Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin doesn’t have many regrets as he prepares to leave office. But he named the inability to get an Alexandria arena deal done in 2024 as one lost opportunity.
The Washington Capitals and Wizards arena would have gone in Potomac Yard as part of an entertainment district. But in March 2024, the City of Alexandria announced that the proposal wouldn’t be moving forward.
Here’s a rundown of our top stories.
Our top story this week is on the Thursday, Sept. 11, announcement that Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA) will expand its Alexandria headquarters and create 1,200 new jobs over the next five years as part of a $46.9 million investment across Northern Virginia. The defense contractor bought, and will renovate, a 239,000-square-foot office building at 2001 N. Beauregard Street. Attendees at the announcement included Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
It’s been quite a week in Alexandria. Here’s a rundown of our most-read stories.
Our top story is on the General Services Administration launching an official search for office space in Alexandria to relocate the National Science Foundation after the agency was displaced from its Eisenhower Avenue headquarters. In a presolicitation notice, GSA announced it needs between 240,000 and 280,000 square feet of Class A office space for a 48-month lease, with occupancy required by the end of November.
At a joint meeting of the Virginia Senate and House appropriations committees Thursday morning, Gov. Glenn Youngkin presented his final overview of the fiscal condition of the state of Virginia. He painted a rosy picture, with revenues coming out over forecast for fiscal year 2025 and a $4.7 billion cushion in rainy day funds. Democrats, however, pushed back on the governor’s claim that no Virginia Medicaid enrollees would lose coverage under the new federal government requirements.
Recently, Congress signed off on the reconciliation bill that includes new Medicaid work requirements for “able-bodied” adult enrollees. Starting in 2027, Medicaid recipients will have to work or volunteer, or be enrolled in school. Most Medicaid recipients already work, while lawmakers and hospital associations in Virginia have warned that if thousands of Medicaid recipients lose their insurance, it could have “ripple effects” including a strain on health care centers and passed-down costs to taxpayers.
The group Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights isn’t going to stop disrupting political events any time soon.
You might’ve noticed members of the growing group disrupting all manner of political events in the city since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023. In addition to asking Alexandria to approve a ceasefire resolution, the group wants the city to divest itself from Israel and boycott companies it says are profiting from the conflict.
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced another round of new board appointments today, including an Alexandria resident who will serve on a state advisory board, continuing a recent trend of Northern Virginia appointments to state positions.
Joseph M. Van Name of Alexandria was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Family and Children’s Trust Fund. Van Name serves as President of Advisors Financial, Inc.
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday (July 3) a new round of administration and board appointments that includes four Alexandria residents, continuing a recent trend of Northern Virginia appointments to state positions.
The latest Alexandria appointments include Douglas W. Domenech to the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, Dr. Edwin J. Feulner to the Board of Visitors of Mount Vernon, S. Lawrence Kocot to the Board of Pharmacy, and W. Patrick Wilson to the Alexandria Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission.
It’s been another fast week in Alexandria! Here’s our recap of the most-read stories over the last several days.
Our Tuesday (June 24) story on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development taking over the National Science Foundation’s headquarters (2415 Eisenhower Avenue) garnered more than 125,000 views, making it the most-read story of the year. While bringing in more than 2,700 HUD workers, the move will also displace about 1,800 NSF employees over the next two years.
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a new slate of board appointments to Virginia’s public universities on Friday (June 20), including several Alexandria residents who will serve on governing boards across the state’s higher education system.
The appointees from Alexandria are;
In a dramatic but ultimately symbolic show of defiance, Virginia House Democrats on Wednesday tried — and failed — to override 13 of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s vetoes from this year’s legislative session, knowing full well the numbers were never in their favor.
Youngkin, a Republican, rejected 157 of the 915 measures sent to his desk by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly in February, flexing his veto pen more aggressively than any Virginia governor in decades.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed several bills aimed at improving maternal health in the commonwealth, building on promises both he and Democratic leadership made to support parents and health care workers.
Dubbed the “Momnibus” package, the Democrat-led bills stem from a Black Maternal Health Summit hosted last year in the state Capitol that brought medical professionals, advocates and lawmakers from across the state and beyond for roundtable discussions and panels. Alongside these conversations, a rural health committee spent months touring Virginia, gathering firsthand accounts of maternal care gaps in underserved communities.
