The world of Virginia politics is still reeling from yesterday’s FBI raid of state Sen. Louise Lucas’ Portsmouth office and cannabis business.

Watch what Gov. Abigail Spanberger had to say about it.

Below, I report on the public pressure campaign being waged by unions to get Spanberger to sign the public-sector collective bargaining legislation and what a spokesperson for the governor told me.

And I recommend an intense new documentary about rock climbing.

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.

Michael O’Connor

Reporter, Dogwood

LaNoral Thomas, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia 512, speaking at a rally in Fairfax County on May 6, 2026. (Photo courtesy of SEIU Virginia 512)

The coalition of unions fighting to expand collective bargaining rights in Virginia was on tour this week, with stops in Roanoke, Fairfax County, and Prince William County.

Their message is old news: they want Spanberger to sign the public-sector collective bargaining legislation.

But what’s new is that they’re pushing back on the idea that all local leaders are against the legislation. Union leaders are also speaking more bluntly about the issue.

In my story today, I have comments from interviews I did with LaNoral Thomas, the president of Service Employees International Union Virginia (SEIU) 512, and Andres Jimenez, a Fairfax County Supervisor.

Thomas told me she felt “a little blindsided” by the changes Spanberger had proposed to the legislation and was concerned that the governor had yet to sign the legislation supported by so many unions and the workers they represent.

“She ran on this,” Thomas said of collective bargaining. “She talked about this during her campaign.”

I reached out to Spanberger’s office for a comment and a spokesperson responded that the governor was grateful to all the work that went into the effort to expand collective bargaining rights to public workers.

The spokesperson pointed to other bills Spanberger signed to help working people like raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2028 and paid family and medical leave.

The spokesperson did not say how Spanberger might act on collective bargaining ahead of the May 22 deadline to act on the legislation. She can let it become law with or without her signature or veto it.

Allie Pitchon at Charlottesville Tomorrow has a long read on the struggle of campus workers to win collective bargaining rights after mostly being excluded from the legislation sitting on Spanberger’s desk.

The Economic Policy Institute published a report on the harmful impacts Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce and mass deportations have had on the Washington, DC region.

My wife Katie O’Connor at Psychiatric News reports on how impending Medicaid cuts will affect whether people with opioid use disorder can retain their coverage: “Advocates worry that the bureaucratic hurdles around proving their illness may cost them their coverage.”

(CDC/Unsplash)

Parenting is a joyous and stressful task. It’s also an expensive one, and private equity may be to blame.

According to a new report from Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), eight of the 10 largest childcare companies in the US are now owned by private equity companies.

I’m not sure about the role private equity is playing in childcare here in Virginia, but I know lawmakers are trying to help bring down the costs of childcare.

Spanberger signed into law bills aimed at incentivizing employers to help their workers with the costs of childcare and better understanding Virginia’s early childcare and education funding needs.

And just yesterday, Spanberger posted that it’s an issue she’s trying to address.

“Early childcare and education are important both for a child’s development and for keeping parents in the workforce who want to be,” Spanberger posted. “That’s why I’m working to expand access to affordable, quality childcare.”

(Hu Chen/Unsplash)

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to hike Angel’s Landing, a beautiful, towering rock formation in Utah’s Zion National Park.

Whatever pride I felt in making it to the top was tempered by the tiny figures inching their way up the side of the huge rock buttress. I felt just as nervous for them as I had on a hike done by hundreds of thousands of people every year.

How, I wondered, did these climbers overcome that fear? What motivated them? A new four-part docuseries on HBO Max called The Dark Wizard has some answers.

It sheds light on the psychology of Dean Potter, one of the most famous and troubled climbers in the sport. Though, in his own tortured way, he treated it more like an art form.

It’s a gripping watch. Sort of a downer, too. But the storytelling and the footage is remarkable. I went in knowing almost nothing about him, and I’d recommend that approach.

I do feel I understand those climbers a bit better now. But I’ll still be sticking to adventures that keep my feet on the ground.