Merck sweetens Virginia investment, committing $3bn and 500 jobs

Merck has broken ground on a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility at its site in Elkton, Virginia. The $3 billion investment will add about 500 jobs to the site, exceeding the firm’s original plans by $1 billion and 200 workers according to Glenn...

AARP Virginia Fraud Alert: Aspen Institute Fraud Task Force

Fraud today is largely run by sophisticated, large-scale operations led by transnational crime groups, stealing an estimated $158 billion from Americans in a single year. This is not just a consumer education issue — it’s a national security...

UPDATED: Virginia Man Dies after Three Vehicle Crash Near Lincoln Friday Afternoon

UPDATED – 10/20/25 – Delaware State Police have identified 68 year old Michael Smith of Portsmouth, Virginia, as the man who died in the fatal crash in Lincoln on Friday. ==========================================================================...

Nobody’s Girl: The heartbreaking story of Virginia Giuffre, Epstein’s victim overshadowed by royal scandal

There is a sentence in Virginia Giuffre’s memoir that will stop you cold. It isn’t her narrative of the three times she had sex with Prince Andrew in the two years she spent as a sex slave for Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell as a teenager....

CANDIDATE Q&A – Virginia gubernatorial candidates Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger (left) and Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears1. Minimum Wage Virginia’s minimum wage is set to rise to $12.77 on January 1, 2026. Do you support further increasing the...

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 10.28.25

Good Tuesday morning. A top-of-the-‘Burn birthday shoutout to our friend and mom extraordinaire Alia Faraj-Johnson, who was earlier this year featured in INFLUENCE Magazine as one of Florida politics’ “Great Communicators.” Happy birthday to Alia...

New film profiles Virginia high school that blends academics with vocational training

The film, called Multiple Choice, features students who love to weld. “You’re in the moment. Nothing else is bothering you, and you’re 100% locked in on that," says one. "I started welding my freshman year. I just thought it would be cool. I did...

Four key questions about Jeffrey Epstein that Virginia Giuffre’s tell-all memoir fails to answer

The posthumous memoir of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre has cast fresh light on the scale of abuse carried out by the pedophile financier. Giuffre, 41, died by suicide in April this year while working on the book with co-author Amy Wallace....

Merck Breaks Ground on $3B Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in Elkton, Virginia

3ELKTON, VA. — Merck has broken ground on the Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, a $3 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Elkton. The 400,000-square-foot property will support more than 500 full-time jobs and 8,000...

'This Is All Trump': Democrats Defiant as Food Stamp Talks Stall Amid Shutdown Showdown

As the United States enters its fourth week of a government shutdown, tensions in Washington are escalating sharply, with millions of Americans bracing for the possible suspension of food aid. Despite mounting pressure, Democratic leaders are...

Up 22% in 3 months! Should investors consider buying shares in this FTSE 100 pharma giant?

Shares in FTSE 100 pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) have climbed an impressive 22% in the three months to 20 October 2025. That means the stock has outpaced the broader Footsie over that period. Is it still one for investors to...

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Virginia Giuffre Drops Hints about Sick Pedo's Political Clients in Posthumous Memoir — 'a Multitude of Powerful Men'

Giuffre also claimed Epstein and the men he trafficked her to – whom she describes as "powerful and greedy" – never used protection. "Epstein never wore a condom. Neither did the men he and Ghislaine trafficked me to," she wrote. "I was treated...

CANDIDATE Q&A – Virginia attorney general candidates Jay Jones and Jason Miyares

1. Abortion and state vs. federal law If federal restrictions are imposed on abortion medications like Mifepristone, would you defend Virginians’ access under existing state law, or would you support enforcing the federal limits within Virginia?...

Miss Virginia 2025 visits Buchanan Elementary School

Miss Virginia 2025 Madison Whitbeck speaks with students at Buchanan Elementary last week. Whitbeck (center) with Buchanan Lions (from left) Jessie Burton, Mike Burton, Tim Heinlein, and Danette Heinlein Buchanan Elementary School was honored to...

The ‘Client List’, Mar-A-Lago, and celebrity parties: All the biggest Trump-Epstein revelations from Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Merck to Build $3 Billion Manufacturing Facility in Virginia

Merck has started construction on a new $3 billion, 400,000-square-foot pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Elkton, Virginia, marking one of its largest U.S. investments to date. What’s Related The new Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical...

Health officials issue warning after US patient contracts rare virus: 'It's important for everyone to guard against'

"Remain[s] a potential threat here in Illinois." by Christine DulionOctober 18, 2025 Health experts are warning residents across Illinois to stay alert after a patient contracted a rare tick-borne virus. It's the first time the virus has been...

Report details possible health risks from Chesterfield gas plant

By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A new report commissioned by the Southern Environmental Law Center claims Dominion Energy’s plan to expand gas generation at its Chesterfield site could cause 80 premature deaths across...

Enrollment for D-SNPs Open for Virginians on Medicare, Medicaid

Nationally, nearly half of people who qualify for a D-SNP are not signed up for one, despite the large number of potential benefits they can provide. (Adobe Stock) WASHINGTON — Virginians enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare may qualify for a...

MSD initiates construction on $3bn Virginia drug manufacturing site

Merck & Co (MSD) has broken ground on its new pharmaceutical manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Virginia, US, amid looming tariff threats from the Trump administration. The $3bn site, which is located at the pharma’s Elkton facility, will test...