The VPM Daily Newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of June 26, 2025:
ICE is conducting daily detentions at Chesterfield County Courthouse
Reported by VPM News’ Billy Shields
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been in regular attendance at the Chesterfield County Courthouse since last Friday, with plainclothes agents attending traffic court, arraignments and preliminary hearings.
Lawyers inside the courtroom say once those proceedings are completed, ICE agents — some of them wearing masks — appear and whisk people out of the court building.
VPM News observed Jose Allende Galindo, a Mexican national, being driven off the courthouse grounds Wednesday in an unmarked white van after making a 1 p.m. appearance related to an expired vehicle registration sticker, according to his attorney, Mackenzie Clements.
Clements said that agents presented her with a warrant for Galindo’s arrest linked to a removal order. “My client was coming to show the court that he had complied with registering his vehicle and was secreted away,” she told VPM News. “ICE is now present in the courthouse, it seems, for every docket every day — including pretrial court proceedings where you’re there to determine your lawyer situation.”
She expressed concern that ICE’s presence is going to keep people with uncertain documentation from participating in the legal system, even as witnesses or victims: “Why would you go to the courthouse?”
Richmond P-card audit finds at least $5M in 'questionable' spending
Reported by VPM News’ Dean Mirshahi
A city audit of Richmond’s purchasing card program found at least $5 million in “questionable transactions” out of nearly $21 million spent by government employees from July 2022 through May 2024.
Richmond City Auditor Riad Ali’s review found that “significant weaknesses” in the oversight of the city-issued credit cards led to the suspicious purchases. The audit report released Tuesday said these transactions were referred to the city’s inspector general’s office, which investigates claims of fraud, waste and abuse.
“The City’s P-Card program and usage lacked effective internal controls to ensure the proper use of public funds,” the report said. “The City’s transaction approval structure did not consistently function as an effective safeguard to ensure taxpayers’ dollars were spent appropriately.”
The questionable transactions auditors found across multiple departments and vendors included potential conflicts of interest, altered invoices, procurement violations and other irregularities. The city’s lack of a clear spending policy for employees led to, among other things, $79,000 in questionable food purchases, auditors said.
News you might have missed from around the commonwealth:
- How long will Richmond's heat wave last? (The Richmonder)
- Federal cuts hit coastal flooding, dam projects (Virginia Mercury)
- Google buys Botetourt County land for data center plans (Cardinal News)
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