Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

I want to commend you. Within three hours of mentioning that Gov. Abigail Spanberger would deliver the rebuttal to Trump’s State of the Union last night, over 400 Dogwood readers responded with what topic they most hoped she addressed. Y’all. I’ve been here for six years this fall, and I’ve never seen anything like it. 

Some came straight to my inbox, while others flooded our social media accounts. I haven’t checked yet today to see if there are even more responses, but it felt really encouraging to hear from so many of y’all in such a short amount of time. By and large, the biggest concern was affordability—so that’s what we’re focusing on today. I’m so glad you’re here. 

The Virginia House of Delegates on Feb. 19, 2026. (Michael O’Connor/Dogwood)

By Michael O’Connor

With the Virginia legislative session past its halfway point, Virginia Democrats say they are making good on their promises to make life more affordable in the state, passing dozens of affordability-related bills out of both chambers of the General Assembly. 

“Over the past few weeks, I’ve been encouraged to see so many of these proposals pass with broad support from across the political spectrum,” Gov. Abigail Spanberger said in a recent statement. 

Among the bills Spanberger cited was legislation aimed at reducing heating and energy costs for Virginians who need it most, and a bill that would help localities preserve their stock of affordable housing. 

Spanberger also mentioned a bill by state Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling (D-Henrico) to establish a Virginia Weatherization Task Force to improve energy efficiency.

Booker T. Washington grew up enslaved on a 200+ acre tobacco plantation and lived in a small log cabin with no floor, no bed, and no glass windows. 

In the 1860s, Washington taught himself basic reading skills and then attended a primary school overseen by the Freedmen’s Bureau. At age 16, Washington walked 500 miles to attend the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University), where he later returned to teach. 

Union Gen. Samuel Chapman Armstrong, Hampton Institute’s founder, referred Washington to the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (Tuskegee University) in Alabama, where Washington became president in 1881.

Washington went on to become a presidential advisor to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

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Job description on Indeed: “As assigned, work may include: Reviewing applications, proposals, bids, plans, and reports for land use and zoning ordinance compliance; conducting field investigations; preparing and presenting reports; maintaining databases; coordinating city agency reviews, including determining review criteria; designing and developing comprehensive community and neighborhood development plans; determining project compliance; analyzing effects of plans on land use, redevelopment, and rehabilitation; and providing technical assistance.”

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