A recent study conducted in Richmond provides evidence that urban greenspaces may make taking a ten-minute walk even better for your health. Patrick Larsen with VPM News looks at the study – and how parts of the city that lack greenspace have a more fundamental problem.

Richmond’s proposed budget includes $200 million for school construction projects; The city attorney for Richmond has been charged with driving while intoxicated; Shamrock the Block is returning to Leigh Street, marking the beginning of festival season in Richmond; and other local news stories.

Virginia's federal bench now has no vacancies; A ransomware group says it’s stolen and posted 350 gigs of data from the city of Waynesboro; Twice as many people in central Virginia were experiencing homelessness without shelter this year; and other local news stories.

The first woman and the first Jewish person to serve as Speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates says she won’t run for re-election in the General Assembly; A class-action lawsuit filed by Kroger employees in Virginia and West Virginia alleges the company’s new payroll software is resulting in missed pay; Virginia Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are cosponsoring legislation called the “Disclosure Act"; and other local news stories.

RPS is recommending that the school board approve an extended school year for one elementary school; Mayor Levar Stoney unveils new $3Billion budget; Altria looks to purchase another e-cigarette company; and other local news stories

Legislation this year passed to provide more training for teachers about how to recognize and address signs of childhood trauma; Richmond City Council set personal property tax relief rates at its meeting last week; Virginia’s lax campaign finance system will remain mostly unchanged for another year; and other local news stories.

Virginia’s forensic scientists and medical examiners are one step closer to getting a new state crime lab; More than 50 restaurants, caterers and food trucks are gearing up for next week’s Richmond Black Restaurant Experience; A grassroots group in Richmond ratcheted up pressure over affordable housing at a city council meeting this week; and other local news stories.

Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow submitted her resignation to Governor Glenn Youngkin Wednesday; Easter on Parade is set to return to Monument Avenue after a pandemic pause; Some major transportation projects in Richmond are being considered for state grant funding; and other local news stories.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Virginia’s first openly gay federal judge; The Richmond Police Department is investigating a towing company for actions that could be fraudulent; The Virginia General assembly has directed state regulators to set performance standards for Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power; and other local news stories.

02/28/2023 VCU unveils plaque honoring student hazing viction Adam Oakes; Henrico County will begin offering educators an annual bonus next year; VPM News State politics reporter Ben Paviour gives wrap of the GA

Was the historic 1954 Brown versus Board of Education case about parental rights? Not desegregating public schools? Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears says so. But an irrefutable source contradicts her. PolitiFact Virginia editor Warren Fiske talked with VPM News editor Whittney Evans about this latest fact check.

A spokesperson for the University of Virginia says a member of the school’s board showed a“disappointing disregard” for faculty and staff in newly-released text messages; A special election is set for March 28th to fill Jennifer McClellan's seat in the Virginia Senate; A legislative proposal to establish a process for reviewing – and sometimes capping – certain prescription drug prices in Virginia failed to pass this year; and other local news stories.

Officials from Richmond Public Schools gave an update about the status of William Fox Elementary School’s rebuild Wednesday; The city of Richmond has appointed a new human resources director; Two Richmond city councilmembers want to explore acquiring a pair of historic Black cemeteries; and other local news stories.

Democrat Jennifer McClellan became the first Black woman elected to represent Virginia in Congress; Democratic Delegate Jeff Bourne, who has represented Richmond since 2017, says he will not be seeking reelection; The City Planning Commission heard about progress that’s been made on Richmond 300, the city’s master plan; and other local news stories.

General Assembly votes to compensate man wrongly imprisoned for 23 years; Democrats look to close U.S. House gap in Benjamin vs. McClellan matchup

There have been a few bills taking aim at China this General Assembly session. One would ban the country from buying land in Virginia. So Jahd Khalil from VPM News asked: How much land does China actually own in the state??

Governor Glenn Youngkin won’t commit to signing legislation during his term that would create a legal recreational marijuana marketplace for adults; A House of Delegates subcommittee killed a bill Tuesday that would’ve required the state to disclose who’s using credit cards paid off with state tax revenue; Richmond City workers just took a crucial step in unionizing; and other local news stories.

An attempt to divorce Virginia from California’s progressive vehicle emissions standards failed in the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources committee Tuesday; Earlier this week, it was announced that ASM Global would operate the planned 17,000-seat arena in Green City; Henrico County property owners could be getting a tax rebate for the second consecutive year; and other local news stories.

New legislation could require VMI to extend immunity to students who report a sexual assault; A bill proposed by Democratic Senator Jennifer Boysko that would have made phone calls and digital communications free for incarcerated people was spiked in committee this week; The General Assembly approved a measure Tuesday to ban the use of solitary confinement in Virginia prisons; and other local news stories.

02/14/23 Virginia schools are still struggling with teacher shortages; Green City Arena in Henrico lands manager; Some Virginia public schools may have to pay back leftover Covid-19 Pandemic funds; and other local news stories

Towing companies have become a major player in Virginia’s General Assembly, where lawmakers set the maximum fee towers can charge drivers. Now they’re looking to increase those rates, but it’s a tough sell from an unloved industry.

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine wants to end two wars that are still technically ongoing; Virginia’s economic development agency says it has about 1,700 emails and documents related to the scuttled Ford battery plant proposed for a Danville-area megasite, but it won’t share any of them under the state’s public records law; Advocates for legal recreational marijuana sales in Virginia are losing hope that lawmakers will take action this year; and other local news stories.

A House bill that would allow small breweries to sell their beer directly to restaurants and local retailers without going through distributors is headed to the Senate; Deadlines are approaching for voters in the 4th U.S. House District; Legislation aiming to create separate pathways to an advanced studies diploma — with and without a world language requirement — has cleared one chamber of the General Assembly; and other local news stories.

Sunday, committees in the House and Senate approved very different budgets. Those budgets hit legislators’ desks yesterday; The commonwealth’s 20.6% recidivism rate is the second lowest in the country, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections; Virginia’s General Assembly hit the half-way point in its regular session Tuesday with a flurry of votes on hundreds of bills; and other local news stories.

GOP lawmakers in GA kill bill regarding insurrectionists; Democrat lawmakers propose funding for state programs with no tax cuts; VSU offers free tax help; and other local news stories