Three Virginia plaintiffs are asking a federal judge to delay the upcoming June primaries—AND if lawmakers fail to implement a new congressional redistricting plan, impose one himself. Although the plan was pre-cleared by the U.S. Justice Department,  both sides of a lawsuit that alleges gerrymandering began presenting their case, which is expected to carry over into Thursday.  Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil has more from the U.S. District Courthouse in Richmond.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers, behavioral health specialists, and other community advocates gathered in Richmond  for a statewide conference that brought together Virginia’s Crisis Intervention Teams. The C-I-Ts increase collaboration among first responders, mental health treatment-providers, and agencies to de-escalate behavioral health crises and help individuals obtain the care they need. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie reports, while challenges still remain, the CITs appear to be working.

Virginia’s potentially landmark case on gay marriage is now in the hands of a federal appeals court, where it could stay for weeks, or even months.  Connie Stevens reports.

Within the halls of the oldest representative body in the U.S., in the very same seats that Virginia lawmakers craft legislation, sat 44 people from 32 different countries who, for the first time, were called “Americans.” As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, it was all part of a naturalization ceremony at the State Capitol that, for some, marked a decades-long journey for U.S. citizenship.

Former Governor Doug Wilder says he’s received lots of inquiries regarding the future of a proposed National Slavery Museum, so he’s revealed what he hopes to be its new location. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, while Fredericksburg is no longer a consideration, Wilder says a historic church now owned by Virginia Commonwealth University would be ideal.

In a written statement, Wilder says that since funds for the Museum were included in the new state budget, it is the intention of the National Slavery Museum to further these discussions with the appropriate authorities, including the State Legislature and the Governor.
Wilder says he envisioned a museum in downtown Richmond, not far from where slaves were traded and herded like cattle, but at the same location where they found hope.

By the end of this summer, the U.S. Trust Fund that pays a significant share of highway construction and repairs will be insolvent, and authorization for transportation programs will expire soon after that.  New legislation unveiled by the U.S. Transportation Department includes a provision to lift a decades-old ban …and allow all states to implement tolls on federal interstate highways across the U.S. –while also requiring electronic transponders.  But, the new federal tolling proposal is already coming under fire.

We’re officially into the second month of the Virginia General Assembly’s stalemate over Medicaid expansion—and NO two-year budget. While there’s discussion of a possible government shutdown if lawmakers don’t reach a compromise by July first, state business must continue in the interim. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, that means the state’s colleges and universities are now discussing contingency plans.

Major changes are unfolding in how transportation planning takes place in Virginia. Either one-third of the 18-member Commonwealth Transportation Board have had their terms expire or were “transitioned off,” according to Governor McAuliffe.  As Tommie McNeil reports, the Governor says the six new members he’s appointing will greatly contribute to easing congestion on the roads, promoting economic development, and supporting local communities.

While Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban is being challenged, supporters of overturning the ban are optimistic that eventually, gay and lesbian couples will have the freedoms that other married couples do.  But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, in the meantime, some are calling on the governor, attorney general, and lawmakers to make life easier for those who were married outside of Virginia—and it’s as simple as changing the state tax code.

Spring is the season when Virginia’s local governments put the finishing touches on their own budgets for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st.  But they’re finding it difficult to craft their spending plans without knowing exactly how many dollars they will receive from the state—which is unknown due to the state budget impasse.  As Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, they’re trying to get the job done, anyway—and in some cases, with consequences to local taxpayers.

 

Representatives of Virginia Clean Cities joined car manufacturers and industry experts at a Richmond Expo to showcase new technologies and vehicles powered by natural gas. They say such vehicles can produce significantly lower levels of emissions than traditional fuel sources….and that switching one waste truck has the pollution-reduction impact of removing 325 cars from the road. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, the advocates also say the idea of switching to natural gas for public and private fleets is catching on across the Commonwealth.

The ACLU of Virginia wants to prevent a situation like that in 2012 where 31 protesters were arrested for straying outside a designated area on the state’s Capitol Square. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the organization is now calling on Governor McAuliffe through a letter to completely revise the regulations that limit citizens from expressing their views to lawmakers and other public officials.

Listening to some of the tales of how people obtained copies of their birth certificates is like hearing the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, recount his journey into Mordor. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, Governor McAuliffe says Virginia is now writing a new chapter—by making those documents accessible through any DMV office.

The Virginia Senate has passed its version of the state budget for the next two fiscal years, which begin on July 1^st.  Senators introduced the spending bill proposed by Governor McAuliffe, then added their own touches—including Marketplace Virginia, the private-insurance alternative to Medicaid expansion. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, by the end of the day the Senate and the House were no closer to resolving their budget stalemate.

To approve a budget, the same bill must pass both houses of the General Assembly—or one bill must be sent to a conference committee.  House conferees said the Senate needs to take action on the House budget before the process can move forward.

The Senate Finance Committee has rejected the traditional Medicaid expansion in Governor McAuliffe’s proposed budget in favor of its own alternative, “Marketplace Virginia.”  The Senate plan would use federal funds to provide private health insurance for residents who make under 139 percent of the poverty level.  And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, GOP House leaders are not sold on the idea. 

Many Virginians go into the military hoping to retain skills that will provide career opportunities once they leave the armed forces. But homeless and jobless rates continue to rise because Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are finding it difficult to get certification or college credits for their training to qualify for civilian jobs.  But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, at least one group studying the issue is developing short-term solutions to this problem.