The Virginia Parole Board last year granted parole in less than 4 percent of the cases it considered. Even old men – prisoners in their 70s and 80s who have served decades behind bars – were routinely denied parole.

About 12 years ago, Michael Maupin lost his right to vote in Virginia because of a felony drug conviction. But Maupin has hope for the future because he just received a letter from Gov. Bob McDonnell restoring his civil rights.

There are more than 400 dogs in the Virginia Dangerous Dogs Registry, a list of animals that have attacked someone or hurt or killed another dog or cat.

Virginia already has a registry for “dangerous dogs” – animals that have attacked other pets or people. So how about having a registry for people who abuse animals? That’s what some animal welfare advocates would like.

The number of home-schoolers in Virginia has increased by more than 50 percent over the past decade, to more than 32,000 children. If they were a school district, it would be the ninth-largest in the state – with almost as many students as the Norfolk Public Schools.

Here are statistics for the number of home-schoolers statewide and in each school division of Virginia.

These graphics show how home schooling has exploded in Virginia.

Human trafficking survivors and support groups are speaking out and working with state legislators to combat the problem of human trafficking in Virginia.

Elisabeth Corey has repressed memories of the abuse she suffered at the hands of family members while growing up in Northern Virginia. She’s a survivor of family-controlled sex trafficking and endured sexual abuse from male family members.

In 2010, Josh Bailey and his wife, Andrea, founded the Gray Haven Project. The organization helps human trafficking survivors rebuild their lives.

An ominous “MLK Day plot.” A proposed overhaul of the Electoral College system. Voter ID legislation. Those are issues that fueled partisanship at the Virginia Capitol this year and turned the bad blood between Republicans and Democrats into one of the most talked-about topics of the General Assembly’s session.

No General Assembly session is without its ups and downs, quarrels and disputes. However, the 2013 session may have taken the trophy for the most sparring between Democrats and Republicans – especially when it came to transportation.

When Senate Republicans rammed through a redistricting bill on Martin Luther King Day, critics started grumbling about an “MLK Day plot.”

The power struggle between Republicans and Democrats is one of the most talked about topics in national and statewide politics.

Lottery winners aren’t the only ones with any luck: The Virginia Lottery saw record ticket sales in the past year, as the economy continued its recovery and several big-name retailers began selling tickets.

Sales of Virginia Lottery tickets have risen steadily — and last year, they jumped by 9 percent.

Since 1999, the Virginia Lottery has generated more than $5 billion for public education.

Here is a map of the 25 outlets that sold the most Virginia Lottery tickets in fiscal year 2012.

Just 19 out of 100 Virginia House members are women – a far cry from parity in a state where 50.9 percent of the population is female. Underrepresentation is even worse in the 40-member Virginia Senate, where women hold six seats – just 15 percent.

Here is a timeline tracing women’s involvement in politics in Virginia.

The number of women in the Virginia General Assembly has risen steadily over the years. Even so, women still are vastly underrepresented among state legislators.

Of Virginia’s 140 state legislators, 25 — or 17.9 percent — are women. Thirty-seven states have a higher proportion of female lawmakers.

State officials are raising money to build a monument celebrating the achievements of Virginia women on the grounds of the state Capitol.

Almost all of the statues at the state Capitol depict men. No wonder there’s a movement to install a monument honoring achievements by Virginia women.

With a new law mandating that school administrators be evaluated every year, a national organization has started training school leaders in Virginia to improve school climate, teacher effectiveness and student outcomes.

A new state law to stiffen penalties for Virginians caught texting while driving will save countless lives, the head of a nonprofit driving safety organization says.

Virginia’s multibillion-dollar transportation funding package will put a heavier burden on lower-income households than on more affluent families, according to a Richmond-based think tank.

The Virginia Board of Health voted Friday to require abortion clinics to meet hospital building-code standards – rules that abortion rights activists said would force many of the state’s 20 clinics to close.

The General Assembly on Wednesday narrowly approved an amendment by Gov. Bob McDonnell that will prohibit certain health insurance companies in Virginia from providing coverage for women seeking an abortion.

The Senate on Wednesday upheld Gov. Bob McDonnell’s veto of legislation to boost efforts to establish a tourist train between Tazewell County and Bramwell, W.Va.

Sen. Harry Blevins, R-Chesapeake, announced his retirement Wednesday from the state Senate after serving 14 years in the Virginia General Assembly.

Starting July 1, parents in Virginia will have “a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care” of their children.

All’s well that ends well, Shakespeare’s own words, as the Virginia Shakespeare Festival at the College of William and Mary will become the official Shakespeare Festival of Virginia starting July 1.

Gov. Bob McDonnell on Monday proposed amending legislation to put a moratorium on the use of drone technology in Virginia until 2015. McDonnell’s suggested amendments to House Bill 2012 and Senate Bill 1331 would allow for drone research at college and universities and would let law enforcement officials use drones for certain tasks, such as search and rescue.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has approved at least six bills and proposed revisions to at least three others aimed at improving school security and creating a safe campus environment.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed into law legislation to expand the list of prohibited chemicals used in making synthetic marijuana and other designer drugs. McDonnell announced Wednesday that he had signed House Bill 1941, which included an emergency clause making it effective immediately.

Moped operators in Virginia would have to wear helmets and eye protection, carry a government-issued photo ID, and title, register and put a license plate on their scooters under a bill waiting to be signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Virginia schools must provide extra help to students in kindergarten and first and second grades who do poorly on diagnostic reading tests, under legislation that Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law in recent weeks.

Virginia is creating a new agency to support development of nuclear power – a move that has upset environmentalists and open-government advocates, because the entity won’t have to comply with the state’s Freedom of Information Act and other laws.

There will be no tolling on the southern end of Interstate 95 without the General Assembly’s say-so, thanks to approval of the transportation funding bill during the recently concluded legislative session.

Parents of Virginia public school students will be given educational information about eating disorders under a bill passed by the General Assembly.

The state Capitol is offering “Looking for the Lincolns,” a free guided tour with a behind-the-scenes view of Steven Spielberg’s film, “Lincoln.”

Gov. Bob McDonnell got what he asked for: a state-run school board to take over failing schools.

Students will not be the only ones who may dread showing their grades to parents. Starting in 2014, each Virginia public school will get a letter grade ranging from A to F.

The Virginia General Assembly approved amendments to the state’s two-year budget Saturday that included education initiatives and Medicaid reforms.

Wrongly convicted felons could have an easier pathway to proving their innocence thanks to passage of a bill amending Virginia’s “21-day rule.”

A Senate committee voted 10-3 to kill the last bill this legislative session to let public bodies post their official notices on a government website instead of publishing them in a local newspaper

Negotiators from both the House and Senate came to an agreement Wednesday on a transportation plan that, if passed, would be the first transportation funding overhaul in Virginia since 1986.

Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday approved a bill to extend the 30-cents-per-100-pound excise tax on peanuts until July 1, 2016.

Legislation cracking down on texting while driving is only Gov. Bob McDonnell’s signature away from become law after passing the Senate on Tuesday.