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Virginia lawmakers approve budget for COVID-19 relief money

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers have given final approval to a spending plan for most of the state’s $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief money.

The budget includes funding for initiatives aimed at helping small businesses, increasing broadband access and replenishing the state’s depleted unemployment trust fund.

The budget plan approved Monday by the Senate and the House of Delegates preserves most of a plan crafted by Gov. Ralph Northam and fellow Democrats.

In addition to funds to help small businesses — including $862 million to replenish the state’s depleted unemployment trust fund, helping businesses avoid a big tax hike — there’s also money for rent relief and to head off utility disconnections for financially struggling families.

The spending plan will also provide $411 million for clean water programs and wastewater treatment. It also includes bonuses of $3,000 for sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers and $5,000 for state police.

And before adjourning, lawmakers must still name eight new judges to the court of appeals.

Northam said he will approve the plan.

WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report.

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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