Virginia Insider

Alexandria just became the first city in Virginia to ban gas-powered leaf blowers. Starting in November, homeowners and landscapers face fines of $100 to $500 for using them. Democrats have already signaled they want the same restriction expanded statewide. Uriah Kiser breaks down the new Alexandria ordinance that takes effect after an 18-month phase-out ending November 17, 2026. The city cites no...

More Virginians are fed up with data centers. These massive server farms — hundreds of feet tall, covering multiple football fields — are consuming power, water, and land across the commonwealth. Virginia now hosts more data centers than any other place on Earth, and residents are saying the world’s richest corporations should stop receiving nearly $2 billion in tax breaks while everyday energy co...

Virginia Democrats are fighting among themselves just weeks before key primaries, exposing deep divisions ahead of the 2026 midterms. In the 1st Congressional District, four Democratic candidates are demanding the state party reaffirm neutrality after the DCCC and establishment appeared to prematurely back Shannon Taylor, the Henrico County prosecutor, to challenge longtime Republican Rep. Rob Wit...

Uriah Kiser delivers the hard truth on Governor Abigail Spanberger’s plunging poll numbers in the brand new VCU poll. Just six months into her term, her approval has gone underwater with 44% approving and 47% disapproving, as more Virginians believe the Commonwealth is headed in the wrong direction. Economic concerns dominate while data center giants grow impatient amid a massive power bottleneck....

FBI wiretapped powerful Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas's phone for a full month before the high-profile raids on her Portsmouth office and cannabis business. New court records reveal the scope of federal surveillance, including intercepted communications with journalists. In this Virginia Insider update, Uriah Kiser breaks down the latest developments on the Louise Lucas investigation, her cl...

Uriah Kiser breaks down the disturbing reality at Charlottesville's Freebridge Lane encampment along the Rivanna River Trail. A public park transformed into a drug-fueled zone with tents, shopping carts, feces, needles, and reports of rapes and bodies recovered. Citizen journalist Shane Midkiff was threatened with beheading by a man known as "Red" while walking the trail – requiring police escort...

Uriah Kiser breaks down the latest wave of tax increases coming to Virginia under Democratic leadership in Richmond. From new payroll deductions for paid family leave to rising energy costs driven by data center infrastructure and the return of the RGGI carbon tax, Virginians are feeling the squeeze. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats are celebrating Virginia as “First in the South” for a program mo...

Uriah Kiser sits down with Shane Midkiff after his harrowing trip to the Free Bridge encampment on Charlottesville's Rivanna Trail. What was once a peaceful riverside path for families, joggers, and nature lovers has been transformed into a sprawling, unsanitary camp filled with tents, trash, needles, human waste, fires, fights—and raw threats of violence. Shane, an avid trail runner with deep roo...

Virginia is descending into a land of legal confusion as Democrats' rushed budget deal creates chaos around marijuana enforcement and the assault weapons ban. One day laws exist, the next they're repealed — but police and prosecutors say they'll enforce them anyway. Virginia State Police are clarifying they will continue enforcing cannabis laws despite a year-long gap created by the budget bill th...

Democrats in Virginia just rushed through a budget to avoid a government shutdown — and accidentally legalized marijuana statewide for the next year. A major drafting error means old criminal codes for distribution, sales to minors, and more were repealed effective July 1, 2026, while the new regulatory framework doesn't kick in until July 1, 2027. The result? A wide-open window with no enforcemen...

Federal Judge temporarily blocks Virginia from forcing ICE agents to unmask while targeting dangerous criminals. Plus major arrests in Fairfax County including a Salvadoran illegal immigrant charged with rape and kidnapping. In this Virginia Insider update, Uriah Kiser breaks down the latest ICE enforcement actions across the Commonwealth and the ongoing clash between state Democrats and federal i...

Breaking news for Virginia 2A supporters: A Washington County Circuit Court judge has extended a preliminary injunction against the state's assault weapons and high-capacity magazine ban, making it apply statewide to every law enforcement agency, locality, and jurisdiction. Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell's July 7 letter opinion clarifies that the injunction halts enforcement by all police departments,...

Abigail Spanberger is dodging questions again — this time on the controversial Valley Link transmission line project that could cut 115 miles through Virginia's heartland to power more data centers. In this video, we break down her latest non-answers following the July 4 naturalization ceremony at Monticello and what it really means for rural Virginia communities, family electric bills, water reso...

A three-judge panel in Charlottesville just handed Governor Abigail Spanberger and Attorney General Jay Jones another significant setback on Virginia’s controversial assault weapons ban. The panel unanimously denied the state’s request to consolidate four separate legal challenges, allowing each case to proceed independently on its constitutional merits. This follows preliminary injunctions from W...

Happy 4th of July! On this Independence Day weekend 2026, Virginia residents just scored a major victory for their communities and historic heritage. QTS has officially withdrawn its Virginia Supreme Court appeal, killing the proposed Prince William Digital Gateway — once billed as the world's largest data center campus right next to Manassas National Battlefield Park. After years of fierce opposi...

Richmond is out of water again — right as temperatures soar over 100 degrees and Independence Day weekend begins. In this urgent update from Virginia Insider, Uriah Kiser breaks down the latest water main break that dropped pressure across the city and affected parts of Henrico County, just months after the major winter 2025 crisis. Temporary repairs restored some service, but full fixes could tak...

Buckle up, Virginia – another massive data center complex is coming, and residents in Goochland County just outside Richmond are already suing their own Board of Supervisors over it. The proposed Tuckahoe Creek project spans 872 acres with 900 megawatts of capacity – enough electricity to power roughly 750,000 average U.S. homes. That’s far more than the entire county’s roughly 10,000 homes. The d...

Charlottesville's Freebridge encampment along the Rivanna River has transformed a beloved 20-year community trail into a site of tents, trash, human waste, and discarded needles. Once a place for families to walk, run, and enjoy nature, the area now poses serious public health and safety risks. Local news outlets have documented the worsening conditions for months. The city has responded with port...

A second court injunction has blocked Virginia State Police and multiple localities from enforcing the controversial assault weapons ban and magazine restrictions — but it’s far from a clean victory. In this breaking analysis, we break down today’s ruling from Washington County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey L. Campbell and what the developing patchwork of enforcement means for Virginia gun owners. T...

In a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling, states can continue counting mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day, raising fresh concerns about election timelines and integrity in Virginia and nationwide. Uriah Kiser breaks down the decision, its ties to controversial California practices, and what it means for the Commonwealth. Justice Amy Coney Barrett authored the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justic...

Support Virginia Insider Become a Member → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFRsz0wQzFOpQG6_HUwLMRA/join The Virginia House has passed the state budget along with Governor Abigail Spanberger's amendments, averting a government shutdown just before the June 30, 2026 deadline. Now it heads to the Senate for final approval. Key changes include clarifications on Medicaid, personal care rates, water su...

In this Virginia Insider Podcast, Uriah Kiser sits down with data center watchdog and author Bill Wright for a hard-hitting discussion on Virginia’s escalating data center war. Democrats are openly divided as Governor Abigail Spanberger and allies fight to preserve massive tax breaks for Amazon, Google, and other tech giants through 2035 — breaks that could cost Virginia nearly $2 billion per year...

A major victory for Virginia gun owners just days before the July 1 deadline: A Lancaster County judge issued a statewide preliminary injunction blocking Governor Abigail Spanberger’s assault firearms ban and magazine restrictions. The order remains in effect until December 31, 2026, or until a final ruling. Attorney General Jay Jones quickly announced the Commonwealth will appeal, stating the rul...