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‘We, not me’: Hala Ayala focuses on ‘collective work’ in run for lieutenant governor
No matter who wins the race for Virginia lieutenant governor, a largely ceremonial job that nevertheless can be a springboard to bigger things, the election will make history, since no woman of color has ever held statewide office and there has never been a woman lieutenant governor. Last in a two-part Q&A series with the […]
‘Who knew Nixon was a homeboy?’ A Q&A with lieutenant governor hopeful Winsome Sears
No matter who wins the race for Virginia lieutenant governor, a largely ceremonial job that nevertheless can be a springboard to bigger things, the election will make history. No woman of color has ever held statewide office and there has never been a woman lieutenant governor. This is the first in a two-part Q&A series […]
Federal legislation would require states to fund addiction recovery programs
As drug overdose deaths surge in Virginia and across the country, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Henrico, has introduced a bipartisan bill that would create permanent federal funding for addiction recovery programs. The legislation would require states to spend at least 10 percent of the money they receive from the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment […]
VMI superintendent: ‘zero tolerance’ for racism, sexism
The head of the embattled Virginia Military Institute told a state oversight body Tuesday that there will be “zero tolerance for any more acts of racism and sexism” at the public military school in Lexington. “I’ve had an opportunity through about 25 hours worth of listening sessions to form my own assessment about the climate […]
PETA seeks safety designation for stretch of Virginia road prone to hog truck crashes
PETA has asked the state Department of Transportation to designate a portion of State Route 10 in southeastern Virginia as a highway safety corridor due to what the animal welfare group and locals say is a high rate of crashes involving hog trucks. A safety corridor designation on the road between U.S. Route 58 in […]
Virginia’s new emancipation monument is expected to go up by the end of the year
In September of 2016, the state’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial commission announced the construction of the “Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument” on Brown’s Island in Richmond dedicated to the emancipation of enslaved Africans. The commission projected that the 12 foot tall monument — which features a male slave with a deeply scarred back and […]
Printing a house? A Virginia first takes shape.
In a state that has been facing a major affordable housing shortage, a new alternative to brick and lumber homebuilding could be emerging — 3D printing. Funded by a $500,000 grant from Virginia Housing, formerly the Virginia Housing Development Authority, designed by the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech and printed by Iowa-based […]
Q&A: Dreamer discusses life under DACA on its ninth anniversary
Angel Romero arrived in Virginia when he was two years old, completely unaware of his parents’ status as undocumented migrants from Mexico. Under DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy enacted by former President Barack Obama’s administration in 2012, he’s been allowed to live and work legally in the U.S. But the protections are […]
Commission examining legacy of slavery, racism to seek more time
A commission tasked with evaluating the lasting legacy of slavery, segregation and racial discrimination on Black Virginians will seek more time from the General Assembly to do its work after a year lost to the pandemic. While the panel was set to expire on July 1, 2022, Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, and Sen. Mamie Locke, […]