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Virginia Mercury

@virginiamercury.com

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An independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news source covering Virginia government and policy.

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Markus Schmidt @mschmidtrva.bsky.social · 8h

After months of polarized campaigning, Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears clash in their only 2025 Va. governor’s debate at Norfolk State.

The tone of political speech — and the Jay Jones scandal — took center stage. #VAGov

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/09/s...

Spanberger, Earle-Sears clash over violence, abortion, and taxes in lone Va. governor’s debate • Virginia Mercury

After months of deeply polarized campaigning, the tone of political speech and the fallout from the recent controversy over Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones dominated Virginia’s only gube...

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States Newsroom @statesnewsroom.com · 17h

Virginia Senate Democrats warned there would be significant consequences in future budget cycles for the University of Virginia if the school’s leadership accepts a proposed funding agreement with President Trump’s administration.

via @virginiamercury.com

Va. Senate Dems call Trump admin’s UVA funding proposal ‘political extortion’

Virginia Senate Democrats warned there would be significant consequences in future budget cycles for the University of Virginia if the school’s leadership accepts a proposed funding agreement with…

www.newsfromthestates.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 16h

AstraZeneca will invest $4.5B to build two manufacturing facilities in Albemarle County, creating 600 high-paying jobs and marking the largest manufacturing investment in the company’s history.

The plants will produce therapies for chronic disease and cancer.

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/09/a...

AstraZeneca to build $4.5 billion manufacturing hub in Albemarle County • Virginia Mercury

Global medicine and research corporation AstraZeneca plans to invest $4.5 billion to build two major manufacturing facilities in Albemarle County, establishing a new cornerstone of the company’s U.S. ...

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 17h

Virginia ranks #4 in the U.S. for total student loan debt — with Virginians holding nearly $45 billion in federal student loans against an average of $40,000+ per borrower. 📚

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/09/v...

Virginia is No. 4 in student loan debt • Virginia Mercury

Debt-burdened Virginians in limbo with new payment plans, government shutdown

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Pennsylvania Capital-Star @penncapital-star.com · 19h

Nine institutions were asked to join the compact, including the University of Pennsylvania.

From @virginiamercury.com

Va. Senate Dems call Trump's UVA funding proposal 'political extortion.' One Pa. school is on the administration's list • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Virginia Senate Democrats warned there would be significant consequences in future budget cycles for the University of Virginia if the school’s leadership accepts a proposed funding agreement with Pre...

penncapital-star.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 19h

Virginia Senate Democrats blasted the Trump administration’s proposal to tie UVA funding to its handling of campus protests, calling it “political extortion.”

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/09/v...

Va. Senate Dems call Trump admin's UVA funding proposal 'political extortion' • Virginia Mercury

Virginia Senate Democrats warned there would be significant consequences in future budget cycles for the University of Virginia if the school’s leadership accepts a proposed funding agreement with Pre...

virginiamercury.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 22h

Control of Virginia’s House of Delegates could hinge on #HD97 — a Virginia Beach swing district where Del. Michael Feggans, the Democratic incumbent, faces Republican Tim Anderson in one of 2025’s most competitive races. 🗳️

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/09/h...

House District 97, anchored in Virginia Beach, could determine party majority in House of Delegates • Virginia Mercury

Democratic incumbent Michael Feggens is facing off against Republican former Del. Tim Anderson in the highly competitive contest.

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 1d

Congress has a week to break the stalemate and fund the government before active duty military members miss their first paycheck of the shutdown. On Wednesday, the Senate failed to pass Republicans’ short-term government funding bill for the sixth time. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/08/r...

Shutdown day eight: Congress standoff unchanged as first missed federal payday nears • Virginia Mercury

WASHINGTON — Congress has just one week to break the stalemate and fund the government before active duty military members miss their first paycheck of the shutdown. That would be followed later in…

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 1d

Barbara Kingsolver opened the facility in Pennington Gap, Virginia in January with royalties from her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Demon Copperhead." The center offers support, stability and a reentry point in a region devastated by painkiller addiction. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/08/d...

‘Demon Copperhead’ author, Virginian lays foundation for women in Appalachia to beat addiction • Virginia Mercury

Barbara Kingsolver opened the Pennington Gap, Virginia facility in January with royalties from her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Demon Copperhead,” whose plot revolves around Appalachia’s opioid cris...

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 1d

Most school board members in Virginia and across the country have a higher level of optimism about their school districts than the public, reflecting a key public education disconnect, according to a study published by the Fordham Institute on Wednesday.

Study: Most school boards give their districts 'A' or 'B' but the public doesn’t rate them so highly • Virginia Mercury

Most school board members in Virginia and across the country have a higher level of optimism about their school districts than the public, reflecting a key public education disconnect, according to a…

virginiamercury.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 1d

Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears didn't respond to questions about a pattern of omissions and inconsistencies in her financial disclosures, like a $12,000 “gift” over the state’s legal limit and undisclosed trips funded by outside groups. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/08/f...

Financial disclosure gaps, questionable gifts cloud Earle-Sears’ bid for governor • Virginia Mercury

Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears built her political brand on transparency and accountability. But a closer look at her public filings reveals a pattern of omissions and…

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States Newsroom @statesnewsroom.com · 2d

Virginia’s Maternal Mortality Review Team will continue its operations until August of next year.

via @virginiamercury.com

After federal funding cuts, Va. maternal mortality data collection to continue until next August

Virginia’s Maternal Mortality Review Team will continue its operations until August of next year. The future of the team, however, will depend on future congressional action and Virginia’s…

www.newsfromthestates.com

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Markus Schmidt @mschmidtrva.bsky.social · 2d

Virginia’s joint cannabis commission heard starkly different visions for launching retail sales — from fixing medical labeling gaps to tackling illicit products and preventing corporate capture.

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/07/v...

Virginia cannabis panel weighs retail roadmap against safety, access and equity concerns • Virginia Mercury

Virginia’s bipartisan Joint Commission to Oversee Transition of the Commonwealth into a Retail Cannabis Market spent Monday afternoon plowing through several dense presentations that, taken together, ...

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 2d

Commentary: Did Democratic AG candidate Jay Jones really think his vile texts to a GOP delegate would stay private?

Many are calling for him to drop out — but columnist Bob Lewis says the decision should rest with voters.

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/07/d...

Did Jones really imagine that his malignant texts to a GOP delegate would remain confidential? • Virginia Mercury

Unless you’ve been in a coma or a cave since Friday morning, you probably know about the bloody fantasy that Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for state attorney general, shared in 2022 with a Republi...

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 2d

Virginia’s efforts to track and prevent maternal deaths aren’t over yet — for now.

The state’s Maternal Mortality Review Team will keep collecting data through August 2026, despite recent federal funding cuts to the ERASE MM program.

virginiamercury.com/briefs/after...

After federal funding cuts, Va. maternal mortality data collection to continue until next August • Virginia Mercury

Virginia’s review team fits into the slate of recent state efforts to improve maternal health...Black pregnancy-related deaths nearly doubled that of white women.

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 3d

The state with the most data centers is struggling to enact laws to protect electric customers and limit the energy and environmental impacts of their explosive growth. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/06/v...

Va. could show how to manage data center growth. So far, it’s a case study in stalling legislation • Virginia Mercury

The state with the most data centers is struggling to enact laws to protect electric customers and limit the energy and environmental impacts of their explosive growth.

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 3d

Three Virginia school divisions charged with misusing federal funds intended for students with disabilities have made nearly $30 million in total repayments but one system, Essex County Public Schools, is disputing the charge. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/06/v...

Va. school divisions repay nearly $30 million in misused special ed funds; one division disputes • Virginia Mercury

Three school divisions charged with misusing federal funds intended for students with disabilities have made nearly $30 million in total repayments, according to the state Department of Education,…

virginiamercury.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 3d

Democrat Jessica Anderson and Republican Del. Amanda Batten are reprising one of Virginia’s closest 2023 contests, in a swing district spanning Williamsburg, James City and New Kent counties. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/06/g...

Growth, tourism and turnout collide in House District 71 rematch • Virginia Mercury

In Virginia’s House District 71, Democrat Jessica Anderson and Republican Del. Amanda Batten are back for a rematch that was decided by just 667 votes in 2023. With control of the House in play, the…

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Markus Schmidt @mschmidtrva.bsky.social · 4d

🚨Virginia AG race rocked by scandal: Democrat Jay Jones admits sending 2022 texts fantasizing about shooting ex-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and apologizes for his “grave mistake.”

Republicans — from Trump to Youngkin — call for him to drop out.

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/05/b...

‘Beyond disqualifying’: Jay Jones controversy jolts Virginia’s pivotal 2025 elections • Virginia Mercury

What began as a quiet October Friday in Virginia politics erupted into a full-blown national scandal when screenshots of private, three-year old text messages showing Democratic attorney general nomin...

virginiamercury.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 6d

In this month's FOIA Friday: FOIA data exposes soaring ICE arrests in Virginia; a push for a FOIA library sparks debate at Richmond City Hall; and protesters' exclusion from a UVA board meeting raises FOIA concerns: virginiamercury.com/2025/10/03/f...

FOIA Friday: Records reveal surge in ICE arrests across Virginia • Virginia Mercury

Records reveal surge in ICE arrests across Virginia

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Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 6d

COMMENTARY: The timing of this crisis adds more difficulty for Earle-Sears and her ticketmates by forcing the GOP to do damage control on the fly while the shutdown worsens economic chaos through weeks of early voting, writes columnist Bob Lewis. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/02/e...

Earle-Sears didn’t cause the shutdown, but she and the GOP will likely bear most of the blame for it • Virginia Mercury

The timing of this crisis adds more difficulty for Earle-Sears and her ticketmates by forcing the GOP to do damage control on the fly while the shutdown worsens economic chaos through weeks of early…

virginiamercury.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 6d

As the nation navigates the federal government shutdown, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office predicts no impact on most state employees and no immediate interruption to services such as SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid. Other potential affects are under review. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/02/v...

Virginia officials assessing how federal shutdown will impact some state employees • Virginia Mercury

Officials predict no impact on most state employees, no immediate interruption to services such as SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid

virginiamercury.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 6d

Wondering what’s open, what’s closed and what might be delayed during the government shutdown? States Newsroom’s Washington, D.C. Bureau scoured agency plans published by the Trump administration and the courts; this guide will help you understand what’s going on. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/03/r...

How the federal shutdown is playing out across the government • Virginia Mercury

WASHINGTON — The first federal government shutdown in seven years has left hundreds of thousands of workers furloughed and members of the public struggling to understand what’s open, what’s closed…

virginiamercury.com

Virginia Mercury @virginiamercury.com · 6d

HCA Virginia will open three emergency rooms in the city of Richmond and in the counties of Chesterfield and Loudoun. It's an effort o expand health care access in areas of rapid growth. virginiamercury.com/2025/10/03/h...

HCA Virginia to open freestanding emergency rooms in Richmond, Chesterfield and Loudoun next year • Virginia Mercury

The forthcoming facilities are in development at a time when some health systems are bracing for federal funding changes and expected drops in Medicaid patients stemming from a reconciliation bill…

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Markus Schmidt @mschmidtrva.bsky.social · 7d

The ACLU of Virginia has filed a class-action lawsuit accusing ICE of unlawfully jailing immigrant minors who’ve already won legal protections.

The suit says kids with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status are being “warehoused” in VA detention centers.

virginiamercury.com/2025/10/02/a...

ACLU of Virginia sues ICE over detention of immigrant children with legal protections • Virginia Mercury

The ACLU of Virginia has filed a class action lawsuit accusing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of unlawfully detaining young people in the commonwealth who already have, or are in the p...

virginiamercury.com