A Regent Law School graduate is suing the U.S. Department of Education to end religious exemptions to Title IX; Two years after being toppled during protests, the statue of Jefferson Davis is now on display in the designer's museum; The Norfolk Botanical Garden is launching a major expansion, with an emphasis on so-called green building; and other local news stories.

Governor Glenn Youngkin once again condemned comments made by Virginia health commissioner Colin Greene; Governor Youngkin signed the two-year budget yesterday, which included $100 million towards funding new lab schools; Virginia State University has extended the contract of the school’s president until 2029; and other local news stories.

Republicans in Virginia are heading to the polls today; The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors is accepting applications through Thursday to fill a vacant seat; The state health commissioner is walking back dismissive comments he made about the role of structural racism in public health; and other local news stories.

Structural racism and sexism at Virginia Military Institute were heavily scrutinized in 2020 and 2021, leading to leadership changes at the school. In Sounds Like Hate, a podcast from the Southern Poverty Law Center, Jamila Paksima and Yvonne Latty explore how VMI’s confederate roots are felt by the students and graduates of today.

State Health Commissioner Colin Greene has been the subject of controversy after the Washington Post quoted him downplaying the role of racism in public health; The Virginia Department of Health is adjusting COVID-19 exposure guidelines;Governor Glenn Youngkin has proposed an amendment to the state budget that bars the use of taxpayer dollars for abortion-related services; and other local news stories.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the federal law that banned sex discrimination in education; Data from the University of Virginia shows that roughly 10% of people charged with assaulting a police officer have a history of mental illness; The Hanover County School Board narrowly voted to keep the book “A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart” on elementary library shelves following a parent complaint; and other local news stories.

Republicans in two closely watched Virginia Congressional districts are making their final pitch to voters ahead of the June 21st primary; This weekend is Juneteenth, the anniversary of when the last enslaved people were freed after the Civil War, but some are upset about Norfolk's plans to mark the holiday; Richmond will offer a gun buyback program later this year; and other local news stories.

State lawmakers want Virginia’s economy to become more innovative, but a state report released yesterday says incentives designed to push the change aren’t working; Researchers with the nonprofit Climate Central found that Virginia could lose up to 42 percent of its tidal wetlands by 2100 due to sea level rise; Big local cities do a lot of work on flood resilience, but it’s even harder for smaller localities in coastal Virginia that have fewer resources; and other local news stories.

2022 is a special time for the Edgar Allen Poe Museum in Richmond as it celebrates its centennial anniversary. This also marks 10 years after the discovery of its infamous black cat sibling duo, Edgar and Pluto.

A top state lawmaker says the Virginia General Assembly won’t vote this month on a plan to give the Washington Commanders tax breaks to build a stadium; A part of the state budget proposal excludes private colleges and universities from funding for lab schools; A proposal to create a fund for victims of mass violence didn’t make it into the budget this year; and other local news stories.

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine wants to bring gun control legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020 to a national level; Authorities have been investigating the possible drownings of two women, who went missing during a float trip down the James River on Memorial Day weekend; The state is investigating the City of Petersburg’s fire department after allegations were raised by the local firefighter’s union; and other local news stories.

The Richmond school board has approved an emergency procurement route to award a contract for the design of a new Fox Elementary; The Chesapeake Bay watershed received a C+ on its latest report card; Former Representative Denver Riggleman says he’s no longer a Republican; and other local news stories.

A virtual committee meeting of the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory board in May was interrupted by a flood of racist and homophobic messages from anonymous accounts; This month marks 50 years since Title IX was signed into federal law; The Richmond Fire Department has recovered the body of a woman in the James River who they believe went missing on Memorial Day; and other local news stories.

A federal judge issued a restraining order last month against the dog breeding facility Envigo in Cumberland County for repeated violations of the Animal Welfare Act, and the deaths of hundreds of beagle puppies.

COVID-19 cases are rising in Virginia, with Richmond and surrounding counties at a high community spread level; Richmond Parents and guardians of infants can soon apply for emergency funding from the city to help pay for the cost of baby formula; Students at Petersburg City Public Schools will be taught what to do if they encounter an unattended gun; and other local news stories.

Virginia’s two-year budget deal includes a new penalty for marijuana possession; Democrats in Virginia’s House of Delegates have chosen a new leader; Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has formed a new working group to combat organized retail crime; and other local news stories.

Virginia lawmakers reconvene today to approve a state budget; Governor Glenn Youngkin says his team is still combing through the state budget agreement released on Sunday; The Supreme Court of Virginia will hear arguments from Hanover residents against a planned Wegmans distribution center; and other local news stories.

A ceremony to honor members of the armed forces who died while serving in the United States’ military was held yesterday at the Virginia War Memorial near downtown Richmond; Democratic and Republican lawmakers have come to an agreement on the state budget following over two months of delays; Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears addressed an annual meeting of the National Rifle Association on Friday, three days after a shooter killed 21 people at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; and other local news stories.

City Employees from the Virginia Beach Municipal Center create a memorial to honor gun victims from a shooting three years ago.

First monkeypox case identified in Virginia; Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the NRA’s annual conference; Free bus rides on G-R-T-C will continue into next year; and other local news stories.

New efforts to tackle gun violence in limbo as Virginia lawmakers negotiate state budget; Parents, teachers concerned about increased police at Richmond schools; Medical examiner, police take stand in first day of Etute trial; and other local news stories.

Law banning 'gay panic' defense tested as former Tech football player goes to trial in slaying; Charlottesville Library considers name change; Equitable transportation guidelines adopted by Richmond City Council; and other local news stories

Lawmakers are heading back to Richmond next week. The clerk of the state Senate told VPM News that they’re set to take up a new two-year budget on June 1st.; Several Democratic lawmakers from the Richmond area want Gov. Youngkin to hold off on implementing his new telework policy until after Labor Day; Employees at a Newport News Starbucks say they’ve become the first unionized location in Hampton Roads; and other local news stories

The issue of abortion wasn’t always as politically polarizing as it is today. VPM News reporter Megan Pauly spoke with University of West Georgia professor Daniel Williams about what the abortion debate has historically looked like in Virginia. Williams is the author of two books: God’s Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right – and Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement before Roe v. Wade.

A new report from Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office is filled with statistics that state education officials say paint a “sobering picture” about public education in Virginia; Attorney General Jason Miyares is asking the Virginia Supreme Court for access to sealed records related to the suspension of a controversial judge and former parole board chair; Local pediatricians are warning parents and guardians not to take drastic measures as a national shortage of baby formula worsens; and other local news stories.