VPM Daily Newscast

Governor Glenn Youngkin signed legislation yesterday that would allow parents to opt their kids out of local mandates starting March 1st; Construction crews have unearthed a metal box at the former site of the Jefferson Davis monument in Richmond; Cyclists may have to adjust their riding style again after the state Senate approved changes to a law that’s barely a year old; and other local news sto...

Adults in Virginia will be able to buy cannabis in September under legislation passed by the state Senate yesterday; Governor Glenn Youngkin has made a few changes to a bill that would allow parents to opt their children out of wearing facemasks at school; The House of Delegates and state Senate have both accepted bills that would change how state pollution control boards operate; and other local...

School construction is top-of-mind for school leaders after William Fox Elementary school caught fire this weekend; About 80 Richmond City Public School teachers may lose their jobs next year if the school district’s proposed budget is approved; The first bill signed into law by Virginia’s new governor aims to support dairy farmers; and other local news stories.

The Attorney General has decided the state will not support overturning the case of two men convicted of murdering a Waverly police officer in 1998; Virginia Commonwealth University Athletics is apologizing after a radio broadcaster from a competing school says he was prevented from working at a men’s basketball game this week; The new GOP majority in Virginia’s House of Delegates is trying to rol...

More than 3,000 people, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin, attended Wednesday's memorial service honoring the officers killed at Bridgewater College last week; President Joe Biden will be visiting Culpeper today; The Virginia Senate is set to take up a bill that would require local registrars to sort absentee votes by precinct; and other local news stories.

House Republicans have put a stop to two proposed constitutional amendments that Democrats had been fighting for; In a party-line vote, the Virginia Senate rejected the nomination of Andrew Wheeler for Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources; An Albemarle County parent filed a complaint with the attorney general, saying their school district’s COVID policies are discriminatory; and other local...

The Supreme Court of Virginia dismissed a lawsuit from a group of Chesapeake parents trying to undo Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order on school mask mandates; Legislative proposals to make it easier for charter schools to open in the state are facing stiff opposition in the General Assembly; The Virginia Senate has rejected a bill that would eliminate every mandatory minimum criminal sentence;...

Governor Glenn Youngkin's office has been denying FOIA requests for emails from the new teacher tip line; Gov. Youngkin’s administration is joining a lawsuit filed by Loudoun County parents over the school district’s mask mandate; Virginia voters could opt-in to a new photo ID program under a bill that passed the House of Delegates yesterday; and other local news stories.

Large, destructive, semi-aquatic rodents called nutria are inching northward along Virginia’s coastal wetlands; Virginia will not make restaurants and bars liable for overserving alcohol to customers who cause injury or property damage while intoxicated; Capitol Police are investigating an incident involving state Senator Joe Morrissey and the president of the Petersburg NAACP; and other local new...

A male suspect has been taken into custody after authorities say he shot and killed who campus officers at Bridgewater College campus; Governor Glenn Youngkin’s pick for the state’s top environmental post was singled out yesterday; Several parents of students with disabilities have filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and other state officials, over the governor’s executive order e...

Republicans in the General Assembly are seeking to undo minimum wage increases put in place by Democrats; The General Assembly is also considering a bill that would allow people to sue bars and restaurants if they serve alcohol to an underage customer who goes on to cause an accident or injury; The City of Richmond is currently accepting applications for real estate tax relief for residents who ar...

Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency ahead of a Nor’easter expected later today; The Attorney General’s office announced a change in policy this week that will reduce attorney fees the office charges for the collection of defaulted student debt; A survey from Old Dominion University sheds some light on why some workers have called it quits; and other local news stories.

Democrats in Virginia’s Senate have dealt a blow to a major campaign promise from Attorney General Jason Miyares; A bill is heading to the Senate floor that would give a state commission power to extend Virginia’s oyster harvesting season by a month; and other local news stories.

An education bill supported by Governor Glenn Youngkin that would undo recent efforts by Virginia Governor’s schools to increase student diversity is making its way through the General Assembly; The state Senate has approved a bill that would allow Charlottesville to seek a 1 percent tax increase to fund school construction projects; Andrew Wheeler, the nominee for Virginia’s top environmental and...

One of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s executive orders took effect yesterday that seeks to eliminate school district mandates for mask-wearing, but the legality of the directive is in question; Seven school boards from around the state want to stop Gov. Youngkin’s executive order on school mask mandates; Teachers union leaders from Chesterfield, Henrico and Richmond asked their school districts yesterd...

Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency ahead of winter weather over the next few days; Some Virginia Republicans are attempting to repeal legislation that would combat the school-to-prison pipeline; Chesterfield County’s school board voted yesterday to maintain its masking mandate for students, staff and visitors; and other local news stories.

Governor Glenn Youngkin has chosen a staffer from the conservative Heritage Foundation to lead the state’s diversity efforts; Several Hampton Roads cities are asking the General Assembly to allow state funding to care for historic Black cemeteries; Employees at Virginia Commonwealth University are no longer required to be vaccinated or report their vaccination status to the university; and other l...

Some lawmakers want to mandate that all public schools, including at the elementary level, have a police presence; Supply chain issues are affecting school lunches; Parents in Chesapeake are suing Governor Glenn Youngkin over his move to get rid of local mask mandates in schools; and other local news stories.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin addressed state lawmakers for the first time yesterday afternoon; Newly released campaign filings show that Dominion Energy and its executives spent more than a quarter of a million dollars funding a secretive political group that attacked Governor Glenn Youngkin during his campaign; Experts examine the pros and cons of the charter school model; and other local new...

Republican Winsome Sears will make history when she’s inaugurated as lieutenant governor on Saturday; Republican Jason Miyares promises to put victims before criminals as Virginia’s new Attorney General; An effort to end solitary confinement in Virginia’s prisons is getting a boost from a Republican state senator; and other local news stories.

The Virginia General Assembly kicked off its work yesterday; Governor Ralph Northam gave his final speech before lawmakers and Virginians; Democrat Jackie Glass won the special election for Norfolk’s 89th House District seat; and other local news stories.

Virginia lawmakers return to Richmond today to start working on new laws and the next two-year state budget; Education is one of the top issues facing lawmakers during the 2022 legislative session; Dominion Energy is asking permission to withdraw a proposed rate hike to customers that would cover enrollment in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam declared a limited state of emergency in his final COVID-19 response update yesterday; Orlando Carter pleaded guilty to two charges last week, bu his family says they are still seeking justice for his assault; Officials with Virginia’s court system asked a federal judge in Richmond to dismiss a lawsuit over the state’s limited public access to court records; and other local...

VPM’s Whittney Evans chronicled her search to get a COVID test earlier this week; Nine new community testing centers are opening across the state to increase availability; Crews began treating major roadways overnight, as another winter storm hits parts of the commonwealth; and other local news stories.

Today is the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. Senator Tim Kaine reflected on the attack while speaking with reporters yesterday; A major gun rally won’t be returning to Richmond this year; Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced former Environmental Protection Agency head Andrew Wheeler as his pick for Secretary of Natural Resources yesterday; and other local news...