state government | ARLnow.com

Ghazala Hashmi wins Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor

Published June 18, 2025 at 4:05PM

FILE - Virginia State Sen-elect, Ghazala Hashmi speaks to supporters at a Democratic victory party in Richmond, Va., Nov. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The candidates for Virginia’s lieutenant governor are set to make history after Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the Democratic nomination for the position on Wednesday.

Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated to appear on the ballot for a Virginia statewide office. She defeated five other candidates, including Democrat Levar Stoney by less than a percentage point, to secure the nomination in a razor-thin primary race. Stoney congratulated Hashmi on Wednesday in a concession statement.

News

Virginia Democrats round out ticket as Jones wins AG primary

By The Associated Press

Published June 18, 2025 at 8:30AM

A polling place at the Lubber Run Community Center, during the Democratic primary on June 17, 2025 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Del. Jay Jones will look to be the face of legal resistance to President Donald Trump in Virginia after winning Tuesday’s closely watched Democratic state primary for attorney general.

Schools

Local LGBTQ+ advocates challenge state policy on reporting students’ genders

By Scott McCaffrey

Published June 16, 2025 at 10:00AM

Arlington is nonbinary button (photo courtesy D. Taylor Reich)

An advocacy group is calling on Arlington school officials to push back on a new state policy on reporting students as either male or female.

On May 12, the Virginia Department of Education’s policy on records collection removed an option to designate some students as “other” rather than male or female.

News

Democrats squaring off in Virginia primaries say one name a lot: Trump

By The Associated Press

Published June 16, 2025 at 9:15AM

Voting underway at Walter Reed Community Center in June 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Two Virginia Democrats are battling Tuesday to be their party’s nominee for attorney general. Yet, the name mentioned most in their campaigns is not that of their opponent, but rather a man who lives just over the Arlington Memorial Bridge: President Donald Trump.

News

Affordable housing panel warns of limits to its own impact

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 23, 2025 at 8:30AM | Updated May 23, 2025 at 2:41PM

A rendering of additional affordable housing at 1900 S. Eads Street (via Arlington County)

Changes to Arlington County’s affordable housing regulations might bring some improvements, but they’re unlikely to solve larger affordability issues, people studying the topic say.

“Tempering expectations is really important,” said Bryan Coleman, who chairs a working group set up by Arlington’s Housing Commission to study potential changes in the county’s Affordable Housing Ordinance.

News

Youngkin cuts $900 million from amended Virginia budget ahead of economic uncertainty

By The Associated Press

Published May 5, 2025 at 1:45PM

FILE - Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin gestures as he delivers his annual State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the state Capitol, Jan. 13, 2025, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on Friday that he would trim Virginia’s budget by $900 million in light of next year’s tax revenue projections, which could decrease as the White House’s reshaping of federal spending spurs economic uncertainty in the state.

News

Impending REAL ID deadline brings surge of customers at Arlington DMV sites

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 25, 2025 at 9:00AM

REAL ID countdown clock at Reagan National Airport (courtesy MWAA)

Customers are flocking to Department of Motor Vehicles locations across the country, including in Arlington, as a deadline to get REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses approaches.

Arlington’s two service centers were recently singled out by DMV officials as areas where customer traffic had increased significantly in the run-up to the May 7 deadline changing access rules for airline flights and government buildings.

Schools

Potential cuts to special education funding could add more difficulties for APS budget

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 22, 2025 at 9:00AM

APS director of secondary special education Kenneth Brown (screenshot via APS)

Possible reductions in federal funds for special education could put more stresses on Arlington Public Schools’ budget proposal.

“There are questions, concerns, uncertainties” about the Trump administration’s plans for special education funds, said Kenneth Brown, the school system’s director of secondary-level special education, at an April 10 School Board meeting.

Schools

Questions over state and federal funding may delay APS budget adoption

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 14, 2025 at 3:45PM

Virginia State Capitol in Richmond (staff photo)

Concerns about state and federal revenue could lead to a delay in the adoption of Arlington Public Schools’ new budget.

Superintendent Francisco Durán said Thursday that he may ask to postpone the planned May 1 approval of the $845 million spending plan to May 15.

News

Governor amends Virginia’s budget bill to increase rainy-day reserves over changes in Washington

By The Associated Press

Published March 25, 2025 at 1:00PM

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Tysons (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on Monday that he hoped to bolster Virginia’s rainy-day fund by $300 million in light of economic uncertainty surrounding the White House’s overhaul of federal jobs and its impact on the state’s workforce.

Around Town

Departure of natural-resources guru will leave void in Arlington, Alexandria

By Scott McCaffrey

Published March 25, 2025 at 9:00AM

Kirsten Conrad retirement ceremony (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

After more than 17 years, Arlington and Alexandria’s Virginia Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources is headed to retirement.

Kudos for Kirsten Conrad, who has many fond memories of her time at the extension, poured in from colleagues at the local, regional and state levels at a March 17 reception honoring her tenure.

News

Falls Church leaders, staff scramble to keep up with Trump edicts

By Scott McCaffrey

Published February 20, 2025 at 8:15AM

Donald Trump speaks at Truong Tien Restaurant in Falls Church, August 2024 (via C-SPAN)

Falls Church city officials continue to do their best to evaluate the local impacts of federal downscaling and a barrage of other decisions coming out of the White House.

“It’s different every day,” said Cindy Mester, the city’s community relations and legislative affairs director.