Virginia’s governor, attorney general, and public safety secretary marked the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month by focusing on the number of homicides committed with guns. As Tommie McNeil reports, their message is that many of the Commonwealth’s domestic violence deaths last year—and many other fatalities—could have been prevented with several key gun control laws.

It’s rare these days for Republicans and Democrats in Congress to agree on anything, so it may come as a surprise to learn there is bi-partisan support for a bill to reclassify marijuana.  Matt Laslo explains why a Virginia Republican is leading that effort. 

Four Virginia colleges have hopped on board to try to streamline the college admissions process. University of Virginia, James Madison University, Virginia Tech and William & Mary will provide a new set of online application tools to high school students.  

This morning Governor McAuliffe, his chief of Environmental Quality, and the Secretary of Natural Resources traveled from Richmond to the northern tip of Virginia’s Eastern Shore to personally deliver a very special document, the first of its kind in the state. Pamela D’Angelo reports.

Anyone working or living around Richmond can attest to the sizable impact of the UCI World Cycling Championships. But, beyond the road closures and massive crowds, some believe the race’s presence could leave a lasting impression on the region.

Children subjected to repeated trauma are significantly more likely to have high levels of chronic disease. That’s according to research findings presented to the Joint Commission on Health Care yesterday, which also looked at the effects of trauma on the young brain. The findings could result in a paradigm shift toward early diagnosis and treatment.

For the most part, the public knows the positions of each side in the battle over Medicaid expansion in Virginia—but what about the stakeholder organizations that provide services? They say they’re caught in the middle and would like to see some legislative movement before key services—and even hospitals themselves—become casualties in the battle over how to fund healthcare.

Although two federal cases have been on the front burner, the nonprofit organization, OneVirginia2021, has filed a lawsuit in STATE court that challenges 11 House of Delegates and state Senate districts as unconstitutionally gerrymandered.  Since the boundaries were drawn by the Democrat-led Senate and the GOP-dominated House, the group says both parties need to go back to the drawing board.

Some Virginia localities already use police body cameras at their own discretion. But as more consider utilizing the tool, the state’s Secure Commonwealth Panel is drafting recommendations to establish specific guidelines. However, the state ACLU has a little bit of a problem with how they’re going about it.

More than 500 people in Southside Virginia and northern North Carolina will be losing their jobs next September when MillerCoors Brewing shuts down beer production in Eden, North Carolina. In an announcement the company blamed loss of sales to craft brewers among other factors. Fred Echols reports. 

Over the past several years, Virginia has seen its share of mass shootings, targeted killings, high-profile suicides, and a growing number of crimes all associated with both mental health and criminal justice.

To address what some have labeled an epidemic, the state has created a new Center for Behavioral Health and Justice.  And as Tommie McNeil reports, it’s a means to streamline and coordinate resources and services.

Lawmakers were away from Washington all of August, but there was little reason for them to take that extended vacation. Matt Laslo reports they only have until the end of September to fund the government or else the government will shut down. 

A group of local candidates and the Commonwealth are battling it out in federal court over whether a Virginia election law violates the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.  At issue is a statute that requires the political party affiliations of federal and state candidates to be listed next to their names on election ballots—while omitting the same for candidates who run for local offices. The candidates are asking the court to temporarily block November’s ballots from being printed until the law’s constitutionality is decided.

Taking a page from the McDonnell-Bolling book of party unification, Attorney General Mark Herring now says–midway into his term–that he is backing Democratic Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam for Governor, while Herring will run for a second term.

Ever have a problem with the federal government? Like the IRS is hounding you for money that you don’t owe, or say a missing Social Security check? You should go directly to Virginia’s representatives Washington for assistance.

A state task force of local general registrars has crunched the numbers and discovered what they already suspected: Their workload has grown significantly over the past two decades.  The trend has occurred, in part, due to a substantially greater number of voters, elections, and even new laws in the Commonwealth.

Virginia needs to take stronger, proactive steps to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, bolster the Commonwealth’s resilience, and reduce the state’s carbon footprint. That’s the conclusion of an expert panel established by Governor McAuliffe to formulate recommendations that could be quickly enacted.  The strategies begin with concerted efforts to educate both citizens and public officials — and raise the capital that’s needed to fund improvements.