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Virginia lawmakers considering regulating police use of automated license plate readers
State lawmakers are debating whether to regulate law enforcement departments’ use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR). They heard constituents’ perspectives on the technology and reviewed studies from the Virginia State Crime Commission at a meeting in Richmond on Thursday. ALPRs are typically mounted cameras (but can also be dashboard cameras) that capture a photograph […]
‘Disturbing’: Report reveals staffing, financial issues at Va. Dept. of Health, offers fixes
After a recent audit report indicated a $33 million deficit and $4 million in fraudulent spending within the Office of Emergency Medical Services — a part of Virginia’s Department of Health — a Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report presented to state lawmakers on Thursday highlighted other issues plaguing the state health department, and […]
Virginia leaders react to Trump win as Harris keeps the commonwealth blue
Virginia’s elected officials are reacting with mixed responses to Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election, even as Vice President Kamala Harris managed to keep Virginia in the Democratic column, albeit by a narrower margin than President Joe Biden achieved in 2020. Republican officials in Virginia celebrated the former president’s national victory, hailing it […]
Kiggans to serve second term representing Virginia’s 2nd District
Updated Nov. 6, 6:15 p.m. U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, staved off Democratic challenger Missy Cotter Smasal to win a second term representing Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. With a 4-point sustained lead by nearly 6 p.m on Wednesday, the Associated Press called the race for Kiggans almost 24 hours after polls closed on Election […]
Purged Virginia voters say experience has been ‘worrying’
Lynchburg resident Nadra Wilson was trying to be proactive this summer by renewing her driver’s license months ahead of its December expiration. As a longtime voter and Virginia resident of almost a decade, she never suspected she would be removed from the state’s voter rolls due to a paperwork error and caught up in a […]
U.S. Justice Department to monitor polling places in 27 states, including six Virginia localities
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to monitor compliance with federal voting laws in 27 states and 86 jurisdictions nationwide during Tuesday’s general elections. Six of those are in Virginia: Hanover, Henrico, Loudoun, and Prince William counties as well as the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. This means that personnel from the department’s Civil […]
New resource hub launches to support Va. adults with substance use disorders
Virginia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Medical Society of Virginia announced a new resource line Thursday to support adults struggling with substance use disorders. The Adult Psychiatric Access Line, dubbed APAL, is a resource for providers to better cater to the needs of their patients. Primary care providers who connect with […]
U.S. Supreme Court grants stay in challenge to Youngkin’s voter purge order
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a temporary stay in the ongoing legal dispute over Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order that resulted in the removal of over 6,000 Virginians from the state’s voter rolls. The stay pauses a lower court’s ruling that would have required the state to restore 1,600 voters to the rolls, […]
Should legislators tweak Virginia’s 2006 voter roll law for more clarity?
Virginia officials have asked the United States Supreme Court to block a lower court’s ruling that roughly 1,600 people purged from voter rolls by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order must be reinstated. Two lawsuits allege that Youngkin’s order violated federal law by removing voters from rolls too close to Election Day, a claim the governor […]
Trump calls into Youngkin’s Chesterfield rally to boost Va. GOP candidates, announces Salem visit
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump called into an early voting rally in Chesterfield Saturday hosted by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s PAC to boost congressional candidates in Virginia and excite the state’s GOP base. Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Trump’s daughter-in-law, was one of several speakers at the event, including […]
Judge orders people removed from voter rolls to be reinstated, Gov. Youngkin to seek appeal
On Friday morning, a federal judge ruled in favor of plaintiffs challenging a Virginia program that has removed over 1,600 people from voter rolls since August, following an executive order by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. This means that people can be reinstated on voter rolls for the time being. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the […]
Virginia considering future building code updates that could help with infill development
Virginia’s next building code update isn’t until 2027, but state lawmakers are already proactively thinking about ways it could be tweaked to help foster development on vacant or underutilized urban parcels and encourage affordable housing. An advisory group is expected to produce recommendations for how Virginia might update its zoning code to allow for certain […]