Virginia’s state government spends more than $6 million a year on the more than 11,000 cellphones it provides to public employees. But a chunk of that money may be wasted: During a recent six-month period, the state spent almost $1 million on 4,500 unused cellphones – phones that recorded zero minutes.
This fall, the Virginia Historical Society will launch a free, searchable online database of Virginia slave names called “Unknown No Longer.” It will allow people, especially African-Americans, to trace their ancestry without compromising their privacy or paying fees.
The Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality want to give the African Burial Ground in Richmond the respect it deserves. First, that means persuading Virginia Commonwealth University to stop using the site as a parking lot.
On Dec. 1, 2009, bars and restaurants across Virginia were ordered to put out their cigarettes or renovate their buildings to accommodate non-smokers. A year and a half later, how effective is the ban?
Student loan default rates are especially high among people who attend for-profit colleges and universities. Federal officials have criticized some proprietary schools, saying they are more interested in collecting tuition dollars than in teaching students marketable skills.
Two months ago, federal and state officials outlawed synthetic marijuana, a potpourri of herbs that anybody could buy at convenience stores and gas stations. But predictably, many young people stocked up on the now-illegal substance before the ban took effect. “People bought as much as they could last month and are still smoking it,” said a student in Falls Church, Va.
Gov. Bob McDonnell is encouraging citizens to provide aid for victims of the April tornadoes, after the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied Virginia’s request for disaster assistance.
An unusually active tornado season has wreaked havoc in Virginia and nationwide. On April 16, for example, tornadoes killed three people in Gloucester. Some simple precautions – mainly having a plan – can help keep you safe.
It will be harder to get an abortion in Virginia because of two laws passed by the 2011 General Assembly. One law will prohibit certain private health insurance plans from covering abortions; the other will require clinics that perform abortions to meet hospital standards or shut down.
Anti-abortion activists are cheering and abortion rights activists are steaming over new laws that would regulate abortions in Virginia. A coordinator of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign says the laws will protect women’s health. But an official with NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia says the laws are politically motivated and will restrict abortion access and decrease safety.
By September, the Virginia Board of Health plans to announce the regulations that must be met by clinics that provide five or more first-trimester abortions a month. The clinics then will have until January to satisfy the requirements – or shut their doors.
The state auditor of public accounts has found that the Virginia Employment Commission has been inadequately equipped to handle the increase in unemployment claims since the recession began.
Delegate Donald Merricks, R-Danville, triggered an investigation in overpayments of unemployment compensation benefits by the Virginia Employment Commission. He did it after the VEC demanded that some workers pay back thousands of dollars they received.
American Sign Language courses may grow in popularity and attract more students from different majors under a new state law. It requires Virginia’s public colleges and universities to accept ASL, which is used by deaf people, as a foreign language credit.
Paige Berry is Virginia Commonwealth University’s sign language teacher in the Rehabilitation Counseling Department. She has worked for VCU for 29 years and dedicates her life to communicating with people who are deaf or deaf and blind.
Amelia County’s population grew more than 11 percent, to 12,690 residents, during the past decade, according to the 2010 census. The population of Hispanics tripled, though in absolute numbers, they’re still pretty small (290). Amelia’s black population actually shrank during this period.
Homeowners, public officials and community groups are fighting blight in Church Hill North — one of Richmond’s historic gems but a neighborhood known for high crime rates and vacant buildings. A new law will give the city another tool to fix decrepit homes that stick out like crooked teeth.
Greg Bristow was working as a heating and air conditioning technician in 2008. But when the economy gave way, so did the job market. Since then, he’s been renovating a 121 year old home in Church Hill.
Virginia officials want a bigger cut when barbers, hair stylists and other beauty professionals get their state licenses. Barbers, cosmetologists and nail technicians now pay $55 for a cosmetology license, which is valid for two years. The state wants to raise that to $140.
In a time of economic hardship, high-priced haircuts, manicures and spa treatments may be thought of as a luxury. But in Richmond, the cosmetology is business is doing as well as ever. Some salons have even been able to grow.
Here are the stories we distributed between April 11 and May 7. Headlines include: “Social Services Board Votes Against Gay Adoption” … “Redistricting Could Cost Virginia $10 Million” … “Teachers at ‘Hard to Staff’ Schools May Get Bonuses” … “Library Documenting Rams’ Historic Run.”
Driving can be unpredictable and even nerve-racking. And there could be an added surprise involving your automobile when it’s off the roadways: a property tax on cars. Permanent Richmond residents must pay such a personal property tax. But what many college students from out of town may not know is that they are expected to pay it as well.
Nantasha Williams spent the legislative session get lawmakers’ signatures on bills, helping constituents and researching information on complex issues. But Williams isn’t a legislator. She is a college student taking part in the Virginia Capital Semester program.
Dawn Storrud was born with a male body, but from around age 3, she says, she felt that deep down, she was female. As a result, Storrud said, she faced discrimination, harassment and even violence as a child and later as a transgender woman. Today, she advocates in Virginia for equal rights regardless of sexual orientation.
Virginia has not yet enshrined in law one of Thomas Jefferson’s most ardently held principles: the protected role of a free press in a democracy. Delegate Barbara Comstock would like to change that. In the 2011 General Assembly, she introduced a bill to grant journalists limited protection from being compelled to disclose confidential sources.
