As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow in Virginia, officials are, for the first time, releasing guidelines for daycare centers.

Mallory Noe-Payne has the latest on the virus’ impact to schools and children.

(Credit dcJohn via flickr.com / CC)

Now that Governor Northam has shut down schools to stem the outbreak of COVID-19, there’s a push across the state to make sure children who rely on subsidized meals don’t go hungry.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

  The plague forced Shakespeare’s theater company to close several times, but it always recovered. The American Shakespeare Center says it will also be back.
(Credit American Shakespeare Center)

There’s a saying in the theater world – the show must go on, but the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton has announced that its curtain will come down for more than two months.  Many other theatres have temporarily closed

As Sandy Hausman reports, the goal is to protect audiences and about 70 employees from the new coronavirus.

(Credit: CDC)

As of mid-day Tuesday, Virginia is now up to 67 cases of COVID-19.

Officials say there’s been community spread of the virus and the state’s first case inside a nursing facility.

Mallory Noe-Payne has the latest.

(Credit: Routledge)

Donald Trump is a frequent target for comedians in this country – more so than any other politician, and that intrigued two Virginia scholars.

They’ve now written a book after reviewing more than 100,000 jokes about the president.

Sandy Hausman reports on what they’ve learned.

(Credit: Sentara Health)

The first drive-through screenings and testing for COVID-19 in the state began Monday in Hampton Roads.

Sentara Healthcare has set up three sites.

They’re in Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and Chesapeake. And as Mallory Noe-Payne reports, officials with the health system say they’re prepared to roll it out at other facilities statewide.

College campuses are deserted as students and faculty adjust to new educational realities because of COVID-19.  And while the virus has hurt many businesses there’s at least one factory in Virginia that has all the work it can handle.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link.

More now from Fred Echols.

(Credit: CDC)

State officials are urging people to stay home when possible, especially in parts of Virginia with known cases of COVID-19.

That includes Fairfax, Arlington and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia plus James City County.  The state’s total number of cases stands at 45, with one death, reported Saturday in the Peninsula Health District, a man in his 70’s.

Mallory Noe-Payne has an update:

Ava Gabrielle Wise stands at what she hopes one day will become an innovation park for her community in Northampton. (Credit: Pamela D’Angelo)

Every year since 2008, Congress has authorized more than $30 million in funding to spur economic development in a region referred to as the “Black Belt.”

The region extends through seven states from Virginia to Mississippi and includes the largest concentration of historically black communities in the rural South. Most are economically deprived, a result of slavery and Jim Crow laws.

There are more than 50 Virginia counties that could benefit. But the money never came. Now, one Eastern Shore woman is on a crusade to get it.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

UVA Professor Kelsey Johnson is crusading against light pollution — hoping to preserve dark skies for star gazing. (Credit: Sandy Hausman)

Climate change has fed awareness of air pollution – the problems caused by greenhouse gases. But there’s another source of pollution that’s taking a toll on humans and wildlife.

As Sandy Hausman reports, a professor at the University of Virginia is calling on local, state and national leaders to act against light pollution.

(Credit: CDC)

With so many unknowns regarding COVID-19, the travel industry has been hit hard by the constantly changing scenario.

Robbie Harris reports.

Immigration was one of the issues that helped Donald Trump win the presidency. But it’s also an issue that helped Democrats take control of the General Assembly.

Michael Pope reports on what they were able to accomplish with that power.

Virginia lawmakers have voted to decriminalize the possession of marijuana.

If the Governor signs the bill, then beginning in July it will no longer be a crime to have up to an ounce of weed.

Mallory Noe-Payne has more.

Credit: 401(K) 2012 via Flickr.com / CC

If the Governor signs a bill sent to him by lawmakers, Virginia’s minimum wage will go up next year. It’s been set at $7.25 for more than a decade.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, lawmakers approved a jump to $9.50 starting next year.

Albemarle County Police will soon be using residents’ doorbell video in criminal investigations.  And western Virginia will be getting a new area code.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va, News link.

More now from Fred Echols.

Vials of insulin (Credit: Alan Levine via flickr.com / CC)

Lawmakers have approved a bill to put a cap on how much people will have to pay for insulin.

Michael Pope reports.

Virginia environmental advocates are celebrating a big win at the statehouse. The House of Delegates has passed the Clean Economy Act.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, the omnibus bill sets the stage for Virginia to get to zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century.

Lawmakers are considering an effort to create new safeguards to prevent minority voters from being disenfranchised.

Michael Pope reports.

Women march in a suffragist parade in New York in 1912. (Credit: American Press Association/Library of Congress)

Communities across the world will celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday.

In Richmond, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture will open an exhibition that pays tribute to those who’ve led the fight for women’s rights.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

Richmond’s statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee along the city’s Monument Avenue. (Credit: Ron Cogswell via flickr.com / CC)

As lawmakers finish out the General Assembly session this week, they are making final touches on an effort to allow local governments to remove Confederate statues.

Michael Pope reports.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Democrats are divided over how to handle redistricting next year after the Census. And the final few days of the General Assembly session will see a dramatic vote on that issue.

Michael Pope reports.

Virginia’s legislative session is scheduled to end this weekend. And it was a historic one.

For the first time in decades Democrats were in power, not just of the Governor’s mansion but of both chambers of the legislature.

Now that things are wrapping up, Mallory Noe-Payne has a look at just what Democrats were able to accomplish.

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. (Credit: CDC)

No one in Virginia has tested positive for the strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, as of midday Wednesday.

But officials are assuring Virginians they’re prepared for if or when the disease comes to the state.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Joe Biden during his time as Vice President (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Joe Biden was the big winner in Virginia last night. Unofficial results show more than half of Virginia Democratic primary voters cast a ballot in his favor.

Mallory Noe-Payne has reaction from some of his supporters.

It’s Virginia’s turn. Voters in the Commonwealth get to register their voices in the Democratic Presidential primary.

Mallory Noe-Payne chatted with some of those voters at a polling place in downtown Richmond.

Governor Ralph Northam has signed a bill making it illegal to practice so-called “conversion therapy” on children in Virginia.

Michael Pope reports.

Gov. Ralph Northam

Governor Ralph Northam is considering how to handle a bill mandating paid sick days.

As Michael Pope reports, he’s considering a change that advocates say could undermine the purpose of the bill.

Democrats in the more conservative state Senate are taking the edges off a lot of the more progressive bills passed by the House of Delegates.

As Michael Pope reports, one of those bills changes who is authorized to perform weddings.

Members of the Virginia House of Delegate will vote on a constitutional amendment that could dramatically change how legislative districts are drawn.

Michael Pope reports.

A bipartisan measure that would have given state regulators more oversight over Dominion’s utility rates has died in a Senate committee.

Mallory Noe-Payne has details on Monday evening’s vote.

Sec. of Public Safety Brian Moran

So far, Virginia has seen no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus – COVID-19.

But state agencies are gearing up and keeping track of people at increased risk for contracting the disease.

Sandy Hausman has that story.

Voters between the ages of 18 and 23 make up about 10% of the electorate this year, according to the Pew Research Center.

That could be a make-or-break margin for the list of candidates on Tuesday’s ballot.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

The Virginia Board of Elections says about 80,000 people asked for an absentee ballot for the Democratic presidential primary tomorrow.

About 55,000 ballots have been returned. And that’s pointing to a low turnout on Super Tuesday.

Joe Staniunas has more.

Credit: justgrimes via flickr.com / Creative Commons

Voters between the ages of 18 and 23 make up about 10% of the electorate this year, according to the Pew Research Center.

That could be a make-or-break margin for the list of candidates on Tuesday’s ballot.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

A tourist attraction that reportedly drew a visit from Thomas Jefferson is set for a long needed renovation.  And as a rising sea level encroaches on Virginia Beach the city may have found a cheap and plentiful weapon to use against it.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link.

More now from Fred Echols.

Virginia voters who want to weigh in on the Democratic presidential candidate get their chance next Tuesday.

But as Mallory Noe-Payne reports, Republicans who want to cast a ballot for their preferred GOP nominee are out of luck.

Gov. Ralph Northam

Lawmakers are deadlocked on a proposed constitutional amendment to address gerrymandering.

Michael Pope reports.

More than 10,000 homes in Virginia have solar panels, according to the Department of Mines Minerals and Energy.

Proponents of renewable energy say those numbers could be higher and Virginia law is partially to blame.

Mallory Noe-Payne has details on an effort to get more houses, schools and governments connected to the solar grid.

(Credit: Daud via flickr.com / CC)

Red-light cameras have allowed private businesses to issue tickets to drivers and pocket some of the money.

Now, as Michael Pope reports, lawmakers are considering extending that kind of technology to school zones and work zones.

As Virginia voters ramp up for Tuesday’s primary, Democratic candidates are making the rounds.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, Senator Bernie Sanders was in Richmond Thursday.

When Virginia votes on Super Tuesday, there will be 99 delegates up for grabs, the fourth largest delegate prize in the bunch.

But even though other Super Tuesday states have more, Virginia could still have a big impact on the outcome.

Robbie Harris reports.

Credit: Stephen Z via Flickr.com / CC

The new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate are moving forward with a long list of gun control bills.

And, as Michael Pope reports, the votes are not as party-line as you might imagine.

Credit: National Park Service/Katy Cain via flickr.com

Evidence of the legacy of segregation in Virginia’s national park sites is hidden in plain sight.

Now, a study of how parks were segregated is looking at how the park service can highlight that history to campers and hikers.

And as Jahd Khalil reports, it will also try to determine if history has something to do with how different groups are represented in park visitorship.

Republicans in the statehouse are accusing Virginia Democrats of walking back promises to pass redistricting reform.

But, as Mallory Noe-Payne reports, understanding why there’s resistance from some Democrats on the measure requires going back a year.

The evolving financial landscape has caught up with a pair of iconic Virginia businesses:  A newspaper which must now share leased office space with another paper and grocery store that has served a neighborhood for generations.

Their stories have been among the most read this week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link.

More now from Fred Echols.

Credit: dcJohn via flickr.com / CC

Democratic lawmakers agree that it’s necessary to spend more on teachers for English language learners, but they have different takes on how to address the shortage.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

Access to fresh produce is a challenge for communities across the state.

Legislators moved to address the issue by passing bills that advocates say would improve food systems in underserved areas.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

Super Tuesday is a few weeks away.

Michael Pope reports Democrats in the General Assembly are divided about which candidate they’ll be supporting this year.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would change the definition of dead body.

Michael Pope reports.

  Students at St. Charles Elementary in Lee County Virginia go to school in a building constructed in the 1930’s. (Credit Mallory Noe-Payne)

Lawmakers have about a month left in Richmond and the biggest item on the legislative to-do list is now finalizing the state budget.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports a bipartisan coalition is pushing to make sure public schools in rural Virginia get their fair share.