$2.75 million coming to Martinsville and Henry County

.75 million coming to Martinsville and Henry County

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (Governor’s office)

Henry County and Martinsville will receive a combined 2.75 million dollars in federal Community Development Block Grants.

Governor Abigail Spanberger announced the awards today as part of 22.7 million dollars for 17 projects statewide.

Henry County will receive 1.5 million dollars for the Old Bassett Heights Road Rehabilitation Project. Martinsville will receive 1.25 million dollars for its Early Learning Center.

Governor’s office press release:

Governor Spanberger Announces $23 Million in Grants for Community Development Across the Commonwealth

Funding Supports New or Rehabilitated Housing, Vibrant Downtowns, & Infrastructure Improvements

RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced $22.7 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) that will fund 17 community projects across Virginia. The awards will support local initiatives, including new housing, downtown revitalizations, and infrastructure upgrades. Together with $9.7 million in local leveraged investments, the funded projects will directly benefit Virginians in communities across the Commonwealth.

Administered by DHCD since 1982, Virginia’s CDBG program allocates federal funding to strengthen physical and economic environments in communities. This year’s awards leverage approximately $19 million in new funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development combined with funds carried over from the previous year.

“Community development block grants remain one of our most effective tools to encourage durable growth in every region of the Commonwealth,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “By investing more than $20 million directly into our cities and counties, we are expanding affordable housing options, supporting local priorities, and building sustainable infrastructure for Virginians.”

“CDBG funds allow us to target projects that lower costs for businesses and families, improve infrastructure, and grow the economy in every region of the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Chenery. “By pairing state, federal, and nearly $10 million in local resources, we are able to further drive down housing costs, revitalize downtown business districts, and grow the good jobs that Virginians need to thrive.”

“Whether providing clean drinking water, safe sewage disposal, or preserving housing units, these investments will make a direct difference in the quality of life for thousands of Virginia families,” said DHCD Director Dr. Tamarah Holmes.

A full list of the 2026 CDBG awarded projects can be found below:

  • Tazewell County, Tazewell County Leachate Tank. $2,000,000.00
  • Amherst County. South Madison Heights Infrastructure Project 2026, $1,999,843.00
  • Wise County, Riverview Waterline Replacement Project – Phase I, $1,915,714.00
  • Floyd County, Infrastructure with Housing Production 2026, $1,798,487.00
  • Henry County, Old Bassett Heights Road Rehabilitation, $1,500,000.00
  • Westmoreland County, Jerusalem Church Road Housing Rehabilitation Project, $1,500,000.00
  • York County, York Terrace Northwest Housing Rehabilitation Project 2026, $1,500,000.00
  • Town of Blackstone, Taylors Bottom Improvement Project – Phase I, $1,406,130.00
  • Accomack County, Horntown Community Improvement Implementation Grant 2026, $1,250,000.00
  • City of Martinsville, Martinsville Early Learning Center, $1,250,000.00
  • Lee County, St. Charles – Bonny Blue WLR Project, $1,246,125.00
  • Town of Fincastle, Fincastle Historic District Revitalization 2026, $1,244,642.00
  • Town of Tazewell, North Tazewell Business District Façade Improvement Project, $976,530.67
  • Town of Lawrenceville, Park Street, Phase 2 Housing Project, $883,795.00
  • Town of Pennington Gap, N. Kentucky Street Housing Rehabilitation Project, $870,025.00
  • Town of Bridgewater, Fountainhead Subdivision Water & Sewer Infrastructure Project, $833,384.00
  • Town of Honaker, Honaker Downtown Revitalization, $564,183.00

TOTAL: $22,738,858.67

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(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration is ending a key health insurance subsidy program that aimed to keep premiums for seniors’ prescription drug plans in check, claiming that it benefits corporate insurance companies, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz.

Medicare Part D — the government health insurance program’s prescription drug benefit — is used by tens of millions of older or disabled beneficiaries.

The program’s subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, the administration announced Tuesday.

That move will likely result in higher prescription costs and increase premiums for about half of recipients, according to an administration official.

The changes are anticipated to happen in 2027 and enrollees will find out the new monthly cost later this fall, administration officials said.

Currently the government pays billions of dollars to insurance companies as a subsidy to keep prescription drug insurance at an average of $36 per person per month, according to KFF, a health policy nonprofit. 

Ending the subsidies may increase premiums for some by as much as $20 a month, according to KFF.

The move comes as Affordable Care Act subsidies have expired and health care costs remain a top issue for voters ahead of the midterm elections. The ACA subsidies helped lower the out-of-pocket costs for monthly premiums for people who purchased health care through the health insurance marketplace.

Trump administration officials decried the Biden administration for signing the Inflation Reduction Act, which they allege bailed out major insurance companies and resulted in increased premiums for Americans. Trump officials also claim that billions of dollars were funneled to the companies through Biden’s signature legislation

At the time, Biden officials touted the Inflation Reduction Act for allowing the government to negotiate with drug companies about the pricing for some of their most expensive medicines.  

“We are stabilizing the market so this bailout is no longer needed,” Oz wrote in a post on X. “Premiums will go up by less than $10 for most Medicare recipients, with many even seeing LOWER premiums.”

“Every Medicare beneficiary still has access to low-cost plans, and we will continue to lower prescription drug prices for every American patient, from more MFN deals to our policy giving seniors access to GLP-1s for $50 a month,” he added, referring to “most favored nation” deals under which pharmaceutical companies charge U.S. patients the same rate as they charge in other countries.

The news about the Medicare Part D subsidies ending was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

About half of enrollees will either see a premium increase of less than $10 or a premium decrease and most will have plans available at $10 or less, according to a Trump administration official.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Oil prices surge after Trump vows retaliation for Iranian attack
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A customer pumps gas at a Freedom Fuel Network gas station on July 8, 2026, in Dresher, Pennsylvania. (Joe Lamberti/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Global oil prices surged on Wednesday after an Iranian attack elicited a vow of reprisal from President Donald Trump, ending a brief calm that had renewed hope among investors of a negotiated resolution.

A benchmark index for worldwide crude prices climbed more than 7% on Wednesday, crossing above $90 a barrel.

Major stock indexes, meanwhile, tumbled. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 710 points, or 1.3%, while the S&P 500 increased 0.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 0.8%.

Oil prices account for a large share of the price of auto gasoline. The average price of a gallon of gas currently stands at $4.09, according to AAA, marking a 37% jump since war broke out in late February.

Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. will respond to an overnight missile attack launched by Iran.

“We’ll be hitting them [Iran] hard,” Trump told Fox News.

The U.S. intercepted an “attempted surprise attack” involving multiple ballistic missiles, which targeted U.S. forces in the Middle East on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command.

Oil prices have swung dramatically over recent weeks in response to on-again, off-again fighting.

Last month, oil prices briefly fell to their lowest level since before the war on news that a preliminary peace agreement had been reached.

A resumption of large-scale fighting between the U.S. and Iran, however, cast doubt over the staying power of that deal.

Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz declined sharply as the war escalated. The maritime trading route facilitates transport of about one-fifth of global oil supply. In turn, worldwide oil prices soared above $100 a barrel.

Another round of price relief arrived on Monday after the U.S. paused attacks on Iran over the weekend, but the resumption of fighting on Tuesday rekindled price gains.

The Iran war set off a jump in overall inflation due in large part to a rise in oil prices and, in turn, fuel costs.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who took the helm of the central bank in May, has repeatedly vowed to slash inflation to the Fed’s desired level of 2%. The annual pace of price increases currently registers at 3.5%.

“Persistently high prices are a burden for the American people,” Warsh told reporters in Washington, D.C., last month. “This committee will deliver price stability.”

The Fed stands poised to issue a decision on the level of interest rates on Wednesday afternoon.

It could raise interest rates in an effort to cool off prices, but the move risks a slowdown of hiring.

Futures markets peg a roughly 66% chance of interest rates being left unchanged on Wednesday, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, a measure of investor sentiment. Odds, however, stand in favor of a quarter-point rate hike in September, the next time central bankers meet.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.