IN THE NEWS: This weekend marked the beginning of the new fiscal year, although Virginia is beginning the new year without any budget amendments.That means that all the laws passed earlier this year are not funded. So while the government won't shut down, a whole host of new initiatives are simply not going to get moving until someone blinks in the negotiations. A few years ago, Dominion Energy donated to the campaigns of just about every member of the General Assembly. Then in 2018, a PAC called Clean Virginia, funded by a millionaire, became a counterbalance. Now the two sides are battling for dominance, and each side can claim some victories in the primary elections. Southside Virginia has the highest unemployment rates in the commonwealth. That’s according to new numbers from the Virginia Employment Commission. Places like Petersburg, Emporia, Brunswick County and Danville have unemployment rates that are about twice as high as Northern Virginia. At the Watercooler: - The Koch machine is likely to fall in behind Ron DeSantis for President...which would mean dire things for Governor Youngkin's chances - Some of the strongest Democratic candidates to come out of the primaries--Russet Perry, Kimberly Pope Adams, and Susanna GIbson--all have one thing in common: they graduated from Delegate Danice Roem's Emerge Virginia earlier this year. TRIVIA: What were the other two British colonies that remained loyal (other than the Canadas)?

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