The Virginia Redistricting Commission has tentatively cancelled its remaining meetings; Henrico Police are increasing patrols in parts of the county, after finding suspicious bags filled with KKK flyers; Petersburg will not be mandating its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19; and other local news stories.

Only two public school districts in Central Virginia have fully adopted policies in line with the Virginia Department of Education’s model for the treatment of transgender students in schools; While Virginia is starting to see a slight decline in COVID-19 infections, children now account for more than 20 percent of new cases; More veterans in Virginia will have to wait to get approval for their disability claims; and other local news stories.

JLARC has released its report after investigating the state's adult guardianship program; A national Republican group helped draft a congressional map considered by Virginia’s redistricting committee; Nearly 30 real estate companies in the greater Richmond area are being prosecuted for alleged housing discrimination; and other local news stories.

Derailed redistricting commission begins work on congressional maps; New addition to state's vaccination dashboard; and many other stories.

A new analysis shows underfunding leaves many students, who are English language learners, behind; Henrico County GreenCity project approved; and other local news stories.

Racial disparities revealed in distribution of COVID relief grants, President Obama to stump for McAuliffe, Candidate for House of Delegates arrested

Redistricting process mired in partisan fighting, voter registration deadline nearing, attorney general candidates spar over prosecution priorities, Richmond recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day, a new mutual aid 'store' opens, and more

As Virginia prepares to choose its next Governor, activists are calling for better environmental justice protections; Residents in Richmond’s Northside neighborhood are taking their grievances over traffic calming measures to the next level; Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists have made an exciting discovery at the site of the original First Baptist Church; and other local news stories.

Chesterfield state Senator Amanda Chase is calling for an election audit in all 50 states, including Virginia; Senator Tim Kaine is among those sponsoring new voting rights legislation in Congress; State officials say they have not decided when to take down the fence around the traffic circle where the Robert E. Lee statue once stood; and other local news stories.

Richmonders living in areas of high poverty are more likely to have had COVID-19 than those living in wealthier areas; The state denied hospitals’ requests for emergency waivers as COVID surged this summer, according to internal emails; The Richmond school board decided this week to keep police in schools for the foreseeable future; and other local news stories.

Hospitals across the country, and in Virginia, are facing an influx of COVID-positive patients, the majority of whom are unvaccinated; Hundreds of Virginia healthcare workers have been suspended or fired for not following hospital COVID-19 vaccination mandates; Virginia’s new redistricting commission is hearing feedback this week on new political maps for the General Assembly; and other local news stories.

The Supreme Court of Virginia has refused an appeal from the company Virginia Uranium, to overturn the state’s ban on uranium mining; Residents of Richmond’s Northside neighborhood are upset about the removal of several traffic calming measures known as “bump outs"; Virginia State University sports fans will have to prove they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 before attending games; and other local news stories.

The State Water Control Board held two in-person public comment hearings on a key Mountain Valley Pipeline permit this week, but an open letter to state officials called for an additional virtual hearing; The property owners who sued to stop Governor Ralph Northam from taking down Richmond’s statue of Robert E. Lee are asking the Virginia Supreme Court to reconsider its unanimous decision to permit the monument’s removal; Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts will celebrate the life of former dean Murry N. DePillars today, through the official unveiling of a building name after him; and other local news stories.

New state filings by Dominion Energy show the utility company paid a newspaper columnist more than $260,000 over the last four years; The Virginia Employment Commission is delaying the roll out of its new unemployment insurance system by a month; The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce hosted the final gubernatorial debate last night between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin; and other local news stories.

Richmond Police are still searching for leads in a number of missing persons cases; The opening of a museum marks the beginning of a community's journey to repair the broken perspective of Black history in the Appalachian region of Virginia; Two more polling locations are opening today in the City of Richmond; and other local news stories.

The night before the Robert E. Lee statue was removed from Richmond’s Monument Avenue; all traces of the movement that led to it being taken down were confiscated and stored by state officials.; Petersburg has banned firearms in the city’s public areas; Virginia’s Redistricting Commission again struggled with directing its map drawers on which data to prioritize; and other local news stories.

Attorney General Mark Herring is highlighting his efforts to defend abortion rights ahead of the November Election; A new monument now stands on Brown’s Island in Richmond. It commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation; Despite Governor Ralph Northam’s request that state employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, many workers are opting for weekly testing instead; and other local news stories.

Virginia’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission will unveil the Emancipation and Freedom Monument on Brown’s Island in Richmond this morning; Passengers who rely on the GRTC may have to make some adjustments this winter; The mother of Xzavier Hill, a Black teen shot and killed by Virginia State Police during a traffic stop, is petitioning the Richmond Circuit Court to solicit testimony from the troopers; and other local news stories.

Police are investigating a shooting that happened Monday at Heritage High School in Newport News; Two groups of partisan map-drawers have presented new drafts for the Virginia Redistricting Commission to consider; A real estate listing for a building that used to host slave auctions has stirred up debate in Charlottesville; and other local news stories.

A shortage of nurses is limiting options for COVID-19 testing in Chesterfield County schools; The commission drawing Virginia’s new General Assembly and congressional maps voted unanimously this week that it won’t be guided by political data or where incumbents live; Nearly three-quarters of Virginia voters view the health of the Chesapeake Bay as important according to a new poll; and other local news stories.

Virginia’s first gubernatorial debate of the 2021 campaign is tonight at 7 o’clock at Appalachian School of Law, but one candidate won't be on the stage; Striking workers at a Nabisco plant in Richmond may be able to go back to work soon; A Culpeper County couple is suing an electric company for trying to install internet cable lines along their property without their consent; and other local news stories.

A task force to establish a civilian review board on police misconduct in Richmond presented their recommendations to City Council Monday afternoon; An investigation into the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline; Virginia’s redistricting commission is shifting its region by region approach to focus on statewide maps; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam signed a sweeping voting rights act yesterday in Newport News; The race for the Governor’s office is heating up in Virginia, with attack ads coming from both major-party candidates; Families across Virginia qualify for a new monthly payment from the federal government, but thousands are at risk of not getting the child tax credit; and other local news stories.

Excavation crews worked through the day on Thursday searching for an over 130-year-old time capsule believed to be under the pedestal that, until yesterday, held a statue of Robert E. Lee; A vacancy on the state redistricting commission has been filled; Quarantined students in Chesterfield face challenges in getting academic help; and other local news stories.

Hundreds of people watched as the last Confederate General on Monument Ave. was taken down from its pedestal yesterday; The Chesterfield County branch of the NAACP is asking Chesterfield County Schools to immediately take steps to ensure students’ safety as the number of positive cases of Covid-19 continue to rise; and The Virginia Department of Health is adding 170 additional community testing events during September.

The pedestal of the Lee Monument contains a 134-year-old time capsule. On Tuesday, state officials sealed a new capsule filled with dozens of items that they say will replace it; People planning to watch the Robert E. Lee Monument come down today may have to rely on streaming options; A task force is recommending Virginia's largest city give its police review board subpoena power and increase the number of members to better reflect city demographics; and other local news stories.

Several roads in Richmond are being closed in preparation for the removal of the Robert E. Lee monument, as questions remain about what will replace it; Amazon expands operations in Hampton Roads, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation is calling on homeowners to get flood coverage this hurricane season.

Local leaders are responding to yesterday’s state Supreme Court decision allowing the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond to be taken down; Activists at last summer’s racial justice protests called for the removal of Richmond’s confederate monuments. Chelsea Higgs Wise, of Marijuana Justice, and Kalia Harris, of the Virginia Student Power Network, shared voice memos with VPM on the Robert E. Lee memorial’s imminent removal, and the demands they still have; This week, Richmond Superintendent Jason Kamras hit a school board mandated goal to submit a request for proposals for the design of George Wythe High School; and other local news stories.

If you want to legally buy marijuana in Virginia, medical dispensaries are your only option, but a product called Delta-8 has many of the same effects and it’s flying off the shelves at local stores; While Virginia once again won the title as the top state for business by CNBC this year, the commonwealth still has room to grow as a place for workers according to Oxfam’s new rankings; In the same week that Chesterfield County Public Schools announced pay raises for its school bus drivers, Henrico schools announced a similar hourly rate increase; and other local news stories.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has granted a posthumous pardon to seven Black men executed in 1951; Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner signed onto a letter, urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide more mental health resources to military members who served in Afghanistan; Richmond Public School teachers are getting ready for another stressful year. To help them prepare, a local nonprofit is offering free mindfulness meditation sessions; and other local news stories.

The families of seven Black men who were executed in 1951 are scheduled to meet with Governor Ralph Northam today to discuss a posthumous pardon; Republican Glenn Youngkin proposed a series of tax cuts in a campaign announcement yesterday. He says the plans won’t cause any cuts in state services if he’s elected governor, but it’s not clear how he will pay for it; Chesterfield County Public Schools announced yesterday that new and existing bus drivers will see an increase in pay and incentives; and other local news stories.

Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine say they are closely monitoring the situation in Kabul; While evacuation efforts continue to evolve, state officials say Virginia is prepared to support more Afghans leaving their home country; The American Civil Liberties Union announced yesterday that the Gloucester County School Board has agreed to pay over $1 million in attorney’s fees and costs to resolve former student Gavin Grimm’s case; and other local news stories.

With a shortage of school bus drivers in Chesterfield County and long lines of cars queuing up to drop off students, many parents are considering alternative ways to get their kids to school; The Virginia Department of Health is reinstating information on COVID-19 outbreaks in their online dashboards; Prison reform advocates want the public to rethink what we call people who are incarcerated; and other local news stories.

While the CDC is recommending quarantines for unvaccinated teachers who come in close contact with COVID-positive students in the classroom, there’s an exception for children who are fully masked. These guidelines have formed the basis for Virginia’s school reopening plans; As the delta variant leads to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Virginia, health officials also report a higher number of infections among children; Mayor Stoney announced the launch of a “community rooted” crime prevention program; and other local news stories.

The Virginia Redistricting Commission is set to begin drawing new political maps next week; Virginia student athletes have new protections from the General Assembly to secure their ability to sell their name, rights and images to brands outside of their college or university; Unvaccinated Virginians developed COVID-19 symptoms or tested positive at a rate 12.5 times higher than their fully vaxxed counterparts this year; and other local news stories.

Thousands of Afghan nationals that have worked for or with the U.S. are trying to secure transport to the states; Two children in Central Virginia have died after contracting COVID-19; This week, the White House announced plans to make COVID-19 booster shots available by the end of next month; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam is urging students and parents to comply with his executive order requiring masks in schools; Yesterday was move-in day on the University of Richmond campus where students, faculty, and staff are required to be fully vaccinated before classes start next week; U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona toured Glen Allen High School in Henrico County yesterday; and other local news stories.

Last month, the Virginia Department of Health stopped reporting the specific locations of COVID-19 outbreaks, including the names of school districts and nursing homes, but that decision is being called into question as cases and outbreaks increase; Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and First Lady Pam Northam announced yesterday that they anticipate a record number of Virginia children will enroll in pre-K this year; Advocates for Virginia’s new redistricting commission said it would limit the influence of partisanship on the state’s political maps, but in a meeting yesterday, the group took votes that cemented the role parties play in the process; and Mark Warner speaks to VPM's Ben Paviour about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Virginia Redistricting Commission will begin drawing new legislative maps in less than two weeks; As the U.S. government scrambles to evacuate allies from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a Prince George County army garrison serves as temporary housing for many fleeing the country; Tonight, the task force creating a civilian review board to investigate complaints against Richmond police will release a draft of its recommendations; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam is calling on all K through 12 schools in Virginia to require mask wearing by staff and students; The COVID-19 outbreak now impacting the entire fourth grade at Patrick Henry Elementary is the second COVID outbreak in Richmond Public Schools since July. The district’s first outbreak took place at Fisher Elementary’s summer school program; The redistricting process in Virginia can now officially begin, with the release of 2020 Census data; and other local news stories.

A new policy making sure transgender students are treated equally in Chesterfield County schools was approved this week; The Hanover County NAACP is calling the local school board’s decision to not require masks for students and staff “totally irresponsible"; State lawmakers selected eight new judges this week to Virginia’s Court of Appeals amid criticism that the process was too secretive; and other local news stories.

State lawmakers are heading home after wrapping up a special session yesterday; Hopewell Public Schools is making plans to expand virtual learning in response to over three dozen confirmed COVID-19 cases among students and staff; Governor Ralph Northam is asserting local school districts must adopt mask mandates; and other local news stories.

Yesterday, the Virginia General Assembly approved the final budget for American Rescue Plan funds; Virginia lawmakers selected eight candidates yesterday to sit on the Virginia Court of Appeals; Richmond Public Schools kicked off a series of trainings for educators yesterday; and other local news stories.

State employees in Virginia must get vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 1st under a new directive issued by Gov. Ralph Northam; The Virginia Department of Health announced yesterday the first death of a child in the eastern region of the state due to COVID-19 complications; Democrats will fill eight judicial vacancies on the Virginia Court of Appeals in the coming days; and other local news stories.

Democrats in Virginia want to set aside federal stimulus funds to give bonuses to law enforcement officers, but Republicans are pressing them to move faster; Virginia DMVs may have to open up their doors to customers without appointments under a proposal passed by the state Senate; Richmond city employees are now required to get the COVID-19 vaccine; and other local news stories.

As eviction filings rise, lawmakers in Virginia are looking at extending state-level programs to keep people in their homes; RRHA has updated its policy about how it bars certain visitors from its housing developments; The Richmond and Henrico Health Departments are hosting walk-up events today so students can get their required physicals and vaccinations; and other local news stories.

Lawmakers returned to Richmond yesterday for a special session of the General Assembly; A new Marcus Alert system is one of the measures being discussed in the special session; US Representative Abigail Spanberger is seeking $1 million in federal funds to help build a detox center in Henrico County; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam announced funding priorities for behavioral health care this week; Republican candidate for governor Glenn Youngkin proposed using more than half of the estimated budget surplus on a tax rebate for Virginians; A federal eviction ban ends Saturday. It comes as more than 60,000 Virginians say they could lose their homes soon because they’re struggling to make rent; and other local news stories.

A circuit court judge in Lynchburg tossed out a legal challenge to policies designed to protect transgender students on Tuesday; The City of Richmond is asking residents for input on how it should spend $77 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan; Rural Virginians tend to be older than their urban counterparts. The median age in densely populated localities is about a decade younger than in sparsely populated ones, and that gap continues to grow; and other local news stories.

State Republican lawmakers say they’re being excluded from discussions on how the federal money should be spent; For the last month, advocates and lawmakers have visited schools throughout Virginia as part of the Crumbling Schools tour. On Tuesday, the group stopped by Petersburg; Governor Ralph Northam announced plans on Monday to use federal funds to improve school ventilation systems, but experts and advocates say they want more flexibility with how that money is spent; and other local news stories.

Yesterday was the first day of school for all K-12 students in Hopewell Public Schools. Hopewell is the first in Virginia to resume classes district-wide for the next school year; Governor Ralph Northam was in Hopewell to take part in the back-to-school activities. He used the opportunity to announce his intention to invest in public school ventilation systems; Education advocates are heading to Petersburg today as part of the Crumbling Schools tour; and other local news stories.

A prisoner suing the Virginia Department of Corrections for refusing to allow him to take medication for his opioid dependency is asking a federal appeals court to hear his case. He claims the department’s policy violates the Americans with Disabilities Act; The Virginia State Board for Community Colleges approved changing the name of John Tyler Community College to Brightpoint Community College; As the fall semester approaches, universities in the area are mixed on whether they should require their students to get the COVID-19 vaccine; and other local news stories.

The Virginia Department of Health, along with the department of education, released new guidance for preK-12 schools yesterday as students prepare to resume in-person instruction; Virginia Commonwealth University is requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to return to the classroom in the fall; A State Inspector General report released last month found flaws in the state agency overseeing drinking water quality; and other local news stories.

The Richmond school board approved a plan Monday to move forward with rebuilding George Wythe High School; The Virginians for Affordable Medicine is a brand new coalition of advocates, patients, and physicians advocating for affordable medications; Virginians have till the end of today to add artifacts to a new time capsule; and other local news stories.

John Tyler Community College could become Brightpoint Community College; The commission tasked with redrawing Virginia’s Congressional districts will hold a public hearing today for Hampton Roads; Federal data show a rise in drug overdose deaths inside prisons and jails across the country in recent years. Virginia falls near the middle of the pack; and other local news stories.

U.S. congressional races are more than a year away, but Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger is already facing a challenge from the right; Virginia ended its fiscal year with $2.6 billion dollars more in tax revenue than it had forecasted; Students, scientists, citizens and more across Virginia took part yesterday in the country’s largest-ever heat mapping project; and other local news stories.

A federal appeals court in Richmond struck down the federal government’s long-standing ban on selling handguns to people under the age of 21; Virginia Military Institute is implementing changes following an investigation ordered by Governor Ralph Northam into allegations of racism at the university; The Richmond community is expressing frustration about delays in construction of a new George Wythe High School; and other local news stories.

Virginia is temporarily halting admissions to five of its eight state-run psychiatric hospitals, including one in Petersburg, because of staffing shortages; Republican Glenn Youngkin still hasn’t released specific policy proposals on most major issues since he announced his campaign for governor; Richmond is considering extending the target date for construction of a new casino by 9 months; and other local news stories.

Yesterday, Governor Ralph Northam announced his latest plan for how he wants to spend some of the more than $4 billion in federal funds headed to the commonwealth; Virginia school districts are required to adopt policies about harassment-free treatment of transgender students ahead of the upcoming school year; The City of Charlottesville removed four statues over the weekend, including two Confederate statues that became a flashpoint for the deadly Unite the Right rally in 2017; and other local news stories..

Twenty-four states, including Virginia, reached a resolution in legal fights against the makers of Oxycontin; Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin is defending comments he made about abortion in a video taken by a liberal activist; Since pandemic restrictions were lifted, many people are returning to doing things they missed out on last summer, like blueberry picking; and a look at delay in the construction of a new George Wythe High School amid tensions between the City of Richmond and Mayor Levar Stoney.

A statue of former governor and segregationist Harry Byrd, Senior was removed from capitol square in Richmond yesterday; Homicides in Richmond and across the state are rising after hitting a low about a decade ago; The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board met yesterday amid controversy over its lack of public engagement regarding a Mountain Valley Pipeline permit application; and other local news stories.

Candidates for Virginia’s House of Delegates could face the ballot box three years in a row under a lawsuit filed against Governor Ralph Northam and the Board of Elections last week; Virginia has seen a large increase in Medicaid enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic; The American Lung Association is offering new fact-based guides about COVID-19 in an effort to raise vaccination rates in Virginia; and other local news stories.

While the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an eviction moratorium for non-payment of rent through the end of this month, it does not apply to tenants with expired leases who want to stay, but whose landlords want them out; The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board has postponed consideration of a permit for a Mountain Valley Pipeline compressor station in Chatham; President Joe Biden has nominated Virginia’s top trial lawyer to the federal bench; and other local news stories.

Virginia Representative Elaine Luria was selected as a member of the committee investigating the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol; Senator Mark Warner visited The Diamond today to discuss new legislation to provide financial relief to minor league teams; Federal officials are launching a review of a new wind farm project off Virginia's coast; and other local news stories.

Starting today, Virginians can legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana. But advocates fear confusion over the new law could result in Black people being disproportionately targeted by law enforcement; Another new law taking effect today requires Virginia schools to grant all middle and high school students one excused absence a year to participate in a civic event; and Whittney Evans explains the new marijuana and other laws taking effect today.

The Virginia Department of Transportation announced it has completed cleanup efforts following February's ice storm; The city of Richmond held a press conference yesterday to provide a pandemic update; Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are pushing for more financial support to implement the Ashanti Alert system; and other local news stories.

The Supreme Court yesterday indicated support of a lower court’s ruling in favor of Gavin Grimm, an advocate for the transgender community who sued his school district for not allowing him to use the boy’s restroom; Governor Ralph Northam signed four bills to make voting easier; Next week, GRTC is holding a public meeting to announce schedule changes coming to some of its routes this fall; and a memorial to the five Capital Gazette Newspaper employees shot by a gunman in 2018 is unveiled in Annapolis.

Richmond students on graduating during a "hectic" year; interfaith coalition gathers to denounce antisemitism; Andrew Freiden, Meteorologist, talks about climate change; and more

Civilian Review Board Recommendations Coming; Unemployment Falls; Lt. Gov Fairfax's Lawsuit Dismissed; On Its 50th Anniversary, Virginia's Constitution Faces New Tests, and more

Virginia Replacing 134-Year-Old Time Capsule With Confederate Memorabilia; Pro-Trump Politician Fights to Stay on Ballot After Paperwork Problems; and more

City Plan endorsed a plan to remove a statue to Confederate A.P. Hill, but passed on proposals to remove pedestals which once held Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart and other Confederates to City Council without an endorsement;

As of today, Juneteenth is a national holiday celebrating the emancipation of African Americans. It also happens to be World Sickle Cell Awareness Day; Virginia children are less likely to meet school immunization requirements this year due to limited access to health services during the pandemic; Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney released a request for design proposals yesterday in a last-ditch effort to begin work on George Wythe High School as soon as possible; and other local news stories.

The nonprofit Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative released a map this week detailing the environmental vulnerability of state residents; Chesterfield teenagers have the opportunity to get vaccinated today; and Ian Stewart speaks with Michael Paul Williams from the Richmond Times Dispatch about his Pulitzer Prize for Journalism.

Critical Race Theory has been used for decades to examine systemic racism. Politicians claim the theory is being taught in schools, but that’s really not the case; Virginia Senator Mark Warner says last week’s passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act is intended to address current supply chain issues; Riding on GRTC will continue to be free for another year; and other local news stories.

After more than a year of battling the spread of COVID-19, the Virginia Department of Corrections is reporting zero active coronavirus cases in state prisons; Virginia Senator Mark Warner is part of a bipartisan coalition that has put together an alternative to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal; Tonight, Chesterfield residents will have the chance to comment on what the county should do with over $68 million in federal money; and other local news stories.

At their meeting last week, the Chesterfield School Board approved a resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ+ month; Governor Ralph Northam signed into law a new reform to Virginia’s probation system; Virginia will receive over $15 million in federal funding to help residents obtain affordable housing; and other local news stories.

About 8 percent of registered voters turned out for Tuesday’s primary, down about two points from 2017’s record; The primary race for Richmond’s top prosecutor was a sweeping victory for incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin; The F-B-I says it believes the gunman in the 20-19 Virginia Beach mass shooting “was motivated by perceived workplace grievances."; and other local news stories.

Democrats in Virginia have selected Terry McAuliffe as their nominee for governor; The Virginia Supreme Court heard challenges yesterday to the state’s plan to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond; Virginia has seen an overall decrease in violent crimes compared to 2019; and other local news stories.

Five Democrats running for Virginia governor are making their final pitch to voters ahead of today’s primary; The Supreme Court of Virginia is slated to hear oral arguments today in the fight over taking down the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee; The City of Richmond is holding a mass vaccination event this week that will also serve as a community job fair; and other local news stories.

Virginia Representative Abigail Spanberger is reintroducing a bill to increase transparency in prescription drug transactions; VCU has expelled Delta Chi fraternity for violations that allegedly led to the death of a student; Tomorrow is the last day to vote early in-person before the June Primary; and other local news stories.

Republican Glenn Youngkin has so far raised nearly $16 million in his campaign for governor of Virginia. Campaign finance reports released this week show three quarters of that money came from his own pocket; The City of Richmond is now accepting applications for the second round of utility bill relief to help customers struggling during the pandemic; A state-funded investigation found institutional racism at Virginia Military Institute. But the report, released this week, also found sexual assault to be a problem; and other local news stories.

VMI Investigation Released, Artists Reflect on Year of Activism, and other local news stories

The Virginia War Memorial’s 65th annual Memorial Day ceremony was open to the public yesterday; During COVID-19, a Virginia law against wearing masks has been paused. But that could change as soon as June 30th, when the current state of emergency is set to expire; Today is the deadline to sign up for Chesterfield County public school’s “Virtual Academy”. The district is offering the academy for K-through-8th grade as an alternative to in-person classes in the fall; and other local news stories.

Monday is the two-year anniversary of the Virginia Beach mass shooting that killed 12 people and injured four more. There will be tributes throughout the weekend to remember the victims; After over a year of social distancing, masking and avoiding crowds, Virginia lifted its remaining gathering restrictions today; AAA Mid-Atlantic expects more than a million Virginians to travel for Memorial Day; and other local news stories.

Petersburg native Doctor Jewel Bronaugh returned to her hometown yesterday to make her first public appearance as deputy secretary of the USDA; Former Senator John Warner died at home Tuesday due to heart failure, at 94 years old; The family of VCU freshman Adam Oakes, who died in February of alcohol poisoning, has started a nonprofit to support high school students after they graduate; and other local news stories.

Following court-ordered mediation, the Virginia Employment Commission will work to resolve a backlog of pandemic-related jobless claims by Labor Day; Lawyers for Dylann Roof asked a federal appeals court in Richmond yesterday to overturn his conviction; Yesterday, a U.S. Senate health committee approved the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act; and other local news stories.

Richmond City Council has approved a more than 770 million dollar budget for next fiscal year; Changes to Virginia’s medical cannabis program are coming this summer as recreational marijuana becomes legal; Multiple walk-up vaccination events at the Richmond Raceway this week will be open to children; and other local news stories.

A Virginia lawmaker was deposed earlier this month for his role in an alleged fraud scheme; On July 1st, adults in Virginia can legally use recreational marijuana, but there are still lots of rules to follow to stay on the right side of the law; Governor Ralph Northam is making changes to the state parole board; Richmond’s casino selection panel has narrowed the field down to one; and other local news stories.

A majority of Virginia voters support efforts to reduce flooding, according to a new poll; Petersburg City Council has appointed Stuart Turille Junior as its new city manager; The Vice Chair of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia resigned in protest this week of the agency’s handling of the Virginia Military Institute investigation; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam has issued an executive order directing the Virginia Employment Commission to hire more staff and nearly double the number of disputed claims they process each week; The 7-day average for new COVID-19 cases in Richmond is down to 10 per week; Several Hampton Roads cities have higher rates of poverty, unemployment and housing insecurity than Virginia on average according to new data dashboards; and other local news stories.

A group called “Power for Tomorrow” is blanketing Virginia with TV ads warning against changes to the commonwealth’s electrical grid; Settlement talks are underway between the Virginia Employment Commission and residents who sued over delays in their unemployment benefits; The Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates announced the body will return to in-person meetings; and other local news stories.

12 to 15 year olds are now approved to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine; Virginia will receive more than 7-billion-dollars in COVID relief funds from the American Rescue Plan; Virginia officials hope the gasoline supply chain will be fully back to normal by this weekend or early next week; and other local news stories.

Chesterfield is trying to relocate over 500 people from the county currently incarcerated at Riverside Regional Jail; Several COVID-19 vaccine clinics are taking place in the Richmond area with no appointments needed; Virginia's anti-price gouging statute is in effect following the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency yesterday in response to the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline by a ransomware attack; Over 1.5 million children in Virginia will benefit from the expansion of the Child Tax Credit; Virginia Commonwealth University’s faculty senate voted this week in support of several demands being made by adjunct professors; and other local news stories.

In Virginia, Black women are three to four times more likely to experience maternal health problems. A Richmond-based program was recently launched to try to address this; The deadline for Virginians to file their state taxes is approaching; A repaving project in Richmond appears to be paying off; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam says all COVID-19 restrictions in Virginia could end in June if cases continue to decline; According to a new poll, about two-thirds of Virginia parents say they're likely to have their children vaccinated; The candidates for Attorney General met in debate; and other local news stories.

Richmond residents wanting to get vaccinated can do so today at the Islamic Center in Henrico; The COVID-19 crisis in India is impacting residents in Hampton Roads, A walk-up vaccination clinic opened Wednesday at George Wythe High School; and other local news stories.

Richmond City Council is setting aside roughly $200,000 for a civilian review board for police misconduct; Virginia Military Institute will remove “Stonewall” Jackson’s name from campus buildings in the wake of allegations of racism; Eight women recently filed a lawsuit against a Virginia summer camp, claiming they were sexually abused by staff; and other local news stories.

Charlottesville's Blue Ribbon Commission have requested the city council to immediately cover the monuments in preparation for their removal; A task force working on creating a civilian review board in Richmond for police misconduct is looking for public input; Richmond Public Schools will be holding in-person graduations this Spring, thanks to a drop in COVID-19 cases and an increase in vaccination rates; and other local news stories.

Governor Ralph Northam eased some restrictions on outdoor gatherings yesterday following new CDC guidance for vaccinated individuals; Virginia’s minimum wage will rise to $9.50 an hour beginning tomorrow; Some voters recently received texts making homophobic comments towards Virginia Beach Delegate Glenn Davis; and other local news stories.