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Trump administration and private investors sign off on $1.4 billion deal with rare earth startups

WASHINGTON (AP) — The and private investors are partnering with two rare earth startups in a $1.4 billion deal to scale up the nation’s access to materials and technology that is crucial for producing an array of high-tech goods and military equipment.

The investment in and is the latest stake taken by the U.S. in a handful of private companies — including another company and chipmaker Intel — since President Donald Trump began his second term in January. The White House has made it a priority to bolster the nation’s in a market dominated by .

Vulcan Elements manufactures rare earth magnets, while ReElement processes rare earth mineral ores and recycles old batteries and other products made with rare earths.

Rare earths are used in fighter jets, guided missiles, drones and nuclear submarines as well as smartphones and wind turbines.

The influx of cash will allow Vulcan and ReElement to ramp up their annual magnet production to 10,000 tonnes annually, the companies said.

“Our investment in Vulcan Elements will accelerate U.S. production of rare earth magnets for American manufacturers,” Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said. “We are laser-focused on bringing critical mineral and rare earth manufacturing back home, ensuring America’s supply chain is strong, secure and perfectly reliable.”

The deal announced this week comes just days after Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and agreed to cut tariffs on China, which Beijing reciprocated by allowing the export of rare earth elements.

Before Xi and Trump met last week, China had imposed restrictions that would have required foreign companies to get special approval to export items that contain even small traces of rare earths elements sourced from China, even if those products were made elsewhere by foreign companies. However, it didn’t eliminate restrictions that were imposed in the spring after Trump imposed his initial round of tariffs.

China accounts for nearly 70% of the world’s rare earths mining and controls roughly 90% of global rare earths processing.

The deal includes a $620 million loan from the , $50 million of federal incentives from the Department of Commerce and $550 million in private capital.

The Defense Department will receive warrants in both Vulcan and ReElement, with Commerce getting a $50 million equity stake in Vulcan.

In July, the Defense Department agreed to invest $400 million in shares of the Las Vegas-based MP Materials, which runs the only American rare earths mine. The unusual direct investment in the company made the government the largest shareholder in MP Materials.

A week later, MP Materials announced a new $500 million agreement with tech giant Apple to produce more of the powerful magnets used in iPhones as well as other high-tech products like electric vehicles.

U.S. Steel, Lithium Americas and Trilogy Metals are among the companies the U.S. government has taken equity stakes in under Trump.

Those investments have drawn skepticism from economists, former government officials and even members of the president’s own party.

While it’s not unprecedented for the government to offer financial support to business and industries, historically those investments usually came during major economic crises.

Virginia governor’s race will test Trump and Democrats nationally — and make history

Summary

  • Spanberger and Earle-Sears face off in Virginia’s historic ‘s race.
  • Winner will be the first woman to lead the commonwealth.
  • Earle-Sears would also be the first Black woman elected governor in any state.
  • Election seen as key test of Trump-era politics and party strategies.

See updated story: Abigail Spanberger elected

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia voters are deciding a history-making race for governor Tuesday that will serve as a barometer of attitudes toward President Donald Trump and Democrats’ attempts to regain their footing on the national stage.

Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, a staunch conservative who serves as Virginia’s lieutenant governor, and Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a center-left Democrat and former CIA case officer who helped her party win a House majority during Trump’s first presidency, are vying to become the first-ever woman to lead the commonwealth. Earle-Sears also would make history as the first Black woman elected governor in any state.

The race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. has taken on national dimensions from the start, serving as a testing ground for both parties one year ahead of national midterm elections that could redirect the country’s course for the balance of Trump’s second term. It comes as the state Trump lost in three successive presidential contests has been strained by many of his policies, particularly the steep cuts to the civil service and the ongoing government shutdown.

For Republicans, Earle-Sears will show whether a candidate in Trump’s general mold — though notably without his full-throated support — can win in a battleground state. For Democrats, Spanberger will signal whether the same center-left approach that worked across the country in the 2018 midterms is the answer in 2026, when the party’s energy has been focused on its progressive base.

“With the political turmoil coming out of Washington right now, this election is an opportunity,” Spanberger said on her final campaign swing heading into Election Day. “Virginia voters can and will send a message amid the recklessness and the heartlessness coming out of Washington.”

Republicans have placed similarly dire stakes on the outcome. “ represents the darkness,” Earle-Sears told supporters last weekend.

Spanberger, who gave up her congressional seat to run for governor, has tried to leverage voter concerns about the cost of living and the impacts of Trump’s domestic policy and tax cut law on Virginia’s health care system. She spent millions on television and digital ads tying Earle-Sears to the president, but shied away from Democrats’ 2024 dire warnings about democracy that proved not to be persuasive to voters.

Stephanie Uhl was voting at the Aurora Hills Library in Arlington, with the federal on her mind.

The 38-year-old was working without pay for the Defense Department and, though she said, “I can afford (it) just fine,” she was bothered “that it affects so many other people.”

Uhl said she voted for Spanberger, but not for Democratic candidate for attorney general Jay Jones after learning of violent references he made about Virginia lawmakers in text messages made public last month.

Trump has offered only tepid support for Earle-Sears, who three years ago said she wouldn’t back Trump’s return to the White House before recanting. The president did not campaign for her in-person and did not say her name during his only telephone town hall with her supporters Monday night.

The lieutenant governor, meanwhile, has given Trump high marks overall for his performance, but did not mention him at her crowning Saturday night rally, where Youngkin provided the star power in lieu of the president.

Earle-Sears looked to replicate Trump’s attacks on Democrats on cultural issues like transgender people’s participation in sports, but she spoke less about her career-long opposition to abortion rights — giving Spanberger the opening to emphasize her support for abortion rights in the last Southern state that has not restricted or banned the procedure since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a national right to abortion services.

Earle-Sears also sought to pressure Spanberger for refusing to withdraw her endorsement of Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, who faced calls to drop out of the contest earlier this fall after disclosure of text messages he sent in 2022 suggesting the former Republican House speaker get “two bullets to the head.”

That race, the contest to replace Earle-Sears at lieutenant governor and all 100 seats in the state’s Democratic-controlled House of Delegates are on the ballot Tuesday. The Democratic-controlled state Senate will face voters in 2027.

Novo ups bid to $10B in Metsera fight with Pfizer

Summary

  • raises offer to $10B for .
  • revises $4.9B proposal to add more cash up front.
  • Metsera says Novo’s new bid is “superior.”
  • Pfizer’s calls Novo’s offer “illusory.”

Novo Nordisk is raising the stakes in its push to outbid rival Pfizer and acquire the development-stage drugmaker Metsera.

Novo is now offering to pay as much as $10 billion for the company, Metsera said Tuesday. That’s higher than its previous bid of up to $9 billion which sparked a lawsuit from Pfizer.

Pfizer also has altered the offer it made in September of nearly $4.9 billion to provide more cash up front, Metsera said.

Novo is now proposing to pay $62.20 in cash for each Metsera share, up from its previous bid of $56.50. The Danish drugmaker also will tack on a contingent value right payment of $24, another improvement from its previous bid, if certain development and regulatory milestones are met.

But Novo is essentially structuring the deal to require some payback from Metsera.

Novo is proposing a two-step process where it would pay Metsera $62.20 per share in cash. Metsera would issue Novo non-voting preferred stock representing half of Metsera’s share capital. Metsera would then declare a dividend of $62.20 per common share with a record date ten days after the companies sign the deal, with payment following.

Metsera said Tuesday that the new Novo bid is superior to its existing agreement with Pfizer, and Pfizer now has a window to negotiate on its deal.

Pfizer Chairman and Albert Bourla told analysts Tuesday morning that the Novo offer was “illusory” and cannot constitute a superior offer. He said that there is a high regulatory risk it won’t be completed.

“It is an illegal attempt by a foreign company to do an end run around antitrust laws, taking advantage of the (federal) ,” Bourla said during a conference call to discuss Pfizer’s third-quarter results.

He added that Novo wants to “cut and kill an emerging competitor.”

A Novo representative called Pfizer’s claim baseless and said its offer, including the structure, complies with with all applicable laws.

Metsera Inc., based in New York, has no products on the market, but it is developing oral and injectable treatments. That includes some potential treatments that could target lucrative fields for obesity and diabetes.

Novo already has a significant stake in the market for diabetes and obesity treatments. Its products include Wegovy and Ozempic.

Pfizer Inc., also based in New York, is attempting to build its own stake in that market several months after ending development of a potential pill treatment for obesity.

Metsera said Pfizer proposed on Monday to pay $60 per share up front in cash, up from the $47.50 it proposed initially. But Pfizer reduced the contingent value right payment in its deal to $10 from $22.50.

ICF International executives to take 20% pay cuts amid government shutdown

SUMMARY:

  • -based International executives are taking temporary 20% pay cuts during the federal shutdown
  • Anne Choate will become president in 2026
  • The company reported third quarter revenue declines

Reston-based ICF International announced last week that its top executives will take pay cuts during the remainder of the federal and revealed major changes to its leadership.

In an Oct. 30 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it has evaluated the impact of the shutdown. President and recommended a temporary 20% reduction to the annual base salaries for himself and four other top executives, for a duration matching the shutdown period. The move is intended to show support for affected federal employees and clients.

The board approved the reductions, and the four executive vice presidents agreed to them. The filing states that the reductions are being treated as a temporary pay cut, and ICF will not repay the lost wages from that time period after the shutdown ends.

Wasson’s salary will be reduced to $831,251. Meanwhile:

  • Executive Vice President and Group Leader Anne Choate will have a temporary base salary of $428,000
  • Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Barry Broadus will have a temporary base salary of $411,840
  • Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer James Morgan will have a temporary base salary of $527,925
  • Executive Vice President Sergio Ostria will have a temporary base salary of $390,604

The salary cuts weren’t the only notable news from the filings. ICF also announced changes in executive roles. Most notably, effective Jan. 1, 2026, Choate will take over the role of president from Wasson, who will remain CEO. With her new role, her base salary will increase from $535,000 to $600,000.

Meanwhile, Broadus is retiring as CFO, and Morgan will assume both the roles of COO and CFO. Broadus will leave his position on March 1, but will then serve an additional month as a full-time senior advisor until April 1. Afterward, he will serve as part-time senior adviser until Jan. 31, 2027, or until he or the company decides to terminate the employment.

Also last week, the company reported a significant decline in revenues, much of it stemming from the federal government reducing or slowing the flow of money to existing contracts. A company news release said total revenue for the third quarter was $465.4 million, down from $517.0 million reported at the same time last year and $476.2 million in this year’s second quarter.

U.S. federal government revenue for Q3 was $198 million, down 29.8% from $282 million reported in 2024’s third quarter and down 3% from this year’s second quarter. The company attributed the year-over-year declines to contract funding curtailments and a slower pace of new requests for proposals. Specifically for October, ICF estimates it will lose $8 million in revenue due to the shutdown.

The company did not immediately return requests for comment.

Choate has been with ICF since 1995, rising through leadership roles focused on energy, climate and infrastructure. She led teams and business lines from 2004 to 2015 and became senior vice president in 2016, overseeing work in social programs, global health and federal work on energy and transportation. She was named group leader for energy, environment and infrastructure in 2020 and promoted to executive vice president in 2022.

Choate holds a master’s degree in environmental science from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s in environmental science and policy from Duke University.

Founded in 1969, ICF has approximately 9,000 employees. During the past two decades, ICF has doubled in size every five years on average. It reported fiscal 2023 revenue of $1.96 billion, up 10% from the previous year.

Engineering dean named Virginia Tech’s next provost

SUMMARY:

  • Julie Ross named ‘s next executive vice president and
  • Ross currently serves as dean of the College of Engineering and as special advisor to the president
  • She will assume the role Jan. 10, 2026, succeeding Cyril Clarke

Julie Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen dean of Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering and special advisor to the president, has been named Tech’s next executive vice president and provost, the university announced Tuesday.

In October, Virginia Tech announced a search committee had recommended Ross for the position. She was featured Oct. 21 at a campus forum attended by more than 200 people.

“Julie is the right person to take on the academic leadership of Virginia Tech in 2026 and beyond,” Tim Sands, president of Virginia Tech, said in a news release. “She has excelled as dean of the College of Engineering, demonstrated insight and understanding of the university’s unique land-grant mission, and advanced our comprehensive vision for the future. I look forward to working with her to further elevate Virginia Tech as a leading public global research institution.”

The executive vice president and provost is the university’s second-highest official and serves as acting president in the president’s absence.

In the role, Ross will oversee academic colleges, the graduate school, libraries, health sciences and technology, student affairs, research and innovation, outreach and international affairs, undergraduate academic affairs, academic resource management, enrollment management, faculty affairs, technology-enhanced learning and online strategies. The provost also co-chairs the University Council Cabinet with the Faculty Senate president.

Ross will assume the role Jan. 10, 2026. She succeeds Cyril Clarke, who will return to the faculty.

Clarke became executive vice president and provost of Virginia Tech in January 2019, after serving in an interim capacity since November 2017. He joined Virginia Tech in 2013 as dean of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

Ross joined Virginia Tech in 2017 as the first female dean of the College of Engineering. Under her watch, enrollment grew by 28%, research expenditures by 22%, and engineering scholarships by 103%. She developed new academic programs in biomedical engineering, computer science and nuclear engineering. Additionally, she helped to launch the Institute for Advanced Computing, part of Virginia Tech’s campus.

Ross holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and a doctoral degree from Rice University, both in chemical engineering. Her research focuses on the role of fluid mechanics in infections involving the cardiovascular system. She is an elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

In 2023, Ross was named special advisor to President Sands. She led a committee to strengthen the university’s engagement in Greater Washington, D.C., and oversaw a search to hire the university’s senior vice president for advancement.

Prior to coming to Virginia Tech, Ross spent more than 20 years at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. There, she was its first female dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology.

“Julie Ross’s reputation as an exemplary scholar and university leader has prepared her well to take on the role of provost,” Justin Lemkul, president of the Faculty Senate who served on the search committee, said in a statement. “I look forward to partnering with her to address the challenges we will face in an ever-changing academic environment and to uphold academic freedom, advance shared governance and support the interests and needs of the faculty.”

David Knight, a professor of engineering education, will serve as interim dean of the College of Engineering. A global search for a new dean will begin in the coming weeks.

Boeing may face its first civil trial seeking damages for deadly Ethiopia crash

Summary

  • First over 2019 crash set to begin.
  • already accepted responsibility for the 346 lives lost in two crashes.
  • Jury to decide compensation for families of Mercy Ndivo and Shikha Garg.
  • Company could still reach settlements before or during trial proceedings.

CHICAGO (AP) — More than six years after a Boeing 737 Max jetliner crashed in Ethiopia, the first civil trial related to the disaster that killed all 157 people on board appears poised to move forward.

Boeing has settled most of the dozens of wrongful death lawsuits that families of the victims filed against the aircraft maker after the March 2019 crash, but jury selection began Tuesday in two of the remaining cases in federal court.

The trial in Chicago, where Boeing used to have its headquarters, isn’t expected to examine the the company’s liability. Boeing already accepted responsibility for what happened to Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and for a similar 737 Max crash five months earlier off the Indonesian coast that killed 189 passengers and crew.

Instead, an eight-person jury would be tasked with deciding how much Boeing should pay to the families of Mercy Ndivo, a 28-year-old mother originally from Kenya, and 36-year-old United Nations consultant Shikha Garg, who was from India.

The fatal crash happened minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. Ndivo and her husband were returning from her graduation ceremony in London, where she had earned a master’s degree in accountancy. The couple are survived by their daughter, an infant at the time who is now almost 8. Ndivo’s parents sued Boeing on her behalf.

Like a number of the other passengers, Garg, a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme, was on her way to attend a U.N. environmental assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. She is survived by her husband and parents.

In a statement Monday, Boeing told the families of the 346 passengers and crew members killed in both crashes that it is “deeply sorry.”

“We made an upfront commitment to fully and fairly compensate the families of those who were lost in the accidents, and have accepted legal responsibility for the accidents in these proceedings,” Boeing said, adding that it respects the families’ rights to pursue claims in court.

The two cases pending before U.S. District Judge Jorge Luis Alonso originally were among a group of five that potentially could have gone to trial this week. But Alonso said Monday that only the two could proceed due to the . An out-of-court settlement in either or both still could be reached at any point, even after a jury is selected and lawyers begin presenting evidence.

Details of prior settlements, many reached just before the start of scheduled trials, have not been publicly disclosed. Lawyers say 14 other lawsuits remain unresolved.

Robert Clifford, a Chicago lawyer whose firm represents many of the victims’ families, said attempts to reach pre-trial settlement through mediation failed in recent months.

“Boeing accepted full responsibility for the senseless and preventable loss of these lives, yet they have not been mediating in good faith to come to a resolution for these devastated families,” Clifford said in a statement. “We are determined to achieve justice for every one of them.”

From nearly the moment pilots flying for Ethiopian Airlines took off in their new Boeing jetliner, they encountered problems with the plane.

A device called a stick shaker began vibrating the captain’s control column, warning that the plane might stall and fall from the sky, and for six minutes, the pilots were bombarded by alarms as they fought to fly the plane.

U.S. prosecutors later charged Boeing with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with both crashes, accusing the company of deceiving government regulators about a flight-control system it developed for the 737 Max. In both crashes, the software had pitched the nose of the planes down repeatedly based on faulty readings from a single sensor.

The Justice Department asked a federal judge in Texas to dismiss the felony charge and to approve an agreement between prosecutors and Boeing that is pending. If it is approved, the deal would allow Boeing to avoid prosecution in exchange for paying or investing another $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for the , and internal safety and quality measures.

Yamat reported from Las Vegas.

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Amazon opens Virginia Beach fulfillment center

SUMMARY:

  • opened a large, highly automated in Virginia Beach
  • Over 700 workers have been hired so far, with more planned
  • Site is the second part of a $350 million project including a station

Amazon has opened its massive 3.2 million-square-foot, highly automated fulfillment center in Virginia Beach, hiring hundreds of workers to process customer orders alongside robots.

The Amazon fulfillment center at 1795 Dam Neck Road opened at the end of September, according to spokesperson Sam Fisher. More than 700 people have been hired for the new facility, with plans to hire an unspecified number of additional workers. Starting salaries begin at $19 per hour.

The five-floor fulfillment center, which has a 650,000-square-foot footprint, marks the second and final phase of a $350 million in Virginia Beach that included a 219,000-square-foot delivery station, which opened last year at 2201 Harpers Road.

Gov. first announced that would launch a fulfillment center and delivery station in Virginia Beach in September 2023, projecting the two facilities combined would create 1,000 full-time jobs.

At the new fulfillment site, robots transport items for storage and pick and pack orders for shipment, working alongside human Amazon staff.

Newly hired positions include robotic technicians as well as people who pull ordered items, those who package items for shipment and inventory stockers.

A celebration will be held for the site in a few months.

Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $161.3 billion in Virginia, including infrastructure and compensation to employees, creating more than 43,000 full and part-time jobs. The company states that its investments also have supported an additional 117,500 jobs indirectly statewide in fields such as construction and professional services.

Langley Federal Credit Union taps new CEO

Newport News-based financial institution on Monday announced that PenFed Credit Union executive will be its new president and .

Bhatia will succeed , who is retiring at the end of this year after 13 years leading the credit union, the fourth largest based in Virginia.

Bhatia has more than 20 years of executive experience in financial services, technology and business transformation. He was most recently chief marketing, digital and experience officer at PenFed, which is based in Tysons and is the second largest credit union headquartered in Virginia.

He also has held senior roles at AARP, Capital One, NewDay USA, Sabre Holdings and NIIT Technologies, serving clients in the travel and financial services sectors.

“Mr. Gaurav Bhatia was selected from an outstanding pool of candidates for his visionary leadership, strategic acumen, and unwavering commitment to member-centric growth,” Audrey Douglas-Cooke, chair of the credit union’s board of directors, said in a statement. “We are confident that under his leadership, Langley will continue to thrive, innovate, and serve our members with excellence.”

Tom Ryan

In a statement, Bhatia said he was honored to join Langley, a federally chartered credit union that serves more than 300,000 members and has more than $4 billion in assets.

“Langley has been recognized as a leader in the credit union industry for decades and I look forward to building on the strong foundation Tom and the leadership team have built,” he said. “I also look forward to working with all the talented employees to serve our members.”

In a statement, Douglas-Cooke praised Ryan’s leadership and wished him the best in his retirement.

Langley Federal Credit Union was founded in 1936 and today is one of the 100 largest in the nation, with approximately 700 employees and 20 branch locations in , Richmond and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Early voting wraps in Virginia, with higher turnout than 2021

SUMMARY:

  • More than 1.4 million early votes were cast in Virginia
  • That’s 300,000 more early votes cast than in the 2021 election
  • Republicans trailed Democrats by about 100,000 for in person

 

RICHMOND — People waited in lines on the last day of early voting to cast their ballots for Virginia’s first female . Several said the race was too important to them to chance something coming up on Election Day that might keep them from the polls.

Over 1.4 million early votes were cast in Virginia as of Nov. 2, which is almost 300,000 more than the 2021 election, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.

Polling places in Richmond and Henrico were bustling on Nov. 1, the final day of early voting.

There was about a 10-minute wait at the Richmond Office of Elections in the early afternoon. A fish and chips truck was there to reward voters with lunch, compliments of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. The organization was hosting its annual “Souls to the Polls” event.

The line to vote stretched outside the building at the Western Government Center in around 3 p.m. Voters waited in line for nearly 40 minutes.

Party Split on

Early voting remains popular among Democratic voters, but is trending in popularity among Republican districts, according to VPAP data.

Republicans trailed Democrats by just over 100,000 votes for early voting in person, but a larger gap remained with mail-in ballots, according to VPAP data from Oct. 30.

Stephen Farnsworth, professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, stated that early voting has grown more popular since COVID-19. President

Donald Trump cast doubts on the legitimacy of early voting, which left Republicans needing to work harder on Election Day to match early Democratic votes.

“Some people are traditionalists and they like voting on election day,” Farnsworth stated in an email. “They like running into their neighbors and chatting with them and with campaign workers stationed outside the voting venue.”

The Republican National Committee launched the “Bank Your Vote” campaign in 2023, initially endorsed by Trump, to encourage more Republican voters to vote early. That same year, Gov. launched the “Secure Your Vote” initiative in Virginia, to encourage Republican voters to vote early and sign up for the permanent absentee voter list. Trump announced on social media in August that he wanted to get rid of mail-in ballots because he believes they allow for voter fraud. No-excuse, mail-in voting is available for 28 states, including Virginia, according to The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.

Virginia does not require signature verification on mail-in ballots, but does require the voter to sign the ballot and fill out the last four digits of their social security number, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

From the Polls: Thoughts on Early Voting

Henrico GOP table outside Henrico Western Government Center on Parham Road. Photo by Emily Grinstead/Capital News Service.
Henrico GOP table outside Henrico Western Government Center on Parham Road. Photo by Emily Grinstead/Capital News Service.

Richmond resident Brenda Mahoney voted early on the last day of the 45-day period. She usually votes on Election Day, but did not want to take a chance of the lines being too long. She said the makes her feel more confident in the voting system.

“I always come in person,” Mahoney said. “I know my vote is counted if I come in person.”

Virginia’s early voting period is one of the longest in the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Richard Roberts and Deb Giffin volunteer with the Henrico County Republican Committee. They manned a table at the registrar’s office off Parham Road on the final day of early voting.

Roberts said early voting does not allow voters to have all the facts before casting a ballot. He mentioned that both the gubernatorial and attorney general debates took place after early voting began.

“I have a faith in people that if they knew the facts on the table, they wouldn’t vote the way they did,” Roberts said.

Giffin said the long voting period costs the county too much money to staff, particularly in special elections. Giffin would rather see Election Day be a holiday or the early voting period reduced to 15 to 30 days. State employees do have the day off.

“The enthusiasm of compressing it into a shorter period of time may actually drive more people,” Giffin said.

Scott Shepherd, a volunteer with Henrico County Democrat Committee, noticed a lot of enthusiasm Saturday. He said a lot of people showed up in the last few days of early voting. Shepherd thinks the early voting period should be more widely publicized, so that lines could be shorter.

Meredith Hanbury, a Richmond resident and elections officer, voted early so she can focus on helping her neighborhood and community on Election Day.

Hanbury chose to vote in person over concerns about absentee ballots being lost in the mail and never reaching the voter. In this case, the elections office would mark the ballot as received, and the voter would then vote provisionally on Election Day until the office can confirm the absentee ballot was never received.

“It’s another element of convenience, but early in person is way more effective in my opinion than having the paper absentee ballots,” Hanbury said.

Richmond resident Bryan Distin usually votes early so he does not have to take time off of work on Election Day. He likes that there is more voter accessibility.

“[Early voting] gives more access and availability for people that do have more stricter jobs and absentee balloting is very, very important,” Distin said. “So I think it does play an important role to make sure everyone has access to vote.”

Virginia Interfaith Center held their annual Souls to the Polls event at two Richmond voting locations.

Ramón Zepeda Ramos, an economic justice organizer with the organization, said the event originates from a tradition of congregations voting together after Sunday service. Since Richmond City did not offer Sunday hours this year, volunteers were out on Saturday.

“I have a family, I have kids, and a job, so sometimes it’s really hard to go during the week or on Election Day,” Ramos said. “Having the option to vote on a Saturday is really nice because then I can take time to go when it’s convenient for me and my family.”

Ramos said the organization also connects with congregations that assist elderly voters who may not be able to drive themselves to the polls.

Election Day is on Nov. 4. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Communication. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

Systems Planning & Analysis acquires Vienna analytics firm

Alexandria-based () has acquired Vienna-based data science and defense analytics and defense firm .

Founded in 1972, SPA provides data and analytics services designed to address challenges facing the United States and its allies. In September, SPA announced plans to invest $46.9 million to expand its headquarters, increase its presence in and create more than 1,200 jobs in the two localities.

Group W, founded in 2004, specializes in modeling, simulation and wargaming capabilities for the (currently being rebranded by President Donald Trump as the ).

Financial terms of the were not disclosed, and details were not made available about how Group W would be integrated into SPA. Representatives did not immediately return requests for comment.

“SPA has a long history of working with Group W, and today we unite the leading providers and users of widely-used DOD modeling and simulation tools across the system, mission and campaign levels,” said SPA CEO Rich Sawchak in a statement. “We are delighted to have Group W join us as partners in our shared national security mission. The combination of the two firms creates the most robust analytical defense modeling and simulation company serving the global allied national security ecosystem.”

In a statement, Group W CEO Trase Travers said, “We have an exceptional reputation in the art and science of simulating modern warfare derived from our enduring innovation and collaborative expertise. We align impeccably well with SPA and their widely respected position of trust with the U.S. government for national security, defense, intelligence and homeland security programs.”

SPA has 23 office locations and more than 3,000 employees worldwide.