ARLINGTON, VA — Students in Aspire’s no-cost summer program have formed a rock band (The Jackson Nine). On Sunday, July 26th, they will be performing at the Arlington Mill Community Center (909 S Dinwiddie St, Arlington, VA 22204) from 4:00-6:00pm. They will be set up in the courtyard of the community center. Community members are invited to attend to show their support.
“Aspire students have a vested interest in making sure we can continue providing our daily holistic academic afterschool and full-day summer program. They want Aspire to grow so their friends can also have access to a program that means so much to them, bridges the learning gap, gives them a safe place, and where they plant the seeds where their future dreams grow. They came together to find ways to support Aspire and their community. This music festival is a testament to their leadership, generosity, and the critical role Aspire plays in their lives,” said Paula Fynboh, Aspire’s CEO, and a national Afterschool Ambassador with the Afterschool Alliance.
July 15, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued the following statement announcing his intent to vote for an amendment offered by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to H.R. 8595, the FY27 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act that would cut U.S. assistance to Israel, primarily through reducing Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to Israel by $3.3 billion:
“It is past time for our nation to fundamentally reevaluate its security relationship with the state of Israel.
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced that after accounting for June, the full fiscal year surplus has amounted to $936.3 million. The recently adopted biennium budget incorporates $585.5 million of this surplus in Fiscal Year 2027 starting balances. General fund revenues grew $2.09 billion — or 6.7 percent — year-over-year. Growth was driven by strong individual income tax and strong sales tax receipts. Revenue figures are based on July 9 preliminary accounting reports.
“The Commonwealth has made clear our continued commitment to sound budgeting,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “I am proud of our bipartisan work to produce a balanced budget that delivers on shared priorities. Virginia’s adopted budget makes critical investments in education, healthcare, and public safety while setting aside revenue to protect our Commonwealth from the uncertainty coming out of Washington. I look forward to continuing to partner with the General Assembly to provide stability for businesses, families, and communities across Virginia.”
FAIRFAX, ARLINGTON, & ALEXANDRIA, VA: On “Measurement Day” — July 16, 2026 — more than 30 teams of citizen scientists will measure temperature and humidity variations along 30 routes in Fairfax and Arlington counties, and Alexandria as part of the “Urban Heat Island Mapping Project.”
Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the United States. In an urban environment, temperatures can vary drastically between adjacent neighborhoods due to dark, heat-absorbing surfaces and a lack of tree canopy.
July 10, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the Modernizing Aeronautical Standards Act to study our current aeronautical standards to ensure aircraft are designed to meet present day operating conditions.
“The United States Standard Atmosphere is a foundational tool across American aviation, informing everything from aircraft design to runway performance and flight operations,” said Congressman Beyer. “However, this standard has not been comprehensively reevaluated in nearly 50 years. It is past overdue to reevaluate whether we need to update this standard to ensure that our aircrafts are built for today’s airspace conditions.”
ARLINGTON, Va. (July 8, 2026) — Berkadia, a distinguished leader in the commercial real estate sector, announced today the sale of The Commodore, a 423-unit luxury multifamily community with 18,461 square feet of ground-floor retail located in Arlington, Virginia’s highly sought-after Court House neighborhood.
Senior Managing Director Brian Crivella, Managing Directors Yalda Ghamarian and Bill Gribbin and Associate Director Jack Canepa of Berkadia DC Metro arranged the sale on behalf of the seller, Charleston, South Carolina-based Greystar Real Estate Partners. GID acquired the property in a transaction that closed on June 30, 2026.
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today signed a package of legislation — including bipartisan bills from her Affordable Virginia Agenda — to address high energy costs for Virginians, meet rising energy demand across the Commonwealth, and take steps to make sure data centers do not drive up costs for families.
In Richmond, Governor Spanberger signed legislation into law to lower peak prices for Virginians by setting goals to increase energy storage and reduce heating and energy costs for families who need it most. The Governor also signed legislation to protect Virginia ratepayers from shouldering the cost of new energy infrastructure investments by data centers and other high load energy customers. Earlier this week, Governor Spanberger and the General Assembly finalized a first-of-its-kind statewide energy consumption tax on data centers in Virginia’s biennium budget.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, applauds today’s Senate passage of the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act, the most comprehensive legislative housing package in decades. This landmark legislation will build more homes, bring down home purchasing and renting costs, preserve affordable housing in rural areas, help reduce homelessness, and address the rising share of housing owned by large corporate investors. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives.
“The housing affordability crisis is real and prevalent throughout the country,” said Sen. Warner. “This landmark legislation will boost the housing supply, bring down costs, and protect renters, veterans, and rural Virginians. I encourage my colleagues in the House to quickly pass this bipartisan housing package and deliver some real relief to Americans across the country.”
RICHMOND, VA — In response to the historic drought conditions creating challenges for communities and farmers across Virginia, Governor Spanberger today — in coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force — encouraged Virginians to take voluntary, commonsense steps to conserve water use. Despite much of the state receiving recent beneficial rain, a significant lack of precipitation has resulted in Virginia recording its driest period since 1941. Precipitation totals are approximately eight inches below average across much of the Commonwealth.
“All Virginians can play a role in protecting our water supply during this historic dry period,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “As communities across the Commonwealth — particularly in Southside and Central Virginia — continue to be impacted by these conditions, it is important that we take commonsense steps to meet this challenge. I’m grateful to Virginians for doing their part, and my office will continue to remain in close coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force as we focus on safeguarding our water supply.”
FAIRFAX, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today signed landmark legislation to protect reproductive freedoms, reaffirm the right to access contraception in Virginia, and make sure more women can access critical reproductive healthcare.
At the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial — marking where suffragists were held during the Silent Sentinels demonstrations, Governor Spanberger signed the Right to Contraception Act — Senate Bill 596 and House Bill 6 — into law to guarantee the right of Virginia women to access and use birth control. The Governor also signed the Contraception Equity Act — Senate Bill 361 and House Bill 1182 — to make sure health insurance plans cover contraception, including over-the-counter medication.
The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance Applauds Policy Leaders for Strengthening Survivor Safety Across Commonwealth
With New Laws, Virginia Joins the Majority of States in Keeping Firearms Away from Domestic Abusers
RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger yesterday signed bipartisan legislation creating Virginia’s first State Internship Coordinator — a new role within her Administration focused on strengthening state internship programs and expanding internship opportunities in government agencies to more Virginia students in every corner of the Commonwealth.
In Richmond, the Governor was joined by student interns from across state agencies and the 2026 Governor’s Fellows to sign Senate Bill 286 and House Bill 54 — patroned by Senator Lashrecse Aird and Delegate Rip Sullivan — and highlight her continued focus on making sure every Virginian entering the workforce has the opportunity to find a stable, successful career.
