Good morning from the Mercury.
“The numbers are still on McGuire’s side, and Perriello has a huge climb still, but the final vote may be uncomfortably close.” - David Richards, a professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Lynchburg, weighing in on Virginia’s 5th Congressional District race between Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. John McGuire, Democratic challenger and former congressman Tom Perriello and independent Cooke Costa Harvey.
From left: U.S. Rep. John McGuire, R-Goochland, Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, and independent Cooke Costa Harvey are competing to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional District in the Nov. 3 election. (Photos courtesy of campaigns; photo of Perriello by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury)
By Markus Schmidt
Democrats are looking to an old winner for a new opening in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, where former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello is trying to repeat the upset that briefly put the Republican-leaning seat in his party’s hands 18 years ago.
Perriello, who defeated longtime Republican incumbent Virgil Goode in 2008, faces first-term U.S. Rep. John McGuire, R-Goochland, in the Nov. 3 election. Independent Cooke Costa Harvey is also on the ballot.
A view from the front entrance of the renovated Gloucester County High School, which opened in September 2025. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
By Nathaniel Cline
Six years ago, the city of Danville in Virginia’s Southside region struggled to raise funds for school construction and modernization across 15 schools, with nearly a quarter of its population, around 42,000, living in poverty.
But since the state authorized the city to levy an additional sales and use tax of up to 1% for school rehabilitation and voters agreed to the measure seven years ago, the future has changed for students, staff and local leaders.
Across the commonwealth, 47 localities hope for similar success, if not better, when voters decide next month whether to adopt the 1% tax and allow those revenues to support school construction and modernization costs.
A living shoreline project on the James River. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury)
By Shannon Heckt
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi announced Friday in Smithfield that the agency will disburse $37 million to localities to aid Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction and clean up efforts. An additional $53 million in matching grant funds will be awarded to 83 projects across the watershed, 28 of them Virginia-based.
“These awards will empower local towns to implement community level, clean water projects, and they will help fund regional partnerships to keep our soil healthier, restore habitats, and secure our thriving regional economy,” said Fotouhi, who was joined by U.S. Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach.
By Tim Henderson
Jobs across the United States rose by 29,000 in September, a disappointing result as recent growth was also revised down in Friday’s monthly jobs report, the last one before midterm elections.
September growth was a large dip from a strong August number that was revised down from 162,000 to 133,000 in the new report. July jobs were also revised from an increase of 21,000 to a decrease of 10,000, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly.
NEWS TO KNOW
Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.
"First bill of 2027 aims to protect people with autism, other disabilities." | Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Winchester area still fastest-growing in Virginia." | The Northern Virginia Daily
"Identical twin brothers, who grew up in poverty, returned to their (Virginia) hometown to co-run an ER together." | People.com
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