The General Assembly took a back seat to running water this week.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

President-elect Donald Trump has signaled both opposition and support for a federal ban on contraceptives, and Virginia Democrats are saying this puts future access to birth control at risk.

Brad Kutner has more on the bipartisan legislative effort to protect access from last year that will return this General Assembly session. 

The car tax continues to be a hot issue at the General Assembly, where lawmakers are considering a proposal from the governor that would provide some relief.

Michael Pope tells us that the legislative vehicle may be headed for partisan gridlock.

Voters in some parts of Virginia will go to the polls Tuesday in three special elections for the General Assembly.

And as Michael Pope tells us, the outcome will determine which party controls the House and the Senate.

Many campaign ads are already notoriously negative and manipulative.

That’s why some people are worried AI might make them even worse.

Michael Pope reports.

It’s a new year and that always means it’s just about time for a new General Assembly session.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

Governor Glenn Youngkin is entering his final year in office.

And as Michael Pope reports, his approach to energy may have consequences for years to come.

Move over Moo Deng, there’s a new viral baby pygmy hippo on the internet.  And this one’s in Virginia.

Brad Kutner traveled to the Metro Richmond Zoo where the yet-to-be-named baby is stirring up interest online and in person. 

The number of people who are food insecure tends to be higher among families with children — nearly three in 10 families according to the United States Department of Agriculture. This can have negative impacts on physical as well as mental wellbeing.

A Virginia Tech researcher has been working to learn more about the links between food insecurity among moms and mental health, as Roxy Todd reports.

The Commonwealth has numerous green energy goals to meet in the coming years. But local pushback on solar projects has slowed those efforts.

Brad Kutner says some legislative efforts to turn the tide of opposition might be coming in the 2025 session. 

Paying off tax debt can be difficult for people who are having a hard time making ends meet. And when state tax officials hire private debt collectors the methods get controversial.

Michael Pope reports. 

The 1976 election that put Jimmy Carter in the White House was one in which Virginia was an outlier.

As Michael Pope reports, Virginia was the only southern state to not go Carter’s way.

Dry January is the idea that you take a break from drinking alcohol for a month.

Brad Kutner spoke with researchers who say it’s a good idea, even if you stop for just one month. 

A team of engineers and veterinarians are developing a device that can destroy brain cancer tumors in dogs.

Eventually, they hope to adapt the technology to use the method to help humans too, as Roxy Todd reports.

As 2024 ticks away, many in Richmond and Washington are looking ahead to 2025 political battles.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

Over the last year, Christine Kueter has crisscrossed Virginia, introducing us to some of the more than eight million people who call the Commonwealth home.

In this final part of the series, we meet Lottie Smith Payne and the tiny town she’s always called home.

The presidential transition in Washington, along with a surprising presidential pardon, have dominated the headlines.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

Long before COVID-19 hit, Virginia was talking about a nursing shortage. 

The pandemic made it worse, but programs around the state are making progress in drawing new people to the field and keeping those who are already in practice. 

Sandy Hausman has details.

Members of the General Assembly are about to consider legislation aimed at reducing the number of children who are shackled while appearing in court.

Michael Pope has more.

Indigenous Communities throughout the country are reclaiming their languages.

Here in Virginia, eight Tribes are fostering the use of their Powhatan Algonquian language in a cultural renaissance.

Pamela D’Angelo saw the education effort in action at the Rappahannock Indian Tribe Pow Wow this fall.

There were some big reveals in Virginia’s political, climate and financial futures over the last few days.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

In West Virginia’s most remote mountains are two research facilities that analyze radio waves.

Since the 1950s, the federal government has designated parts of Pocahontas and Pendleton Counties as a National Radio Quiet Zone, meaning radio, TV and other communication signals must operate at low power.

Now, ten West Virginia and Virginia counties are asking the government to change these restrictions, to ensure 9-1-1 calls get to emergency responders.

Roxy Todd reports.

Over the weekend, voters in Loudoun County selected candidates for a special election for the Senate seat vacated by Congressman-elect Suhas Subramanyam.

Michael Pope tells us this election will determine control of the Senate.

It’s been one year since Virginia’s Cannabis Control Authority took over regulating the state’s legal medical dispensaries.

Brad Kutner has details on what the state’s patients have to say about the program and what changes members of the authority might like to see. 

While the dust from this month’s election settles, there’s plenty of looking ahead to 2025.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

While many are preparing to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, others are preparing for another, more somber event. 

This Sunday, November 17th, families from around the globe will hold vigils and memorials to honor the people lost due to road-related tragedies.

It’s called World Day of Remembrance. And for some Virginians, the day is a reminder to keep fighting for changes in legislation to make the streets safer for everyone.

Ian Stewart has more.

The U.S. has nearly 200 ambassadors in other countries, and when a new president takes office, some of them will likely be replaced. 

One of them is a Virginia man with a remarkable story to tell. 

Sandy Hausman spoke with him and filed this report.

The voting is over while the counting continues and the analysis of what worked and what didn’t is well underway.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

Forty years ago, an American designer and two of his friends hosted a TED talk – the first in a series of lectures about technology, education and design at a conference center in California.  

Beginning in 1990 it became an annual event, and now it’s spreading through a collection of independent programs focused on local and regional people and issues.  

This year, TEDx hosted its first event at a Virginia prison.  Sandy Hausman has details.

Republican candidates may not have won Tuesday’s statewide races in Virginia. 

But Donald Trump’s success at the national level has Virginia Democrats looking for ways to turn the party’s luck around in the future, as Brad Kutner reports.

More than two-thirds of registered voters in Virginia have waited until Election Day to cast their ballots for president, U.S. senator, House members and some local offices.

Joe Staniunas talked to some Roanoke voters who showed up to vote today and found a mixture of anxiety and hope.

Driving a school bus is tough work—early mornings, tight schedules, navigating the roads as well as the ups and downs of the school lives and home lives of dozens of children.

In our Meet Virginia series, Christine Kueter introduces us to one driver who’s been doing it for more than 40 years.

We’re in the final days of the 2024 campaign.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

As the 2024 presidential election nears, fears of voter fraud and voting by noncitizens have dominated national dialogue.

Here in Virginia, Brad Kutner found proof of such claims is rare at best.

Court battles over Virginia election procedures are playing out.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is a facing malicious prosecution lawsuit following his failed bid to convict an election official of fraud.

Brad Kutner has more from Richmond.

The explosion of data centers in Virginia is creating a surge in demand for power.

Michael Pope reports it’s also impacting how that power is generated.

The lawsuit over Virginia’s voter roll purge, and its potential fallout, are still making headlines.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

When floods swept across Appalachia three weeks ago during Helene, it was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the region in a generation. But flash flooding in the mountains does happen.

One example is the 2016 flood in West Virginia, which killed 23 people and destroyed more than two-thousand homes.

A Virginia Tech professor has been researching what helped communities rebuild after that flood, and why some communities are only now seeing progress.

Roxy Todd reports.

Hurricane Helene damaged about 6% of Virginia’s economy.

That’s according to an update provided Tuesday by the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Finance. 

But as Brad Kutner found out, federal aid is expected to improve the region. 

Despite a rough patch of drought, and the hit the region took from Helene, Virginia is expected to have a good, but not great, fall color season.

Jeff Bossert has more.

With less than a month to go until Election Day, Virginia’s governor is facing a federal lawsuit over removing alleged non-citizens from the voter rolls.

Michael Pope tells us purging the voter rolls has a long and complicated history in Virginia.

Early estimates say Helene cost farmers in the Commonwealth more than $139 million.

This number from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service is a developing tally and will likely increase in the coming days.

Roxy Todd explains why some farmers are worried for the months ahead.

With early voting underway, there’s a legal challenge to Virginia’s recent purge of voter registrations.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

It’s been almost two weeks since Helene damaged hundreds of homes across Southwest Virginia and took the lives of two people.

Roxy Todd visited Damascus and surrounding communities this week, where it could take more than a year to rebuild washed out roads and fully reopen the Virginia Creeper bicycle trail.

Old furniture can provide more than a place to sit or to store papers.

In this month’s Meet Virginia segment, Christine Kueter introduces us to a Portsmouth man who not only restores those antiques.  He goes in search of the story each one can tell.

After weeks of build-up, the candidates for U. S. Senate finally took the debate stage.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

Republican Hung Cao and Democrat Tim Kaine met for a televised debate Wednesday night.

Michael Pope has the details what will likely be their only debate before Election Day.

Two U.S. Army veterans, Derrick Anderson on the right and Eugene Vindman on the left, squared off over the future of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District Wednesday night.

Brad Kutner has more. 

We’re checking in on the crowded and complicated race for mayor in Virginia’s capitol city as well as the latest round of polling in the Presidential contest.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.