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Governor Approves Conditional Budget for Medicaid Expansion
Vote-swapping operation traded transportation votes for Medicaid money.
Half a million uninsured Virginians may be eligible for Medicaid under an agreement now being worked out in Richmond — a deal in which Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell agreed to include Medicaid expansion as part of the budget if Senate Democrats supported a transportation package.
How Will West Rosslyn Be Won?
Neighborhood finds itself at center of conflicting interests.
Neighbors want open space. A developer wants density. Arlington County wants a new fire station. School officials want a new facility. And nonprofit leaders want affordable housing. And all this will happen on about six acres of highly prized land hugging the western edge of Rosslyn, an increasingly urban part of the county that some have taken to calling "Manhattan on the Potomac."
Virginia Laws Help Local Governments Conceal 911 Calls from Public
Police agencies refuse to release audio from 911 calls, prompting questions about transparency.
When city officials in Alexandria released the audio of a 911 call in a high-profile murder case, many people interpreted the move as a step forward for transparency in a commonwealth known for opaque government.
Week in Alexandria
This election year will be like none other in the city’s long history, as the City Council election will take place in November for the first time. It will also feature a special election to fill a vacant seat in the House of Representatives in which a City Council member will be on the ballot.
Lightning Campaign Pits Longtime Elected Official Against Progressive Newcomer
Democrats to determine special election candidate this weekend.
This week, Democrats will determine their candidate in a special election blitz campaign that offers little time for voters to learn much about their options.
Known and Unknown: What Would Candidates Do In Richmond If Elected?
Two candidates in special election say they don't know what bills they would introduce next year.
Voters in next week’s special election will be faced with a choice between the familiar and the unknown in the Sept. 4 special election.
Piloting Food Trucks
Most of controversial food truck proposal placed on back burner.
The food truck craze is coming to a city park or a farmer's market near you, part of a 16-month pilot program that will allow the mobile vendors to set up shop and see what happens. City Council members approved the pilot program in a four-to-two vote with Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg and Councilman Paul Smedberg voting no. Disgruntled restaurant owners across the city are talking about creating a new association specifically to fight expanding the program to hot spots in Old Town and Del Ray, a move city officials have been pushing for more than a year. The pilot is scheduled to begin in July and run through October 2015.
Changing Climate In Richmond
THE GOVERNOR announced the new commission Tuesday in Virginia Beach on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, where the governor signed Executive Order 19, convening the Governor’s Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission.
More Educated, Better Paid
Foreign-born population attracted by government contracting and tech jobs.
Virginia’s foreign-born population is more educated and better paid, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. The Richmond-based think tank points out more than 40 percent of immigrants in Virginia have a bachelor’s degree or higher. That’s a significantly higher level of education than the United States as a whole, and it’s even a bit higher than native-born Virginians.
Demand Curve in Alexandria
Labor shortage and housing shortfall lead to affordability crisis.
The number of jobs in the region is on the rise, a trend that will only be exacerbated when Amazon brings 25,000 new jobs to town. Meanwhile, unemployment in Alexandria is at about 2 percent, so low that it’s essentially full employment.
Where is Lenny Harris?
Prominent civic activist has been missing since last week.
Lenny Harris was last seen at a place that was close to his heart, the Charles Houston Recreation Center.
Week in Alexandria
What happens to members of city boards and commissions who get sued by the city government? It’s an awkward question, one that Alexandria now faces in the Alexandria Circuit Court.
Arlington County Schools Increasingly Crowded as Enrollment Spikes
Two new elementary school planned; more changes on the horizon.
School leaders in Arlington are struggling to accommodate about 1,000 new students in the coming school year, a crunch that's sending school officials scrambling for teachers, assistants, administrators, equipment and relocatable classrooms.
Federal Money for Streetcars Derailed; Arlington Leaders Vow to Press Ahead Anyway
Critics call for independent cost-benefit analysis; county manager refuses to answer questions.
Plans for Arlington officials to receive federal money for a proposed $250 million streetcar line have been derailed, although county leaders say they are pressing ahead anyway.
In Session
Although he hasn’t been reading them while driving, state Sen. George Barker (D-39) has been receiving a flood of emails about distracted driving.
14 Candidates Seek Six Seats in Historic Democratic Primary
Voters to determine if they like recent direction of city or not.
Are voters pleased with the direction of the city? Or are they looking for a new set of leaders? That will be the central question for the Democratic primary on June 12, when voters will select six candidates that will appear as the party’s slate for City Council in the November election.
City Council Approves Massive Development over Bitter Opposition
Beauregard boom may be felt at the ballot box in the Democratic primary.
Once again, members of the Alexandria City Council cast aside hours of bitter opposition to support a controversial plan.
Uranium Money Spreads Across Virginia in Radioactive Debate
Upcoming General Assembly session to feature effort to lift ban on uranium mining.
The uranium deposits under the farmlands of Pittsylvania County are miles away from Northern Virginia, but the debate about what happens there is shaping up to be one of the hottest issues of the upcoming General Assembly session.