VPM Daily Newscast

Most parts of Central Virginia were advised to find shelter yesterday afternoon; Some Richmonders say the mayor’s Civilian Review Board proposal threatens to weaken the board’s power and its independence from police; Regulations have yet to take effect that are aimed at “fast-tracking” the review process for new Civil War signage in Virginia; and other local news stories.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin met with stakeholders yesterday to talk about legislation he is deciding whether to sign into law; A federal court dismissed an appeal by Mountain Valley Pipeline in an Air Pollution Control Board case; Students at Atlee High School in Hanover County have been suspended for a school walkout a couple of weeks ago; and other local news stories.

The Virginia Education Association, an advocacy group and union, has announced plans to publish recently rescinded state education equity guidelines on their own website; A group called the Alliance Defending Freedom, or ADF, has been asked to review the equal opportunities policy for Hanover County Public Schools. But the Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed ADF an anti-LGBTQ hate group; The bo...

A proposed natural gas project would double the size of a pipeline that runs through Hampton Roads; Six buildings on the University of Richmond campus will be renamed, including two that were the focus of student and faculty protests last year; It’s now optional to wear face masks in classrooms at the University of Virginia; and other local news stories.

For the first time in over 100 years, Mattaponi women will be able to vote for their next chief; Governor Glenn Youngkin’s executive order making masks in schools voluntary cannot be enforced in some school districts; The contentious Supreme Court confirmation hearings this week have highlighted the lack of professional diversity on the nation’s highest court; and other local news stories.

Resources for Richmond families who need housing can’t keep up with pandemic spikes in homelessness; Virginia lawmakers will be called back to Richmond on April 4th to finish work on bills and the state budget; Lashrecse Aird plans to run for the state Senate seat in 2023; and other local news stories.

Hampton University is offering free room, board, and tuition for up to 100 students this summer whose education was disrupted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine; A federal district court in Richmond is weighing whether a lawsuit to force Virginia to hold another House of Delegates election can go forward; Federal legislation named after a physician from Charlottesville has been signed into law by...

Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears kicked off Virginia Women Veterans Week yesterday at the Virginia War Memorial; Yesterday, a state health panel revoked Virginia’s workplace standards on preventing the spread of COVID-19; The U.S. Naming Commission has released 90 options to rename Fort Lee and eight other military bases originally named after Confederate leaders; and other local news stori...

Governor Glenn Youngkin shared a report this week recommending Virginia leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative; Roads around the state capitol are closed through next month due to construction; Virginia lawmakers want to deter and crack down on catalytic converter thefts; and other local news stories.

Governor Glenn Youngkin proposed a gas tax holiday to help deal with rising prices at the pump; Virginia Senator Tim Kaine says Congress will offer more military aid to Ukraine; A new round of solar energy projects is coming to Virginia; and other local news stories.

The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts started their emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic nearly two years ago to the day; A Richmond judge says VCU cannot be held liable for age-based discrimination; A bill heading to the governor’s desk will allow some smaller localities in Virginia to opt-out of the “MARCUS Alert” law; and other local news stories.

The Virginia General Assembly closed out the 2022 legislative session, but only temporarily; Virginia’s future in RGGI is still uncertain; Virginia State University will offer the state's first public all-online undergraduate degree program next fall; and other local news stories.

Virginia Democrats are calling on Governor Glenn Youngkin to issue a state of emergency because rising gas prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine; A state law aimed at getting problem police officers off the streets has resulted in dozens of cops losing their badges in the last year; The General Assembly has passed legislation this year to require evidence-based literacy instruction in Virg...

Virginia education officials estimate it will cost around $25 billion to replace all school buildings that are over 50 years old; It may soon be easier for students and small businesses to participate in internship programs; Virginia lawmakers are working behind closed doors to finalize a bill that would restrict some criminal investigation files from public records requests; and other local news...

The General Assembly is set to vote on a slate of judges today; State and national bills are being proposed to increase funding for black cemeteries; Lawmakers are considering a plan to restore freshwater mussel populations; and other local news stories.

As more than a million Ukrainians seek safety in countries bordering their own, the United States is helping more than 76,000 Afghan refugees to resettle here; Governor Glenn Youngkin says Virginia may see an uptick in defense spending, a major piece of the state’s economy; Advocates and local officials are concerned about the effects eliminating the state’s grocery tax may have on Northern Virgin...

Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration is blocking attempts to see who made public records requests and how they were handled; The Virginia Department of Education will have to draw up statewide guidance on heat-related illness this summer for coaches, student athletes and parents; A group of Virginia delegates killed a bill this week that would have changed the timeline for the City of Richmond...

The General Assembly blocked a bill this week that would have changed a law barring people with a criminal history from becoming counselors; A House of Delegates committee led by Republicans spiked legislation yesterday that would set limits on using campaign money for personal expenses; A new survey released by Roanoke College shows a strong partisan divide among Virginians on how the Youngkin Ad...

Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction recently issued a report about several statewide equity-related initiatives that have been rescinded, but experts say the definition of “inherently divisive concepts” is flawed; Proposals to amend Virginia’s constitution are officially off the table this year; A Virginia Senate committee has interrupted Republican efforts to repeal the state’s recent...

Virginia continues to react to the invasion of Ukraine; Governor Glenn Youngkin seeks emergency funding to protect HBCUs, Marijuana reform fails in the General Assembly; and other local news stories.

The actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin are coming under the scrutiny of elected leaders across the country, including in Virginia; Lawmakers are hashing out the specifics of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s first budget; If a regular car is parked in a spot with an electric vehicle charging station, the driver could soon be fined in Virginia; and other local news stories.

State lawmakers want to set aside money in this year’s budget to hire more nurses to examine people who have been sexually assaulted; Governor Glenn Youngkin signed two election related bills into law yesterday; Richmond may be blocked from having a second chance at a casino, if part of the Senate’s budget proposal is passed; and other local news stories.

The GOP-controlled House of Delegates has failed to confirm 11 Northam appointees to various state boards, including 3 members of the State Board of Education; A bill now on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk would bring back a requirement for principals to report low-level offenses that happen on school property to law enforcement; Some lawmakers support rolling back overtime protections they initial...

A new poll of registered Virginia voters finds the electorate is mixed on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s approach to taxes; The General Assembly’s finance committees are proposing big spending increases for public schools in the state budget, including a $2 billion dollar program to update schools; Virginia lawmakers made a major change to a bill aimed at combating hazing on college campuses; and other...

Community members are rallying around students, parents and staff at William Fox Elementary School to help ease their transition back online; A redevelopment project in Richmond’s Diamond District has attracted solicitations from over a dozen developers; One of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s campaign promises was boosting school choice. A legislative proposal to do that would create lab schools; and ot...