court, which granted a temporary restraining order requested by the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. The plaintiffs argue that the ballot referendum’s timing and phrasing are illegal.