17:53News StoryA police officer walks into the John Marshall Courthouse in downtown Richmond. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Gov. Ralph Northam says a rent and mortgage relief program will be ready to launch Monday, the same day courts around the state can begin hearing a backlog of more than 12,000 eviction cases that were put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic.Advocates called it an impossibly tight turnaround, urging Northam Thursday to extend a state-wide moratorium on evictions until after the relief program goes live and tenants can begin receiving aid.“These actions are...…17:53News StoryA police officer walks into the John Marshall Courthouse in downtown Richmond. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Gov. Ralph Northam says a rent and mortgage relief program will be ready to launch Monday, the same day courts around the state can begin hearing a backlog of more than 12,000 eviction cases that were put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic.Advocates called it an impossibly tight turnaround, urging Northam Thursday to extend a state-wide moratorium on evictions until after the relief program goes live and tenants can begin receiving aid.“These actions are...WW…

15:55BriefPolice fortified the Capitol after protesters easily ripped down a temporary fence erected to block the entrance Saturday. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury — May 31, 2020)Democrats in the Senate outlined an expansive criminal justice reform agenda Friday they say their 21-member majority has agreed to pursue during a coming special session of the General Assembly.The proposals range from a ban on no-knock warrants to a plan that would cut state funding to local law enforcement agencies that disproportionately use force against minorities.“Our constituents want change,” said Sen. Mamie...…15:55BriefPolice fortified the Capitol after protesters easily ripped down a temporary fence erected to block the entrance Saturday. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury — May 31, 2020)Democrats in the Senate outlined an expansive criminal justice reform agenda Friday they say their 21-member majority has agreed to pursue during a coming special session of the General Assembly.The proposals range from a ban on no-knock warrants to a plan that would cut state funding to local law enforcement agencies that disproportionately use force against minorities.“Our constituents want change,” said Sen. Mamie...WW…

0:01News StoryA car at an April 27 rally on the Eastern Shore in support of protecting poultry processing plant workers from COVID-19. (Legal Aid Justice Center)Virginia workplace safety regulators are proposing emergency COVID-19 rules for businesses that would make social distancing mandatory and require employers to notify their employees within 24 hours if a coworker tests positive for the virus.The , published Friday and scheduled to go before the state Safety and Health Codes Board on June 24, represent the state’s first step toward implementing across-the-board safety regulations for...…0:01News StoryA car at an April 27 rally on the Eastern Shore in support of protecting poultry processing plant workers from COVID-19. (Legal Aid Justice Center)Virginia workplace safety regulators are proposing emergency COVID-19 rules for businesses that would make social distancing mandatory and require employers to notify their employees within 24 hours if a coworker tests positive for the virus.The , published Friday and scheduled to go before the state Safety and Health Codes Board on June 24, represent the state’s first step toward implementing across-the-board safety regulations for...WW…

0:05News StoryVirginia State Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax, answers questions while in a protective box during the reconvene session to order at the Science Museum of Virginia Wednesday April 22, 2020, in Richmond, Va. Barker recently underwent surgery. (AP Photo/POOL/Steve Helber)Protesters in cars honked endlessly as they circled the Capitol. The Speaker of the House collapsed on the dais as she led a floor session. A lawmaker cast votes from a Plexiglas enclosure.The typically sleepy reconvened session of the Virginia General Assembly on Thursday fully reflected the bizarre world into...…0:05News StoryVirginia State Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax, answers questions while in a protective box during the reconvene session to order at the Science Museum of Virginia Wednesday April 22, 2020, in Richmond, Va. Barker recently underwent surgery. (AP Photo/POOL/Steve Helber)Protesters in cars honked endlessly as they circled the Capitol. The Speaker of the House collapsed on the dais as she led a floor session. A lawmaker cast votes from a Plexiglas enclosure.The typically sleepy reconvened session of the Virginia General Assembly on Thursday fully reflected the bizarre world into...WW…

14:22BriefHouse members pledge allegiance to the flag as the Virginia House of Delegates begins a special session inside the Siegel Center in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 18, 2020. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch/Pool)Two bills aimed at bringing more transparency to the Virginia Parole Board won bi-partisan support in the Senate but died Tuesday at the hands of Democrats in the House of Delegates.The bills, proposed by GOP senators upset by the board’s recent parole decisions, would have required board members to and detailing who the board considered for release and why they decided to...…14:22BriefHouse members pledge allegiance to the flag as the Virginia House of Delegates begins a special session inside the Siegel Center in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 18, 2020. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch/Pool)Two bills aimed at bringing more transparency to the Virginia Parole Board won bi-partisan support in the Senate but died Tuesday at the hands of Democrats in the House of Delegates.The bills, proposed by GOP senators upset by the board’s recent parole decisions, would have required board members to and detailing who the board considered for release and why they decided to...WW…

0:01News StoryDel. Luke Torian, D-Prince William, left, chairman of the House Appropriations committee, confers with Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, right, as the Virginia House of Delegates begins their special session inside the Siegel Center in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 18, 2020. (Pool photo by Bob Brown/ Richmond Times-Dispatch)House and Senate budget writers presented their proposed amendments to Gov. Ralph Northam’s retooled spending plan Friday. Here’s a first look at where the two chambers landed on funding for schools, criminal justice reform, evictions and past-due utility...…0:01News StoryDel. Luke Torian, D-Prince William, left, chairman of the House Appropriations committee, confers with Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, right, as the Virginia House of Delegates begins their special session inside the Siegel Center in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 18, 2020. (Pool photo by Bob Brown/ Richmond Times-Dispatch)House and Senate budget writers presented their proposed amendments to Gov. Ralph Northam’s retooled spending plan Friday. Here’s a first look at where the two chambers landed on funding for schools, criminal justice reform, evictions and past-due utility...WW…

17:50News StoryMisty Whitehead was offered a police oversight job by the commonwealth’s attorney in Henrico County, but when administrators learned she posts frequently in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on Facebook, they froze funding for the position, effectively eliminating the job. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Henrico County leaders quietly quashed plans to hire a prosecutor dedicated to investigating complaints of police misconduct after learning earlier this month the lawyer selected for the job made frequent social media posts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.The...…17:50News StoryMisty Whitehead was offered a police oversight job by the commonwealth’s attorney in Henrico County, but when administrators learned she posts frequently in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on Facebook, they froze funding for the position, effectively eliminating the job. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury)Henrico County leaders quietly quashed plans to hire a prosecutor dedicated to investigating complaints of police misconduct after learning earlier this month the lawyer selected for the job made frequent social media posts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.The...WW…

0:02News StoryDeputies from the Henrico County Sheriff’s Department process an eviction on July 12, 2018. The tenants had already departed and the deputies, after checking the unit to make sure it’s empty, watch as the owner changes the unit’s locks.Virginia residents who fall behind on their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic would get an extra 60 days to catch up under a Gov. Ralph Northam is sending to the General Assembly.The extensions, which would be available once the court system resumes normal operations, would only apply to people who aren’t already receiving relief through the...…0:02News StoryDeputies from the Henrico County Sheriff’s Department process an eviction on July 12, 2018. The tenants had already departed and the deputies, after checking the unit to make sure it’s empty, watch as the owner changes the unit’s locks.Virginia residents who fall behind on their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic would get an extra 60 days to catch up under a Gov. Ralph Northam is sending to the General Assembly.The extensions, which would be available once the court system resumes normal operations, would only apply to people who aren’t already receiving relief through the...WW…

0:01Brief821 Bakery Cafe advertises for customers that they are still open in Richmond, Va., March 18, 2020. (Parker Michels-Boyce/ For the Virginia Mercury)Businesses from shopping malls to barber shops are making plans to reopen Friday under Gov. Ralph Northam’s loosened stay-at-home restrictions.But for now, the more than 300,000 people receiving unemployment benefits through the state won’t have to go out every week looking for jobs to continue receiving weekly checks.Northam’s chief work force adviser, Megan Healy, said the administration had been considering reinstating the program’s...…0:01Brief821 Bakery Cafe advertises for customers that they are still open in Richmond, Va., March 18, 2020. (Parker Michels-Boyce/ For the Virginia Mercury)Businesses from shopping malls to barber shops are making plans to reopen Friday under Gov. Ralph Northam’s loosened stay-at-home restrictions.But for now, the more than 300,000 people receiving unemployment benefits through the state won’t have to go out every week looking for jobs to continue receiving weekly checks.Northam’s chief work force adviser, Megan Healy, said the administration had been considering reinstating the program’s...WW…

0:01News StoryA driver participated in a car demonstration in April in Harrisonburg calling for action to protect Virginia poultry plant workers from COVID-19. (Sarah Alair / For the Virginia Mercury)They didn’t take any final votes or even discuss the content of the proposed regulations, but a state board weighing what could become the country’s first pandemic workplace safety rules agreed in principal Wednesday to press ahead with the sweeping new mandates.“In this moment, I think we need to take action,” said Milagro Rodriguez, a member of the state’s Safety and Health Codes Board, which...…0:01News StoryA driver participated in a car demonstration in April in Harrisonburg calling for action to protect Virginia poultry plant workers from COVID-19. (Sarah Alair / For the Virginia Mercury)They didn’t take any final votes or even discuss the content of the proposed regulations, but a state board weighing what could become the country’s first pandemic workplace safety rules agreed in principal Wednesday to press ahead with the sweeping new mandates.“In this moment, I think we need to take action,” said Milagro Rodriguez, a member of the state’s Safety and Health Codes Board, which...WW…