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Governor signs coal ash cleanup bill
By Adrian Teran-Tapia/ Capital News Service Environmental and consumer groups applauded Gov. Ralph Northam after he signed legislation this week that aims to protect water quality by cleaning up more than 27 million cubic yards of coal ash from unlined ponds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Northam signed into law SB 1355, sponsored by Sen. Frank […]
In Richmond, former New Orleans mayor calls for honest dialogue on race
By Katja Timm/ Capital News Service If Civil War history is to be displayed across the American South, it must be portrayed fairly and accurately with an open dialogue about racial disparities in the region, the former mayor of New Orleans told Richmond’s mayor Tuesday. Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Richmond Mayor Levar […]
How the session turned out for our furry and feathered friends
Adrian Teran-Tapia/ Capital News Service Animal welfare advocates cheered legislation passed during the 2019 General Assembly session which increased penalties for animal cruelty and mandated that pets receive more room to roam if tethered outside. “Overall, this year’s General Assembly brought significant victories for Virginia’s dogs and cats,” said Matthew Gray of the Virginia Humane Society. […]
Researcher publishes open letter to lynched Culpeper man
By Kaytlin Nickens “Working in the trenches, side by side with people,” as Zann Nelson said, highlighted the beliefs her father instilled in her youth. Growing up in Culpeper County, Nelson said she learned of a deeper truth to American history, and her father reminded her that people should be seen through the lens of […]
Green Book helped black travelers navigate segregated terrain
By Kaytlin Nickens/ Capital News Service The Oscar-winning film “Green Book” has spurred interest in the original Negro Motorist Guide that many African-Americans consulted when traveling in the South during the Jim Crow era. Virginia, and especially Richmond, played a key role in the book’s development. The movie depicts the African-American pianist Don Shirley’s concert […]
Westboro Baptist Church hurls slurs ahead of Richmond visit
By Rosemarie O’Connor/Capital News Service Westboro Baptist Church is planning to visit Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia State Capitol on March 11, though it’s unclear how much access the group will have to university grounds. The Westboro Baptist Church is infamous for its posters that feature slurs against the LGBTQ community and its practice […]
Charlottesville led the way on reforming cash bail system
By Daniel Berti/ Capital News Service When someone is charged with a crime, prosecutors and judges want to make sure the defendant shows up for court. So they usually require the person to put up cash bail — money the defendants forfeit if they skip town. But now, many officials — from local prosecutors to the state […]
Legislators expand funding to restore African-American cemeteries
Maryum Elnasseh/ Capital News Service It doesn’t take more than a brief visit to East End Cemetery to see that racial inequality impacts not only the living; it extends to the dead as well. Many of the graves in this Henrico County cemetery, the final resting place for hundreds of African-Americans who lived during the […]
Firefighter’s death prompts stronger highway safety legislation
Benjamin West/ Capital News Service In October, Lt. Bradford Clark, a Hanover County firefighter, was killed when a tractor-trailer failed to “move over” as mandated by Virginia law. Now, the General Assembly plans to memorialize Clark through a specialty license plate and strengthen the state’s “move over” law. As Tropical Storm Michael pummeled Virginia, Clark responded […]
Virginia among states suing Trump over border ’emergency’
By Jayla Marie McNeill/ Capital News Service Virginia has joined a coalition of 15 other states to challenge President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency and to block the diversion of congressional funding to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, according to a lawsuit filed Monday. “Concocting a fake emergency to build […]
Health commissioner says most whites are unconsciously ‘anti-black’
By Kaytlin Nickens/ Capital News Service The commissioner of the Virginia Department of Health faces backlash after stating that most white people are unconsciously “pro-white” and “anti-black.” Dr. Norman Oliver’s remarks came through a weekly message last week sent to VDH employees. Oliver, who is African-American, was addressing the controversy over the discovery of a […]
New tether law seeks to treat pets more humanely
Mario Sequeira Quesada/Capital News Service The saying goes “a dog is man’s best friend” — and that’s exactly what Sen. Lionell Spruill said he wanted when he was a boy. When he couldn’t have a pet, he began to notice how some dogs in his neighborhood were mistreated — left out overnight and in extreme […]