Virginia Public Radio

(Credit: Sandy Hausman)

As hurricane season draws to a close, Virginians who live on the coast may be feeling relief, but for residents of Tangier Island the threat of being overwhelmed by wind and waves remains.

They could become the first climate change refugees in this country.

This fall, the state promised to spend 3-million-dollars on a sea wall to protect Tangier’s harbor, but locals want a wall to surround their shrinking island as Sandy Hausman reports.

Note: There are three parts to this report below.

Virginia is spending a growing amount on healthcare for inmates. That’s according to a report presented to lawmakers Tuesday.

To help lower those costs, Virginia’s legislative watchdog agency recommends the state make it easier to release sick and elderly inmates.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Activists are pushing for Virginia’s lawmakers to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment this year, potentially changing the United States Constitution.

To help raise awareness, a group is driving around the state. Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Charlottesville police have a new tool. And the United Daughters of the Confederacy canceled a planned ceremony in Richmond when protesters gathered.

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 2018 election is now in the books.

But get ready for the next election cycle because the primary is only about seven months away.

Michael Pope has this preview.

In Virginia’s 7th Congressional District Democrat Abigail Spanberger has declared victory.

After hours of nail-biting vote counting, the Associated Press called the race just past midnight.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Sen. Tim Kaine

Senator Tim Kaine cruised to victory on election night, scoring one of the first victories of the evening.

Michael Pope has the story.

Turnout is up all over Virginia, in some places it’s on track with presidential election years.

Michael Pope reports from a voting precinct in Alexandria.

  Archie Jones voted for the first time ever Tuesday.
(Credit Mallory Noe-Payne)

Turnout across Virginia is reported to be heavier than an average mid-term election.

In Richmond and other cities, to help get people to the polls bus rides are free.

Mallory Noe-Payne hopped on board and filed this report.

Another Virginia community is confronting the question of whether to allow development in a flood plain…  And funeral directors seem to be emerging as the newest political class in Hampton Roads.

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.

Gov. Ralph Northam signs the executive order. (Credit: Pamela D’Angelo)

During the past 20 years, Virginia has experienced a 250 percent increase in federally declared disasters.

Citing those statistics and damage across the state from recent hurricanes, Governor Ralph Northam on Friday, signed an executive order to protect state-owned assets and the economy by reducing the impacts of climate change such as tidal and storm surge flooding in coastal Virginia.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

(Credit: dbking via flick.com / CC)

The owners of a huge deposit of uranium in Pittsylvania County want to mine it. But a long-standing Virginia ban on the process is stopping them.

On November 5th, they’ll ask the United States Supreme Court to decide if that ban is constitutional.

Michael Pope has a preview.

Rep. Barbara Comstock

Of Virginia’s 11 Congressional representatives, only one is female — Republican Barbara Comstock of Northern Virginia. But this Election Day, that could change.

After a wave of women were elected to the statehouse last year, there’s been a push this year to do the same in Congress.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

  Under a proposed constitutional amendment, Virginia’s disabled veterans and spouses of those killed in combat could retain their property tax break after moving to new homes.
(Credit U.S. Department of Defense)

In addition to choosing a U.S. Senator and a member of Congress on November 6, Virginia voters will decide on two proposed constitutional amendments.

One of those seems like a no-brainer, but as Sandy Hausman reports, it’s complicated.

When voters head to the polls November 6, they’ll be confronted with a constitutional amendment that would authorize tax breaks to people who own waterfront property.

Michael Pope has the story.

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

Government watchdog groups say some lawmakers are using taxpayer dollars to boost their own reelection campaigns.

But, as Matt Laslo reports from the Capitol, many Virginia lawmakers say they’re merely communicating with their constituents back home.

Money borrowed and spent for an industry that never came has put Patrick County in a deep financial hole.

And a zoning change in Arlington County may accomplish the rare feat of making some housing  more affordable.

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.

American oystercatchers thrive on a barrier island off Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
(Credit: The Nature Conservancy)

The fall migration for many birds is well underway, and scientists are excited about a new method for tracking them – a technology that provides detailed information without disturbing our feathered friends.

Sandy Hausman has that story.

Credit: Coalition for Integrity

A new assessment of the potential for corruption in state government is out.  And only eight states rank lower than Virginia.

Michael Pope explains the SWAMP Index.

Election Day is still a few weeks away, but more than 95,000 voters have already cast their ballots.

Michael Pope has this look at early voting.

Virginia law seems to have no clear answers about how to handle the case of a Portsmouth city councilman. And lawyers for a man accused of murder want his trial moved out of a courtroom where a portrait of Robert E. Lee is prominently displayed.

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.

  Ted Lewis, Executive Director of Side by Side, speaks at a panel for the Virginia Education Association. He’s joined by Zephyr Acosta-Lewis and Mary Jane Frances, two former participants in Side by Side’s youth programming.
(Credit of Side by Side)

According to national studies, lesbian, gay and bisexual kids are three to five times more likely to attempt suicide. And the picture is even more dire for transgender youth — as many as half will attempt suicide before their twentieth birthday.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports one organization in Virginia is trying to keep kids alive, by providing free training to schools across the state.

  Credit Jeff Eaton/Ink Stained Wretches via CC/flickr.com

The last decade has seen a dramatic reduction in local newspapers across Virginia, a decline that’s documented in a new report outlining news deserts.

Michael Pope has the story.

The Trump administration is considering a change to immigration policy that could have a significant impact here in Virginia.

Michael Pope has the story.

A Tidewater river once given up for dead now has a thriving ecosystem. And UVA researchers have found thousands of Virginia residents that the 2020 census might have overlooked.

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.