VPM Daily Newscast

A Confederate time capsule found 20 feet under the pedestal that once held a statue of Robert E. Lee was opened yesterday; The Visual Arts Center of Richmond is filled with pieces of pottery that look like they just left a tattoo shop as part of the "Of Mud and Blood" exhibit; The state is spending more than 700 million dollars to bring broadband access to rural Chesapeake, Suffolk and other local...

Virginia’s legislative review agency – JLARC – recently released a comprehensive report on the state’s juvenile justice system; Workers at the former site of the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond may have found the time capsule reported to have been installed in the statue’s base; Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has vowed to slash regulations and cut taxes to make Virginia more business-friendly; a...

Historic preservationists with the state opened a time capsule discovered under the former site of the Robert E. Lee Monument yesterday; A former senator and Virginia Governor and his wife were injured by a massive house fire Tuesday night; Many local businesses are seeing an upswing in customers, but pandemic related issues are stifling some sales; and other local news stories.

The Chair of Virginia’s Parole Board forwarded a press release to media outlets yesterday with the subject line "setting the record straight"; Representative Abigail Spanberger is considering a run in the new 7th District if proposed legislative maps are approved; Within one week, Richmond health officials have seen a 38 percent increase of new COVID-19 cases in the city; and other local news stor...

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has selected an education data consultant to serve as Virginia’s next Secretary of Education; Next month, a federal court in Richmond will hear arguments in a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia over its policy of barring the public from obtaining civil court records remotely; The Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court plans to step down from the positio...

About 900 people living in properties run by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority could face eviction if they don’t pay rent by the end of the month; Governor Ralph Northam presented a $158 billion budget proposal today as his term draws to a close, but Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin would like larger tax cuts; The last public hearing on the newly drawn redistricting maps is happening t...

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin will soon have authority to reshape the staff of Virginia’s election administration; State officials say there was a second ransomware attack affecting Virginia agencies; Virginia home care workers, immigrants, parents and business owners are calling on U.S. Senate leaders to pass the president’s Build Back Better spending plan; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam is calling for lawmakers to eliminate the state’s tax on groceries; Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC secured a key permit from the State Water Control Board yesterday; A Central Virginia group has been named a finalist in the one billion dollar Build Back Better challenge from the Economic Development Administration; and other local news stories.

Myotonic dystrophy, known as DM1, is the most common type of muscular dystrophy worldwide, and it has no effective treatment. But a Virginia college student recently became the first participant in a national trial for a drug that targets DM1 at the source; Fairfax County Public Schools has settled a lawsuit with parents and disability rights advocates over the district’s use of seclusion and rest...

This week, the Supreme Court of Virginia shared drafts of what state and congressional voting districts could look like for a decade in the commonwealth. The proposals draw some current legislators out of their districts; Virginia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities are set to receive nearly 300 million dollars in additional funding; Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin says he wants Virginia...

Virginia’s pandemic rent relief program could run out of funds as early as July of next year; The commanding officer of SEAL Team 8 died Tuesday at Norfolk Sentara General Hospital; Incoming Attorney General Jason Miyares has chosen the next Solicitor General for the Commonwealth of Virginia; Outdoor recreation projects may get a boost as Governor Ralph Northam leaves office; and other local news...

State and local law enforcement can look forward to a pay increase under Governor Ralph Northam’s outgoing two-year budget proposal; Richmond City Public Schools became the first district in Virginia to award its teachers and staff collective bargaining rights on Monday; The Virginia Department of Health says it lacks the quote “clear statutory authority” to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees...

The state started the process of dismantling and moving the graffitied pedestal where Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Monument once stood; Teachers in Virginia could see a 10 percent pay increase under a new proposed budget from Governor Ralph Northam; Incoming Governor Glenn Youngkin has put some of his wealth in a blind trust, but ethics experts say that doesn't go far enough; and other local news stor...

The future of abortion access in Virginia is uncertain after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority signaled it will uphold Mississippi’s restrictive abortion law ; Virginia is expected to get more than $8 billion in federal funds to help with transit and highways; The Federal Aviation Administration may end overnight hours at Richmond International Airport’s control tower; and other local...

Richmond became one of five Virginia regions to implement a Marcus Alert system yesterday; The family of a man fatally shot by Virginia Beach Police have renewed calls for a federal investigation after learning the officer involved won’t face charges; Planning Commissioners in Chesterfield are trying to streamline four parts of the county’s Comprehensive Plan; and other local news stories.

An attorney for two men serving life in prison for killing a Virginia police officer is urging the State Court of Appeals to rush to overturn their convictions; No charges will be filed against the Virginia Beach police officer who fatally shot 25-year-old Donovon Lynch last March during a chaotic night at the oceanfront; Petersburg City Councilor Treska Wilson-Smith expressed concern over a poten...

Some Virginia schools have recently removed certain book titles from school library shelves immediately following parent complaints. But experts warn that this is dangerous and could violate state law; Employers are debating whether going back to the office is necessary; Longtime Virginian-Pilot movie and theater critic Mal Vincent died this weekend; and other local news stories.

Organizers of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville will have to pay millions of dollars in damages for their involvement; HUD has awarded the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority a $450,000 grant; Tips from VCU Health experts about how to keep your family safe this holiday season; and other local news stories.

The jury will meet behind closed doors for a third day of deliberations, in the civil trial against over a dozen white nationalist leaders and groups connected to the 2017 Unite the Right rally; The City of Richmond is soliciting bids to remove the monument and grave of A.P. Hill; After a more than 40-year hiatus, the Armstrong-Walker Classic will return with a parade this Saturday; and other loca...

In a multiple week-long investigation, several candidates in the recent statewide elections told VPM News they experienced both overt and subtle racism, sexism, and Islamophobia while campaigning this year; Jury deliberations will begin today in the trial against white nationalists who planned the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville; Some voters in Chesterfield County woke up yesterday in a s...

The last Afghan refugees staying on Fort Lee have been resettled; So far this year, there have been a total of 12 infant deaths in Richmond, compared to just five in 2020; Republican State Senator Amanda Chase is making a bid for the U.S. House of Representatives; and other local news stories.

A judge has ordered the Virginia State Police troopers who fatally shot Xzavier Hill to answer most of the questions his mother submitted to the court about the night he died; Attorneys representing the nine Charlottesville residents who sued Unite the Right rally organizers have rested their case; The City of Charlottesville officially has a new comprehensive plan; and other local news stories.

The State Board of Elections finished certifying Virginia’s 2021 results yesterday; Democrats and Republicans in Virginia's House of Delegates elected their caucus leaders over the weekend; In Prince George County, R.W. Vargo won the race for sheriff by six votes; and other local news stories.

Over the past year, VPM News has been looking into a hidden type of debt affecting thousands of Virginia college students. It’s not federal student loans – which dominates most of the headlines. It’s money owed directly to institutions -- called direct-to-school debt. In our series Dreams Deferred - we’ve been exploring how this debt is creating hardships for students… making it difficult for them...

Virginia's Governor-elect, Republican Glenn Youngkin, will be getting help from four former governors, including one Democrat, as he prepares to take on that job; The Urban One casino project could be getting a second chance in Petersburg; The amphitheater at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond was packed yesterday, as people gathered to honor the commonwealth’s veterans and service members; and...