Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer looks to pass the ball during the second quarter of Saturday's spring game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer looks to pass the ball during the second quarter of Saturday's spring game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors approved a 4-cent real estate tax increase on Tuesday in a split, 5-2 vote.
Franklin County residents will be paying more for their next real estate tax bill. Supervisors approved a 4-cent increase to the tax in a split vote Tuesday evening.
The 4-cent increase will raise the real estate tax to 47 cents per $100 of assessed value. The new rate is 3 cents lower than an advertised rate of 50 cents per $100 of assessed value that was proposed by supervisors last month.
Boone District representative Mike Meredith was the first to propose going with a 4-cent real estate tax increase on Tuesday. He said the increase was necessary as the county continues to push off replacing and purchasing new emergency equipment for the county for public safety and other departments.
"I have considered kicking things down the road, but all that does is create a bigger bill next year," Meredith said.
Meredith suggested allocating 1 cent of the 4-cent real estate tax increase exclusively for new equipment purchases for the county going forward. He said that would help the county not get behind on purchasing new patrol cars for the sheriff's office or fire trucks for fire departments.
"It's hard to do anything when we're not keeping up with replacing equipment," Meredith said. "And I hate doing this. It affects us all, but we have to provide services for our citizens, and we have certain things we have to do. We need to have that extra revenue to move forward."
Snow Creek District representative Nick Mitchell agreed with Meredith on the 4-cent increase. He said the needs are there in the county and taxes have remained flat. His only suggestion was that 1 cent dedicated to equipment include new school buses as well.
When asked how the increase would impact citizens, Deputy County Administrator and Chief Financial Officer Brian Carter said a resident with a $350,000 home would pay an additional $140 annually.
Blue Ridge District representative Tim Tatum, plus Gills Creek District representative and Chairperson Lorie Smith, were the two supervisors to vote against the real estate tax increase. Neither provided any explanation during the meeting for their vote.
A proposed 2-percentage-point increase to Franklin County's meals tax to 6% failed Tuesday evening by a 4-3 vote. Mitchell, Meredith and Union Hall District representative Dan Quinn voted in favor.
Mitchell noted that Rocky Mount already has its meals tax set at 6%. A majority of the county's restaurants are in Rocky Mount, he said, and they remain busy even with the higher meals tax rate.
Rocky Mount District representative Mike Carter said that he would not support a meals tax increase. He added that a meals tax is regressive and hurts single-parent families.
"I don't like taxing food, and I will not support a meals tax," Carter said.
Tuesday's votes by supervisors did not include a vote on the county's overall budget. County Administrator Steve Sandy said that vote should be delayed as the state budget has not been finalized, leaving questions about where some local funding will go.
Smith agreed to defer any vote on the overall budget until more funding information is available.
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
Barbara Chauncey (right) with the Franklin County Republican Party hands out information cards on Virginia's redistricting vote at the Rocky Mount East precinct on Tuesday.
Virginia's redistricting referendum was approved by a narrow margin on Tuesday with 51.45% of the commonwealth's voters in favor of the rare mid-decade change. In traditionally conservative Franklin County, voters were overwhelmingly against the proposal.
While the referendum has passed, there are still some legal roadblocks. A final decision will likely be made by the Virginia Supreme Court.
Either way, Franklin County residents will be largely unaffected by the change when it comes to their representative. The county will remain firmly in the 9th District, which would remain as Virginia's only solidly conservative district.
Of those Franklin County voters who cast a ballot on Tuesday or during early voting, 76.39% voted no on the referendum. That amounted to 17,647 votes during the most recent tally on Wednesday.
Nearly a quarter of Franklin County residents voted in favor of the referendum, with 23.61% or 5,453 voters.
Voters in Endicott and Henry were the most overwhelmingly against the proposal. A significant 91.20% of Henry voters and 89.41% of Endicott voters were against the referendum.
Rocky Mount saw the largest number of voters in favor of the referendum. More than 27% of voters in each of the town's three precincts were for the redistricting. That average for the town was nearly 10% higher than any other precinct in the county.
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3507
MARTINSVILLE — A judge Tuesday reinstated suspended Martinsville Mayor L.C. Jones to office and delayed a key hearing on motions to dismiss the case seeking his removal, marking a significant turn in a closely watched legal fight over the city’s leadership.
Judge Marcus Brinks reinstated LC Jones as the mayor of Martinsville, effective immediately.
Circuit Judge Marcus Brinks granted a request from Special Prosecutor Bethany Harrison to continue arguments on Jones’ motions to dismiss until late April, citing the need to review newly received materials. The hearing is now set for April 28. A jury trial on the underlying rule to show cause remains scheduled for June.
Special Prosecutor Bethany Harrison spoke briefly at Tuesday's hearing and offered no objection to a request to reinstate LC Jones as the mayor of Martinsville.
In the same proceeding, Brinks approved an unopposed request from Jones’ attorneys to restore him immediately to his position as mayor and member of Martinsville City Council.
The ruling effectively returns Jones to office after more than two months of suspension tied to a citizen-led petition seeking his removal.
Tuesday’s hearing drew just more than 40 attendees — including several members of the media — falling short of a capacity crowd in the City Hall courtroom. Proceedings were delayed about 20 minutes due to issues with the court reporter's setup.
This is the Martinsville Circuit Courtroom immediately prior to Tuesday's proceedings involving LC Jones, who was reinstated as Martinsville's mayor.
Harrison opened by disclosing that she knew a potential witness through a Rotary Club affiliation, but said the relationship did not present a conflict of interest.
Defense attorney Mark Krudys said he had expected the case to be dropped before arriving in court, telling the judge he received a message while traveling that Harrison had obtained “150 new documents” and intended to proceed.
Krudys argued the case is fundamentally flawed.
“This has to come to an end. We should have this jury trial, like yesterday,” the lawyer for Jones said.
He also raised concerns about a single prosecutor handling both civil and potential criminal aspects of the case, and characterized the prosecution’s shift in position as a “360 flip-flop.”
Attorney Mark Krudys (at right) spoke for most of the hearing, resulting in his client, LC Jones, being reinstated to the Martinsville City Council after he was suspended about two months ago.
Brinks acknowledged the law provides for a prompt hearing on dismissal motions but said there is “no limitation” governing the timing of a jury trial.
Harrison said she was not seeking to delay the June trial date but requested about a week to review the newly received documents before proceeding with the motions.
Jones’ legal team has mounted a sweeping challenge to the removal effort, arguing both procedural and constitutional deficiencies.
In a filing submitted ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, attorneys asked the court to dismiss the petition with prejudice, vacate Jones’ suspension, and terminate any related criminal investigation.
The motion argues the case should not proceed at all, citing the special prosecutor’s independent review and asserting that continuing the matter would prolong harm to Jones and the electorate.
Among the central claims:
The filing further contends that the removal proceeding is “quasi-criminal” in nature and must meet a high legal standard, and argues that defects in the petition are structural and cannot be corrected through amendment or refiling.
Jones’ attorneys also argue that allowing the case to continue without dismissal would leave an “indefinite cloud” over both the mayor and the office to which he was elected.
Following the hearing, Krudys praised the ruling restoring his client to office.
Attorney Mark Krudys (from left), reinstated Mayor LC Jones, and Martinsville attorney Perry Harrold speak to the media following Tuesday's hearing.
“We are glad he’s back on City Council,” he said. “He should never have been removed.”
Krudys added that the judge appeared receptive to the defense’s arguments, calling the decision “a great day for Martinsville and its electorate.”
Jones echoed that sentiment.
“This is a great day,” he said. “I appreciate the prudence of the judge.”
Asked about his return to office, Jones said he planned to “get caught up on a lot of things,” including responding to a recent cyberattack affecting the city.
“I’m just happy to be back,” he said. “It’s still a fight.”
Patti Covington, a Martinsville resident who spearheaded the removal petition, defended its validity.
“I take exception with the comment that the petition was flawed,” she said. “We believe it does have merit. There’s more in it, and there’s more to come.”
The case now turns to the rescheduled April hearing, where the court is expected to consider whether the petition meets legal requirements and whether the case should proceed.
The outcome could determine whether the matter advances to a June jury trial or is dismissed before reaching that stage.
At stake are not only the allegations against Jones — which include claims related to conflicts of interest and alleged benefits — but also broader questions about due process, prosecutorial authority, and the legal standards governing the removal of elected officials in Virginia.
For now, Jones is back in office, and the legal battle over his tenure continues.
Virginia Democrats made a national statement on Tuesday with a narrow victory in a voter referendum on a constitutional amendment to allow the Democratic-controlled General Assembly to redraw congressional maps before midterm elections in November.
Voters approved the amendment by less than 3 percentage points to give Democrats a political advantage in 10 of Virginia's 11 congressional districts in an election that will determine majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives midway through the term of President Donald Trump. Trump has pushed for early redistricting in Republican-controlled states to protect the narrow GOP majority in the House.
Hanna Johnson votes at George W. Carver Elementary School on Tuesday.
Democrats declared victory before the Associated Press made it official shortly before 9 p.m.
“Tonight, Virginians did what Virginians have always done: they answered a question about the nature of our democracy, and they answered it in favor of the people," said Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, who represents a district that includes President George Washington's Mount Vernon estate.
"Faced with unprecedented gerrymandering in other states, naked attempts to decide elections before a single vote is cast, Virginians refused to stand idle," Surovell said in a statement released at 8:42 p.m. "They voted to reclaim the founding principle that maps should reflect communities, not protect incumbents, and that Congress should be chosen by voters, not the other way around."
House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, released a victory statement minutes later. “Tonight, Virginians sent a message heard across this country: we will not let Donald Trump or MAGA Republicans rig our democracy," Scott said. “This started in Texas when Trump launched an unprecedented power grab to rig the midterms and tonight Virginia voters ended it and voted YES to stop his power grab.
“Let’s be clear about what this means: Virginia just changed the trajectory of the 2026 midterms," he said. "At a moment when Trump and his allies are trying to lock in power before voters have a say, Virginians stepped up and leveled the playing field for the entire country."
“Virginia has done this before — and tonight, we did it again," he said. "When the stakes are highest, we lead.”
Virginia voters narrowly approved a referendum Tuesday that allows for a temporary redrawing of Congressional maps in the state. The new maps are likely to give Democrats an advantage in 10 out of 11 districts.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who led a landslide Democratic victory in November, said in a statement, “Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they approved a temporary measure to push back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress. Virginians watched other states go along with those demands without voter input — and we refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box."
The victory leaves one last battle at the Virginia Supreme Court, which must decide whether the amendment and the legislative process that produced it meet the requirements of the constitution itself. The court is considering Democratic appeals of two rulings by a circuit court judge in rural Tazewell County who determined the amendment to be unconstitutional. A third legal challenge is pending in Richmond Circuit Court.
“While these weren’t the results we were hoping for, they were not unexpected," said House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, a plaintiff in one of the Tazewell lawsuits. "From the start, this process was tilted: misleading ballot language and a massive spending advantage made this an uphill climb for voters trying to make sense of a deeply complicated issue."
"But the ballot box was never the final word here. Serious legal questions remain about both the wording of this referendum and the process used to put it before voters," Kilgore said. "Those questions have not been resolved, and they now move where they belong: to the courts."
"Tonight marks the end of the campaign. It does not mark the end of this fight," he said.
Deborah Mabe reacts to the referendum passing at a “Vote No” watch party in Midlothian.
Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, a plaintiff in one lawsuit, said the vote alone doesn't change the maps.
“Virginia Democrats can’t redraw reality," Hudson said. "This close margin reinforces that Virginia is a purple state that shouldn’t be represented by a severe partisan gerrymander. That’s exactly why the courts, who have already ruled twice to block this egregious power grab, should uphold Virginia law. Even under this map, Republicans will hold our majority based on our record cleaning up Democrats’ mess and a historic war chest to litigate the Democrats’ failures.”
National Democrats portrayed the referendum result as a rejection of Trump and a prelude to a Democratic takeover of the House.
“Tonight’s result is a victory for every American who wants fair representation in Congress, a massive rebuke of Donald Trump and Republicans’ efforts to rig the midterm elections, and a rejection of their cruel, cost-spiking, and corrupt agenda that is hurting hardworking families," said Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is heavily involved in the pending midterm elections in Virginia. "The DCCC has always said that the public, when given the opportunity, will hold Republicans accountable for their attack against fair representation in Congress, and tonight Virginia voters did exactly that.
Opponents of the redistricting referendum pray at a “Vote No” watch party in Midlothian on Tuesday.
The unprecedented referendum sets the stage for a summer of congressional campaigning leading to party primaries on Aug. 4 to determine nominees for the general election in November. The assembly moved back the primaries from June to August to allow for the referendum and give candidates time to prepare to campaign.
The election triggered a flood of money into the campaigns for and against the constitutional amendment, with Democrats holding a huge advantage in fundraising. It also drew national political figures into the election.
Former President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who would be in line to become Speaker of the House if Democrats gain the majority, lobbied voters to approve the referendum (even though one opposition group told voters that Obama opposed it). House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Trump, in a late tele-rally, urged Virginians to reject the amendment.
On Tuesday night, Obama tweeted, "Congratulations, Virginia! Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back."
Conflicting political signs stand outside of a polling location on Election Day in Hanover, Va., Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
The vote also pitted Spanberger against her Republican predecessors, including Gov. Glen Youngkin and Gov. George Allen.
Spanberger lobbied for the amendment as a temporary measure necessary to counteract Trump's attempt to use redistricting to give Republicans an advantage in the midterm elections, even though she voted for the constitutional amendment in 2020 that took redistricting away from the General Assembly and gave it to the bipartisan commission. The amendment states that the legislature will draw the maps for congressional elections - but not for the assembly - until after the next U.S. Census in 2030.
But the referendum also pitted rural areas, dominated by Republicans, against heavily Democratic Northern Virginia, which would include parts of five congressional districts extending from the Washington, D.C., suburbs deep into the tidal Virginia, the Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley.
The Richmond region voted for the new maps, which will move much of western Henrico and Chesterfield counties out of the 1st Congressional District, now represented by Republican Rep. Rob Wittman, into a dramatically redrawn, so far deep-red 5th District.
A person votes at a fire station on Election Day in Richmond on Tuesday.
In Chesterfield County, with Election Day ballots counted but nearly 57,000 early votes still to be tallied, the new maps won 54% of the votes counted to 46% against. Henrico County, with about two-thirds of votes counted, split 62% to 38% in favor of the new map.
With almost all Election Day votes counted but 27,000 early votes to go, Richmond was going 81% to 19% in favor of the new maps.
Voters in Hanover County, the area's GOP stronghold, cast nearly 37,000 votes, or 67% against the amendment. The no vote in Hanover was almost exactly the same as Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears won in the county for her unsuccessful bid to be governor last year.
The key, as so often in Virginia elections, was Fairfax County.
With more than 90% of votes counted, more than 252,000 went for the amendment and the new maps, some 69% of votes cast. The county's 140,000-vote margin in favor of the amendment was more than twice the statewide margin.
But in a pattern seen in other Democratic strongholds, the votes cast in favor of the new maps were significantly below the total Spanberger won. In 2025, she won just under 330,000 votes in Fairfax, the state's biggest locality.
Michael Martz (804) 649-6964
Laura Barry-Lenger, 18, voted in her first election
