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.

As the 2011 General Assembly session drew to a close, leaders of the Virginia Catholic Conference celebrated their victories and prepared for next year’s fights.

The Emmy-winning anchor for CNN spoke to and took questions from a sold-out audience at the Richmond Forum this weekend, discussing his background, career and world events.

Legislators and lobbyists battled it out Tuesday night during the final week of the General Assembly’s 2011 session. Except this time, differences were settled on the basketball court, not in the Capitol.

Adults convicted of sexually violent offenses would be barred from entering school buses and would have to submit a DNA sample under two bills headed toward approval in the General Assembly.

About 1,400 people attended Virginia Democrats’ Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, where party stalwarts discussed their core values and criticized the state’s Republican leadership.

Tim Kaine needs more time to think. Virginia’s former governor and the current chairman of the Democratic National Committee spoke at the Democratic Party of Virginia’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, where he addressed speculation around a possible run for U.S. Senate.

A state senator on Monday withdrew a bill that would have made it easier for someone with a history of mental problems to obtain a concealed weapon.