The First Freedom Center in Richmond is hosting a debate over the Affordable Care Act, including the requirement that religiously affiliated organizations and businesses must provide contraception insurance coverage for their employees. The panelists include Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and Kevin Walsh, associate professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.

A national anti-abortion group assembled a graphic display to promote its cause Wednesday in VCU’s Commons Plaza.

More than half of the protesters arrested during Saturday’s women’s rights rally at the Capitol will receive free legal representation from Wayne Powell; an attorney and Democrat who plans to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor. The first group of about 30 arrested activists were arraigned Monday and charged with trespassing and unlawful assembly.

Why are bar and restaurant owners frowning when it comes to advertising “happy hour” specials? Because in the age of Twitter and Facebook, Virginia law prohibits advertising drink specials using social media. Drinking establishments can legally sell alcohol at lower prices until 9 p.m. The problem is, they aren’t allowed to advertise that fact in the media – not even on the Internet or with social media.

On a windy and dreary Valentine’s Day, about 40 VCU students and other Richmond residents held a rally to protest legislation they said would undermine a litany of rights – from abortion rights and gay rights to voting rights and free speech.

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.

So, you want to learn how to use FOIA? This package of stories is a guide to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. It’s designed to help citizens understand the law and file requests for public information.

It’s no longer a rare occurrence for individual citizens to make a splash as Phil and Ellen Winter did. The couple used the Freedom of Information Act, a law that makes it possible for the public to obtain certain types of documents and access to meetings, to investigate their local government.

Various levels of government have Freedom of Information Acts. There’s a federal FOIA (to get information from federal agencies) as well as a Virginia FOIA (to obtain information from state agencies). Here’s a rundown on the federal FOIA.

This year’s General Assembly session was a good one for transparency-related bills in Virginia. Most of the bills that were considered detrimental to those who work for open government were defeated or amended, while most bills to expand FOIA made it through both the House and Senate.

A comprehensive, easy-to-follow information page on the federal FOIA, including an FAQ, sample letters and a list of exemptions.

This lesson plan could be part of the weeklong journalism instruction in 10th- and 11th-grade English classes. This plan is designed for schools that do not have a specific journalism program.