If your area code is 540 get ready to do some additional tapping on the keypad when you make a phone call. And some creative Virginia high school students went to New York and came back with a six-figure cash prize from a national tech 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.

A new high school in Chesterfield County is specifically designed to support students recovering from substance abuse. And people in Warrenton, Virginia now have the opportunity to grade local police officers.

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.

Something new – and big – is in the works at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. And a significant Civil War battlefield will not become a new housing development, at least not now. 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 with the Virginia Public Access Project.

The option to browse and drink in Virginia will continue for at least another two years. And some of the ancestral land taken from the Rappahannock Tribe centuries ago is being returned. 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 with the Virginia Public Access Project.

Researchers are hoping the public can help them figure out who’s buried in a cemetery at the Booker T. Washington National Monument. And the long wait for recess may soon be over for middle school students in Fairfax County.

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 with the Virginia Public Access Project.

Efforts are underway to preserve a school built to educate Black children a century ago. And a high-tech vegetable farm will be producing its first crop near Danville later this year. 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.

Almost four dozen police officers have been decertified in Virginia since a new law took effect last year. And wildlife officers are having success finding foster moms for orphaned bear cubs.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link.

A Virginia town will have a water park thanks to pandemic relief money. And some Albemarle County teens are trying to make winter a little easier for elderly residents. 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 Beach police are putting some extra effort into helping people keep their parked cars safe. And several city and county courts in Virginia are now providing specialized assistance for veterans facing criminal charges.

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 U.S. Civil Rights Trail will now feature a third stop in Virginia with the addition of a site in Danville. And a new app will help drivers in Norfolk avoid flooded streets. 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 will soon be home to a new digital archive dedicated to the work of Black poets. And supply chain issues are causing serious shortages for school lunch programs. 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.

Prince William County is redefining the role of School Resource Officers. And lawn parking will be curtailed in Hampton next year. Check out the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link. More now from Fred Echols.

Higher education funding was a dominant topic over the past week. Check out the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link. More now from Fred Echols.

Data science is about to be brought in to fight littering in Norfolk. And it’s getting easier in Virginia to have a drink while you browse in your favorite shop.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.

Two Virginia researchers say they’ve found evidence that associates frequent flooding with a higher incidence of asthma. And barbers at Fort Lee have walked off the job claiming their pay has been reduced. 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.

Virginia has taken steps to help wild reptiles and amphibians remain wild in the state.  And a new way of making housing more affordable is getting a trial run in Richmond.

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.

Virginia is about to enact a law that will make it easier for students to publicly engage in politics thanks to Republicans and Democrats working together. And a reminder in Virginia Beach that Americans have the right to be crude.

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.

A VCU professor has come up with an idea he hopes will be a lifesaver for people who overdose on opioids. And a Virginia public school music teacher has been there for his students even while deployed to D.C. with the National Guard.

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.

Christmas can bring joy to dogs as well as people and two of the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link prove the point. More now from Fred Echols.

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A Virginia sheriff has apologized for the arrest of a black pastor who says he was defending himself when he pulled a handgun on four white men. And counties with low numbers of COVID-19 cases want to open their schools without following statewide guidelines. Fred Echols reports.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s VA News link.

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People who live near the Appalachian Trail are finding it’s not necessarily a place where you can still maintain social distancing. And elementary school teachers and students in Augusta County have seen each other one last time although they won’t be together again this school year. Fred Echols reports.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s VA News link.

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For the first time, Virginia is acknowledging a dark aspect of its history with a roadside marker. And Norfolk has a plan to encourage teachers to stay in troubled schools. More now from Fred Echols.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s VA News link.

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A small Virginia town has been wondering why its post office is being moved. It seems they may now have the answer. And, the surprise appearance of some 70-year old photos has created a mystery in Virginia Beach.

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.

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A proposal to add fortune telling to the list of approved business activities in the southwest Virginia town of Richlands drew an overflow crowd to a public meeting and a suburban Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney says his office no longer has the resources to prosecute misdemeanor cases.

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.

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Coyotes have moved into western Virginia in large numbers but many locals are feeling anything but hospitable. And a proliferation of large scale chicken farms on Virginia’s Eastern Shore has residents worried about their water supply.

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.

Click here for the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News Link.

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Police and sheriff’s departments in southwest Virginia are feeling the strain of transporting patients to mental hospitals, and Virginia’s technology-rich Loudoun County has gone on the attack after seeing its population called “ignorant hillbillies” in an FBI text message.

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.

Click here for the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News Link.

Credit: Virginia Public Access Project

It’s about to get a lot easier for some Virginians to see where their tax dollars are going, and the appearance of a Department of Housing and Urban Development sign caused considerable alarm among homeowners in a Richmond suburb.

Those have been among the most read stories over the past week on the Virginia Public Access Project’s VA News link. More now from Fred Echols.

Click here for the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News Link.