Virginia Public Radio

Virginia’s legislature is back in session, and lawmakers may again be talking about a tiny fish called the menhaden. It’s the only fish regulated by the General Assembly, and proposed catch limits are proving controversial as Sandy Hausman reports.

Throughout Virginia’s 2019 General Assembly session, All Things Considered host Luke Church and reporter Michael Pope will break down the highlights from the Capitol each week. Week 1: The 2019 General Assembly session got started this week with a little more bipartisanship than in years past.

Democratic lawmakers and the ACLU of Virginia are pushing for more information on how the state uses solitary confinement. Mallory Noe-Payne has details.

Reaction to the governor’s state of the commonwealth address was mixed, mostly falling along partisan lines. Michael Pope has the story.

Even though Democrats may have won every statewide election since 2009, Republicans are in control of the House and the Senate. Michael Pope has this preview of their priorities for this year’s General Assembly session.

A state board gave unanimous approval today to a controversial compressor station for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Dominion Energy plans to build the station in a historically African-American community in Buckingham County. Mallory Noe-Payne was there as the board voted, and has this report.

Do guns belong in churches and synagogues? Lawmakers are about to take up that issue in Richmond. Michael Pope reports.

Virginia has the nation’s number five port – serving an average of 40 ships a week – connecting more than 200 countries. And despite talk of trade wars in Washington, Sandy Hausman reports that the place is poised to grow.

On Monday, House Democrats outlined a set of legislative proposals dealing with gun safety. They say the measures are focused on saving lives. Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

Federal lawmakers are wrestling with how to handle a budget standoff over a wall at the southern border. But as Michael Pope reports, state lawmakers may soon be in the midst of their own budget standoff.