Action in the General Assembly: Valley lawmakers introduce a bill to install tolls on I-81, there’s also a proposal from a local state Senator to do away with gerrymandering in Virginia, and there’s broad support to require hands free cell phone use while driving….

The state Senate takes another step toward raising Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, but even if passed it would take years… Virginia also gets a little closer to being the final state necessary to pass the Equal Rights Amendment… The partial government shutdown means those on food assistance will have to plan ahead even more than usual….

A monthly series on current events known as “Democracy in Peril?” took on the topic of the Equal Rights Amendment last night at James Madison University. WMRA’s Anna Saunders reports.

A Senate committee moves against so-called sanctuary cities, and also rejects a bill to expand the definition of hate crimes to protect gender and sexual identity… Will this be the year that Virginia raises the minimum wage, and passes the Equal Rights Amendment?... Timber harvests are at record levels in Virginia…

A weekend winter storms dumps a few inches of snow, but less than expected… That renamed post office honoring Humayan Khan in Charlottesville? Congress didn’t even get that right, so they’ll have to correct that legislation… The General Assembly may again address the minimum wage, and a tiny fish called the menhaden….

The partial federal government shutdown is affecting national parks around the country, and local parks are no exception… As Virginia prepares for another major winter storm, forecasters at the National Weather Service in Wakefield are working without pay because of the shutdown… Delegate David Toscano from Charlottesville files a bill that would allow localities to decide the fates of any war memorials, including Confederate monuments….

The partial federal government shutdown is affecting national parks around the country, and local parks are no exception. WMRA’s Bridget Manley reports.

Virginia’s governor delivers his State of the Commonwealth, and gets applause from even some Republicans as he proposes decriminalizing marijuana… As the General Assembly convenes, many lawmakers are already eyeing November… A look at the port of Virginia, the fifth busiest in the nation….

Amid delays and strong opposition, the State Air Pollution Control Board unanimously approves a permit for the Buckingham Compressor Station as part of the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline… Are driver tolls the solution to I-81’s traffic woes? The governor thinks so… State Republicans lose an argument in the U.S. Supreme Court over gerrymandering….

Nearly four months into his new job leading the Harrisonburg Police Department, Chief Eric English hosted a town hall meeting on Monday night. Stressing the importance of partnering with the public, English plans to continue hosting similar events in the future. WMRA’s Andrew Jenner reports.