News
Youngkin signs bill creating $300 tax credit for gun safes
Firearm safety is about to get a little more affordable in Virginia after Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bipartisan bill creating a $300 tax credit meant to reimburse people who buy gun safes or other lockable gun containers. The legislation approved by the governor last week was the only gun safety measure that passed the […]
Fairfax police officer fired after fatal shooting and more Va. headlines
• A Fairfax County police officer was fired Thursday after fatally shooting a man suspected of shoplifting at Tysons Corner Center mall last month. The local police chief said the officer showed “a failure to live up to the expectations of our agency, in particular use of force policies.”—Associated Press • A newly released surveillance video shows […]
Internal ABC emails show counter-service store conversions may be less certain than indicated
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority told the Mercury last December it has plans to modernize all of its stores, including converting its three remaining counter-service locations – stores where all products are kept behind a counter shielded with a protective barrier – to standard self-service ones. But internal emails from the authority recently obtained […]
Board of Health members express concern about lack of state health commissioner
Members of Virginia’s State Board of Health expressed worries Thursday about the ongoing lack of a state health commissioner after the General Assembly failed to reappoint former commissioner Dr. Colin Greene in February. “Several of us are very concerned about the delay in the appointment of a qualified leader,” said Board Vice Chair Wendy Klein […]
Youngkin administration now requires felons to apply to get their voting rights back
In a shift from Virginia’s last three governors, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is requiring people with felony convictions to proactively apply to regain their voting rights upon release from prison and is not automatically restoring rights for any group of offenders. In a letter sent to a Democratic state senator this week in response to […]
Organ-sharing network to be overhauled and more Va. headlines
• The Richmond-based United Network for Organ Sharing is having its monopoly power overhauled by the federal government, which plans to break up the system after investigations found sluggishness and dysfunction that has left many people waiting for life-saving transplants.—Washington Post • The mother of a Shenandoah County elementary school student says her son’s rights were violated […]
Virginia policymakers consider changing hemp bill to reduce impact on CBD products
Before many people even knew what CBD was, a particular group of families was asking Virginia lawmakers to legalize it. At the urging of parents with children diagnosed with severe epilepsy, Virginia passed a law in 2015 creating a legal shield allowing families to possess cannabis-derived CBD oils for medical use without fear of being […]
Virginia to conduct in-depth review of SMART SCALE process
Virginia is taking a deeper dive into the award-winning SMART SCALE transportation funding process used by multiple jurisdictions, seven years after the program went into effect. SMART SCALE began distributing awards in 2017 and 2018 as part of a process to determine “the right” transportation projects to prioritize, based on which projects benefit taxpayers the […]
Moderna plan to hike COVID vaccine price to $130 a dose rebuked at U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — The CEO of Moderna on Wednesday defended the company’s decision to drastically increase the price of its COVID-19 vaccine later this year, arguing that an expected drop in demand, changes to its distribution process and the overall benefit of the vaccine warrant the higher cost. That decision was met with bipartisan condemnation from […]
Tennessee official Lisa Coons appointed Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction
Tennessee’s Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons was appointed superintendent of public instruction in Virginia by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday, following the resignation of former superintendent Jillian Balow earlier this month. Coons is expected to start on April 17, according to the Virginia Department of Education, after leading Tennessee’s revisions for English Language Arts instruction […]
Deputies, Central State employees indicted in Otieno death and more Va. headlines
• A grand jury formally indicted seven Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and three employees of Central State Hospital on second-degree murder charges in connection to the death of Irvo Otieno, whose family says he was smothered to death in police custody while in the midst of a mental health episode.—CBS News • A surveillance video showing the […]
As channels fill, Middle Peninsula gets OK for faster dredging approvals
MATHEWS CO., VA. — On Haven Beach on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, trees are dying as the surrounding marshlands slowly convert into ponds. As the sea continues to rise, salt from the Chesapeake Bay is more easily sprayed through the wind onto surrounding flora, destroying it. The marshes are also becoming more susceptible to invasive plant […]