Today is the first day of early voting for statewide and local primaries, Charlottesville City Schools acquire the former Federal Executive Institute property at no cost, Controversy surrounding the Republican nominee to be Virginia’s next lieutenant governor has been one of the top stories this week.

A pair of reports released this week show economic growth in Virginia is slowing down, Governor Youngkin is about to make a decision on legislation outlining parental rights and responsibilities, and Virginia Humanities has lost more than a million dollars in federal funding.

By law, Virginia’s largest electric utility must stop emitting carbon by 2045. Community leaders and residents convened in Staunton on Saturday for an annual forum about recent federal policy changes. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is considering about a hundred bills that are on his desk right now, and his deadline to take action is at the end of the week.

Virginia’s Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor, John Reid, hit the campaign trail this weekend, despite calls from Governor Glenn Youngkin to bow out. Governor Glenn Youngkin is expected to make several key environmental decisions this week.

Firefighters often use water to put out a blaze, but in Augusta County a team of 11 men and women set a fire to ensure there’s enough water for one of Virginia’s natural features. Earlier this week, The American Association of Colleges and Universities posted an open letter condemning federal overreach into higher education. Labor issues may end up being a big campaign issue in the statewide elections this year.

Governor Glenn Youngkin is considering a bill that would expand African American Studies in Virginia public schools. Recent federal policy changes are aimed at increasing timber sales in our national forests. So-called “skill games” have been popping up around Virginia since their temporary legalization in 2020. Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor say they’d vote to repeal a legal hurdle facing labor unions in Virginia. Jeff Schapiro, political columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government. And more ...

One local researcher has documented more than 11,000 graves in Highland County and the surrounding areas. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office recently announced that Virginia’s immigration task force has arrested more than 500 migrants. In Charlottesville, protesters demonstrated Wednesday against an alleged federal immigration raid. A biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources speaks about the release of seven orphaned bear cubs from the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

Governor Glenn Youngkin gave the thumbs up to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies Tuesday. The sudden withdrawal of Pat Herrity from the Republican primary for lieutenant governor means the GOP will have no statewide primaries in June. In 1963, eight Black Hanover County students led the charge to integrate the county’s schools. The City of Richmond is considering a ban on new tobacco and cannabis shops in most of the city.

Catholics around the world are mourning the passing of Pope Francis. Judge Harvie Wilkinson was a noted historian of a pivotal figure in Virginia history. Virginia had the largest decrease in employment figures of any state between February and March. Seven bear cubs are enjoying spring in the wild after growing up at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.

Abandoned, crumbling, downtown buildings have become something of a stereotype for the struggles of communities. When storms hit, many of us brace, wondering if the power will remain on. Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center, Virginia’s last youth prison, is under scrutiny for its understaffing and dangerous conditions. The Democratic primary for attorney general might end up being an expensive fight between two big-money rivals. Last week, Hanover County supervisors reviewed a study to determine how well the county pays its boards and commissions in comparison to neighboring localities.