Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that the Virginia Lottery's fiscal year 2024 profits exceeded $934 million, the highest in its 36-year history. All profits from the Lottery go towards supporting K-12 public education in the Commonwealth.

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Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 35, codifying his administration’s election security procedures, which include stringent ballot security, thorough counting machine testing, and rigorous voter list maintenance.

Press release:

Governor Glenn Youngkin today issued Executive Order 35, which codifies the election security procedures put into place during his administration, including stringent ballot security, complete and thorough counting machine testing, and best-in-the-nation voter list maintenance.

“The Virginia model for Election Security works. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue. Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines. In Virginia, we don’t play games and our model for election security is working,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin.

“We use 100% paper ballots with a strict chain of custody. We use counting machines, not voting machines, that are tested prior to every election and never connected to the internet. We do not mass mail ballots. We monitor our drop boxes 24/7. We verify the legal presence and identity of voters using DMV data and other trusted data sources to update our voter rolls daily, not only adding new voters, but scrubbing the lists to remove those that should not be on it, like the deceased, individuals that have moved, and non-citizens that have accidentally or maliciously attempted to register,” Governor Glenn Youngkin continued.

The EO codifies improvements to election security made during the Governor’s administration by directing the Commissioner of the Department of Elections to certify in writing annually that these improvements are in place. The EO also outlines the procedures in place for non-citizens who attempt to violate the law and register to vote, which includes referral to the local Commonwealth’s attorney and the Office of Attorney General, which has concurrent jurisdiction.

Fairfax County Democrats say Joe Biden should remain in the race for president.

Results of informal “should Joe Biden stay in the race” survey: Of the fifty-three respondents to our emails last week, 51% think Joe should stay in the race while 36% think he should withdraw. Another 13% either had a policy-related comment or offered nuanced comments.

Their call matches Suhas Subramanyam, the Democrat running for Virignia’s 10th Congressional District, which includes western Prince William, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Earlier this week, Subramanyam told Potomac Local he supports the president’s re-election bid for a second term, despite calls from some in his party to withdraw his candidacy due to cognitive issues.

Fairfax County, a stronghold for Democrats, is the most populated jurisdiction and often decides how the entire state will vote — so goes Fairfax, so goes Virginia.

Meanwhile, Democrat Eugene Vindman continues to be hounded about whether or not he supports Biden. Potomac Local has twice asked him to ignore questions on the matter. He’s running for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which includes eastern Prince William County, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, and Fredericksburg.

A video posted by the National Republican Congressional Committee of Vindman showed him walking into a fundraiser, where, again, he dodged the question.

Extreme Democrat @YVindman still REFUSES to answer the question.

IS BIDEN FIT FOR OFFICE?#VA07 deserves to know. pic.twitter.com/ewY4Ep5vNl

— NRCC (@NRCC) July 10, 2024

Gov. Glenn Youngkin banned cell phones in classrooms on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. Now, area school divisions are most likely to devise plans to ban the devices.

Stafford County and Fredericksburg have already banned them. Cell phones have been ubiquitous in the classroom since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

More from the governor in a press release:

Given the increasing evidence of the impact cell phone and social media usage has on education and youth mental health, Governor Glenn Youngkin today issued Executive Order 33, which directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to draft guidance for public school divisions to adopt local policies and procedures establishing cell phone-free education.

The EO directs VDOE to initiate a robust public engagement effort with parents, students, teachers, local school leaders and other stakeholders to develop collaboratively policies and procedures that establish the age-appropriate restriction or elimination of cell phone use during instructional time, as well as to establish protocols allowing parents to contact their children in emergency and other important situations.

In addition, the Governor announced today that the VDOE and the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services (DBDHS) will make a combined $500,000 available from existing funds to support implementation of this mental health and safety initiative.

“This essential action will promote a healthier and more focused educational environment where every child is free to learn. Creating cell phone and social media-free educational environments in Virginia’s K-12 education system will benefit students, parents, and educators,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Today’s Executive Order both establishes the clear goal to protect the health and safety of our students by limiting the amount of time they are exposed to addictive cell phones and social media and eliminates clear distractions in the classroom. It also kicks off the robust conversations among parents, students, teachers, and school and community leaders necessary to design and implement these policies and procedures at the local level.”

Happy Independence Day. Several local events will offer spectacular fireworks displays. Here are some of the best places to enjoy the festivities:

Stafford’s 4th of July Spectacular: Held at John Lee Pratt Memorial Park, this event features a variety of activities, culminating in a fireworks display at nightfall. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and attendees can enjoy live music, food vendors, and children’s activities. Parking is available on-site.

Montclair Independence Day Celebration: This annual event at Dolphin Beach in Montclair includes a parade, live entertainment, and fireworks over Lake Montclair. The celebration begins at 9:00 a.m. with a flag-raising ceremony, followed by a day full of activities, ending with the fireworks show at dusk. A valid rec pass is required to attend—two guests per pass.

Fourth in Fredericksburg: The festival takes place in downtown Fredericksburg and includes a parade, live music, food, and a fireworks display. The fireworks can be viewed from various locations around the city, with the main viewing area at Old Mill Park. The festival activities start at 7:45 AM and continue throughout the day, with fireworks scheduled for 9:30 p.m.

FredNats Fireworks: “The FredNats fireworks show in Fredericksburg will take place at the Virginia Credit Union Stadium. The stadium will not be open for seating, but the fireworks can be viewed from cars up to two miles away. The show begins at 9 p.m., and attendees should arrive early due to limited parking. Specific parking instructions are provided for emergency response purposes.

Manassas 4th of July Celebration “Celebrate America”: The celebration in Manassas features a full day of events, including a carnival, live music, and a fireworks display. The fireworks are launched from the Manassas Museum Lawn, and the show begins at 9:15 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to secure a good viewing spot.

Quantico fireworks: The 4th of July fireworks at Quantico Marine Base will occur at Lejeune Field. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. and includes food vendors, children’s activities, and live music. The fireworks show begins at 9:15 p.m. This event is open to the public, and attendees must arrive early for parking and the best viewing spots.

It’s going to be hot today with afternoon storms. Here’s the weather forecast.

More fireworks later this week:

Manassas Park Independence Weekend: As part of the Independence Day weekend celebrations, Manassas Park will host a fireworks show at Signal Hill Park on Saturday, July 6, 2024. The event will feature live music, food vendors, and various family-friendly activities, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display at 9:15 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs for a comfortable viewing experience.

Dumfries fireworks: The Town of Dumfries will host its annual Independence Day fireworks show on Saturday, July 6, 2024, from 8 to 10 p.m. at Garrison Park, 17749 Main Street. This year’s celebration will feature a fireworks display.  In addition to the fireworks, various food trucks will offer food and refreshments.

Virginia State Police: The Fourth of July brings feasts, fireworks, and parties, but the Virginia State Police (VSP) is asking that it include focus and sobriety as well.  

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Effective July 1, 2024 new laws enacted by the Virginia General Assembly will bring several changes for DMV customers. These changes include updates to the uninsured motor vehicle fee, farm use placards, disabled parking placard duration, and manufactured home conversion procedures.

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On June 25, 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed 18 bipartisan bills aimed at enhancing support for individuals with developmental disabilities. These laws improve accessibility in education, recreation, law enforcement, and transitional services. The governor also signed a biennium budget allocating $247 million for 3,440 priority one waiver slots, increasing the total under his administration to 4,540 slots.

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By Sarah Roderick-Fitch

(The Center Square) – If there were any doubts that Virginia is returning to its status as a key battleground state in the upcoming presidential elections, visits by First Lady Jill Biden and former President Donald Trump would indicate confirmation.

Biden is scheduled to greet campaign volunteers in Virginia Beach on Thursday, hours before the president and former president will square off in their first presidential debate. Trump on Friday comes from Atlanta to a 3 p.m. rally in Chesapeake.

In January, the president and Vice President Kamala Harris essentially chose Virginia to kick off their bid for reelection by holding a joint event in Manassas with a focus on abortion.

In recent weeks, Trump has signaled Virginia is very much in play between visits and new campaign investments.

The most significant piece of evidence is that the Trump campaign is zeroing in on the commonwealth with plans to open 11 field offices, as reported by CBS News.

Earlier in the month, Trump met with Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin during a closed-door meeting at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling to strategize how to win in the commonwealth. At the time, Youngkin told ABC 13 News Now that the commonwealth appears “competitive” in the presidential race.

“There’s a lot of interest in how this election is going to go,” Youngkin said. “So our political teams have been coordinating on how best to do that and we had to sit down and talk about it and we talked about Virginia and, and how I was able to win my election in 2021. And the lessons learned.”

Youngkin is expected to appear with Trump at the Friday rally. The governor did not attend a March rally by the Trump campaign in Richmond.

A May poll by Roanoke College shows Trump and Biden are neck-and-neck in the commonwealth, despite Biden beating Trump by over 10% in the 2020 election and Hillary Clinton handily winning Virginia in 2016.

The commonwealth has not gone for a GOP presidential candidate in 20 years, when former President George W. Bush was up for reelection.