Sonny Fleming, Natalie Snider and Ellen Fleming (Credit: Cat Modlin-Jackson)

With housing costs on the rise and incomes lagging behind, Virginians are getting creative in their search for affordable housing.

As property owners and renters look to get the most bang for their buck, some are finding more economical ways of living and working.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

Governor Ralph Northam and advocates for paid sick days have struck a compromise.

Michael Pope reports might determine how many businesses are affected.

It’s been a week of despair tempered by hope in Mr. Peanut’s hometown of Suffolk…and in a part of the state that’s having trouble holding onto its residents one locality is bucking the trend.

These 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.

For some women in Virginia accessing a doula can mean the different between life and death. From left to right: Fantasy Lozada-Smith, Kenda Sutton-El, and Vallin Bingley.
(Credit: Mallory Noe-Payne)

Doulas are not medical professionals. They’re more like birth coaches. In addition to helping women through labor, they also provide support long before, and even after, a baby is born.

For some Virginians, getting help from a doula may mean the difference between life and death.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, that’s why lawmakers are pushing for their services to be covered by Medicaid.

Credit Dave Nakayama / Creative Commons

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have proposed to increase the amount of time inmates can earn for good behavior.

Thursday night a group of citizens sweated their way through a House subcommittee meeting to speak in favor of the legislation.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

An artist’s rendering of the Richmond-area casino-resort. (Credit Pamunkey Indian Tribe)

The General Assembly has until March to decide on a host of bills to allow and regulate casinos.

The Pamunkey Tribe is wasting no time in positioning itself. This month, they signed an agreement with the city of Norfolk to potentially buy property for a commercial casino-resort along the Elizabeth River.  Then they announced plans for another tribal casino-resort in South Richmond near the James River.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

A Virginia bank robbery may have a lasting effect on how police can gather and use location information from mobile phones. And the state’s northernmost county is flirting with the idea of joining West Virginia.

These 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.

Driver’s licenses have become a flashpoint for lawmakers in the General Assembly session, which has seen an extended debate about allowing undocumented immigrants to have Virginia driver’s licenses.

But Michael Pope reports there’s another controversy surrounding licenses.

Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy (Credit: Virginia General Assembly)

The debate over what students can and cannot wear in school is an ongoing point of contention in Virginia.

This year, Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy has proposed a bill that she says would level the playing field for girls and students of color.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

  Rings of fluorescent dye can be seen each time the oyster larvae has been incrementally dipped in the dye to tag them.  (Credit Jason Spires)

Wild oyster sanctuaries are being built all around the Chesapeake Bay. The goal is to give the bivalves a fighting chance since about 99 percent of the population has disappeared over the last century.

To ensure their survival, scientists are devising a very unusual way to track them as Pamela D’Angelo reports.

A Virginia county would like to say how well it’s done in providing broadband but the supervisors don’t know and can’t find out…and medical marijuana production will soon be underway in Southwest Virginia.

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.

Christy Coleman (Credit: Kim Brundage/Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation)

Christy Coleman steps down as CEO of the American Civil War Museum this week, but she’s not closing the book on Virginia’s history.

In Richmond, Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

Virginia Beach is ready to commit more money t to mitigate the effects of a rising sea level…And the Interstate-81 Safety Patrol is getting some additional resources to help keep traffic moving.

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.

Governor Ralph Northam delivers his 2020 State of the Commonwealth address.                    (Credit: Michael Pope)

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam gave the annual State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, he spoke of both fiscal responsibility and progressive goals.

Virginia’s General Assembly is gaveling back in Wednesday.

And as Mallory Noe-Payne reports it’s with a diverse slate of new leadership.

  An empty dorm at the ICE Farmville Detention Center.
(Credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

In Farmville, about an hour south of Charlottesville, there’s an immigration detention facility. It holds men who officials allege are in the country illegally.

Earlier this summer Virginia Public Radio requested a tour of the privately-owned facility.

It took months to arrange, but reporter Mallory Noe-Payne was finally granted access and has this report.

A suffrage parade in New York City in 1912. (Credit: Library of Congress)

2020 marks 100 years since the federal government legalized women’s right to vote.

As plans to observe the anniversary get underway, other historic moments for women are on the horizon in Virginia.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

Books in libraries these days are almost always cataloged on computers.  But the traditional card system still has admirers who are working to preserve it.  And there’s at least a partial solution to the problem of what to do with the forbidden mobile phone at the courthouse door.

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.

Tourism in Southwest Virginia is about to get a boost… and state officials are monitoring a spike in reported losses of White Oak trees.

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.

Attorney General Mark Herring

Attorney General Mark Herring says Virginia localities have no legal standing to exempt themselves from gun control legislation.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, he issued an advisory opinion on the question Friday.

Amelia county resident Troy Carter speaks to the county Board of Supervisors shortly before they vote to become a Second Amendment Sanctuary. (Credit: Mallory Noe-Payne)

In the past week, at least five more Virginia localities have voted to become Second Amendment Sanctuaries, a symbolic gesture of support for gun rights.

Mallory Noe-Payne was in Amelia County Wednesday night for one of the most recent votes.

She has this look at the growing trend.

In December, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, or JLARC, confirmed a host of problems with the operations and management of the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The department regulates hunting and fishing through licensing and its conservation police force.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

Soering at the ICE detention center in Farmville. (Credit: Sandy Hausman)

Jens Soering is back in Germany, paroled after more than 33 years behind bars, 29 of them in Virginia.

He was convicted in the brutal murder of his girlfriend’s parents – a crime he insists he did not commit.

Before leaving, Soering gave an exclusive interview to Virginia Public Radio’s Sandy Hausman who has covered his case for nearly a decade.  She set up a microphone at the ICE detention center in Farmville.

The honor system doesn’t seem to be working very well for a new public transit line.  And one of the last localities in Virginia with an unpaid school board has decided to compensate members.

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.

Every year is an election year in Virginia, but next year’s presidential election is going to be one for the record books.

Michael Pope has this preview of the nominating contest here in Virginia.

If staffing levels aren’t brought up some district courts across the state may have to shorten the hours that customer service desks are open. That would make it more difficult for people to file cases or pay fines.  (Credit Mallory Noe-Payne)

Roughly three million cases a year run through Virginia’s General District Courts. Everything from traffic tickets to homicides.

But according to state staffing models, more than half of those courts are under-staffed. That includes large counties like Fairfax, Chesapeake and Henrico – but also smaller courts in Smyth, Carroll and Rockingham Counties.

Mallory Noe-Payne visited one of those understaffed courts to learn about the impact.

Earlier this fall the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia stood before lawmakers pleading. He was asking for more money so courts across the state could hire more clerks.

According to his office, more than half of the state’s district courts are under-staffed. And that could impact everything from people’s credit to jail-time.

Mallory Noe-Payne has this look at why Virginia’s courts are short staffed and what lawmakers can do about it.

Despite years of effort many places in the Virginia coalfields are still struggling to rebuild their economies. And the city of Martinsville is considering becoming a town which is causing some apprehension in surrounding Henry County.

These 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.

One of Kehinde Wiley’s paintings on display at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (Credit: Mallory Noe–Payne)

Rumors of War, a statue mirroring and challenging Confederate monuments, will be installed Tuesday at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Mallory Noe-Payne has this preview.

When a worker believes they’ve been cheated out of their pay, they can file a complaint with the state.

But Michael Pope reports a new study finds many of those complaints are never investigated.

Virginia is one step closer to adopting the state’s first-ever set of regulations governing the use of seclusion and restraint on public school students.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, the proposed rules recently received the necessary approval from multiple state agencies.

Localities included in the Hampton Roads Planning District (Credit: hrpdcva.gov)

A community’s brand identity, like Virginia’s Blue Ridge or RVA, can often be a key marketing tool to attract visitors, businesses and new residents.

That’s why a rebranding effort is being considered in Hampton Roads.

Michael Pope has this preview of a report out next week.

(Credit: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Now that the holiday shopping season is underway, new data shows Virginia’s retail trade employment is taking a hit this year.

Michael Pope reports.

Dominion Energy is coming up with plans to remove and recycle coal ash from four sites around the state.

Lawmakers got their first update on the new legislative mandate Monday.

Mallory Noe-Payne has details.

Some graduating students at Washington and Lee University would like an alternate version of the school’s traditional diploma… and in the era of long and expensive political campaigns, one in Virginia lasted an hour and cost nothing.

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: Images Money / taxrebate.org.uk / Flickr

Earlier this year, the city of Norfolk voted to sell waterfront property to the Pamunkey Tribe in the tribe’s latest effort to build a casino.

But a new state report on gaming in Virginia has raised concerns for one city official and the tribe.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

(Credit: Rog Cogswell via flickr.com / CC)

Last year a bipartisan group in Congress passed a sweeping law to address the opioid crisis.

But the opioid epidemic continues to rage in states like Virginia and there’s a new Congress, yet the crisis isn’t talked about much at the Capitol these days.

Correspondent Matt Laslo reports from Washington that some lawmakers in the commonwealth want that to change.

This week Americans sit down to a big family meal, traditionally connected with the history of the Pilgrims in Massachusetts.

But as Mallory Noe-Payne reports, Virginia has a correction to the Thanksgiving historical record.

Credit Peretz Partensky via flickr.com / CC

A handful of local governments across Virginia are declaring themselves a Second Amendment sanctuary.

Michael Pope reports the resolutions vow opposition to what some see as an unconstitutional infringement of Second Amendment rights.

Colonial Williamsburg has launched an effort learn more about the history of sexual orientation in early America. And Fluvanna County has trademarked its logo after a debate over a rainbow version.

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.

Rep. Don Beyer

Now that the marathon impeachment hearings have been put on hold as members of Congress leave town for a week, members of the Virginia delegation are hearing from their constituents about impeachment.

Michael Pope has this report from a town hall in Alexandria.

A truckload of birds is delivered to Tyson’s Temperanceville plant. (Credit: Pamela D’Angelo)

As older chicken houses on the Eastern Shore are being replaced with much larger operations, neighbors and environmental groups have a lot of questions about air and water pollution.

Now, a new data tool will give the public a little more information about how the industrial byproduct – poultry manure – is being used.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

(Credit: Mallory Noe-Payne)

The newest exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond takes experiential art to a new level.

The museum has recreated a famous painting of a hotel room, where guests can actually spend a night.

Mallory Noe-Payne checked it out and has this report.

  Professor Nicole Montgomery explains findings of two studies showing the public expects more of female CEOS.
(Credit UVA)

As we approach the 2020 presidential election, some scholars are still speculating over why Hillary Clinton lost her 2016 bid.

At the University of Virginia, two professors at the undergraduate business school have a theory, based on a study of how consumers think about female CEO’s.

Sandy Hausman has that story.

A criminal prosecution viewed by many as purely political was called off after Election Day in Greene County.  And the latest culture clash over agricultural tradition in Virginia is happening in Floyd County.

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.

  Recent so-called sunny day flooding is happening more frequently around the Chesapeake Bay.
(Credit Pamela D’Angelo)

Rollbacks in environmental protection and flood risk management by the Trump administration is forcing states to come up with their own solutions.

On Friday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam mandated one of the country’s strictest standards for state-owned properties in an effort to steer development away from flood-prone areas.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

Credit: David Nakayama / Creative Commons

Is justice equal for youth offenders who find themselves caught up in the court system?

Michael Pope has more about a new report that calls attention to some disparities in the system.

In Norfolk, Virginia officials announced a long-term plan to increase the state’s international exports.

Governor Northam called it the first ever statewide strategic plan for international trade.

Mallory Noe-Payne has details.

Is justice equal for youth offenders who find themselves caught up in the court system?

Michael Pope has more about a new report that calls attention to some disparities in the system.

Owners of a grocery store are finding that providing opportunity in an underserved neighborhood isn’t as simple as just showing up… and a homeowner who says she ordered a little dirt ended up with more than she knew what to do with.

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.

Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (center) and Del Charniele Herring (right) listen to Governor Ralph Northam on Election Night. (Credit Michael Pope)

Virginia is about to get its first female speaker of the House of Delegates.

Michael Pope reports.