State and local election officials are hoping to see a lot of people at the polls Tuesday.  But must experts believe only about 23-to-29 percent of those registered will vote will show up. Some have already voted…they cast absentee ballots.  Joe Staniunas has more.
The State Board of Elections says it’s received more than 55,000 absentee ballots so far. That’s close to the same number that came in four years ago, in the last off-year election like this.

This Election Day voters are deciding which party will run the Virginia Senate for the next four years. Republicans hold a 21-to-19 majority but Democrats can take control by gaining one seat since they have the tiebreaking  vote in the person of Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam. With Republicans likely to maintain a large majority in the House of Delegates and Democrat Terry McAuliffe sitting in the governor’s mansion today’s outcome in the senate will have enormous implications for the direction of state government in the immediate future. More now from Fred Echols.

About 60 black students from middle schools and high schools throughout Central Virginia gathered recently for the second EMBODI conference in Charlottesville.  Jordy Yager was able to attend the day of workshops for this report on how local African-American leaders are striving to empower the next generation of young black men.

Spiders get their ‘fifteen minutes of fame’ every Halloween as one of the scary symbols of the holiday, but there’s nothing to be frightened of in this report. As Robbie Harris tells us, the webs they weave may hold the key to some new, environmentally safe products.

Virginia’s congressional delegation is divided over a bipartisan budget deal that greatly reduces any chance of a government shutdown for two years. Matt Laslo has this report from Washington on what’s dividing Virginia lawmakers.

Opponents to natural gas pipelines in Virginia are calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to do a comprehensive review of all four of the proposed projects.  Robbie Harris has more.

The Virginia Department of Corrections has more than 30-thousand people locked up in state prisons, local and regional jails, each costing taxpayers an average of more than $32,000 a year.  Those who committed crimes after 1994 are not eligible for parole, but Governor Terry McAuliffe has appointed a commission to study that situation and make recommendations.  Sandy Hausman reports on the issues that group may tackle during its final meeting today.

If it’s been a while since you voted, you may notice some changes this Election Day.  Most precincts in Virginia on November 3rd will be using a mix of new machines-and one old tradition to count your ballot.  Joe Staniunas reports.

Last March Sweet Briar College’s then Board and President announced that due to insurmountable financial challenges the school was closing. The news not only shocked the small Amherst County liberal arts school but alumnae from across the country. They rallied, formed Saving Sweet Briar, and through legal action and a new board and president the school stayed open. Tab O’Neal reports that while the doors are open, the future holds a lot of challenges.

Doctors at the University of Virginia have developed a new test that can predict, at an early age, who is most likely to develop heart disease or diabetes, perhaps making it possible to head off those problems.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

VA NORML

Virginia’s chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws met this weekend to plot a strategy for decriminalizing the drug and legalizing it for medical use.  As Sandy Hausman reports, they hope to tip the balance in Virginia’s senate by targeting one lawmaker who opposes their cause.

Virginia Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte is pushing bipartisan legislation to overhaul the nation’s criminal justice system. Matt Laslo reports on the effort which has the support of the White House.

Charlottesville People’s Climate Action Rally, Virginia Cross

One year after a massive climate march in New York, thousands gathered in 170 cities across the nation – including Richmond, Roanoke, Warrenton and Charlottesville, where Sandy Hausman was listening.

Ann Butler of Edible Education fields questions from children at St. Andrew’s School, while also trying to control her chicken.

Virginia recently celebrated farm-to-school week, highlighting the connection between farmers around the state and what’s on the tray in the lunch line. But for one private school in Richmond, farm-to-table is more than just one week out of the year. Mallory Noe-Payne has the story of a lunch program that could be the model for something big.

Science plays a growing role in crime detection and prosecution, but experts at four universities say a lot can go wrong in the lab, and many people may be wrongly convicted based on bogus claims.  Now, the University of Virginia is joining three other schools to do research and share findings on the subject as Sandy Hausman reports.

For every 604 flights in this country, one will report a medical emergency. Credit blogs.nejm.org

The recent death of an American Airlines pilot on a flight from Phoenix to Boston made headlines. Medical emergencies on board commercial flights are rare, but when they occur, treatment can be difficult.  A University of Virginia physician thought it might be helpful to write an article on the subject.  Sandy Hausman looks at some key points he makes in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

Last week, Richmond County Board of Supervisors delayed their vote  on whether to grant Diatomite of America rezoning to build a commercial resort, championship golf course and more than 700 houses on 975 acres of pristine forests cliffs that overlook the Rappahannock River. Pamela D’Angelo reports.

The red line is the old route, the dotted blue line is the revised route.

There’s been strong public opposition to plans for a pipeline to carry natural gas 560 miles — from the fracking fields of West Virginia to customers in Virginia and North Carolina.  Now, Dominion Virginia Power says it will change the path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline — a change that could affect property owners in Augusta County. Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

With a changing of the guard afoot at the U-S Capitol, Speaker John Boehner’s sudden resignation is revealing deep disagreements within the Republican Party…and it’s on display in the Virginia congressional delegation. Matt Laslo reports.

Arlington recently opened a state-of-the-art homeless shelter. The facility occupies two floors of a county-owned building next to the courthouse. As Armando Trull with WAMU reports, the shelter reflects a compromise between Arlington’s goal to end homelessness and nearby property owners’ concerns about quality of life.

It’s rare these days for Republicans and Democrats in Congress to agree on anything, so it may come as a surprise to learn there is bi-partisan support for a bill to reclassify marijuana.  Matt Laslo explains why a Virginia Republican is leading that effort. 

Four Virginia colleges have hopped on board to try to streamline the college admissions process. University of Virginia, James Madison University, Virginia Tech and William & Mary will provide a new set of online application tools to high school students.  

This morning Governor McAuliffe, his chief of Environmental Quality, and the Secretary of Natural Resources traveled from Richmond to the northern tip of Virginia’s Eastern Shore to personally deliver a very special document, the first of its kind in the state. Pamela D’Angelo reports.

More than 500 people in Southside Virginia and northern North Carolina will be losing their jobs next September when MillerCoors Brewing shuts down beer production in Eden, North Carolina. In an announcement the company blamed loss of sales to craft brewers among other factors. Fred Echols reports. 

Lawmakers were away from Washington all of August, but there was little reason for them to take that extended vacation. Matt Laslo reports they only have until the end of September to fund the government or else the government will shut down.