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NRA drops an unusual high dollar donation on Virginia Republican leader’s PAC
The National Rifle Association dropped a $200,000 donation into House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert’s political action committee this week, a departure from its usual practice in Virginia of relying on grassroots support to stop gun law changes. Before this week’s donation, the Fairfax-based NRA had donated less than a million dollars total to state lawmakers […]
Republican state senator pushes back on Richmond’s proposals to increase diversity at its whitest schools
After the morning bell rang on the first day of school at Fox Elementary in Richmond and the children had filed into their classrooms, four people remained outside the school. Two people at one corner of the school held signs that read “Save Our Neighborhood Schools,” while the other two waited to approach passersby. The […]
‘A small renaissance’: Pawpaws, George Washington’s favorite fruit, seeing a resurgence
Michael McConkey can’t keep enough pawpaw trees in stock at his landscaping business in Afton. “There’s a small renaissance going on with it. There are an awful lot of backyard growers,” McConkey said. He’s stocked the fruit tree at his store, Edible Landscaping, since the business opened in 1987. And as popularity of the once-obscure […]
Which Virginia localities rely most on traffic fines for revenue?
Emporia is a well-known speed trap, dreaded by heavy-footed drivers who might think the city near the border of North Carolina funds its operations entirely through the punishment of too-fast drivers. But 124 miles away, there’s a town that relies on bad drivers’ traffic fines and similar payments more than Emporia: Eastville, a 200-person town […]
Surprise? Trump’s support among Latinos in Virginia is dropping, according to poll
The percentage of Latino voters in Virginia who support Trump is getting smaller, according to polling from Equis Labs, which released an 11-state survey this week it calls the deepest look yet at voter sentiment in the demographic. Equis polled 500 Latino voters in the state and found 20 percent plan on voting for Trump […]
What happens if voters spell Del. Nick Freitas’ name wrong during his write-in campaign
The spelling rhyme goes something like: I before E except after C — and R if your name is Nick Freitas. Freitas, R-Culpeper, is running a write-in campaign to win re-election to the House of the Delegates. The conservative up-and-comer failed to make it on the ballot as the Republican nominee because his candidate qualification […]
Decades after Brown decision, Virginia is still grappling with school segregation
Jenny Aghomo was excited about the new teachers and friends her daughter would meet if the majority-black school she attended in Richmond merged with a nearby majority-white school as part of a plan to increase the diversity of both student bodies. Then Aghomo heard what some parents from that majority-white school, Fox Elementary, were saying […]
Giving undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses and in-state tuition could help the economy, report says
If Virginia offered undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses, in-state tuition and state financial aid and subsidized health care, the state could reap economic and social benefits, a new report says. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive Washington D.C. think tank, recommended four policies to “welcome immigrants … into the mainstream economy and foster […]
‘Farmer’ Northam says Trump’s trade war has cut profits for growers
President Donald Trump’s trade war with China threatens profits for Virginia’s soybean farmers, a group that includes Gov. Ralph Northam, he said during a financial update to lawmakers. Northam, speaking at a presentation to the Joint Money Committee, owns and leases about 50 acres of farm land on the Eastern Shore. “I’m a farmer,” said […]
VCU converts student lounges into temporary dorm rooms in newest residence hall
Thanks to an increased interest in on-campus housing, 20 first-year students at Virginia Commonwealth University will live in converted spaces in the university’s newest dorm. Photos of student lounges with dorm beds and other furniture in VCU’s Gladding Residence Center began circulating Twitter on Monday. ASKSKSKSKSKSKKSKKSK pic.twitter.com/V5ZBqB6gnx — ʜᴀʟᴇs (@hotgirlhales) August 12, 2019 University spokesperson […]
To stem killings, GOP lawmaker wants to boost violence intervention programs in Virginia
Taking cues from other states and cities that have implemented them, Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, wants Virginia to establish more programs that encourage people to leave violent lifestyles in order to curb shooting deaths. Weeks after the General Assembly abruptly adjourned a special session called to address gun violence after a mass shooting in Virginia […]
Yearly cost of college increase was the smallest since 2000, new report finds
The total average cost of college in Virginia rose 2.1 percent for in-state undergrads this academic year, the lowest increase since 2000, an annual report from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia found. SCHEV’s annual tuition and fees report details increases in public college charges, including tuition, mandatory fees and room and board. […]