Virginia Public Radio

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Since Virginia abolished parole in 1995 there’s been just one way for most inmates to win an early release from state prisons – asking for a pardon from the governor.

Sandy Hausman examines the backlog and a new public outreach effort by Virginia officials.

Part 1:

Since Virginia abolished parole in 1995 there’s been just one way for most inmates to win an early release from state prisons – asking for a pardon from the governor.

As a result, Ralph Northam’s team may be overwhelmed by a backlog of cases, and some pleas have languished for years.

Part 2:

Officials have designated this May as “Second Chance Month” for about 37,000 state prisoners.

Those who committed their crimes before 1995 are eligible for parole, and Virginia has been freeing about 12% of them each year, but one high profile prisoner says he hasn’t even gotten a first chance.

Part 3:

Virginia’s Department of Corrections spends over a billion dollars a year to operate 41 prisons where it holds about 30-thousand inmates.  Another seven-thousand are kept in regional jails.

13,000 of them are freed annually after serving their sentence, but nearly one in four will be back after committing new crimes.

Part 4:

This year, Congress approved a series of reforms to the criminal justice system – changes that should reduce the number of people in federal prisons.

In Virginia’s General Assembly, several proposed reforms failed, but Democrats say that could change if they get control of the legislature in November.

Virginia state revenues are looking strong.

But as Mallory Noe-Payne reports, a trade war and heavy debt at the federal level could threaten that.

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

The Trump administration has sent conflicting messages on its plan for oil and gas drilling off Virginia’s coast.

But it now seems to be moving ahead with plans to explore the reserves sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic.

As correspondent Matt Laslo reports, that’s music to the ears of the state’s four Republicans in Congress.

Many of Virginia’s school buildings are tobacco free – but some aren’t.

New legislation signed by the Governor Tuesday will change that. Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Realization of the potential cost of climate change is hitting home in Hampton Roads. And one of Virginia’s prime vacation spots may soon stop reminding you that it’s illegal to swear in public. 

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.

Lawmakers are forbidden from raising money during the General Assembly session, but their opponents are not.

Michael Pope reports that might not make for an early advantage.

  Research engineers Brian Overby and Patrick Foltz run crash tests to help design a better seatbelt. (Credit: Sandy Hausman)

More than 50 years ago the federal government ordered car makers to install seat belts.

Originally designed for an average American man – 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 170 pounds – they have saved millions of lives, but one third of adults in this country are now obese, and seatbelts aren’t working so well for them.

That’s why engineers at the University of Virginia are studying the science of seatbelts, hoping to create safer restraints.

Sandy Hausman has details.

Republicans are outpacing Democrats in the race for campaign cash this year.

Michael Pope has more on the money.

An unlikely coalition of conservative and progressive groups announced an effort to take on Dominion, along with Virginia’s entire energy market.

Mallory Noe-Payne has details.

Telecommunications towers keep people connected but often annoy those who live within sight of them. One Virginia community tries to deal with the issue. And a huge flagpole east of Charlottesville has run afoul of a county ordinance but can it be removed?

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.

Party control of Virginia’s state house is up for grabs this November — and Republicans are hoping they can keep the majority.

But as Mallory Noe-Payne reports, first some of them have to survive attacks from within their own party.

Crime is down across Virginia.

Michael Pope reports that new data offers insights on where it’s happening.

(Credit Penelope M. Carrington / The American Civil War Museum)

This weekend, the American Civil War Museum opens in Richmond for the first time.

The institution is six years in the making… the result of a merger between the American Civil War Center and the Museum of the Confederacy.

As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, it’s a timely look at history that’s loomed large in recent years.

(Credit: Biodiversity Heritage Library via flicr.com / CC)

A dwindling population of striped bass, better known on restaurant menus as rockfish, has alarmed states from Florida to Maine.

This week, Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commissioners drew up a plan to cut back landings by the commercial and recreational fisheries, including in the Chesapeake Bay.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

(Credit: John Brighenti via flickr.com / CC)

One of the first things Democrats did after taking control of the House of Representatives was to create a new Select Committee on Climate Crisis.

As Michael Pope reports, the committee has Virginia congressmen on opposite sides of a debate over coal.

Nearly a third of Virginia’s adult population has obesity. A new statewide plan is looking to address the issue.

Mallory Noe-Payne has details.

A Southside Virginia native who has made it big in baseball is taking his favorite piece of his hometown with him.

And Danville residents seem to have mixed feelings about the possibility of a casino coming to town.

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: Champlain College Center for Financial Literacy)

Here’s one thing Virginia is getting right: financial education in high schools.

Michael Pope explains why.

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

This month Democrats reached their 100th day controlling the U. S. House of Representatives. But some fissures are starting to show in the party.

Washington Correspondent Matt Laslo reports on how some new lawmakers are starting to show some frustration with life in the nation’s capital.

 (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Late last week rumors circulated that Joe Biden would come to Virginia to announce a run for the presidency, but it now appears he’ll be going elsewhere.

Sandy Hausman reports on why his campaign might have considered launching from Charlottesville and what may have scared them off.

Another Virginia prosecutor has announced plans to stop trying misdemeanor marijuana cases.  And Virginia may shorten this year’s striped bass season.

 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.

NASA Wallops Flight Facility shoreline that is undergoing replenishment this year. To the left is the launch pad under preparation in February for April’s launch.
(Credit: Pamela D’Angelo)

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore sits at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s a climate change hot spot, where rising waters and stronger storms are eroding about 12 feet of shoreline every year.

For NASA, science and persistence are major tools in climate resilience.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.