Conservation group Wild Virginia is suing the EPA, accusing the agency of approving Virginia’s water quality report without protecting rivers and streams from PFAS “forever chemicals” and violating the Clean Water Act. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/24/c...

Newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents include several references to President Donald Trump, according to court records unsealed this week. The files do not allege criminal wrongdoing, but renew scrutiny over Epstein’s ties to powerful figures. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/23/r...

Virginia helped pioneer IVF — now the state must lead again on expanding access and coverage for family-building care, says Elizabeth Carr, the nation’s first IVF baby. Urgent action from lawmakers can make fertility care equitable for all Virginians. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/23/v...

NEW: Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger names Del. Mark Sickles as secretary of finance and Traci Deshazor as secretary of administration, adding two senior cabinet members and setting up another special election in Fairfax County. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/23/a...

The Trump admin has paused Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project over national security concerns, ordering a 90-day review even as construction was ramping up. Dominion warns the delay could threaten grid reliability and raise costs for ratepayers. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/23/d...

The U.S. Justice Department has sent a confidential draft agreement to more than a dozen states that would require election officials to remove voters flagged as potentially ineligible after a federal review of voter rolls. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/22/r...

Remembering William “Billy” Flora, a free Black Virginian and Revolutionary War patriot whose courage at the Battle of Great Bridge helped shape Virginia’s fight for independence. An overlooked American story worth knowing, per Tom Ewing. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/22/r...

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger tapped retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams as Va.’s next secretary of veterans and defense affairs. A former adjutant general, he led the Va. National Guard through the COVID-19 response and other high-tempo missions. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/22/s...

Federal support for programs that help Virginia’s minority- and women-owned transportation businesses is in jeopardy — raising concerns from owners who say the funding boosts jobs and equity. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/22/f...

The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors on Friday chose Scott Beardsley as the institution’s 10th president, despite calls from lawmakers, UVA faculty and community organizations and Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger to suspend the months-long search. virginiamercury.com/briefs/unive...

COMMENTARY: The cost of human suffering by those forced into bankruptcy due to illness or who forego treatment because they can't afford to pay is hard to calculate. What's certain: the increased cost will devastate people of all political persuasions. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/19/r...

Thursday, incoming governor Spanberger laid out policy plans aimed at expanding battery storage to boost solar energy's availability, making energy efficiency and home weatherization methods more accessible and reducing the need for new power transmission lines. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/19/g...

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger on Thursday rolled out her “Affordable Virginia Agenda,” outlining a slate of legislative proposals aimed at lowering health care, energy and housing costs as lawmakers prepare for the upcoming General Assembly session. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/18/s...

In a prime time address to the nation Wednesday night, Trump announced he will send a $1,776 “warrior dividend” to every U.S. servicemember. The amount is in honor of the year of the country’s founding, Trump said, adding that checks are “already on the way.”

COMMENTARY: Civil rights icon Barbara Johns now represents Virginia in the U.S. Capitol, replacing a Robert E. Lee statue. Virginia students galvanized the change, writes guest columnist and former state Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Matt Stickler. virginiamercury.com/briefs/why-b...

NEW: Outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin rolled out his final 2-year budget Wednesday, pitching pay raises for teachers and state workers, $730M in tax relief and a $50M child welfare overhaul.  He also warned Democrats not to undo his pro-business policies.  virginiamercury.com/2025/12/17/y...

Officials say a proposed change to Virginia’s water intake guidelines will bring the commonwealth in line with other states. Researchers and conservationists say it will likely harm already-vulnerable wildlife like river herring, American shad, and striped bass. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/17/v...

Virginia Congresswoman Jen Kiggans' sustained support for the Trump administration's aggressive campaign to curb government spending while slashing federal jobs may put her in a precarious position with voters, political analysts and Democrats say. Here's why: virginiamercury.com/2025/12/17/m...

NEW: Rep. Jen Kiggans backed DOGE from day one. Now Elon Musk says the program was only “somewhat successful” and he wouldn’t do it again — complicating her reelection bid in one of the nation’s most competitive House districts. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/17/m...

Virginia’s recently published enrollment data indicates that state schools will need about $1.2 billion over the next two years. via @virginiamercury.com

Virginia regulators are weighing whether to allow broader use of on-site diesel generators at data centers — a move critics warn could worsen air pollution as the industry continues to rapidly expand across the state. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/16/v...

The Virginia Department of Education projects schools will need about $1.2 billion over the next two years for building repairs, construction and modernization — underscoring growing pressure on lawmakers to address aging school infrastructure. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/16/v...

Loudoun County residents are taking their fight against a proposed high-voltage power line for Data Center Alley to the State Corporation Commission, warning it would cut through neighborhoods and harm quality of life. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/16/l...

A decade ago, Virginia Republicans pushed an aggressive redistricting plan that ultimately collapsed. That ill-fated effort is now serving as a cautionary — and instructive — backdrop as Democrats consider a possible redistricting redo heading into 2026. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/15/i...

Charlie Schmidt, a former ACLU attorney, won the Democratic nomination for the Jan. 6 special election in House District 77, defeating former Richmond City Council President Michelle Mosby 639–488, with Gregory Powers also in the race. virginiamercury.com/briefs/forme...

The Virginia Department of Transportation has proposed a $700 million plan to potentially develop a multi-use trail and restore a deteriorated rail corridor in the Shenandoah Valley. But some transit leaders and a lawmaker representing the area aren't on board. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/15/v...

Virginia Democratic U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, with nearly two dozen of their colleagues, penned a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging the agency to “prioritize” a vaccine strategy for the highly pathogenic avian influenza. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/12/r...

House Speaker Don Scott scheduled special elections for Jan. 13 in House Districts 11 and 23, after two veteran Democratic delegates resigned to take new roles in Gov.-elect Spanberger’s cabinet. There's also a special election for House District 77's seat Jan. 6. virginiamercury.com/briefs/more-...

“What we found is, these areas that have solar development happening tend to produce runoff more quickly,” said Ryan Stewart, associate professor at Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Other details from the preliminary study: virginiamercury.com/2025/12/12/l...

“What we found is, these areas that have solar development happening tend to produce runoff more quickly,” said Ryan Stewart, associate professor at Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Other details from the preliminary study: virginiamercury.com/2025/12/12/l...

More than half of Virginia’s schools are exceeding or meeting the state’s academic expectations and made gains in achievement, graduation rates, growth and readiness over the last year, according to data the Virginia Department of Education released Wednesday. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/12/m...

Addressing Virginia journalists Thursday, Gov.-elect Spanberger said she supports tweaking the Virginia Clean Economy Act to expand battery storage that allows solar power to be dispatched hours after it is collected. virginiamercury.com/briefs/at-va...

Virginia Tech will lead a new $8.8M research effort to study the lasting environmental impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southern Appalachians, focusing on watersheds, forest and aquatic ecosystems and future disaster resilience. virginiamercury.com/briefs/virgi...

Despite a 2024 law meant to curb their use, patrol dogs continue attacking people in Virginia prisons — biting inmates, staff and visitors in at least 33 incidents since July 2024. Advocates now urge a full ban as critics say the dogs cause lasting harm. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/11/d...

NEW: Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger has tapped veteran environmental lawmaker Del. David Bulova to serve as Virginia’s next Secretary of Natural & Historic Resources. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/11/v...

U.S. House Republicans promise a vote aimed at lowering health-care premiums — but few concrete details have been released so far. Premium relief may be coming, but what it might actually look like remains unclear. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/10/r...

Nick Donohue was tapped to become the next secretary of transportation in Virginia. via @virginiamercury.com

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger has appointed Del. Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William, as Virginia’s next secretary of the commonwealth. Mundon King, a leading voice on maternal health, reproductive rights and utility oversight, said she’s “deeply honored.” virginiamercury.com/2025/12/10/s...

The GOP’s new Senate health-care plan would ditch the enhanced marketplace subsidies under the ACA — leaving millions likely facing steep premium hikes. Instead, it funnels a small amount into Health Savings Accounts. Neither plan has the 60 votes to pass. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/10/r...

U.S. Department of Justice says Loudoun County Public Schools risks losing federal funding after suspending two Christian students under its transgender-access policy following a locker-room incident. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/10/d...

Speaker Don Scott has set a Jan. 6 special election in HD77 after Del. Mike Jones resigned to run for the open SD15 seat. At least 2 Dems — former Richmond councilor Michelle Mosby and attorney Charlie Schmidt — will face off in a firehouse primary. virginiamercury.com/briefs/speci...

NEW: Former Congressman Tom Perriello is running for Congress again, launching a Democratic bid in #VA5 to challenge GOP Rep. John McGuire. Perriello says “this is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” blasting tariffs, rising costs of living. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/09/p...

Meet Katie Choe — the new CEO of Virginia Railway Express (VRE), set to start Jan 20, 2026. She’s stepping in as the commuter-rail service shifts into a new phase of growth and modernization. virginiamercury.com/briefs/katie...

Va. Democrats are reviving clean-energy bills now that Spanberger is preparing to take office. Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy has re-introduced a bill allowing solar canopies over parking lots — and another to build up the offshore-wind workforce through training. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/09/d...

Va. lawmakers are sounding the alarm over two proposed pipeline expansions in Southwest VA — the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate and the Transco pipeline — urging regulators to require a full Environmental Impact Statement before allowing either to proceed. virginiamercury.com/briefs/dueli...

Virginia hemp businesses face uncertainty after Congress slipped a ban on most hemp-derived THC products into a stopgap spending bill — putting ventures like Richmond-based Bingo Beer, which launched THC seltzers this year, in a bind. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/08/v...

Del. Mike Jones won Sunday’s Democratic firehouse primary for the Jan. 6 SD-15 special election to replace Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi. He’ll face Republican John Thomas in the deep-blue Richmond/Chesterfield district. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/08/j...

GMU's Board of Visitors executive committee met and voted with only 6 members present, well below the required quorum. The board’s rector defends the move, saying the committee is authorized to act when the full board can’t meet. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/08/g...

George Mason University officials said Thursday that no settlement agreement has been proposed with the federal government as it navigates four civil rights investigations. via @virginiamercury.com

In this month's FOIA Friday: the locations of hundreds of Flock cameras in Hampton Roads revealed; Martinsville fulfills a FOIA, with heavy redactions; and how a state senator’s FOIA shed more light on on former UVA president’s departure. virginiamercury.com/2025/12/05/f...