Virginia Public Radio

Candidates for the United States Senate are not perfect.

In fact, as Michael Pope reports, some of them even admit when they’ve been wrong.

Maintaining social distancing on school buses is complicating things for localities looking to bring students back to the classroom. And a high school baseball team is finally being recognized for a championship it won half a century ago.

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.

An immigrant detention facility in Farmville is COVID-19 free, for now.

That’s according to officials with the Virginia Department of Health.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports. 

The state Senate approved its version of a budget today/Friday, leaving lawmakers in the General Assembly to reconcile their proposals.

As Cat Modlin-Jackson reports, one difference between the upper-chamber and the House comes down to a rule often cited as a barrier to healthcare for immigrants.

Lawmakers are in Richmond trying to deal with the health emergency created by the pandemic and the economic emergency caused by the shutdown while also addressing systemic racism and police reform.

But, as Michael Pope reports, it was a debate over sex-ed that occupied much of the Senate’s attention Thursday.

The Fifth Congressional District, which runs from northern Virginia to the North Carolina border, was drawn to benefit Republican candidates. 

In 2016, Donald Trump got 53% of the vote to Hilary Clinton’s 42%.  This year, however, the Cook Political Report rates the congressional race a toss-up, with Democrat Cameron Webb trailing Republican Bob Good by a single point in the latest poll. 

Sandy Hausman spoke with Webb and has this profile of the candidate.

And she also has this profile of Bob Good.

The COVID pandemic has prompted more doctors and nurses to see their patients online, but more than 300-thousand rural residents of this state lack high speed Internet. 

Recent budget cuts in Richmond will delay the expansion of broadband, but a team at the University of Virginia is proposing another way to make telemedicine available as Sandy Hausman reports.

A bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers is demanding answers from the Bureau of Prisons about what they call “troubling conditions” at the two federal prisons in Virginia.

That includes one in Petersburg, where about 200 inmates have tested positive for the virus over the course of the pandemic.

According to the BOP, about 150 of the men have recovered.

Reporter Mallory Noe-Payne has been speaking to family members about conditions there and has this report. 

Voting is underway here in Virginia for the presidency, U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. 

But there are also two issues on the ballot– proposed amendments to the state constitution. 

Sandy Hausman reports on what they would do.

In Virginia Beach, 70 teachers have resigned since August.

One educator told local officials that teachers are at a tipping point.

But as Mallory Noe-Payne reports, it’s difficult to pin down the situation statewide. 

A Senate panel has rejected efforts to allow public sector employees from getting workers compensation if they contradict COVID-19 while on the job.

Michael Pope reports.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named its annual list of the most endangered historic sites in the country.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, the list includes a place in central Virginia — the historic capital of the Monacan Indian Nation. 

Health care is poised to be one of the key issues in the presidential race this year.  

And, as Michael Pope reports, it’s also a flashpoint in the race for U.S. Senate. 

For now, Democrats in the House and Senate are deadlocked over policing reform.

Michael Pope reports on what might break the stalemate.

Lawmakers may be on the verge of approving legislation that could transform the criminal justice system in Virginia.

But, as Michael Pope reports, that’s only if lawmakers decide they can afford it.

House and Senate Democrats are united about civilian oversight of police departments.

But as Michael Pope reports, they’re divided over whether sheriff’s offices should be subjected to new review boards that can subpoena documents and fire deputies engaged in wrongdoing. 

Signs offering low cost medications for treating opioid addictions raised some questions in Martinsville. And at least one county started the school year with almost a thousand fewer students than expected.

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.

As residential college campuses become COVID-19 hot spots, Virginia’s community colleges announced Friday they’ll remain mostly online all the way through Spring semester.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Friday members of a House committee advanced a bill that would make the state eligible for federal funds to help establish a work-share program.

Experts say the initiative could ultimately help save jobs in Virginia.

Cat Modlin-Jackson explains how.

Virginians can now vote in the 2020 General Election.

Absentee ballots are being sent out and voters can vote in person at their electoral office. Jahd Khalil reports early voting is getting much more attention this cycle due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Immigrants detained at a facility in Farmville where there was an outbreak of COVID-19 this summer are still at risk.

That’s according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control.

Mallory Noe-Payne has more. 

The family of a Charlottesville woman is speaking out today about a tragic death and the need to change how we view our doctors and nurses.

They may be heroes, but they are also human. 

Sandy Hausman reports on how the suicide of Doctor Lorna Breen could help other healthcare providers.

Click here for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation

New numbers out today from the Census show that in one year Virginia made greater gains in getting people enrolled in health insurance than any other state.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports. 

Lawmakers are debating a bill that could radically transform the criminal justice system in Virginia.

But Democrats in the House and Senate are divided over how and when to pay for it.

Michael Pope reports.

In the five weeks since Virginia became the first state to launch a COVID-19 exposure app, more than a half-million people have downloaded it.

Those are the latest numbers from the Department of Health.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports. 

A Virginia woman has gotten a painful introduction to one of the state’s few venomous caterpillars…and school buses are back on the road in one county even though they’re not carrying any students.

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.

A Senate panel has rejected a bill ending qualified immunity for law-enforcement officials.  The legal precedent shields police officers from being sued for wrongdoing.

Michael Pope reports.

This summer, tornados and intense rains have devastated some of Virginia’s tiny communities from the Atlantic Coast to mountain valleys.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA will be increasing flood insurance premiums next year.

Homeowners are facing emotional decisions, some with hefty price tags, to adapt to the changing climate.

One option is to go high. In this three-part series, Pamela D’Angelo looks at federally-funded solutions.

Virginia’s changing climate has created a flooding problem, and not just on the coast.

In August, homeowners and small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley were hit with not one but two floods. In smaller communities, federal aid is not easy to get.

Throughout Virginia, communities are facing down climate change.

A common symptom – more frequent flooding of their homes. A common fix – state and federal funding.

But it’s not easy to get and the National Flood Insurance Program is shifting the burden to those willing to take the risk of living close to the water.

People in downtown Lynchburg are again being asked to drop coins into meters but this time it’s not for parking… And a complex set of lawsuits in Bristol could be very expensive for either the city or its utilities provider.

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.