Lawmakers in Richmond this legislative session are hoping to minimize the risk of gun violence in Virginia’s public schools. Mallory Noe-Payne reports on those efforts.

Business Magnate and Inventor Elon Musk is a man known for his work on transportation of the future, be it space travel or electric vehicles.  His latest quest is something called a “Hyperloop”  a new kind of super-fast transportation that’s still in the design stage.  At a competition of prototypes this past weekend, Virginia Tech’s entry showed well.  Wes Williams has the story. 

The General Assembly is considering loosening restrictions on the sale of wild animal parts in Virginia. And, a plan to build a wind farm in Botetourt County has upset some people in neighboring Rockbridge County. Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s VaNews link on vpap.org. Fred Echols reports.

A legal battle that began in a Gloucester, Virginia high school will be heard Wednesday in Richmond by a federal appeals court.In question: whether a local school board can prohibit a transgender student from using the restroom of their choice. As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, the answer could guide school systems nationwide.

Virginia’s schools don’t have enough qualified teachers for career and technical classes…so lawmakers in Richmond are considering a bill that would ease requirements on those jobs. Under proposed legislation, schools could hire part-time professionals who know the subject to teach, but don’t have a teaching license.

Mallory Noe-Payne has the details.

Plans for three new natural gas pipelines in Virginia have been the source of contention between environmentalists and energy companies.
That debate landed in Richmond Monday, as environmental groups pushed for the repeal of a law that makes it easier for energy companies to survey private land. Mallory Noe-Payne has the details.

Virginia lawmakers are laying down their legislative priorities for the new year, but Republicans doubt they can get much done with a Democrat in the White House. Matt Laslo reports from the capitol.

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While Virginia’s legislature got back to work this week, the state’s executive branch continues to try to tackle gun violence on its own.
In a first of its kind meeting, Attorneys General from Virginia, Maryland and D.C. met in Washington today to discuss how the regions can work together to reduce gun-related crime and deaths. Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Amid much pomp and circumstance, day one of the Virginia General Assembly kicked off today in Richmond. Mallory Noe-Payne reports on the pageantry.

Tucked into Governor McAuliffe’s 2016 budget is $268,000 to build a badly-needed jetty on Tangier Island out in the Chesapeake Bay. The project took three years for the Army Corps of Engineers to study and will take another two years before it will be built. Islanders say they need it now —  and that more needs to be done to save the island. Pamela D’Angelo reports from Tangier.

Since the recession state funding for higher education across the country has plummeted, including here in Virginia, where it remains a quarter below what it was before the recession. Governor McAuliffe revealed details today about how he’d like to fund higher education in the state for the next two years. Mallory Noe-Payne reports from Richmond.

It’s a budget year in Virginia — meaning during this year’s legislative session the Governor and General Assembly will work to craft how the state spends its money for the next two years. Governor Terry McAuliffe won’t reveal his proposed budget until next week, but Wednesday in Richmond he did announce a plan to issue two-and-a-half billion dollars in bonds. Money from those bond sales will largely go to the state’s colleges. Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Politicians in Richmond are already gearing up for 2017 elections — Delegate Rob Bell announced Thursday afternoon that he’s running for Virginia Attorney General.  Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Although recent international terrorist attacks have shocked the world, they’ve had little impact on the day-to-day lives of most Virginians. But for one private school outside of Richmond, incidents of global terrorism have hit close to home. Mallory Noe-Paye reports.

Yesterday, we shared with you the story of Tysons Corner – a fast-growing suburb in Northern Virginia, grappling with traffic, noise and sidewalks that don’t always connect.  Ironically, it’s evolving next to one of the nation’s first planned communities – a place designed to avoid those very problems and to offer instant community.  Reston is the subject of a new documentary which had its debut at the Virginia Film Festival.  Sandy Hausman reports on why Reston was once a revolutionary place, and why it’s now a model for other suburbs. 

With more than thirty thousand people in prison, Virginia’s Department of Corrections is the most expensive agency in the state.  To cut costs and assure public safety, officials need ways  to assure that inmates don’t go back to a life of crime when they are released.  At Virginia Commonwealth University, one professor is promoting a novel idea – helping inmates to write their way out.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

Richmond is making headlines, placing in a top spot on “Travel and Leisure Magazine’s” annual “Best Places to Travel List.” Among Caribbean beaches and European canals, Virginia’s capitol finds itself in good company — the magazine picked out 50 cities from around the world, and Richmond placed 3rd. Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Virginia Republicans are trying to derail the global climate change talks in Paris. Matt Laslo reports on the battle raging in Washington that will be felt across Virginia. 

Heroin drug use is up in the state of Virginia. In fact, more Virginians died of overdose from heroin and prescription drugs than car crashes in 2014. The Attorney General’s Office is hoping a new film premiering today can help. Mallory Noe Payne reports.

Tysons Corner is a model for what urban planners call an Edge City – located outside Washington, D.C., it’s the commercial center for Fairfax County, with two major shopping malls and countless corporate headquarters.  This year, the Metro arrived there, sparking new residential development and the prospect of much more pedestrian traffic – people walking to and from the train.  That prompted a team from the University of Virginia to launch a walking study of the place – hoping to document just how hard it is to get around Tysons on foot or bicycle, and to explore possible solutions.  Sandy Hausman tagged along and filed this report.

Virginia is touting itself as the East Coast oyster capitol, last year harvesting more than half-a-million wild and farmed oysters valued at nearly $34 million. The growing industry is making it more tempting to poachers. Pamela D’Angleo reports from the Rappahannock River.

As Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring kicks off a study aimed at encouraging more minorities to enter law enforcement in the Commonwealth one of the Southside Virginia cities set to take part is dealing with severe financial problems that could make recruiting even more difficult. Fred Echols reports.

Virginia’s congressional delegation is wrestling with how the federal government can help states combat the heroin epidemic spreading across the east coast. Matt Laslo reports from the Capitol.

Known for years as the Church of the Confederacy, St Paul’s Episcopal Church is just across the street from Capitol Square in Richmond. But the church has announced steps this week to remove certain images of the Confederate Flag from inside the sanctuary. As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, it’s part of an effort at racial reconciliation.

As Virginia considers allowing drilling for oil off its coast, scientists at the University of Mary Washington are doing basic research that could prove valuable in the event of a spill.  Sandy Hausman reports on what they hope to learn after two weeks of trolling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

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The Virginia Attorney General’s Office is developing a plan to increase diversity in police departments around the state beginning with a pilot program in Danville and Martinsville. Fred Echols reports.

It looks like a strong Holiday buying season is in the forecast for Virginia. That’s according to the latest Virginia Consumer Sentiment report from the Roanoke College Institute for Policy and Opinion Research. Kelsea Pieters reports.

While the U.S. Senate and congressional elections have garnered most of the news headlines, Virginia voters will also see something else on the ballot when they go to the polls next week.  It’s a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would enable local property tax relief for the surviving spouses of members of the military who were killed in action. It’s a measure that sailed through the General Assembly without ANY “no” votes.