Richmond, Virginia—Sunday will mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer.  In the wake of the killing and subsequent killings of Black civilians by armed officers, Virginia joined many other states in building out laws to strengthen police accountability, reform the criminal justice system, and create structures to protect people […]

Richmond, Virginia—In a move that highlights the chasm between Virginia Republicans’ rhetoric and their legislative platform, Governor Glenn Youngkin has chosen the week of Mothers’ Day to veto a bill seeking to enshrine the right of Virginians to access contraception. Youngkin, who campaigned as a champion of families and an advocate for parents’ rights, has […]

Richmond, Virginia—Teacher, staff, and principal appreciation week is kicking off in schools across the country, as schools and PTAs acknowledge the huge contribution of the often-underpaid and overworked professionals who serve our communities’ children. It is worth thinking critically about the policy choices we make to support principals, teachers and staff, particularly those who serve […]

Richmond, Virginia—Superintendent Peter Gretz of the Fluvanna County Schools, a rural school district in a red-shaded purple county, has written an op-ed for the Virginia Mercury encouraging rural school districts to adopt Fluvanna’s practice of siting solar arrays on the top of their school buildings. In his op-ed, Gretz cited a variety of benefits that have come […]

Richmond, Virginia—Dominion Energy, which operates the coal-powered Clover Power Station and Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center (VCHEC), has petitioned the Trump administration for an exemption to Biden-era environmental regulations requiring coal producers to lower mercury and particle emissions that they release into the air. Dominion had also agreed to transition away from coal mining and towards […]

Richmond, Virginia—This week marks the nationwide observance of Black Maternal Health Week, which serves as an opportunity to both mark the wide disparities in healthcare access and health outcomes for Black moms compared to their white counterparts and to celebrate the organizations working to close those gaps.  The statistics around Black maternal health are stark. Black […]

Richmond, Virginia — On Tuesday, Glenn Youngkin took a break from vetoing 158 pieces of progressive legislation to threaten localities who declare themselves “sanctuary cities” by removing their funding for law enforcement. Youngkin first threatened to defund local police departments over disagreements on immigration in December, when he proposed a budget amendment that would allow him to remove funding for […]

Richmond, Virginia — As part of a flurry of vetoes and amendments in the earlier part of the week, Governor Youngkin has quietly attempted to turn the text of HB 1678, a piece of legislation requiring school boards to notify parents about the importance of safe storage of firearms and medication into a bill that forcibly outs […]