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....
Klay Porter, 32, recalls overdosing alone at his aunt's house five years ago from heroin laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. He remembers slipping away and thinking “this is it.” Porter isn’t alone. Opioid overdoses led to more than 9,900 emergency room visits in Virginia in 2020, a roughly 30% increase from 2019, according to the Virginia...
Many small cannabis entrepreneurs say large companies are jockeying to lock them out of the industry and have funding that gives them more access to lawmakers. “Small businesses are the backbone of the country,” said Sarah Grant, general manager of The Dispensary in Richmond. The shop opened last year and sells Delta-8-THC flower and vape...
Virginia schools still rely heavily on law enforcement to discipline students and years of efforts to lessen the practice could be halted with recent legislation, according to juvenile justice advocates and some state lawmakers. “Sometimes the heavy hand of the law is not what’s needed,” said James Fedderman, president of the Virginia...
Krysti Albus taught multiple subjects for 20 years and now teaches early childhood special education. She saw many colleagues leave the classroom in the middle of the year for better-paying corporate jobs. “What we have had to go through to have a net income of 30-some thousand dollars a year, but to also have the increased expectations...
Yvonne Rife was in the attic holding her dog Lucy as her Buchanan County home was swept off its foundation and carried a quarter of a mile by the water. A large oak tree lodged in a trestle bridge eventually halted the home, she said. She lost everything, Rife said, including two cats, the house she lived in for over 40 years and the...
Chirping ducklings at the Restoring Ivy Collective center, a refuge for human trafficking victims, aren’t just cute -- they’re calming. Sex trafficking survivors can drop in at the Washington, D.C.-area center to hang out with animals, bake bread and create art. “Therapy animals can be helpful; finding volunteering passions that aren’t...
The House earlier this month passed a bill legalizing marijuana nationwide, and now the focus shifts to the Senate to see if the Democratic majority passes similar legislation. The House bill was approved on April 1 by a 220-204 margin, with three Republicans voting in favor and two Democrats voting against it. The action marks the second...
The medical cannabis market is thriving in Virginia, while the future of recreational cannabis, including hemp, is hazier. Cannabis advocates and smokers are disappointed after a 2022 General Assembly session which saw lawmakers fail to expedite recreational cannabis sales and propose penalties for possessing amounts over two pounds --...
Virginia legislators tabled a bill during the regular General Assembly session that pledged to end roadway fatalities. The move disappointed road safety advocates, but supporters say they’re still committed to advancing policies to protect pedestrians and drivers. House Joint Resolution 100 was a commitment to the Vision Zero initiative, which...
