Search
Richmond residents must contact mortgage lenders to resolve city’s tax error, officials say
City officials over the weekend said they’d accidentally issued thousands of real estate tax bills directly to homeowners — rather than to mortgage lenders, which is the standard practice. It’s up to residents who received the errant bills to resolve the issue, officials said. The mistake came after employees in the city’s finance department updated loan data in MUNIS, the system used to administer real estate taxes. Records for at least 33,000 taxpayers “failed to import completely,” a city spokesperson said, and as a result, MUNIS was unable to link some taxpayers to their mortgage lenders.
Poor water quality in Hampton River could soon be improved by oyster reefs
Poor water quality in the Hampton River is a problem, but restoration projects are starting to change that. ... Plastic wrappers, water bottles, cigarette butts and other trash commonly wind up in the river. Polluted runoff from densely populated streets, parking lots and buildings also is one of the city’s biggest threats to clean water. For years, researchers at Hampton University have studied the water near campus to understand the existing oyster population and develop strategies for restoring the river. As a result of this decade of work, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and university researchers are turning to oysters to help improve the river’s water quality.
Va. sees nation’s second-largest drop in overdose deaths
Virginia had the second-largest drop in overdose deaths in the country last year, according to preliminary CDC data released last week. For over a decade, fatal drug overdoses have been the leading cause of unnatural deaths statewide. And Richmond has consistently had one of the highest overdose death rates in the state. But for the past few years, Virginia's fatal drug overdose rates have fallen faster than the U.S. average. Over 1,500 Virginians died from drug overdoses in 2024, per CDC estimates. That's a nearly 39% drop from 2023. The only state with a greater decline in overdose deaths was West Virginia (-44%).
Former governors pay tribute to Brown v. Board but disagree on how to continue its legacy
It was more than 70 years ago when 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns and other students went on a strike to protest the poor conditions of their school – Robert Russa Moton High School – a segregated, tar paper shack high school located in Farmville. The walkout initiated a civil rights case – Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County – which later became one of the five cases consolidated into Brown v. Board of Education, where Supreme Court justices unanimously decided that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Saturday, seven Virginia governors gathered at Virginia Commonwealth University to commemorate the landmark ruling, discuss racial and educational progress and emphasize the need to do more work to address disparities in the state.
Jan. 6 rioter who assaulted police charged with burglary near Richmond
A Fairfax County man who assaulted police at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and smashed the glass pane through which Ashli Babbitt climbed before she was fatally shot, has been arrested again outside of Richmond. Zachary J. Alam is accused of breaking into a home this month while the residents were there. He appears to be the first Capitol rioter arrested on new charges after President Donald Trump granted clemency to the roughly 1,600 people charged for their roles in the insurrection.
Jay Jones, running for attorney general, launches ad featuring former Gov. Ralph Northam
Jay Jones, one of two Democratic candidates for attorney general, is launching a new campaign ad featuring former Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday. Backed by a six-figure ad buy, the commercial will air on TV in the Richmond, Norfolk and Roanoke broadcast markets, as well as statewide on streaming services.
From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Olivia Diaz of the Associated Press, Charlotte Rene Woods of the Virginia Mercury, and Brad Kutner of Radio IQ. They discuss the week's top headlines: DEI and the GOP, the House clerk vetoes the governor's vetoes, and nontraditional candidates. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Northern Virginia residents protest Dominion Energy’s transmission line
Residents of western Prince William gathered Thursday alongside lawmakers outside Patriot High School to protest Dominion Energy’s pending Morrisville–Wishing Star 500 kV and 230 kV transmission line as the utility provider simultaneously held a community meeting inside the Nokesville school. The Coalition to Protect Prince William County hosted the event, where around 35 residents were joined by state and local elected officials. Dominion’s proposed 36.5-mile transmission line would begin in southern Fauquier County and run through Prince William and Loudoun counties.
Petrine and Pace: What’s driving Virginia’s economy? It’s the talent.
Graduation season is upon us as carloads of family and friends made their way on Interstate 81 to Blacksburg and Radford to cheer on a new generation. They’re celebrating a milestone as thousands of Virginia students prepare to step into the workforce full of potential to shape their communities. Because they are products of Virginia’s higher education system, their chances of success are greater than their counterparts in other states.
McClellan: Let me tell you what the Republican budget means for Virginia
Tuesday afternoon, I walked into a House Energy and Commerce Committee meeting to address federal funding for health care, energy, the environment and communications agencies and programs. More than 26 hours later, committee Republicans voted for a bill the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed will kick millions of Americans off their health insurance. This bill puts Medicaid at risk for hundreds of thousands of Virginians and raises health care costs for the rest of us. Meanwhile, House Republicans on the Agriculture Committee voted to strip food assistance away from millions of children and families to pay for House Ways and Means Republicans’ tax cuts for the wealthy just a few doors down.