Virginia Public Radio

All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are on the ballot this year. That includes some Republican candidates facing off against familiar Democratic opponents. Michael Pope explains.

The latest campaign finance numbers are showing how the candidates for governor are spending their campaign cash. Michael Pope has the numbers.

Two Virginia towns have voted to stop adding fluoride to their water supply, citing cost savings between $10,000 and $20,000 each year. Nationally, the Environmental Protection Agency said in April that it's begun a review of the practice's safety. Dave Cantor has more.

Virginia is a hot spot for Lyme disease – an infection spread by the deer tick, and residents of this state have also been diagnosed with other tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichia.  Now, doctors report another condition spread by ticks, and they say it's important to be on the lookout. Sandy […]

Another Virginia university is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. Michael Pope and Radio IQ Politics Analyst Jeff Schapiro discuss that and the week that was in state politics and government.

The latest campaign finance numbers show one statewide candidate has raised more money than anybody else. Michael Pope tells us it’s not a candidate for governor.

Data centers, the massive, power-hungry facilities that make the internet and AI work, continue to pop up across the Commonwealth. They bring billions in revenue for Virginia and its localities, but they can also bring neighborhood complaints, development concerns and drains on natural resources. Brad Kutner takes a look at the landscape and how Virginia's […]

Women are outperforming men in state legislatures across the country. Michael Pope has the latest.

All 100 seats of the Virginia House of Delegates will be on the ballot this year, although only a dozen or so are competitive. Michael Pope tells us three of the most competitive races are rematches between the same candidates that ran in the last election cycle.

Volunteers in Southwest Virginia celebrated the dedication of a new home for one of the survivors of Hurricane Helene. As Roxy Todd reports, it's the final of 91 homes that the group has rebuilt in the Damascus area in the past nine months.

Legislation introduced during the 2024 General Assembly session created an ombudsman position to oversee the Virginia Department of Corrections. Andrea Sapone took the role in September, and later promised to prioritize an investigation into Red Onion State Prison. Dave Cantor reports she held her first stakeholder meeting Tuesday to explain how the office works and […]

The question of what books should be in a school library has been a lightning rod for controversy recently. A report released Monday morning by a state watchdog agency revealed details on what's been removed and where it's happening. Brad Kutner has more.

Summertime is a great time to spy butterflies in your backyard or in meadows across Virginia. Unfortunately, their numbers are declining. The Mitchell's Satyr butterfly is federally listed as endangered. Scientists are working to preserve the few meadows where these elusive butterflies still exist. Roxy Todd tagged along with a surveyor in Floyd County to […]

Members of the General Assembly may be returning to the Capitol for a special session. Michael Pope explains why.

Healthcare providers in Virginia are still trying to determine the ramifications of President Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation bill, which he signed into law earlier this month. Mason Adams has more on the perspective of the state’s free and charitable clinics.

Unemployment claims in Virginia continue to pace ahead of last year. Michael Pope has the latest.

Trump administration policies are playing out on the other side of the Potomac and across Virginia. Politics analyst Jeff Schapiro and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

How many Republican-held seats will Democrats be contesting this year? Michael Pope is looking at the numbers.

Farmers in Virginia face some serious challenges.  The climate is changing – bringing more floods and drought.  World trade has brought new weeds and insects that can destroy or displace crops, but in Albemarle County, one farm owner is hopeful that by improving her land, she can help plants and animals to survive and thrive. […]

Virginia’s massive wind farm is still under construction, despite the federal rollback on green energy programs. Michael Pope reports.

Mary Jane Burton worked on more than 7,000 cases for the state crime lab between 1973 and 1988. And while it wasn't common practice at the time, she made sure to save D-N-A evidence that was later used to exonerate 13 incarcerated people. But research by journalist Tessa Kramer suggests that Burton might have tampered […]

Democrats and Republicans have different approaches to fighting crime. And as Michael Pope tells us, those differences are emerging on the campaign trail.

As the summer heats up, the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond has an indoor option to help keep your kids – and kids-at-heart – busy. ‘Ultimate Dinosaurs' puts some dinos you may have never heard of at your fingertips. Brad Kutner has more.

Changes to federal food assistance rules could have a dramatic influence here in Virginia. Michael Pope explains why.

Just over a year ago, Virginia closed four prisons run by the state. Part of President Donald Trump's budget bill included billions in new funds for detaining those taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And in some places, that's meant reopening old facilities, as Brad Kutner reports.

Attorney General Jason Miyares is seeking a second term instead of making a run at the governor's mansion. Michael Pope and Radio IQ politics analyst Jeff Schapiro take a look at the dynamics and history of statewide officials holding off on a gubernatorial campaign for a reelection one.

As most of America celebrates our country's independence, some are giving back to the community. As part of their 75th annual convention in Richmond this weekend, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community cleaned up parts of town and spoke with Brad Kutner. 

Democrats are targeting more than a dozen Republican-held seats in the Virginia House of Delegates this year. Michael Pope reports.

This week, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a partnership between federal and state law enforcement has hit a new benchmark in removing what he called “violent criminals here illegally.” But statistics provided by federal immigration authorities and immigrant advocates tell a different story. Brad Kutner has more.  

The Western District of Virginia stretches from Winchester through Charlottesville, Roanoke and all the way to Floyd County. And the district will likely have a new federal prosecutor soon – as Michael Pope reports.

All three Republicans who are running statewide this fall appeared together for the first time Tuesday night in Northern Virginia. Michael Pope reports.

You may have heard that fire ants are on the move and spreading in parts of Southside and Southwest Virginia. There's another invasive ant that's been in Virginia for nearly a century—called the Asian Needle Ant. As Roxy Todd reports, these ants sting, and their numbers are growing.

Democrats and Republicans now have their candidates heading into a summertime special election to fill the seat vacated by the late Congressman Gerry Connolly. Michael Pope has this preview.

As Pride Month comes to a close, Virginia's 2025 election cycle stands out – John Reid is the first openly gay candidate to run for statewide office in Virginia. Brad Kutner spoke with Reid and existing members of Virginia's Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus and has this story. 

Jurisdictions across Virginia are closely watching a legal challenge in Arlington to a zoning change known as Missing Middle. Michael Pope tells us about the latest twist.

As the nation’s highest court weighs a landmark birthright citizenship case, Virginia’s Attorney General is pushing back on questions on his mother’s citizenship status. Brad Kutner spoke with the AG and filed this report.

It's been more than a year since Virginia's General Assembly voted to create an office that would investigate claims against the Department of Corrections.  Since then, prisoner advocates report 18 cases in which inmates were beaten by guards and one in which a man died. Sandy Hausman reports on how the office of the ombudsman […]

As Glenn Youngkin heads to Iowa to test the presidential waters, Radio IQ politics analyst Jeff Schapiro and Michael Pope consider the recent history of Virginia governors running for president. 

Employees with the National Science Foundation are being kicked out of their new building in Northern Virginia, and the future is uncertain for the agency. Michael Pope explains why.

When cleanup plans were set for the Chesapeake Bay watershed in 2014, the six states, including Virginia, and Washington D.C. set dozens of goals and preferred outcomes. Most expectations will not be met by the December deadline. Dave Cantor has more on the discussions one Chesapeake Bay Program committee is currently having about reassessing its […]

President Donald Trump is removing people in the country without authorization from the United States – and Virginia – at breakneck pace.  It's brought federal agents into communities across the Commonwealth. Brad Kutner spoke with the mother of three U.S. born children who entered the country illegally and lives outside of D.C., and shared her […]

Virginia’s unemployment rate is climbing. Michael Pope has the latest numbers.

Reports of more than a dozen people being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, at the Chesterfield County Courthouse has led to protests in the Richmond suburb. Brad Kutner has more. 

Republicans locked down their ticket back in April, although the three statewide candidates have yet to appear with each other on a stage. Michael Pope tells us that the GOP is planning to change that.

Elected officials in Congress are still considering an amendment in President Donald Trump's so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that would limit states' abilities to regulate artificial intelligence. It's a controversial move according to one Virginia state delegate. Brad Kutner has more. 

For many years, Dominion Energy dominated bank accounts of elected officials across Virginia. But then an interest group known as Clean Virginia started offering campaign cash to offset the influence of Dominion. Now, Michael Pope tells us the tables are turning.

When actor Gene Hackman and his wife died earlier this year, autopsies revealed that he died of heart failure, a week after his wife died of Hantavirus. Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal type of virus spread through rodents, and as Roxy Todd reports, a new study finds Virginia to be among the states […]

The November election is coming into focus. Politics analyst Jeff Schapiro and Michael Pope recap the week in politics and state government.

When former president Joe Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Randy Jones was not surprised.  He's a professor of nursing at the University of Virginia, and he knows that one in eight American men will eventually get the disease.  There are various treatments that may lead to a cure, but it's not always easy to […]

Members of Governor Glenn Youngkin's administration offered an optimistic view of the Commonwealth's finances Wednesday morning, but Senators from both parties disputed what future cuts could lead to next year. Brad Kutner has more. 

Democrats now have a slate of candidates to take on Republicans this fall, although Michael Pope tells us the primary results from Tuesday’s statewide election were tight.