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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 […]
Democratic women lead fundraising pack
By McKenzie Lambert/ Capital News Service With less than two weeks until the election, campaign finance reports show that not only are Democrats bringing in the most money, but Democratic women are leading the pack with donations received. “Their strong fundraising is indicative of the incredible support they have, particularly from grassroots donors,” said Kathryn […]
A look at Virginia’s new Women’s Monument in Capitol Square: ‘No pedestals, no weapons, no horses’
By Susan Shibut/ Capital News Service The nation’s first monument created to showcase remarkable women of Virginia now stands on Capitol Square. Hundreds watched the unveiling Monday of the Virginia Women’s Monument, which features seven statues honoring women from different parts of the commonwealth. Mary Margaret Whipple, vice chair of the Women’s Monument Commission, said […]
Uptick in student absentee ballots might indicate higher turnout
By Imani Thaniel/ Capital News Service In addition to hitting the books this fall, more Virginia college students may hit the polls next month. Virginia Department of Elections data show that 10,923 students in Virginia have applied for absentee ballots this year. That’s more than double the number of absentee ballot applications (4,878) received in 2015, […]
Virginia ranks among states with lowest crime rates, FBI data shows, though with some homicide hotspots
By Jaclyn Barton/ Capital News Service Virginia had the fourth lowest violent crime rate and 13th lowest property crime rate in the United States last year, according to new data from the FBI. The commonwealth had 200 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2018, the data showed. Only Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire had a lower […]