RICHMOND, Va. — Affordability was one of key issues that candidates focused on during last November’s elections in Virginia. Now a few weeks into the 2026 General Assembly session, Democrats say they are on their way to delivering results, but Republicans say their party’s approach is the right one and that Democrats proposing a number of tax increases.

“We have a laser focus on affordability this session,” said Del. Shelly Simonds (D-Newport News).

“Senate Republicans stand solid to keep money in your pocket,” said Sen. Ryan McDougle (R-Hanover), Minority Leader of the Senate of Virginia.

Democrats, who now control both the governor’s mansion and the General Assembly (including a larger majority in the House of Delegates), have said they would accomplish “affordability” through legislation like paid family medical leave, support for child care, and raising the minimum wage — the latter had final passage in the House of Delegates on Tuesday.

“At least now, they’re going to be able to get $15 an hour,” Del. Jeion Ward (D-Hampton), the bill’s sponsor, said after the vote. “That means a lot to people who have a difficult time putting food on the table.”

Republicans have said Virginia is in a good financial position and should provide more tax cuts to residents.

Their members have proposed legislation to get rid of the car tax and get rid of the local portion of the grocery tax.

They have also proposed also like to make the current standard deduction amounts permanent. Most of those proposals have already failed to pass the committee level.

“This is kind of what Democrat version of affordability is. The Republican version of affordability is very, very different,” said Del. Joe McNamara (R-Roanoke).

Republicans argue Democratic proposals come with added costs, including paid family medical leave which is funded through employer and employee contributions.

Democrats counter that recent polling shows wide bipartisan support for the program.

“And the cost, let’s say, starts off at $2 billion a year. It’s not going to stay at $2 billion a year,” McNamara said.

“They know that means that they’ll be able to keep a roof over their head, food on the table, and access to health care and hopefully just one job to pay for it,” said Del. Briana Sewell (D-Prince William).

Republicans also point to legislation that would create new tax brackets for wealthier Virginians and apply the sales tax to various services.

“They’ll raise some money from the wealthiest people in the Commonwealth of Virginia, until those wealthy people decide they’re going to move people are not trees,” McNamara said.

“They include things like a tax on Netflix, a tax on Hulu, a tax on Amazon Prime, a tax on dry cleaning, a tax on haircuts, tax on your gym membership, tax on GrubHub, a tax on DoorDash,” McDougle said. “A tax on Uber, a tax on Lyft, attacks on dog walking, and a tax on lawn care.”

Democrats said it is early in the session and not all bills introduced will become law. They said their members also have legislation to study repealing the car tax, increasing the standard deduction and repealing the local portion of the grocery tax.

“There’s a selective narrative going on right now that’s not focused on the actual bills that are passing the legislature,” said Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax).

“I think you’re going to see a set of tax policies and a budget that reflects our values of helping the working and middle class and making life more affordable for them,” VanValkenburg said.

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SPRINGFIELD, Va. (7News) — Residents of Tyner Street in Springfield, Virginia, are grappling with mounting frustrations as their neighborhood remains encased in ice.

Despite calls for assistance, they tell 7News that help has not arrived, leaving the community to fend for itself.

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A 7News viewer brought attention to the situation, prompting a visit to the area — calling the neighborhood an “ice rink.”

7News Photojournalist Marco Tavares spoke with residents who were actively engaged in helping one another dig out from the icy conditions.

“I think they kind of did a lazy job, to be completely honest. It’s been over a week. There’s still a lot of roads that look like this. So it’s a bit frustrating right now,” one man said.

A Virginia man having an affair with the family’s Brazilian au pair was found guilty Monday of murdering his wife and another man that prosecutors say was lured to the house as a fall guy.

Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, told police he came across Joseph Ryan attacking his wife, Christine Banfield, with a knife on the morning of 24 February 2023. He shot Ryan and then Juliana Magalhães, the au pair, shot him, too.

But officials argued in court that the story was too good to be true, telling jurors that Banfield set Ryan up in a scheme to get rid of his wife. It later came out that Brendan Banfield and Magalhães had been having an affair.

Magalhães pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2024 and testified against her former lover at trial. She said they had impersonated Christine Banfield, a pediatric intensive care nurse, on a website for sexual fetishes. She said they used the site to lure Ryan to the house for a sexual encounter involving a knife, staging the scene to look as though they had shot an intruder who was attacking the wife.

Defense attorney John Carroll argued that Magalhães’ testimony could not be trusted because she was cooperating with prosecutors to try to avoid a long prison sentence. In his own testimony, Banfield said that the testimony was “ absolutely crazy”.

Carroll also introduced evidence showing that there was dissent within the police department over the theory that Magalhães and Brendan Banfield impersonated Christine Banfield on social media in a “catfishing” scheme. An officer who concluded from digital evidence that Christine Banfield was behind the social media account was later transferred in what Carroll said was punishment for disagreeing with a theory favored by the department’s higher-ups.

In closing arguments, prosecutor Jenna Sands told the jury they did not have to rely solely on Magalhães’ testimony, pointing to what she called a “plethora of evidence”. That included expert testimony that blood stains on Ryan’s hands suggested Christine Banfield’s blood had been dripped onto him from above.

The jury deliberated for nearly nine hours across two days before reaching a verdict. Banfield faces the possibility of life in prison at sentencing.

Magalhães was scheduled to be sentenced after Banfield’s trial. Attorneys have said she could be allowed to walk free if she is sentenced to time served.