Virginia’s governor admires the deer that are given as a tribute from Virginia’s native tribes. (Credit: Mallory Noe-Payne / WVTF / RADIO IQ)

In 1677, the King of England signed a treaty with some of Virginia’s native tribes. It exempted the tribes from taxes on their reservation land, but required an annual symbolic payment of three arrows, and 20 beaver skins.

Now almost 350 years later, that treaty still plays out every year just before Thanksgiving, with a slightly different ceremonial gift to Virginia’s Governor. Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Photo: Creative Commons/Mike Kalasnik

There won’t be any picket lines later this month outside Kroger stores in Southwest and Central Virginia, West Virginia and Eastern Tennessee.

The union representing thousands of Kroger employees approved a new contract today—avoiding a potential strike. A lot of workers, though, weren’t too happy with the decision. Joe Staniunas has the story.

With just one week left in Virginia’s General Assembly, the state already has 135 new laws on the books — and will be adding many more before it’s over. Luckily, you’ll easily be able to browse all of Virginia’s laws on it’s legal website, which is considered one of the best in the country. Mallory Noe Payne reports.

After years of waiting for a jetty to protect their harbor, residents of Tangier Island thought the deal was done. Then came a rumor that Virginia’s share of the cost was removed from the governor’s budget. It turned out to be true. Pamela D’Angelo reports.

Virginia lawmakers were divided on the legislation to fund the government. Matt Laslo reports from Washington that the legislation has a lot in it for the commonwealth.

The Day Reporting Center, operated by a for-profit contractor called GEO Reentry, is designed to keep non-violent criminals from returning to jail. CREDIT GEO REENTRY

Both U.S. Senators from Virginia have now signed onto a bill that would scale back punishments for certain drug offenders, giving  judges more  discretion in sentencing.  The measure could also reduce the number of people going back to jail by promoting community-based programs designed to change the way criminals think.  Sandy Hausman reports on one such program – the first of its kind in Virginia.  The Day Reporting Center in Richmond is located at the end of a long hallway in the city’s old public safety building.

Earlier this year President Obama traveled to Alaska to highlight what he called the frontline of climate change. Earlier this year President Obama traveled to Alaska to highlight what he called the frontline of climate change. But a report published in Nature, says Virginia’s Tangier Island, just 90 miles southeast of Washington, D.C., on the Chesapeake Bay, may force islanders to leave during the next 25 years. Pamela D’Angelo reports.

Natural Resources Defense Council

Opposition is building to oil exploration off Virginia’s coast, and environmentalists hope a letter sent yesterday will delay noisy testing that could harm marine mammals and fish. Sandy Hausman has that story.