Today brought unwelcome and tragic news beyond the many policy debates playing out in Virginia this week.

Police say former Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, before taking his own life at their home in Annandale.⁣

Gov. Abigail Spanberger was among the Virginia leaders who shared statements expressing their shock and sadness. 

“The murder of Dr. Cerina Fairfax in an apparent murder-suicide is a horrific tragedy,” Spanberger said. “Dr. Fairfax was a devoted mother, beloved dentist in the Fairfax County community, and engaged supporter of her alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University.”

Spanberger also shared the following resources for Virginians experiencing domestic violence and mental health crises:

The Virginia Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline is a free, confidential resource that is available 24/7. Virginians can chat online with a trained advocate, text an advocate at 804-793-9999, or speak on the phone with an advocate at 1-800-838-8238.

For information about domestic violence shelters, sexual assault crisis centers, and advocacy programs across the Commonwealth of Virginia, click here. To find a local Virginia Department of Social Services agency, click here. 

The Virginia Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 at 9-8-8.

Below, I share how Spanberger acted on bills to lower drug costs and strengthen protections for workers. 

And share the latest reactions to Spanberger’s proposed changes to the collective bargaining bill.

Want to get in touch, or have stories you want me to cover? Reply to this email or reach out to me directly at michaeloconnor@couriernewsroom.com.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)

The big story around workers’ rights this legislative session has been the bill to expand collective bargaining rights to more public employees. 

More on that below and here’s my story on that from earlier this week.

But how about some of the other items Spanberger acted on when it came to workers’ rights and affordability?

Spanberger signed into law legislation this week that lets local governments add protections for building maintenance workers. And she signed legislation that would require employers to provide workers with basic protections from extreme heat while on the job. Spanberger also signed legislation that puts limits on how much a worker’s wages can be garnished. 

On the affordability front, advocates are taking issue with the changes Spanberger proposed for the Affordable Medicine Act, which would create an advisory board to study data and require that federal drug price caps under Medicare be applied to state-regulated health insurance plans.

Spanberger’s changes would delay establishment of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. 

“We are profoundly disappointed in the governor’s action and ask the General Assembly to reject this unacceptable amendment,” AARP Virginia State Director Jim Dau said in a statement. “Virginians have made it clear that they expect leadership from our elected officials to make every day needs more affordable, with increasingly costly prescription drugs at the top of the list.”

• US Sen. Mark Warner raised fears Thursday about rising unemployment among college graduates and said he thinks most CEOs are downplaying the impact of AI to avoid freaking people out, Colin Campbell at Semafor reports.

• Watch as Hannah Clayman, a Richmond teacher at Albert Hill Middle School, explains the importance of a union in helping teachers win what they deserve. 

• The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), a union representing 300,000 employees at the Department of Defense (DOD), expressed outrage after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to have issued a memo directing agencies to terminate all collective bargaining agreements between the DOD and AFGE.

Virginia Senate Democratic Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, speaks on the Senate floor, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Ryan M. Kelly)

Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell told me he would not be supporting Spanberger’s substitute to the collective bargaining bill. He said he’s not surprised that unions are calling for lawmakers like him to reject her amendments.

“That is what happens when leaders don’t seek input through the regular legislative channels during the legislative process which is how we (developed) the bill over the last 6 years,” Surovell told me. 

For their part, the unions are not mincing words about their disappointment with Spanberger’s version of the bill, which they called “anti-worker.” 

Speaking under the banner of the the Virginia Public Sector Labor Coalition, the unions said Spanberger “could have opted to strengthen the bill by amending it to include all higher education workers, she instead chose to exclude more workers, diminish worker protections, and force many local public service workers — including teachers, firefighters and social workers — to wait until the next decade for collective bargaining rights.”

“The dozens of changes made to the bill weaken the ability of workers to bargain meaningful contracts,” the coalition said. 

Unsplash/Indra Projects

I came across what appears to be a new archive of publicly funded radio and television across America. 

Searching it, I found a 1974 radio broadcast of the Virginia Press Review produced by WLUR at Washington and Lee University. 

I haven’t listened to the whole thing, but it was an interesting look, or listen, rather, to times of old.

“If there is a lack of interest in the present congressional races and the coming Nov. election, it certainly is not due to lack of money or to the ballyhoo and publicity that money has bought,” the broadcaster intones.  

You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.

Our mailing address is:
Courier Newsroom
611 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Washington, DC 20003-4303