Possible new regulations have pet owners in Waynesboro upset.  And the head of the Virginia Department of Corrections says he needs more money for staffing.

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.

Are Virginia taxpayers willing to pay more?

Michael Pope reports on a new poll from Virginia Commonwealth University that asks that question.

Several polls this week gave a clearer view of the landscape in the race for governor.

Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times Dispatch and Michael Pope discuss the implications of that and more.

A long running legal fight over transgender students’ rights to use the restroom aligned with their gender identity has come to a costly end for one rural Virginia county.

Brad Kutner has more.

The Virginia Redistricting Commission has 45 days to draw new state legislative maps, starting Thursday.

An unintended hot-mic moment demonstrates how important it is for communities to speak up. But Jahd Khalil reports the commission has been criticized for its efforts to reach out to them.

Finding housing is an issue for many Virginians, but it’s also presenting an issue for the organizations trying to resettle some of the Afghans coming to the US on special immigrant visas.

Jahd Khalil spoke with a Virginia refugee advocate.

One Virginia city has made some zoning changes as college students return. And a young man from Lynchburg will have quite a story to tell his classmates in kindergarten.

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 race for governor is tightening up.

Michael Pope reports on new polling data that shows the race is closer than ever.

Roanoke College Poll

VCU Wilder School Poll

The Wildlife Center of Virginia recently returned three bald eagles to the wild – the last of them in Grottoes’ Grand Caverns Park. 

The recovery of our national bird could be the best conservation story in Virginia, but there’s one thing we must do to ensure their future, as Sandy Hausman reports.

Population changes and voting districts have been in this week’s political headlines.

Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times Dispatch and Michael Pope break down the potential impacts of the Census and redistricting.

Tenants across Virginia who are having a hard time making ends meet are about to get some temporary relief.

But, as Michael Pope reports, many people fear what could be coming when those protections expire.

A quick crackdown on masks and the quick confirmation of 8 judges got the attention of the state’s political circles.

Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Michael Pope talk about this week’s action.

You’ve heard it before. Virginia’s coasts are sinking as sea levels rise and oceans warm, leading to bigger, more frequent weather events and flooding.

The state is now collecting stories from those now bearing the brunt of these changes.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

Virginia could issue a license plate honoring a Black-owned newspaper that campaigned for racial justice a century ago. And Martinsville City Council has asked the governor to posthumously commute the death sentences of seven Black men executed decades 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.

Governor Ralph Northam did not issue a mask mandate for schools in Virginia.

Instead he argued that legislation passed earlier this year requires masks.

Jahd Khalil has this report about mitigation and litigation.

Members of the House of Delegates and state Senate have struck a deal to spend billions of dollars of stimulus money.

Michael Pope the latest on the negotiations. 

Lawmakers are making progress in a special session to spend federal stimulus money and appoint new appeals court judges.

Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times Dispatch and Michael Pope discuss what’s been done so far.

Governor Ralph Northam took a big step Thursday afternoon, requiring state employees to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing.

Jahd Khalil has the details.

The commissioners who will redraw Virginia’s voting districts have said in a number of ways that they still don’t have the help they need, or enough time, to complete their work.

Jahd Khalil reports those concerns were evident at the meeting Tuesday. 

It’s now legal in Virginia to possess small amounts of marijuana, but the only way to get it legally is to essentially grow your own. 

That’s given a big boost to business at local nurseries and garden stores as Sandy Hausman reports.

Lawmakers are back in Richmond for a special session.

And as Michael Pope reports, a Republican effort to end the extended unemployment benefit during the pandemic may get some unexpected support.

An international non-profit is helping a small southwest Virginia town create its first park… And cases involving people with mental health issues may soon be heard in a special court in the Shenandoah Valley.

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.