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.

As infections continue to rise in Virginia, local health officials say they’re preparing for a likely surge in COVID-19 cases; Kids and teens will have to be home an hour earlier under new curfew rules in Petersburg; In the last year, 10 sailors on the carrier U.S.S. George Washington have died, at least 5 by suicide; and other local news stories.

The issue of abortion today is politically polarized. But it wasn’t always that way, including in Virginia; State officials say more than 4,500 people housed in Virginia prisons are scheduled to be released early this summer; State regulators are reviewing Dominion Energy’s proposal for its long-touted Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project; and other local news stories.

Next month, taxes on personal property are due in Virginia. That includes used cars, a tax that normally decreases as a vehicle ages. That’s not the case this year; Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is calling on Governor Glenn Youngkin to declare a state of emergency in the commonwealth to help families struggling to access baby formula; Governor Youngkin is creating a new task force to fight violent crime in Virginia; and other local news stories.

VPM’s Morning Edition Host Phil Liles spoke with entomologist and host of “What’s Buggin’ You?,” Dr. Art Evans, to find out what pollinators are native to Virginia – and what we can do to attract them in our gardens.

Experts say recent events in Virginia show the commonwealth still struggles to address hate crimes against Muslims; Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration is adding religious concepts to its mandatory diversity training for state employees; Virginians will have a difficult time challenging any new state laws that would restrict abortion, if the U.S. Supreme Court decides to overturn Roe v. Wade; and other local news stories.

Senator Joe Morrissey could be the deciding vote on any new proposals to restrict abortion access in the state; A sailor at Fort Story in Virginia Beach has died after a helicopter experienced a “hard landing” during training exercises last week; The housing market in Hampton Roads is breaking records as prices continue to surge; and other local news stories.

Virginia Capitol Police is increasing patrols around the capitol complex, after a bullet pierced the window of the Attorney General’s office in Richmond Monday night; Electric bills are rising across the country, including here in Virginia; The search begins again for a new head of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles after reports that the incoming commissioner was accused of inappropriate behavior at his previous job; and other local news stories.

Democrat Danica Roem is aiming for a new post in Virginia’s closely divided Senate next year; Over the past two years, 23 Virginia public school districts have taken at least one book off their shelves due to content reasons; The City of Norfolk is looking to get rid of library late fees; and other local news stories.

Richmond City Council is reviewing two proposals that would give city employees the right to collectively bargain; Fox Elementary teachers moved their things into Clark Springs Elementary school last week, where students will finish out the academic year; It’s unclear when the Virginia Appeals Court will decide whether a man convicted of murdering a Waverly Police officer nearly 25 years ago will be exonerated; and other local news stories.

Today, the Virginia Court of Appeals will consider exonerating a Virginia man convicted of murdering a Waverly police officer nearly 25 years ago; Arlington will now be home to Boeing’s global headquarters; The Jamestown settlement is becoming more and more threatened by climate change; and other local news stories.

The long-awaited Office of the Children’s Ombudsman is now up and running; Virginia Senator Tim Kaine says a U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade would threaten longstanding law on privacy and equal protection; Two pieces of land in King William County have been put into a trust to benefit the Upper Mattaponi Tribe; and other local news stories.

A leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe versus Wade has supercharged a debate over abortion access in Virginia, which will likely have an effect on the mid-term elections; As the struggle to complete the state budget continues, negotiators say there are no plans to hold public meetings for the foreseeable future; Completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline has been delayed again to the second half of 2023, and the estimated price tag for the project has risen to about 6-point-6 billion dollars; and other local news stories.

Governor Glenn Youngkin’s top education official says state schools are not producing good outcomes; V-DOT is hosting the first of two meetings tonight to gather community input on the Fall Line Trail; Some employees at a Newport News Starbucks announced they will try to unionize; and other local news stories.

This week starts an awareness week for children’s mental health. To share insights on ways adults can help children who are struggling -- VPM News Morning Edition anchor Phil Liles spoke with Dr. Karen Kochel, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Richmond.

Environmental advocates are concerned that Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney's budget proposal isn't keeping up with previous commitments to make the city more resilient to climate change; Richmond public safety officials report more coyote sightings in the area this spring; Petersburg leaders are looking for ways to respond to a recent increase in gun violence; and other local news stories.

Fairfax Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn was voted out of a leadership role by her Democratic colleagues in the House of Delegates yesterday; A Virginia Senate panel has rejected Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposal to temporarily suspend the gas tax; The Richmond and Henrico health districts have set up an email alert system to let community members know when there are spikes in opioid overdoses in their neighborhoods; and other local news stories.

Democrats in Virginia’s Senate are threatening to reject changes Governor Glenn Youngkin wants to make to cannabis laws; Lawmakers are heading back to the state Capitol today to consider Governor Glenn Youngkin’s vetoes and changes to legislation; The visitor’s center at the Virginia Capitol will be closing next week due to construction; and other local news stories.

A group of Hanover County students spent last Friday in silence as part of a national day of LGBTQ advocacy; Sen. Bernie Sanders came to Richmond this weekend to celebrate the recent unionization of seven Starbucks locations in Virginia; The top Democrat in Virginia’s House of Delegates is facing a challenge from within her own ranks; and other local news stories.

For almost 70 years, Virginia has been waging a crusade against litter through campaigns, roadway signs, and fines; The Scott Road Bridge in Henrico may soon be replaced with one that won’t allow cars; Next month, the Virginia Rent Relief Program will no longer accept new applications from community members in need of financial assistance; and other local news stories.