Richmond metal band GWAR says the Secret Service contacted the group following a recent performance at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C., that featured the mock execution of a Donald Trump effigy. Video of the performance, which showed band members...
I had a friend ask me about redistricting. He was trying to figure out how to vote and admitted he did not really understand what was happening. He leans left, so the fact that he was unsure says something about how this issue is being presented right now. Virginia Republicans have framed it in a way that leaves out key context, which has made a...
Virginia’s effort to revisit outdated cannabis convictions is moving forward again, though in a revised form that shifts how people access relief. Governor Abigail Spanberger’s amendments to SB 62 / HB 26 replace the bill’s original automatic resentencing framework with a petition-based process. The legislation is intended to give courts the...
Lawmakers are clearing the way for use of the psychedelic mushroom compound psilocybin as a potential medical treatment, once a formulation is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Senate Bill 379 directs the state Board of Pharmacy to reschedule psilocybin consistent with the federal scheduling as soon as the FDA approves a formulation...
Virginia lawmakers have approved changes to the state’s long-standing food-to-alcohol sales requirement for restaurants, easing restrictions that many operators have said no longer reflect how the industry works. The legislation, HB975, passed during the 2026 General Assembly session and modifies the food-to-beverage ratio for businesses with...
State lawmakers will soon return to the Capitol after ending the General Assembly session without a budget, in part due to some debate whether to continue current tax breaks for data centers. The Democratic-led Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee put forth a budget that would end the tax exemption for data centers by 2027, and free up...
Early indicators suggest Virginians responded to a slate of proposed gun control legislation with a noticeable increase in firearm background checks. The bills mark one the most significant shifts in the state’s firearm laws in recent years, and build on previously adopted firearm regulations such as expanded background check...
Editor’s Note: RVA Magazine has been covering Virginia’s evolving hemp and cannabis regulations, including proposed changes to THC limits and retail licensing. The following is a guest opinion from a Virginia hemp business owner directly affected by SB 542. By Barbara Biddle Eight years ago, I made a leap of faith. I had no investors, no family...
Democrats and Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly were divided along party lines this session, but came together over some key issues. Out of nearly 2,400 bills introduced, 376 bills passed unanimously, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Most bills that passed unanimously or saw high levels of bipartisan cooperation...
Senator Mark Warner went to the pages of The New York Times this week to warn that the biggest threat to American elections may no longer be foreign interference, but the federal government itself. That sounds dramatic until you realize we’ve been heading in this direction for a while now. Warner lays out a scenario in which a president...
