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How Va.’s budget deal affects Loudoun, Fairfax

HERNDON, Va. — Northern Virginia leaders are praising the state’s long-awaited budget deal, while also expressing concerns.

“It’s a big relief that they got it done,” said Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall.

“I’m happy that we did something as far as Metro,” she said. “Not completely happy about the vehicle and the fact that it’s takingso much money out of local transportation projects.” Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has said that he would work to change that formula next year.

Randall said the bill will also allow the county to add a much-needed judge.

“A lot of judges were funded and we are very happy about that,” she said. “It will move the judicial system along and unclog some of our court system.”

The measure includes additional education funding. Randall said she’s still in the process of figuring out how much more state money will be coming into the Loudoun County school system.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova said she’s optimistic.

“We were projecting what were going to receive from the General Assembly,” she said. “My understanding is that some of our assumptions at the higher end are what was approved.”

Both Democratic leaders praised the budget’s expansion of Medicaid in the state.

Trump announces a $22.5B makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the ‘people movers’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked “people movers,” the mobile lounges that have been used for decades to shuttle travelers to and from the main terminal. In place of the people movers, the airport will add a new U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, more moving walkways and new concourses. An above-ground parking garage closer to the main terminal with space for 32,000 vehicles is also in the offing, according to Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The airport makeover would add to a long list of renovation projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the Washington region after his term ends in January 2029. Among other undertakings, he is building a new White House ballroom and wants to build a towering triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial. But of all the construction projects Trump is pursuing, the renovations at Dulles could prove to be his most popular and benefit the greatest number of people. The airport, the area’s primary international airport, served roughly 29 million passengers over the past year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
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