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Bill to make pawpaws the state fruit delayed to 2021
By Macy Pressley/ Capital News Service Countless Virginians remember biting into the custardy sweetness of a pawpaw, the peculiar combination of mango and banana filling their mouths as the drops of juice dribbled down their chins, the perfect treat for a sweltering late August afternoon. These memories might be honored with state recognition, but not […]
Bill advances to grant undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses
By Ada Romano/ Capital News Service Legislation allowing undocumented immigrants to possess a driver’s license advanced in the Senate Wednesday. Senate Bill 34, introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, would allow immigrants to obtain a driver’s license regardless of legal status. Applicants must prove they don’t have a social security or individual taxpayer identification number and […]
Subcommittee advances bill allowing voters to choose multiple candidates
By Macy Pressley/ Capital News Service A bill allowing Virginia voters to choose more than one candidate on the ballot narrowly advanced through subcommittee Monday. House Bill 1103, introduced by Del. Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, would open a pilot program for ranked-choice voting in local elections, such as city council or school board contests. “Rank choice voting is […]
More pedestrians are dying on Virginia’s roads
By Kelly Booth and Judi Dalati /Capital News Service On a Friday night in October, Katelyn Tilts was walking to a convenience store with a group of friends when she saw headlights coming at her. “A car came around the corner really quickly and was swerving. The driver was swerving but started going directly at […]
Evictions, a focus of concern, fall 14% in Virginia
By Jaclyn Barton and Patricia Cason/ Capital News Service Martin Wegbreit has known for a long time that Richmond has a problem with evictions, but a 2018 New York Times article brought national attention to the issue. It said the city’s eviction rate was more than 11% — three to four times the national average. “The […]
Buttigieg leading in donations from Virginia
By Adam Hamza/ Capital News Service Pete Buttigieg has raised more money in individual donations from the commonwealth than any other candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has received nearly $950,000 from Virginians, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. That puts him ahead of former Vice President […]
Virginians are recycling more of their trash
By Eric Everington/ Capital News Service Virginia recycled almost half of its trash last year, setting a record despite China’s ban on importing plastic and other solid waste. The statewide recycling rate in 2018 was 46% — up 3 percentage points from the previous year, according to data released this week by the Virginia Department of […]
‘Fighting Joe’ returns to Va. legislature
By Jimmy O’Keefe/ Capital News Service “Fighting Joe” is back. Joe Morrissey, a controversial figure in Virginia politics, appears poised to return to the legislature after defeating independent candidate Waylin Ross in Senate District 16 with nearly two-thirds of the vote. “Having been there before, having seen the way things work, I really, truly am going […]
Political groups and candidates blanket Virginia with Facebook ads
By Hannah Eason/ Capital News Service You might call it the Facebook Election. Many voters are “cutting the cord” from cable TV, and candidates and political organizations are turning to Facebook to attract Virginia voters in Tuesday’s legislative and local elections. Between July 1 and Oct. 25, Facebook users in Virginia were bombarded with about […]
Gun control advocates outspending NRA by over half million
By Rodney Robinson/ Capital News Service October brought more donations to candidates and more knocks on constituent doors from both sides of the gun lobby. Democratic coffers — which have reached historic levels of reported fundraising — swelled with October donations from Everytown for Gun Safety, a lobby group focused on reducing gun violence. Everytown contributed […]
Record drug overdose deaths projected in Virginia
By Eric Everington/ Capital News Service After a spike in deaths during the first half of the year, Virginia officials are projecting a record number of drug overdose fatalities in 2019. Data released Friday by Virginia’s chief medical examiner shows a big increase in deaths between January and June from overdoses of methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl, […]
In 2018, nearly 7,000 absentee ballots arrived too late to be counted
By Aliviah Jones/ Capital News Service Virginia voters have already returned more absentee ballots in 2019 than in the November 2015 election — the last time all 140 seats in the General Assembly were up for reelection. In the last few elections there has been an uptick in absentee ballots, but not all returned ballots […]