Republican Winsome Sears will make history when she’s inaugurated as lieutenant governor on Saturday; Republican Jason Miyares promises to put victims before criminals as Virginia’s new Attorney General; An effort to end solitary confinement in Virginia’s prisons is getting a boost from a Republican state senator; and other local news stories.

The Virginia General Assembly kicked off its work yesterday; Governor Ralph Northam gave his final speech before lawmakers and Virginians; Democrat Jackie Glass won the special election for Norfolk’s 89th House District seat; and other local news stories.

Virginia lawmakers return to Richmond today to start working on new laws and the next two-year state budget; Education is one of the top issues facing lawmakers during the 2022 legislative session; Dominion Energy is asking permission to withdraw a proposed rate hike to customers that would cover enrollment in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam declared a limited state of emergency in his final COVID-19 response update yesterday; Orlando Carter pleaded guilty to two charges last week, bu his family says they are still seeking justice for his assault; Officials with Virginia’s court system asked a federal judge in Richmond to dismiss a lawsuit over the state’s limited public access to court records; and other local news stories.

VPM’s Whittney Evans chronicled her search to get a COVID test earlier this week; Nine new community testing centers are opening across the state to increase availability; Crews began treating major roadways overnight, as another winter storm hits parts of the commonwealth; and other local news stories.

Today is the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. Senator Tim Kaine reflected on the attack while speaking with reporters yesterday; A major gun rally won’t be returning to Richmond this year; Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced former Environmental Protection Agency head Andrew Wheeler as his pick for Secretary of Natural Resources yesterday; and other local news stories.

Transportation and safety officials in Virginia were still working last night to clear abandoned vehicles from a stretch of I-95 after hundreds of cars came to a standstill following a major chain reaction pileup Monday; Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has named several key positions in his cabinet; State Senator Amanda Chase has abandoned her bid for the 7th District; and other local news stories.

Starting this week, Virginia residents, including children, who are undocumented can apply for state-issued ID, A prominent Virginia lawyer is joining incoming governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration as an advisor; A proposed change to city law will be voted on later this week that could give Virginia Beach deputies greater police power; and other local news stories.

Politicians and voters in Virginia are pouring over the commonwealth’s new political maps approved by the state supreme court on Tuesday; Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority will lift the freeze on lease enforcements at the end of the month; Chesterfield County Public Library’s current location in Midlothian will officially close today; and other local news stories.

A Confederate time capsule found 20 feet under the pedestal that once held a statue of Robert E. Lee was opened yesterday; The Visual Arts Center of Richmond is filled with pieces of pottery that look like they just left a tattoo shop as part of the "Of Mud and Blood" exhibit; The state is spending more than 700 million dollars to bring broadband access to rural Chesapeake, Suffolk and other localities; and other local news stories.

Virginia’s legislative review agency – JLARC – recently released a comprehensive report on the state’s juvenile justice system; Workers at the former site of the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond may have found the time capsule reported to have been installed in the statue’s base; Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has vowed to slash regulations and cut taxes to make Virginia more business-friendly; and other local news stories.

Historic preservationists with the state opened a time capsule discovered under the former site of the Robert E. Lee Monument yesterday; A former senator and Virginia Governor and his wife were injured by a massive house fire Tuesday night; Many local businesses are seeing an upswing in customers, but pandemic related issues are stifling some sales; and other local news stories.

The Chair of Virginia’s Parole Board forwarded a press release to media outlets yesterday with the subject line "setting the record straight"; Representative Abigail Spanberger is considering a run in the new 7th District if proposed legislative maps are approved; Within one week, Richmond health officials have seen a 38 percent increase of new COVID-19 cases in the city; and other local news stories.

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has selected an education data consultant to serve as Virginia’s next Secretary of Education; Next month, a federal court in Richmond will hear arguments in a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia over its policy of barring the public from obtaining civil court records remotely; The Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court plans to step down from the position at the end of the year; and other local news stories.

About 900 people living in properties run by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority could face eviction if they don’t pay rent by the end of the month; Governor Ralph Northam presented a $158 billion budget proposal today as his term draws to a close, but Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin would like larger tax cuts; The last public hearing on the newly drawn redistricting maps is happening this afternoon; and other local news stories.

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin will soon have authority to reshape the staff of Virginia’s election administration; State officials say there was a second ransomware attack affecting Virginia agencies; Virginia home care workers, immigrants, parents and business owners are calling on U.S. Senate leaders to pass the president’s Build Back Better spending plan; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam is calling for lawmakers to eliminate the state’s tax on groceries; Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC secured a key permit from the State Water Control Board yesterday; A Central Virginia group has been named a finalist in the one billion dollar Build Back Better challenge from the Economic Development Administration; and other local news stories.

Myotonic dystrophy, known as DM1, is the most common type of muscular dystrophy worldwide, and it has no effective treatment. But a Virginia college student recently became the first participant in a national trial for a drug that targets DM1 at the source; Fairfax County Public Schools has settled a lawsuit with parents and disability rights advocates over the district’s use of seclusion and restraint with students with disabilities; Virginia’s legislative agencies were forced to shut down computer systems and websites due to a ransomware attack; and other local news stories.

This week, the Supreme Court of Virginia shared drafts of what state and congressional voting districts could look like for a decade in the commonwealth. The proposals draw some current legislators out of their districts; Virginia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities are set to receive nearly 300 million dollars in additional funding; Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin says he wants Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative; and other local news stories.

Virginia’s pandemic rent relief program could run out of funds as early as July of next year; The commanding officer of SEAL Team 8 died Tuesday at Norfolk Sentara General Hospital; Incoming Attorney General Jason Miyares has chosen the next Solicitor General for the Commonwealth of Virginia; Outdoor recreation projects may get a boost as Governor Ralph Northam leaves office; and other local news stories.

State and local law enforcement can look forward to a pay increase under Governor Ralph Northam’s outgoing two-year budget proposal; Richmond City Public Schools became the first district in Virginia to award its teachers and staff collective bargaining rights on Monday; The Virginia Department of Health says it lacks the quote “clear statutory authority” to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees; and other local news stories.

The state started the process of dismantling and moving the graffitied pedestal where Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Monument once stood; Teachers in Virginia could see a 10 percent pay increase under a new proposed budget from Governor Ralph Northam; Incoming Governor Glenn Youngkin has put some of his wealth in a blind trust, but ethics experts say that doesn't go far enough; and other local news stories.

The future of abortion access in Virginia is uncertain after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority signaled it will uphold Mississippi’s restrictive abortion law ; Virginia is expected to get more than $8 billion in federal funds to help with transit and highways; The Federal Aviation Administration may end overnight hours at Richmond International Airport’s control tower; and other local news stories.

Richmond became one of five Virginia regions to implement a Marcus Alert system yesterday; The family of a man fatally shot by Virginia Beach Police have renewed calls for a federal investigation after learning the officer involved won’t face charges; Planning Commissioners in Chesterfield are trying to streamline four parts of the county’s Comprehensive Plan; and other local news stories.

An attorney for two men serving life in prison for killing a Virginia police officer is urging the State Court of Appeals to rush to overturn their convictions; No charges will be filed against the Virginia Beach police officer who fatally shot 25-year-old Donovon Lynch last March during a chaotic night at the oceanfront; Petersburg City Councilor Treska Wilson-Smith expressed concern over a potential casino; and other local news stories.