Hopewell Public Schools now requires middle and high school students to keep their cellphones locked away.

An upstart Fan bar is looking to the court system for help in its battle with the state health department; Stone Brewing is in production expansion mode at its massive East End Richmond facility; and a 4-acre food truck park is moving into the former Innsbrook After Hours location.

The board of supervisors recently heard an update on the yearslong effort to expand broadband service.

PFAS can be found in firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, private wells and public waterways.

The city of Richmond and the Virginia Museum of History and culture recognized the family history of nine Black Richmonders this past weekend; There may be a rural-urban divide among mice – and you may be able to use it for free pest control; Virginia Beach is hosting a hiring event on Saturday to help combat its shortage of garbage truck drivers.

Emails obtained by VPM News show Virginia is talking with more than a dozen other states, including Ohio and Florida, to come up with a plan to combat voter fraud; A Richmond-based Kava-Bar is taking the Virginia Department of Health to court over its battle to open; Bus riders who rely on the Greater Richmond Transit Company’s downtown hub will see some service changes when the new transfer station opens next month.

Richmond’s in the process of setting up a major surveillance system.

Professional, environmental and health regulations make up the majority of those under review.

One of the larger remaining pieces of the GreenCity puzzle is now in place for the massive arena-anchored development in the works in Henrico; A local developer has pulled the plug on its plans for hundreds of new apartments downtown; A hotelier and financier are teaming up to buy a downtown office tower and carry out a previously proposed plan to turn it into hundreds of apartments; and other local news stories.

Trudy Berry argues there’s still time for the Board of Elections to allow her on the Election Day ballot.

The city's school board approved a third-party investigation into the June 6 Huguenot High School graduation shooting.

A nonprofit that runs a charitable bingo game in Southside is asking a Richmond circuit court to remove a casino referendum from November ballots; Hanover’s comprehensive plan envisions the county’s long-term growth; Virginia State University has installed fifty solar-powered trash compactors on its campus ahead of the 2023 school year.

Cindy Moussavou and Beth Vann-Turnbull of Housing Families First recently spoke to VPM Morning Edition Host Phil Liles.

For at least the third time in its history, Willow Lawn is being eyed for a major transformation; A proposal being pondered by the City of Richmond could have Carytown closing off to car traffic in the coming years; and after a year in Shockoe Slip, an Italian eatery is heading west to a longtime Fan restaurant space.

The State Water Commission heard updates on public efforts to detect and remove PFAS (PEA-foss) from drinking water systems this week; There’s no evidence the E-G-5 Covid variant spreads more easily or causes more dire illness. That's according to the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts; The Hanover County School Board amended its library policy this week.

Virginia Housing denied the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s application for about $15 million dollars in federal tax credits to build the second phase of new housing in Creighton Court; The Henrico Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to approve a new solar panel site on the roof of the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center along North Laburnum Avenue; National environmental activist and author Bill McKibben joined a virtual press conference on Wednesday to oppose a planned natural gas plant in Chesterfield County; and other local news stories.

The city of Richmond is holding a gun buyback event between 7 and 11 A-M Saturday; A commission studying how to change the structure of city government recently submitted its report to Richmond city council; Attorney General Jason Miyares is calling for the end of legacy admissions at all colleges and universities in the commonwealth.

In separate cases, the three men won immigration cases that granted them protection from deportation.

A New Orleans native is tackling food waste and expanding access to healthy food in Richmond.

Sauer Properties is looking to effectively build a new neighborhood from scratch in the next leg of its Sauer Center development in the city; After years of preparation, the needle is set to drop on a new winery on the Southside; and Sugar & Twine is planning to invite its patrons back inside after several years of serving them on the sidewalk.

The City of Richmond’s Bike Share program shut down in May; The Virginia State Police are investigating the July death of a patient at Central State Hospital; A new refrigerator, filled with free fruit and vegetables is going up in Southside.

The new planned facility will be located in Sandston, according to a statement from Mayor Levar Stoney.

VPM News requested data from the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts on differences in health outcomes.

Petersburg City Council has voted to issue $34 million dollars in bonds to pay for the expansion of the city’s downtown courthouse; Each year since 2006, Virginia has waived sales tax for certain back-to-school-supplies during the first weekend in August; The Richmond-based United Network for Organ Sharing might not retain its monopoly on transplants after a vote last week by the U.S. Congress.

A Lynchburg-area coalition is aiming to secure up to $75 million dollars of federal aid to help develop the region’s nuclear industry; Richmond City officials are pushing back against the local Electoral Board’s decision to eliminate two early voting sites; Two Richmond City Councilors made recommendations Friday on how to serve residents experiencing homelessness; and other local news stories.