Virginia Public Radio

While some Virginia localities are trying to discourage trick-or-treating this year at least one city says it’ll be “Halloween as usual.”  And the pandemic is costing Virginia school systems millions of dollars in funding.

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.

The congressional race in Virginia’s 7th District is one of the most competitive in the state.

It pits incumbent Democrat Abigail Spanberger against Republican challenger Nick Freitas.

The two met for their only debate Tuesday night.

Mallory Noe-Payne has more. 

Our pandemic reality is precarious… and many Virginians have struggled like never before to keep the lights on and pay the rent.

Since a special session began in the summer, members of the General Assembly have acted on a series of rules intended to provide relief for both tenants and landlords trying to make ends meet.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has this look at what made it through and what got left behind. 

The state Board of Elections approved a regulation Tuesday that will count ballots with a missing or illegible postmark, as long as the ballots were received by noon on the Friday after Election Day.

Jahd Khalil has more. 

A judge in Richmond heard arguments Monday in a lawsuit that could determine the fate of the Robert E Lee statue on Monument Avenue.

Mallory Noe-Payne was at the courthouse Monday and reports the judge expects to issue a ruling in the coming days. 

The much awaited budget proposal was adopted by the General Assembly late Friday.

As Cat Modlin-Jackson reports, Virginians reeling from the pandemic are waiting on financial aid tied up in the plan.

A Virginia county is being asked to exempt its Amish community from rules prohibiting outhouses. And extended closures during the pandemic are putting pressure on public libraries.

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.

Although some sectors of the economy are making a comeback from the crisis created by the pandemic, many communities in Virginia are still struggling.

Michael Pope reports.

Members of the General Assembly are wrapping up their special session.

And, as Michael Pope reports, one bill they’re sending to the governor could create new oversight of law enforcement. 

Almost two months into a special session that was initially expected to last two weeks, negotiators in the General Assembly have come to an agreement over the details of the state budget.

Now it’s up to both chambers and the Governor to make the bill a law.

Cat Modlin-Jackson has the story.

New numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows consumers in Northern Virginia are looking for comfort food.

Michael Pope reports.

A recent survey of schools in Virginia yielded some surprising and worrisome news – enrollments are down, and that could mean a reduction in state funding.

Sandy Hausman has more on where students have gone and what that might mean for public schools.

A federal judge today/Wednesday extended the deadline for Virginians to register to vote.

The last day of registration was supposed to be Tuesday, but the state website citizens would use to register was taken offline when a construction crew severed a fiber optic cable.

Jahd Khalil has more.

Virginia’s 7th District stretches from Culpeper all the way south to Blackstone, encompassing the suburbs west of Richmond.

The mix of rural and suburban voters makes for a competitive race between Republican Nick Freitas and incumbent Abigail Spanberger.

Mallory Noe-Payne spoke with the Democrat about her policy positions and has this report. 

Nick Freitas also recently spoke to Mallory Noe-Payne about the issues in the race.

U.S. Senator Mark Warner and his Republican opponent Daniel Gade squared off in their third and final debate Tuesday night.

Michael Pope reports.

Virginia’s 4th Congressional District stretches from Richmond south and east to Chesapeake.

Incumbent Congressman Donald McEachin squared off Tuesday night with challenger Leon Benjamin.

Mallory Noe-Payne has this round-up of their debate. 

The Department of Elections’ portal to register to vote was offline for much of Tuesday after a fiber optic cable was cut during construction.

It happened on the last day of voter registration, prompting calls to extend the registration period.

Jahd Khalil has more.

Political signs have always been targets for thieves and vandals but in at least one city the problem seems to be worse than ever… and when a Richmond area couple wanted to show support for Black Lives Matter protesters they went big with a sign of their own.

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.

During the last days of September, rural communities in the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck had a surge in coronavirus cases.

Because of privacy rules, the local department of health is not allowed to give out any details of where surges occurred.

As Pamela D’Angelo reports, that’s when rumors began to spread.

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.