New school guidelines and new oversight of elections top the political headlines this week.

Jeff Schapiro, of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope discuss the week in politics and the General Assembly.

For a second year, Virginia’s seven federally-recognized Tribes came together as sovereign nations.

This year the focus was Indigenous-led conservation and reacquiring lands.

Pamela D’Angelo reports.

If you’ve been considering buying a house in the last few months, you know the impact of inflation and rising interest rates.

Roben Farzad, host the Full Disclosure podcast, and Craig Wright talk about the increasing cost of a mortgage.

As the November election draws closer, abortion is becoming a bigger issue in some key Congressional races.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

Biotech is big business.  And Virginia is trying to strengthen its position and bring more research and manufacturing back onshore.

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Weekend Edition host Craig Wright have more on how that plan is coming together.

A plan by Norfolk police to use drones as first as responders is drawing some objections. And elk are thriving again in Virginia.

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 and Edie Gross.

The General Assembly was supposed to deal with vacancies when it met Wednesday.  But some big ones remain.

Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Michael Pope discuss the week in politics and state government.

Nikki Giovanni is known around the world for her writing and activism. Her writing touches on social issues, like race and gender.

She recently retired from teaching at Virginia Tech after 35 years.

Giovanni sat down with reporter Roxy Todd, who asked about her advice to students.

Researchers at Virginia Tech are developing underwater robots, to be able to map the ocean and study the impacts of microplastics in the water.

They recently tested one beneath the surface of Claytor Lake, in the New River Valley.

Roxy Todd joined them and filed this story.

The fall campaign season is about to kick into high gear, here in Virginia and in other states.

Jeff Schapiro, of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope talk about that that means for the candidates and the governor.

The Afghan Girls’ Robotics Team has been internationally recognized. They’ve won numerous awards for their skills in engineering and robotics.

Now, a year has passed since the Taliban took over the country. And because most education for girls has stopped, so has the robotics team.

Many of the former team members have dispersed to other countries to pursue their education, including one incoming freshman at Virginia Tech. Roxy Todd has her story.

It’s never been easy to be successful in the restaurant business.  But it’s been even harder during the last few years.

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Craig Wright talk about the challenges.

Virginia’s juvenile justice system is about to get a makeover.

Michael Pope explains.

The names Lewis and Clark are famous in U. S. history. But only a few people have heard the name of one of their most important companions.  And invasive plant species are serious problems in Virginia, especially where they’re being locally sold.

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 and Edie Gross.

Virginia is flush with cash, which means you might be getting a check in the mail.

Michael Pope explains why. 

Abortion is becoming a prime topic in two Virginia Congressional races.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope discuss the week in politics and state government.

Across Virginia, schools are struggling to find enough teachers for the upcoming fall semester.

Michael Pope explains why.

Student performance on Virginia Standards of Learning tests rebounded in the last school year.

But it’s still well-behind the performance logged before the pandemic.

David Seidel has a snapshot of the result.

When the Virginia Department of Transportation started work on the Hampton Bridge and Tunnel Project, construction equipment displaced sea birds that had been nesting there for years. 

The situation alarmed bird lovers who lobbied the state to create a new place for terns and gulls. Experts identified a piece of land nearby and turned it into suitable habitat – removing trees and adding sand. 

The birds returned from their winter homes and happily settled in, but there’s a problem with the new arrangement as Sandy Hausman reports.

After covering the nation’s opioid crisis in the book and streaming series ‘Dopesick,’ Roanoke journalist and author Beth Macy has checked in with a second book on the issue. 

‘Raising Lazarus’ updates efforts to treat people struggling with addiction rather than send them to jail, and seek justice against drug manufacturers.

Macy talked with Jeff Bossert.

We’ve all felt the sting of high inflation over the past few months.  So can federal legislation slow the climb of consumer prices?

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Craig Wright have more on one recent effort.

Until last summer, nearly 5 million Virginians lacked dental insurance.

Expansions to Medicaid in the past year have helped, but as Roxy Todd reports, there’s still a shortage of dentists in parts of the Commonwealth who are willing to accept low-income patients.

Five years after neo-Nazis and other white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, the city is still reflecting on what happened.

Several residents shared their stories and their conclusions with Sandy Hausman.   

As Charlottesville observes the fifth anniversary of Unite the Right, a photographer who documented the Summer of Hate five years ago presents a show in the trees along the city’s downtown mall.

Rather than focus on right-wing extremists, it features those who stood up to them.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

State regulators have now approved plans for the largest offshore wind farm in the nation.

Already, Dominion Energy has completed testing of two turbines off the coast of Virginia Beach.  

Sandy Hausman joined other journalists on a trip to see how those windmills are working, when we can expect to see more, and how much this might cost consumers.

In the dictionary of economic terms, “misery index” sounds particularly menacing.  So what exactly is it?

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Craig Wright explain it and its impact.

An old, alleged scandal is back in the news.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope discuss the week in politics and the General Assembly.

For more than a decade, environmentalists and sportsmen have asked the state to ban industrial fishing for menhaden – a tiny, oil-rich fish that feeds striped bass, bluefish, marine birds and mammals. 

This year, a company that uses menhaden in fish oil supplements gave some $2,700 dollars in campaign contributions to Democrats — and ten times that much to Republicans, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project. 

But as Sandy Hausman reports, a member of the GOP is now leading the charge to end menhaden fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.

Virginia saw a big drop in unemployment in June.  But the Now-Hiring signs are still out for all sorts of businesses and industries.

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Weekend Edition host Craig Wright explore the work force squeeze.

The state of Virginia has 41 parks where visitors can hike, fish and camp.  But only one allows people to cross a river 125 feet in the air. 

Sandy Hausman reports on the longest recreational bridge in Virginia – a structure that’s open day and night to those in search of adventure.   

You’ve probably heard plenty of stories about the ups and downs of gas prices, inflation, interest rates.  But are we missing the forest for the trees?

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Craig Wright take a step back to get a look at the bigger economic picture.

In a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, one in five Americans reported they sometimes or often felt lonely. 

The surgeon general blames a world in which technology and convenience have edged out real relationships. 

Whatever the reason, a psychologist at the University of Virginia is planning to study thousands of people – to determine how we might solve this problem.

Sandy Hausman reports.

Chesterfield County has the answer for people wondering where they can safely fly their drones. And a flower that was on the verge of extinction is making a comeback.

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 and Edie Gross.

Virginia’s prison population is on the decline. Michael Pope has this look at the numbers.

It makes sense that Virginia’s more populous localities have more people in prisons or jails. 

But a new study shows smaller cities and counties have lost an even bigger percentage of their populations as Sandy Hausman reports.

Fallout from the Supreme Court’s abortion decision and a business poll provided plenty of political chatter.

Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Michael Pope discuss the week in politics and state government.

As other states take steps to ban abortions, Virginia may soon become a destination for the procedure.

But as Michael Pope reports, that’s only if it’s legal to travel across state lines to get one.

The number of abortions performed in Virginia had been trending down.

Michael Pope takes a look at the data and some recent upticks.

Abortion is now illegal in at least one of Virginia’s bordering states, and more could follow.

That means more women might need to make a potentially costly trip to Virginia for care. Reporter Jahd Khalil spoke with one organization that helps women with those bills.

New data from the Census Bureau reveals a portrait of a changing Virginia.

Michael Pope takes a look at the numbers.

As prices for solar panels have come down, more and more people are putting them up. But those panels have a limited lifespan of 20 to 30 years.  

Experts now estimate that by 2050 the planet could be stuck with 78 million tons of used solar panels. 

Recycling is not cost-effective, but a University of Virginia professor may be on track to change that as Sandy Hausman reports.

It’s been a tumultuous first half of the year economically with high inflation, high gas and housing prices and drops in the stock market.

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Craig Wright take a look at where we stand now and what we might see in the second half of the year.

The Supreme Court has largely done away with the constitutional right to abortion.  Now advocates are worried marriage equality may be next.

Michael Pope explains why.

Some of the governor’s administrative moves and a trip out of state raised eyebrows this week.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope discuss the week in politics and state government.

Recent mass shootings are bringing more attention to red flag laws as a tool to prevent violent incidents.

Michael Pope reports some communities are trying to increase awareness of Virginia’s law.

Crypto was hailed as the currency of the future.  But it’s struggled lately as an investment.

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Craig Wright talk about some of its supporters and critics.

Get ready to hear a lot more about abortion in Virginia over the next year and a half.

Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope explain why.

Virginia legislators turned away a short-term break on the gasoline tax.  But now President Biden and some others are considering a similar federal gas tax holiday.

Roben Farzad, host of the Full Disclosure podcast, and Weekend Edition host Craig Wright talk about the potential impacts.

Virginia police are hoping a new online database will help them solve some of their most difficult cases. And a team from the University of Virginia will be looking to shine in a national solar car competition.

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 and Edie Gross.