This version of Google Translate utilzes the free version. If you would like to see a more robust translator, consider sponsoring this feature. Email for more information.
Delegate's third effort to stabilize state's rent problem continued to next year
By Thailon Wilson, Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. -- State lawmakers did not advance legislation this session that aimed to slow rising rent prices, although affordable housing remains a big concern for constituents.
Two proposed bills would have allowed localities to adopt anti-rent gouging provisions, prevent landlords from increasing rent without at least two-month notice, and set an annual allowance between 7-15% for rent increases.
Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, introduced Senate Bill 366, which is dead after it was defeated in committee.
Del. Nadarius Clark, D-Suffolk, introduced House Bill 721, which was continued to 2025. Committee members raised concerns over potential problems and wanted to see some research, possibly from the Virginia Housing Commission. One member suggested a possible pilot program.
This was the third year that Clark attempted to pass some type of rent stabilization bill. The others were tabled or passed by indefinitely. The fact that the bill was not struck down shows growing support, Clark said.
"It does show that the General Assembly is ready to have conversations," Clark said. "I'm happy that the chair of that committee and the members of that committee is willing to work with me throughout this year to bring stakeholders together, to bring work groups together."
Clark represents constituents in the Hampton Roads area where 53.5% of residents spend 30% or more of their income on rent, according to a Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies report. In the Richmond and Charlottesville areas, 52% of renters spend 30% of their income on rent.
That is on par with, and in some cases greater, than major metropolitan areas around the country, according to the report.
"This year, we're focused on rent gouging because we see throughout our commonwealth that rent has been going up in certain places 20, 30, 40, 50% and even higher in some places," Clark said. "We see that these are predatory tactics that some developers and landowners and leasing people are using."
Clark's bill advanced from the Counties, Cities and Towns committee on a bipartisan vote. It was then referred to the Courts of Justice Civil subcommittee.
There was testimony in support of and against the bill, which boiled down to renters versus property owners and managers. Virginia constituents have shared stories of how their rent jumped 33% and even higher in certain cases, according to Gustavo Espinosa with the Legal Aid Justice Center.
Espinosa translated for several speakers who offered testimony. One South Richmond renter asked lawmakers for help and to limit rent increases because "our salaries aren't going up so much."
"The rent increase has been too much," said María Lopez, another renter. "We have families and our salary is not enough to pay for everything."
The rent-gouging protections need to pass and Lopez said it is unjust that landlords can raise rent so much.
People in opposition to the bill testified that it was well intentioned, but would ultimately be ineffective. The state already has a housing supply issue and the bill would exacerbate it, speakers said.
Marla Posey, a member of the Virginia Apartment Management Association, has worked in states with rent control and said the bill could decrease housing supply and quality. She thinks the legislation would harm people instead of help them.
"Here in Virginia, we need policy to support adding new housing opportunities ... to be able to house more Virignians, not enacting policy that will halt housing development," Posey said.
Rent-control also stymies other business development in locations, such as grocery stores, she said.
The bill is not a rent-control measure, Clark said. Allowed rent increases would be evaluated annually. A locality could create a board to also hear arguments for higher increases.
New properties would be exempt from this ordinance for the first 15 years of ownership, Clark said. The original proposal set the exemption at 10 years, but was amended.
If the current system was working, the state would not be short 200,000 affordable units and Richmond rents would not top New York City, Clark said.
"We clearly have a problem and the formula that we're using now doesn't work," Clark said. "This will give localities the power and the option ... to enact this ordinance ... to help people improve their lives."
"Real estate" or "construction" groups held the No. 3 spot for campaign donations, when ranked by industry, according to a Virginia Public Access Project analysis. Donations from organizations that fall under that industry totaled $31.6 million from 2022-2023.
Affordable housing was among the top three issues Democratic voters want to see the governor and lawmakers tackle, according to a recent survey from The Wason Center.
There are a number of other housing reform bills in the General Assembly, several with a focus on tenant rights.
RICHMOND, Va. -- State lawmakers have advanced bills that would allow public sector employees to use medical cannabis without losing their job.
House Bill 149, introduced by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, extends to state public employees rights that already exist in the private sector. The bill passed with bipartisan support on a 78-20 vote.
Helmer sponsored HB 1862 three years ago, to protect patients approved for medical cannabis use. That bill "unintentionally did not protect public sector employees," Helmer said.
"The key was we left our brave first responders out of this," Helmer said. "That was never our intent and so this bill is meant to fix that."
A cannabis product is anything from CBD up to 10 milligrams of THC per dose, the current state cap, as long as the product is produced, sold and tested through the medical cannabis program.
Public sector employees such as firefighters, police officers and teachers are among the groups that would be protected under Helmer's bill if they are approved to use cannabis products to treat conditions or diseases.
Senate Bill 391, introduced by Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax, also offers protection to public sector employees, with the exception of law enforcement officers. The bill passed the Senate with a 30-10 vote.
Peksarsky's bill uses language that extends protection for use of cannabis oil.
Helmer's bill was amended from "cannabis oil" to "cannabis products," which he said is meant to "refer to a slew of medically recommended products that have cannabis as the basis."
Any increase in inquiries or modifications to existing policies would be absorbed within existing resources by the Department of Labor and Industry or Department of Human Resource Management, respectively, according to the bill's impact statement.
Joe Mirabile, a representative of Virginia's Professional Firefighters, testified in support of Helmer's bill during its committee hearing.
"My members have reported that they're relying on alcohol far less, they're sleeping more at home and they're seeing other positive effects, such as reduction of joint and muscle pain without having to use opioid prescriptions," Mirabile said.
The only legal way that a person can purchase cannabis in the state is through the medical cannabis program. Approved state practitioners can issue a certification after an initial consultation.
Dawn Adams, a nurse practitioner and former state delegate who represented the Richmond area, operates a medical cannabis practitioner clinic. Cannabis products are often used to help with PTSD, anxiety and sleep problems that are associated with the employee's role, according to Adams.
Over-the-counter and prescription drugs, along with alcohol, can sometimes have lingering effects compared to an appropriate dose of short-acting cannabis medication, Adams said. But that has been the only option for many workers.
"Many of these people have had to jump through a thousand hoops to even be considered to use medical cannabis," Adams said. "When in fact, it would be a pretty decent alternative to many of the health determinants that are associated with their life."
Employers would still be able to prohibit use of cannabis on the job and take action against any employee whose work is impaired because of cannabis use. The proposed bill does not make any changes to the current law in regards to federal workers.
There is no widely available rapid test to nail down the window of cannabis use to determine if an employee was impaired at work. Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University are working on a THC breathalyzer to help law enforcement detect cannabis impairment, and distinguish between THC and CBD use.
Chelsea Higgs Wise is the executive director of the advocacy group Marijuana Justice, which is focused on helping the state create an equitable recreational cannabis marketplace.
"State employees should be allowed to access cannabis in their off-work time," Higgs Wise said.
The group supports Helmer's bill.
"We understand the nuances that public employees are navigating and are excited to offer our support for this extension of wellness to our employees of the Commonwealth," Higgs Wise stated in the organization's letter of support to Helmer.
There are approximately 1,000 approved medical cannabis practitioners in Virginia. A total of 98,396 patients used their written certification in 2023 to receive medical cannabis through the state program, according to the managing agency Cannabis Control Authority.
Both bills now advance to the other chamber.
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University's Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia extended its contract to keep Lawrenceville Correctional Center under private management until July 2024, despite efforts by lawmakers and protests by advocacy groups.
Lawrenceville is the state's only privately operated prison. The medium-security facility opened in 1998 and was billed as a way for the state to save money.
The GEO Group, based in Florida, has managed the prison since 2003. Its 15-year contract was set to end in 2018, but it has been extended twice.
Construction and operation costs would be lower than public prisons, said the former state corrections director in 1997, according to archived Richmond-Times Dispatch reports. The director thought the private prison would introduce "an exchange of ideas and friendly competition" to improve public and private facilities.
But in recent years the facility has been criticized for the reported understaffing, building maintenance, drug overdoses, safety issues and violent activity.
Lawrenceville is tied with Nottoway Correctional Center for the second-highest prison population in the state. The prison has 1,536 beds and houses approximately 1,260 people, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections October population report.
"The reason why it has survived so long in this particular form is probably because it allows the state to operate a facility more cheaply than many other facilities," said Chuck Meire, deputy policy director of nonprofit civil and human rights firm JULIAN.
Privately operated prisons are "100%" less ethical and humane than state-run prisons, Meire said.
"You should never have a corporation, whose primary motive is profit, taking over the responsibility of the government to incarcerate people," Meire said.
Democratic politicians and advocacy groups, such as the state American Civil Liberties Union and Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, agree and have introduced legislation and called for change.
Legislators in 2020 proposed folding management of the facility under the state.
VADOC looked at five comparable prisons as part of a requested study in 2020 and found the average cost of incarceration per inmate per day was $76.48. The per day cost was $51.55 at Lawrenceville.
VADOC estimated state operation would push costs up to $67.99 per day per inmate. It would cost the state $38.46 million annually to manage Lawrenceville.
That was $9.3 million more than current management under the GEO Group.
Most of the cost increase was attributed to the need for "adequate relief staffing and to address operational security needs" at Lawrenceville. The VADOC staffing plan would increase the number of correctional officers by nearly 100. Staff would also be paid more at a state rate.
The annual budget for VADOC is currently $1.5 billion.
Staffing issues
There were 300 staff employed at Lawrenceville in 1998. The prison was promoted as a way to supply local jobs, according to archived reports.
VADOC deducted $4.3 million in contract breaches due to understaffing since 2018, according to memos obtained by Virginia Mercury. Over $600,000 of those violations were from a lack of medical staff.
VADOC would not say what it considers an adequate staffing ratio when contacted, and said to contact the GEO Group. The GEO Group did not respond to an email or phone call request by time of publication.
However, VADOC noted Lawrenceville had a 40% higher staff-to-inmate ratio than other similarly sized facilities, in its 2020 report. Lack of relief staffing was noted as a significant factor.
Low compensation levels were cited as an obstacle to recruit and retain staff.
"The company has basically demonstrated an incapacity to fully staff their facility," Meire said.
The incarcerated population is impacted by a lack of staffing, according to Shawn Weneta, policy strategist for ACLU Virginia. Weneta was incarcerated for 16 years, with seven spent in Lawrenceville.
"What that also means is the facility can't provide recreation like they're supposed to, they can't provide classes like they're supposed to, they can't provide programs like they're supposed to," Weneta said. "They can't even let people out of their cells because they don't have the staff to supervise people."
Drug Overdoses
The prison had the highest number of suspected and confirmed overdoses in the state prison system in 2022, accounting for 28%, according to a records request filed by CBS 6 WTVR-TV.
Twelve inmates died in fiscal year 2022, according to the news report. Drugs are smuggled in through various methods and people, including visitors and staff, according to the GEO Group senior vice-president James Black. People have been arrested attempting to smuggle in drugs and phones by drone.
"The Virginia Department of Corrections is laser-focused on preventing drugs and contraband from entering all of its facilities and will punish those caught smuggling into facilities to the fullest extent of the law," stated Kyle Gibson, VADOC director of communications, in an email statement.
Staff could be tempted to smuggle in drugs or look the other way through bribery, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy stated in its report last year on conditions at the prison.
People die in prison while serving their sentence, but they weren't sentenced to die, Weneta said.
"Staff is bringing in lethal drugs that are killing dozens of people in our prisons," Weneta said. "It's tragic and the public should care about it and we should be paying more attention to it and we should be doing things to address it."
Violence and deferred maintenance
There is a history of violence and injuries to the people incarcerated in the facility, though these issues persist at state-run facilities as well. There have been at least three incidents requiring hospitalization since August, including one where a prisoner was stabbed.
The GEO Group has revealed few details of the incidents to the media, and told ABC 8 WRIC-TV they take the incidents "with the utmost seriousness" and would continue to work diligently with VADOC.
VADOC also reported if the state assumed management, it would need to address the issue of at least $10 million in estimated deferred maintenance and capital repairs. Security electronics, communication, and camera systems also need "significant attention."
The facility replaced the wooden doors this year because it found that they did not properly contain the population, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The facility is "falling apart," Weneta said, with sewage coming up through the floor and issues with air conditioning.
Failed attempts
The General Assembly has knocked down attempts to de-privatize the management of Lawrenceville.
Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, introduced measures in 2020 and 2021 to prevent the state from using a private contract.
The bills failed to advance out of Democratic-led Senate committees. Of the 14 senators on the committee, all 11 who voted against the 2021 bill received campaign donations from the GEO Group between 2020-22.
The managing group donated $139,250, mostly split between parties, in the past three years that conversation ramped up around private management of the facility, according to campaign donations on the Virginia Public Access Project.
Sen. Barbara Favola D-Arlington, who voted in support of Ebbin's bill, would either like to see heavy regulations on Lawrenceville or have the facility completely taken back by the state.
"If we're going to do it, I would like to have a fair amount of regulations to sort of ensure quality, but I am in the corner of having the state operate the [prisons] rather than trying to improve a private sector model," Favola said.
Ebbin is still sorting out which bills he will file in the upcoming session, he said.
Lawmakers passed a budget in September that will fund $250,000 for a VADOC ombudsman. The person in this role will provide information to incarcerated people, family members and VADOC employees. They will also monitor conditions and make facility recommendations, among other responsibilities.
The budget also created a Corrections Oversight Committee with 13 members, that will include legislators and governor appointees. Two formerly incarcerated people will be appointed, along with a representative from a nonprofit group that advocates for prisoners.
National Trends
A lack of funds and overcrowding led to the start of prison privatization in the 1980s, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Privatization took off fairly quickly after that. The number of people incarcerated in private prisons worldwide in 1987 was 3,100. Eleven years later, the number had risen to 132,000.
The GEO Group is one of the largest private prison management companies in the nation. It also manages facilities in South Africa and Australia.
The number of privately operated prisons has increased in the U.S. but not at the previous pace. The private prison population across the country increased overall by 10% from 2000-21, according to the Sentencing Project.
Twenty-seven U.S. states use private prisons.
Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, North Dakota and Florida are the top five states where the private prison population increased in two decades. Arizona's increased by 415%, according to data from the Sentencing Project.
The use of private prisons is inconsistent from state to state. Montana holds nearly half of their incarcerated people in private prisons.
Virginia's private prison population size is just over 5% of overall incarcerated people in the state.
By Chloe Sutterfield, Capital News Service; Jason Tejeda Molina, VCU InSight
RICHMOND, Va. – The state needs to better fund the education of English language learners, despite recent budget increases, teachers in the field say.
Educators report that English learners have increased needs since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but there are not enough teachers or allocated funds, according to a Joint Legislative Audit and Commission review this year of Virginia's K-12 funding. The commission evaluates state agencies and writes policy analysis at the request of the state legislature.
The state Standards of Quality formula used to calculate staffing does not adequately account for higher needs students. It underestimates the number of second language teachers needed. The state's calculation of teachers needed was 47% of the number estimated as needed by workgroups that contributed to the JLARC report.
The state's ratio is one teacher per 50 English learner students. However, the average school division employed one English as a second language teacher for every 19.5 students. Workgroups still estimated that more teachers were needed.
One workgroup member described "excessively high caseloads" of over 100 English learner students per teacher, according to the JLARC report.
Virginia school divisions serve over 117,000 students whose primary language is not English, or about 10% of the student population, according to the Virginia Department of Education.
ESL program funding
State ESL funding has increased since 2019. The General Assembly appropriated $106.86 million for ESL this fiscal year to support 20 instructional positions per 1,000 English learner students. Local school divisions provide a match, based on an ability-to-pay index.
There are a couple of factors that play into ESL program funding.
Laura Goren is the director of research and education policy at the Commonwealth Institute, a public policy advocacy group.
Virginia has struggled to fund education for a number of years, especially for English learner programs, Goren said.
"We have not made as much progress in increasing funding for English language learners," Goren said. "I think that's an area where Virginia needs to do a whole lot more and we haven't made the progress we need to make."
Local governments have to provide funding to make up for inadequate state support, Goren said.
"Some local governments are much more able to pick up the slack and fund the schools than other local governments."
English learners had the most significant drop in state achievement scores of any student groups measured for state reading, math and science tests in 2021, according to the Commonwealth Institute.
But, Virginia ESL proficiency rates had already dropped 11.3% for fourth grade learners from 2009 to 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
But advocates say that English learners require more funding per pupil. English learners need up to 2 to 2.5 times more funding than other students, according to a study cited in a VPM report last year.
Jo-el Cox is the VDOE coordinator for English learner instruction. She provides technical assistance to educators, supports state and federal programming initiatives, and relays information on how to best support ESL students.
VDOE offers multiple training opportunities for ESL teachers to learn how to work with their students. They also have tools that help students and their families.
"This year we created a course in Canvas where individuals can log in and learn about the program models," Cox said.
There are five U.S. Department of Education's Language Instruction Educational Program, or LIEP, program modules in Virginia: transitional bilingual, dual immersion, English language development, content with integrated support and newcomer programs.
ESL programs are still recovering from COVID-19, in terms of student growth and student gains, according to Cox.
"I think not having that face-to-face in-person interaction consistently during COVID in some of our school divisions, really didn't do anything to support their learning and further their learning," Cox said.
The importance of ESL programs
More people are coming to the U.S. from other countries, according to Sarah Modrak. She is an LIEP education specialist.
Immigrant naturalization dipped in 2020 with borders and offices closed because of the pandemic. But since 2022, U.S. citizenship has increased by numbers not seen for more than a decade, according to Pew Research.
Modrak is also the supervisor for the Welcome Center at Tucker High School in Henrico County. The center helps ESL students register for school. Henrico County Public Schools has a variety of resources to support ESL students, Modrak said.
The Welcome Center was created to support students and their families through the transition to a new school.
"It's not easy for a family who has just arrived to kind of go through that registration process, to get all of the paperwork and documents that are required," Modrak said. "So it was a place where we could really spend more time in getting that process started as well."
The Welcome Center was impacted by COVID-19, according to Modrak. When everything moved online the center needed a new registration system so families had more options to get into schools.
Allyn Pritchard is a secondary lead LIEP teacher in Henrico. She teaches in multiple languages to cater to her students' primary language. Pritchard also helps teachers by assisting them with accommodations.
English learner programs look different now as a result of the pandemic, but not all of the changes have been negative. Schools are now able to connect with students and families in more convenient ways, according to Pritchard. She could not say if the changes have been easier or harder -- just different.
"I feel like there are more resources now than maybe we had before COVID to meet students where they are," Pritchard said. "The other thing is to be able to meet with families if we can't see families face to face."
ESL students want to learn, and it is important to have a variety of resources to support them in all aspects of their lives, Pritchard said.
"I definitely find there are more 'aha' moments," Pritchard said. "When students are learning English out of necessity, it's a great sense of accomplishment when a student comes in for the first time and they greet you before you greet them."
VCU InSight journalist Jason Tejeda Molina contributed to this report.
Helpline calls spike with Virginia gambling expansion
By Kaitlyn McMahon, Capital News Service; Video by Mario Navarro, VCU InSight
RICHMOND, Va. -- More money is being funneled into Virginia's problem gambling services, but advocates say increased gambling demands more resources for help.
Virginia ranked near the bottom of all states in the amount of money directed toward problem gambling before casino and sports betting were legalized. The Problem Gambling Treatment and Support fund was created in 2020 when gambling expanded in Virginia. Collection of revenues into the fund began in January 2021.
Before 2021, the Virginia Lottery directed approximately $75,000 annually to the fund, according to VPM. Casinos are now required to put .8% of a statutory tax into casino adjusted gross revenue, the money left after winning bets are paid, into the gambling help fund. Sports wagering sends 2.5% of taxed AGR to the fund.
Fifteen states increased their budget 5% or more between 2021 and 2022, according to the National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services.
Virginia significantly bumped up its support in 2022, and gave around $2 million to problem gambling services, according to numbers from NAADGS.
A report prepared for the General Assembly in 2019 estimated that effective problem gambling prevention and treatment could cost $2 million to $6 million annually.
Sports bettors are setting record breaking amounts of wagers. The state is collecting more tax revenue than was forecast four years ago, according to the Virginia Mercury.
Bettors used mobile apps to wager $565.56 million on sports in October, according to the most recent Virginia Lottery report. They wagered over $5.78 million through a casino sportsbook.
That left $56.36 million combined sports betting AGR for the state to tax.
The taxable amount from slots and table games at all three casinos combined in October was $49.56 million.
The AGR is similar but sports wagering sends more money to the problem gambling fund. Casino play contributed $72,887 toward the fund in October and sports betting contributed $213,754.
The majority of gamblers are not using casinos to access Virginia's 16 legal sports books.
Caesars Casino in Danville holds the highest share of casino sports betting at almost 6.5%. FanDuel is the state's No. 1 sportsbook with 40% of the market share, according to the state lottery October gaming compliance report. DraftKings is No. 2 with 28%.
Views on sports betting
Northern Virginia resident Cristian Lazo, age 21, began sports betting in May. He places weekly bets using DraftKings. Lazo uses online sports betting as opposed to in-person due to convenience.
Lazo was already a sports fan, and decided to earn some money.
"Betting on it can make watching the sport better sometimes," Lazo said.
Sports betting isn't uncommon among Lazo's friends. He mostly bets on football and soccer games, and he's won "a good amount of bets."
"I think the total amount of money I've won is somewhere around $350 to $400," Lazo said.
Lazo said he "technically" hasn't lost any money because of the rewards program that he takes advantage of. He puts some of his winnings toward other wagers.
Brendan Dwyer is the director of research and distance learning at the Center for Sports Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University. An associate professor, he has degrees in economics and sports administration.
"Sports betting is something that makes the sports industry more attractive," Dwyer said. "It's better for games and it's better for the consumer."
About 19% of Americans, or 1 in 5, reported sports betting in a 12-month period, the Pew Research Center reported last year. That includes online, with a friend or at a casino. Most people who bet are under the age of 50.
A majority see sports gambling as neither bad nor good for society. Only 8% saw it as a good thing for society, and a slightly higher amount saw it as good for sports.
About a third of people surveyed view gambling as bad for society and sports.
There are more positives than negatives, according to Dwyer, who does not think sports betting is going away "any time soon."
"As long as we identify who the major groups are that need to be aware of the challenges, I think it is something that should be supported by the leagues, the teams, by state legislatures because of the revenue that they get from it," Dwyer said.
Sports betting shifts younger
Gambling age demographics have shifted nationwide due to the recent legalization in many states.
Lia Nower is director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University.
"Overall, men have the highest rates of gambling problems as well as emerging adults, ages 21 to 25, followed by ages 26 to 44," stated Nower.
In-person gambling trends older while online casinos and sports betting trends younger, according to Nower.
The state helpline has seen a shift in the age of callers, which used to be older individuals who had been gambling for years before developing a problem, according to Carolyn Hawley.
Hawley works with the Virginia Lottery-funded problem gambling helpline as president of the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling. She is also an associate professor in the department of rehabilitation counseling at VCU.
"We've seen a huge shift, and this has been seen nationwide with also the onset of sports betting legalization, is a much younger demographic," Hawley said. "People who are starting to develop problems really quick ... it's that speed, that repetitive nature, that works with dopamine and just you know, accelerates that addictive process."
Roughly 2% of Virginia's population could be impacted by problem gambling, the state's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services commissioner said earlier this year.
Substance use disorders in the U.S. are 3.8 times more common than gambling disorders, according to the VCPG. But public funding for substance abuse treatment is about 334 times greater than public funding for all problem gambling services, or $24.4 billion versus $73 million, respectively, according to the VCPG.
Spike in helpline calls
The state problem gambling helpline has seen a 788% increase in total calls between 2019 and 2022, in part due to increased advertising of the services, according to Hawley.
"Since launching treatment and recovery services for Virginians last year, the need for these services is outpacing our resources," Hawley said.
Helpline operations are covered by Virginia Lottery funds. But the education, prevention and other activities of the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling are covered by membership fees, according to Hawley, and are not guaranteed from year to year.
Virginia used to be a "conservative" gambling state, Hawley said.
"We had our three main forms of gambling which was lottery, horse wagering and charitable, and since 2019 we just exploded with the forms of gambling that are now available and legal," Hawley said.
Substance abuse disorder and gambling disorder share a lot of the same characteristics, according to Hawley.
"Gambling can often be more insidious because you can't smell it, you can't see it, people are very good at hiding it," Hawley said.
There are also high rates of suicide among people with a gambling addiction, according ot Hawley.
Problem gambling has the highest rate of suicide among addiction disorders, with 1 in 5 attempting suicide, according to the nonprofit Health Resources in Action. A very high number of people with problem gambling meet criteria for other mental illnesses.
How to get started with help
Some signs that could indicate an individual has a gambling addiction, according to Hawley:
Gambling is interfering with life and causing problems.
A lot of time is spent thinking about gambling and planning the next gambling activity.
More time spent gambling than other activities the individual used to enjoy.
It takes more to get that same level of excitement.
It is hard to cut back or stop.
The VCPG helpline 1-888-532-3500.
VCU InSight journalist Mario Navarro contributed to this report.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia will break ground on several long-awaited rail projects next year and has started to announce construction partners.
Virginia's investment in its passenger rail infrastructure aims to reduce chronic traffic, decrease its carbon footprint and catch up to states with a competitive state-run passenger rail service, such as New York, and Illinois. The new focus on investment comes after decades of neglect.
Flash back to a late March afternoon at Alexandria Station in 2021. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg sits masked on stage as then-Gov. Ralph Northam announces a $3.7 billion investment in the state's passenger rail over a 10-year span.
Flash forward two years, and 9 of the initial 15 projects overseen by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority will soon leave the station.
The VPRA oversees all state-supported passenger rail services. The General Assembly created the agency in 2020 to keep up the momentum and shield public infrastructure projects from wavering political sentiment.
"Regardless of who's in office, I'm pretty confident that they've been in rush hour traffic before and they've been frustrated by congestion," said DJ Stadtler, VPRA executive director. "We've got such a compelling mission that we shield ourselves from that kind of political up and down."
Stadtler worked at Amtrak for 12 years in various executive roles prior to his work with the VPRA. He's the organization's first and only executive director. Amtrak is a partner in some VPRA efforts to transform rail service in Virginia.
"When you're looking at adding infrastructure, Virginia is actually way ahead of the game," said DJ Stadtler, VPRA executive director. "We've got the projects that are ready, they're being designed now."
Coming down the line
Nine projects are in varied states of preliminary engineering. That includes projects to the underserved but growing regions in Southwest Virginia and along the heavily trafficked Interstate-95 corridor between Richmond and Washington, D.C. At least a million passengers and millions of tons of freight ride the rails there annually.
The VPRA announced on Wednesday the selection of three construction partners for two major projects.
One is the northern part of the Long Bridge project.
The current Long Bridge, a two-track, 119-year-old piece of infrastructure owned by CSX, has become a choke point for passenger and freight trains alike. It operates at 98% capacity during peak travel hours.
A two-track railroad bridge dedicated to passenger rail will be constructed next to the old Long Bridge. CSX will retain ownership of the original bridge and use it for freight traffic exclusively.
Skanska and Flatiron were announced as the companies that will move the project from design to completion, with prep work starting next year and full construction beginning in early 2025. Skanska USA worked on the Moynihan Train Hall at New York Penn Station. Flatiron Corp. worked on the completed sections of the California High-Speed Rail project.
The new bridge will double rail capacity over the Potomac River and allow for almost hourly service between Washington D.C. and Richmond when completed in 2030.
The south part of the Long Bridge project will create a two-track passenger rail bridge over the Potomac River, and an adjacent bicycle-pedestrian bridge that connects trails and parks in Arlington to those in Washington D.C. VPRA will consider requests for proposals in February 2024.
The entire Long Bridge project is projected to cost $2.3 billion.
Flatiron and Herzog Contracting Corp. will work on the Franconia-Springfield bypass, the VPRA announced Wednesday. Herzog worked on the Brightline expansion of rail service in Orlando.
Bypass work will create a dedicated passenger rail bridge under one mile long, south of the Franconia-Springfield Metro station. The area is one of the most congested points in Virginia, according to the VPRA. A $100 million grant was awarded for this project in September. It is slated to cost approximately $405 million. Full construction will start in March 2024 and last two years.
There are multiple phases of the work VPRA will do along the I-95 corridor, with varied completion dates. The first two phases will add a combined 37 miles of additional track. Eventually, passengers will gain access to additional Amtrak round trips along I-95, and additional round trips and weekend service on the Virginia Railway Express Fredericksburg Line.
Other capital projects include increased service to Newport News and Norfolk, expansion of rail service to the New River Valley for the first time since 1979, and improved service between Richmond and Raleigh, North Carolina.
North Carolina on Tuesday announced a $1 billion U.S. Department of Transportation grant toward the Richmond to Raleigh project. That southern route will create a faster, more direct route between the cities.
In a broader sense, the Long Bridge connects Washington D.C. to the entirety of the Southeastern U.S. All northbound passenger trains from this region terminate in Washington, D.C.
"We're strong partners with other states like North Carolina," Stadtler said. "They know that all of the infrastructure that they're investing in is useless unless we deliver the Long Bridge because that really opens the capacity for everybody."
Driving train ridership
VPRA-led work appears to have increased interest in passenger rail. A record 1.26 million people rode Amtrak or Virginia Railway Express in the last fiscal year. The all-time monthly ridership record of 119,280 passengers was set in August 2022.
Erika Olivo-Espinoza is a college student who regularly takes the train between her Northern Virginia home and school in Richmond. Amtrak has pretty good diversity among its Virginia ridership, she said.
"I've seen a lot of students use Amtrak to go home as well," Olivo-Espinoza said. "I've also seen a lot of older people who can't drive, and also some families."
Olivo-Espinoza prefers Amtrak to other methods of transportation, like the bus, due to its speed, frequency and amenities.
"I took the train because I didn't have a car, it was just the most convenient thing for me, and it's not a long ride and they do have Wi-Fi," Olivo-Espinoza said. "They have good services."
The freight problem
Countries overseas have, for the most part, dedicated railways for passenger travel, according to Stadtler.
American passenger rail competes with freight railroads, which own the vast majority of trackage in the U.S. Freight trains stacked with cargo are long and slow-moving. Passenger trains need to go a lot faster. The two often get in each other's way.
"Historically in our country, whenever we've wanted to add passenger rail, the freight railroads have said 'well, it's our track, we're not going to do that,'" Stadtler said.
The U.S. standard is to negotiate track-sharing agreements with freight railroads, but the VPRA knew a different approach was needed to expand passenger rail.
"Let's go to the freight railroads," Stadtler said. "Let's find out where we need to add capacity so we can literally put passenger trains on a different track."
Virginia bought hundreds of miles of track from private freight railroads such as CSX and Norfolk Southern, at a total cost of $563 million. This investment will give passenger trains the right of way, make improvements to neglected rail infrastructure and increase train frequency.
Redesigning rail safety
New rail infrastructure projects, especially along the I-95 corridor, will increase safety through design. Railroads will be routed above roadways via bridges and streets will be redesigned.
Virginia is ranked 13th in U.S. railroad crossing collisions, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Almost all U.S. railroad fatalities are a result of either pedestrians trespassing or collisions at railroad crossings.
"So when you close crossings you eliminate entrances or, you know, passageways across a track," said Margaret Cannell, state coordinator for North Carolina Operation Lifesaver.
Cannell pointed out that in Japan there are very few instances of vehicles or pedestrians hit by trains. High-speed trains in Japan travel up to 200 mph. In Virginia, Amtrak trains move at speeds up to 79 mph, but on average at 50 mph.
"It's because the train tracks are separated from vehicles and from people," Cannell said. "They're elevated or they're completely separated so that those paths don't cross."
North Carolina engaged in a series of rail improvements in the late 2010s called the Piedmont Corridor project. It was similar to the improvements Virginia is undertaking now. Over 48 North Carolina crossings were closed, according to Cannell.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation and VPRA are working closely together on projects, according to Cannell.
"They're fully invested in making sure that it's the safest that it can be and that the number of crossings that have to exist are minimal and they're as safe as they could be," Cannell said.
Cannell saw how impactful the North Carolina improvements were, and said Virginia's new focus is "a big deal" -- a "legacy" program.
"It's a big thing to be doing and the cooperation of CSX and VDOT has ... just completely made this a really great project," Cannell said. "One that people will be talking about using for many, many years to come."
Reporter Anna Parada of VCU InSight contributed to this report.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Fatal overdose rates remain high in Virginia, even as the state begins to spread opioid settlement money to state and local agencies to help tackle the epidemic.
Death from drug overdoses, opioids and fentanyl in particular, has remained the dominant method of unnatural death in Virginia since 2013, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Overdoses ticked slightly down last year, but the number is forecast to remain about the same or higher this year.
The state's opioid epidemic was officially declared a public health emergency in 2016, and opioid-related deaths increased 274% between 2012 and 2022, according to VDH data. The number of all fatal overdoses had a slightly lower spike in the same time period, at 228%.
Overdose deaths from fentanyl had the biggest jump, increasing 3,866% in that same time.
Richmond, Roanoke, Petersburg, Portsmouth and Hopewell cities had the highest rate of fatal opioid overdoses in 2022.
Virginia ranks 27th in the country for drug-related death rates and 15th for number of overall deaths, according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'It was a point of desperation'
Last year, Travis Williams realized that he felt miserable both on and off drugs. He lived mostly in isolation, going to work and coming home to use cocaine and heroin.
"It was a point of desperation where nothing was working no more," Williams said. "Didn't wanna go forward, didn't wanna go back."
He threw away all the drugs he had, including methadone, but said he didn't experience withdrawal, which he credits to God.
"I don't want to kill myself, but I don't want to live like this no more," Williams said about the pivotal moment.
He has been sober for almost a year. He works with his best friend Jesse Wysocki, who he said he used to shoot heroin with, but now they're both in recovery and helping others.
Wysocki is the chief operating officer at the McShin Foundation, a community recovery organization in Richmond with 16 recovery homes.
The recovery program is 28 days long and available for anyone with substance use disorder, Wysocki said.
McShin does not offer detox or clinical services, although they help connect people with those programs.
McShin pairs people with a recovery coach. Wysocki, like most of the staff, are peer recovery specialists who have faced addiction. Peer recovery specialists are considered mentors and motivators to those struggling with addiction and go through a certification program by the Virginia Certification Board.
Wysocki says a recovery coach with experience helps in one's personal recovery and also to support others.
"Whether I was in prison, jail, different treatment centers, so I know a lot of the behaviors that are associated with it," Wysocki said. "So I'm able to help identify that, it helps me better assist who's here trying to get services."
For Williams, things came full circle when he was asked to work with McShin's intensive program. That's because of his first experience there in 2019. His then-recovery attempt ended with a relapse, and multiple doses of the medicine naloxone to reverse what could have been a fatal overdose — as it was for the friend he used with that night.
"I let my guard down and my disease started working with me," Williams said. "If I just do a little bit, I'll feel good."
That fatal overdose triggered changes at McShin, Williams said. And he served a two and a half year stint in jail for violating his charges.
When Williams eventually returned to McShin, he agreed to work at the intensive housing program because he felt he had unfinished business.
"Just a little bit that I've learned, through that I can give it back ... I find that like very fulfilling," Williams said.
Williams is now a part of the McShin team that helps with the reentry transition from prison or jail.
3 in 4 overdoses from fentanyl
Fentanyl overdoses were over 75% of fatal overdoses in 2022 in Virginia.
This year's number of fentanyl-related deaths is already over 1,000 and is expected to surpass last year's number, according to VDH data. Cocaine and methamphetamine-related fatal overdoses have spiked in recent years in Virginia, due to being more commonly mixed with fentanyl.
Sgt. Kevin Wilson has been with the Virginia Beach Police Department for 18 years. He started with the narcotics unit of the special investigations department in 2010.
Wilson began to see the rise in opioid-use, specifically heroin, followed by the rise of fentanyl, not long after he started work with the narcotics unit.
"The majority of stuff we get contains part if not all fentanyl," Wilson said.
Most illegal sellers and distributors aren't chemists, so they'll add a very potent substance such as fentanyl, Wilson said. That means a person's normal dose could be more potent, which drives an increase in overdoses. People might not know what they are getting.
"The overall strategy would be to go after the highest level source of supply so we can cut the head off the snake," Wilson said.
The industry is constantly evolving, he said, which presents challenges.
"Once you take somebody off the street another person's gonna take their place," Wilson said.
Wilson has notified many families that they've lost a loved one to an overdose.
"They want closure for themselves, for their loved one," he said. "So being able to backtrack and go and find who sold them the drugs that caused them to to die and then bring closure for the families is probably the most satisfying."
Virginia's response to epidemic
Prescription opioid overdoses began to drop in 2015, with a significant recent decrease. Opioid manufacturers, wholesale distributors and pharmacies have been sued for their contributions to the opioid epidemic through overprescribing, deceptive marketing and dispensing.
The Virginia General Assembly established the Opioid Abatement Authority in 2021. The OAA provides funds for efforts that educate, treat and support recovery for people addicted to opioids, according to Anthony McDowell, executive director of the OAA.
Virginia's estimated share of settlement money from the pharmaceutical industry is approximately $1.1 billion, as of September, according to a press release from state Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Grant applications for cities and counties began in January and the OAA approved over $23 million in June. This money is in the process of being transferred to its recipients, according to McDowell.
Localities requested OAA funding for a range of different tactics, according to McDowell.
"The cities and counties take stock of what the needs are at the community level and envision what it would take to address those needs and submit that in the form of a grant application to the OAA," McDowell said.
The OAA also approved in August just under $11 million in funding for state agencies, including executive branch agencies, judicial offices and universities. Programs include clinical research, prevention and education, treatment, recovery and more. Approximately $2 million is earmarked for media and education campaigns.
The VDH will receive the highest allotment at $2.9 million for its four programs. The bulk of funding will go toward increasing access to naloxone, the generic form of Narcan, which can be used to reverse opioid overdoses. One million dollars will support harm reduction programs. The department will also hire three new "opioid specialists" for each health district.
The Virginia Department of Corrections will receive $1.25 million for programs such as hiring six social workers and creating an educational video. VADOC will also launch a pilot program to test the effectiveness of medicine used to treat moderate opioid use. The selected participants will use an injectable buprenorphine extended-release medication instead of suboxone.
Parental substance use is one of the reasons children are removed from their home. There was an increase of these cases from 2010-2019, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services. It's common for family or friends to assume guardianship when a child is removed from the home. These guardians receive support through a kinship navigator program.
The DSS was given $205,500 to expand five kinship navigator programs, for the second half of 2024.
"As far as efforts that are being funded by the authority, it's too soon to be able to take stock of the results yet," McDowell said.
A locality's use of settlement money depends on where the lawsuit originated, if they were a part of the lawsuit and whether the funds are being distributed directly from the settlement or from the OAA.
The OAA was recently nationally awarded for its settlement allocation efforts.
The state has made it easier since 2016 to procure naloxone over the counter without a prescription. The state also has a program to train people to recognize an opioid overdose and administer naloxone.
Patients cannot be prescribed more than a seven-day supply of controlled substances containing opioids, unless under certain conditions, due to a state law passed in 2017.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Abortion polled as a top election issue in Virginia and likely propelled victories on Tuesday across several states.
Democrats attributed takeover of the state General Assembly to their defense of abortion rights. They campaigned against the Republican Party's view of abortion access as too restrictive and out of step with Virginia citizens.
Democrats retained control in the Senate with a narrow 21-19 majority, and barely flipped the House of Delegates. They currently sit at a 51-48 majority, with one undeclared race that shows the Republican candidate in the lead. The lead hinges on approximately 200 votes, as of Friday afternoon.
Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, won his Senate District 16 race against incumbent Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico. He was also one of four candidates to beat an incumbent; two in the Senate and two in the House.
VanValkenburg's victory was one of the most decisive for Democrats among districts seen as competitive. He attributed this to voter fear of the Republican agenda surrounding reproductive rights.
"I think one is that people were afraid that if Republicans gained control, they were going to take away women's rights," VanValkenburg said. "I think abortion access was of course a huge issue during our race and across the state."
Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said Dunnavant's views on abortion access cost her.
"It is a district that has always favored a woman's ability to make their own health care decisions," Surovell said. "Dunnavant's views were out of step with the voters of that district."
Dunnavant's new redistricted constituency also had a more Democratic lean. The senator voted against a 15-week ban earlier in the year, because it did not have exceptions for the mother.
Abortion has been a source of conflict between the two parties, according to former Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.
"They obviously think that they can make some inroads by arguing that Republicans want to ban abortion," Bolling said.
Republicans ran on central issues such as crime and safety, the economy and parents' rights. They presented their position on abortion as a reasonable compromise, with mostly unified messaging around a 15-week limit. They portrayed Democrats as radicals when accused of wanting to ban abortion.
The position of the Virginia Republican Party is clear and reasonable, according to Ken Nunnenkamp, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia.
"I think Gov. Youngkin has been pretty straightforward, and the Republican legislature has also been pretty straightforward, as have all of our candidates," Nunnenkamp said in an interview before the election. "That is what we support, 15 weeks."
The Republican position included three exceptions: rape, incest, and threat to health of the mother, Nunnenkamp said.
"Unrestricted abortions up until the moment of birth in our opinion is an extremist view," Nunnenkamp said. "Fifteen weeks with the three exceptions is not an extremist view."
Democrats argued their position is the more moderate one because they want to keep the current law in place.
"It does make sure that women have the right to choose," said Shyam Raman, executive director of the Virginia Democratic Party.
Virginia currently has a restriction in place after the first trimester of pregnancy that the procedure must be performed in a state-licensed hospital. The abortion can only be performed after the second trimester if the pregnancy would result in death or impairment of mental or physical health of the mother, and three physicians must agree. Life support measures must also be in place and utilized if there is any evidence of viability.
Twenty-one U.S. states now either have an abortion ban or restrict the procedure earlier in pregnancy than the constitutional standard established decades ago by Roe v. Wade, according to the New York Times. The U.S. Supreme Court removed the reproductive protections last year in its Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling and granted states the power to decide.
"We are seeing it in real time, being removed as a right that women in this country have held for for over 50 years," Raman said.
Voters have lost trust in Republicans, because they have previously pushed for more restrictions than they said they would, according to Raman.
"When Susan Collins voted for Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, it was, 'don't worry, they'll never overturn Roe,'" Raman said. "They promised."
The Republican position was not as moderate a compromise as presented, according to Amanda Wintersieck. She is an associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, who studies political behavior and communication.
"Fifteen weeks is frankly not enough time for most women," Wintersieck said. "To both know that they're pregnant, to make the determination that is their choice between themselves and their doctor that is best for them, and to find the resources."
Infant mortality rates increased for the first time in 20 years, according to a November report from the National Center for Health Statistics.
"For the first time in decades, maternal mortality and infant mortality are up in America," Wintersieck said. "I think it's going to be pretty clear as we move forward that the Dobbs decision is directly linked to those poor health outcomes for new mothers and their babies."
The abortion access debate encouraged turnout, not just in Virginia but nationwide, according to Wintersieck.
"If we look at the last couple rounds of elections, it has been a major motivator for people turning out to vote," Wintersieck said. "It's been a major motivator for young people turning out to vote."
Ohio voters also took to the polls Tuesday in emphatic support for an amendment to the state constitution to protect abortion access and other reproductive decisions. The amendment takes effect 30 days after the election.
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was reelected to his second term, after successfully pressing against his opponent's anti-abortion stance. Abortion is illegal in Kentucky, except in cases to save a mother's life.
Unofficial statewide turnout numbers from Wednesday indicate more than 39% of voters cast ballots in General Assembly races, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Turnout ranged from 21% to more than 56% within House and Senate districts. VPAP has a visualization by district, here.
That would put overall turnout near the 42% mark from last time all seats in the General Assembly were up for election in 2019. Localities will certify election results by Nov. 14 and the State Board of Election will certify the election on Dec. 4.
Democrats celebrated incoming results at a watch party on election night. They hoisted blue bricks and celebrated building a "brick House" to match the "brick wall" that the Senate Democrats used the past two years to deflect Republican policy.
At the end of the night, Del. Don Scott D-Portsmouth, who is poised to become the next House speaker, reiterated that voters supported abortion access.
"I think the No.1 thing is that they rejected the extremism of trying to tell women what to do with their bodies," Scott said.
Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, tied the issue of abortion access to freedom. Democrats won key races because voters want people who will fight for their freedom, he said.
"Our freedoms are on the line," Helmer said. "Our democracy is on the line. It's so important we have people who will fight for our freedom and Virginians see that."
In his victory speech, VanValkenburg added that the election results were a sign voters want progress to continue.
"They want us to focus on the things that matter, whether it's their kids' schools, whether its bringing down health care costs, creating a dynamic economy, protecting our environment, trying to reduce gun violence, and they certainly don't want us taking away women's rights," VanValkenburg said.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Democrats maintained control of the Senate and narrowly took control of the House on Tuesday, in a contest some consider a mid-point evaluation of the governor's leadership and influence.
All 140 seats in the General Assembly were up for election, with many new contestants due to redistricting. The previous majorities in both legislative bodies were narrow and remain tight still.
Democrats kept their 21-19 majority in the Senate. They flipped the House, but one race could hinge on mail-in votes, and the Democrat has not conceded. Their new majority will closely mirror the hold Republicans had, and currently sits at 51-48 until the final race is declared.
This is the largest group of women of color to be elected to the state legislature, according to political advocacy group Care in Action.
Del. Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, will serve as Virginia's first Black House Majority Leader.Virginians are ready to "move on," he said, speaking to the significance of his historic appointment in the "oldest continuous democracy" in the U.S.
"To see that this will be the first time that a Black person holds the gavel in the House of Delegates and it would be me? It's an honor," Scott said. "All of the commonwealth of Virginia, whether you're Republican or Democrat, can be proud of this day."
Democrats hoisted blue bricks at the victory party and thanked voters for giving them a "brick House" and a "blue wall" to stop the momentum of Republican policy, a reference to the "brick wall" often used by Senate lawmakers the past two years.
The campaign efforts of Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state Republicans were substantial but ultimately "rejected" by voters, according to a press release from the Democratic Party of Virginia.
Democrats reclaimed the majority they lost two years ago, but now under a Republican governor. Democrats could struggle to get the constitutional two-thirds majority needed to overturn a veto, meaning their legislative ability could be impacted.
Youngkin expressed optimism at a press conference Wednesday about working with what he described as a "pretty bipartisan-looking" General Assembly, but said legislators need to be dedicated to cooperation.
Senate Republicans celebrated holding 19 seats, and the new freshman senators added to their ranks.
"We had so many partners who aided this effort, which was driven by strong nominees," stated Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, in a press release. They said Youngkin was an "outstanding team leader" in the effort.
The caucus lamented the loss of Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, and recognized her "leadership, strength, resolve, and selflessness."
Dunnavant's opponent, Schuyler VanValkenburg, won by just over 7,000 votes. He now moves from the lower chamber, where he represented Henrico as a delegate, into a four-year Senate term. VanValkenburg pointed to the victory as a "sign of social progress to continue," and shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, that his first act as senator will be to advance legislation on the safe storage of firearms – something that failed to pass last session.
"Henrico County shows up," VanValkenburg said in his victory speech Tuesday. "People come up, they roll up their sleeves, they put a smile on their face and they talk about the things that matter. Because of that, people show up to vote, and we win elections."
Nearly 800,000 votes were cast during the early voting period, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. This marks a decrease in early voter participation compared to previous years. Final turnout numbers will not be available until after the election results have been certified, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
Del. Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg, announced victory, though her Democratic opponent Kimberly Pope Adams said the race is "too close to call." The 173-vote margin is too narrow, according to Adams, and there are still mail-in votes to count.
Republican Danny Diggs announced victory over Sen. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg, in the Senate District 24 race. Mason had not conceded as of Tuesday night, with a 1,022-vote difference.
Such tight margins were seen across several other races. This shows how important it is for voters to turn out.
"If you don't wanna vote for yourself, vote for your children," said Chesterfield County voter Patricia Ighodalo. "They're your future. And if we wanna make a difference in our future, we have to vote."
Republican early voter participation increased compared to previous years, according to VPAP data, possibly after a hearty endorsement from the governor that included a statewide bus tour. Democrats still cast more early votes this year.
"Sometimes people don't vote, thinking that nothing's going to change," said Stafford County voter Carrie Schaefer. "When we do come out in large numbers, things can happen."
The last full General Assembly election in 2019 saw the highest turnout for statehouse elections this century, with over 42% of all Virginia voters taking part.
"People died for this privilege and right to vote," said Petersburg voter Polina Norman, who grew up during the Civil Rights Movement. She was up early Tuesday morning "bugging" her neighbors to go vote.
Chesterfield County voter Kirk Johnson said his parents paid a poll tax, which makes him value his ability to vote.
"All I have to do is come up here," he said.
Elected officials have substantial decision-making power that influence everyday life, though turnout rarely matches the impact.
"It doesn't matter whether it's a presidential election or whether it's a local election," said Chesterfield County voter Marlene Wheelhouse. "It's important to vote at all."
A lot of the races were predictable. There were only 11 races ranked as competitive – four Senate and seven House – and a handful of closely watched suburban races where turnout mattered. Competition is a positive for the state, said Alex Keena, an associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The majority of Southern states lack the same competitiveness, according to Keena.
"Virginia isn't as polarized as other states where Democrats and Republicans can't really work together," Keena said, cautiously optimistic for bipartisan progress.
However, a Democratic majority in the legislature could prove troublesome for Youngkin's future political odds.
"There isn't a lot of appetite for Youngkin outside of Virginia," Keena said, despite high in-state approval rates.
Democrats saw their victory as a voter resistance against an abortion ban, and a win against Republican efforts to roll back some recent laws. Virginia is the only Southern state that hasn't implemented new abortion restrictions after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
"The number one thing is that [voters] rejected the extremism of trying to tell women what to do with their bodies," Scott said.
Republican lawmakers "stand ready" to oppose Democrats despite their new majority, according to McDougle.
"[We will] promote our positive agenda of fighting inflation, lowering taxes, supporting law enforcement, and getting energy prices under control," McDougle stated. "We will also stand strong against the Democrats' extreme progressive agenda."
Pundits believe Virginia is a bellwether state and the election results could portend the lean of the 2024 presidential election.
Virginians were not just casting ballots for legislators this cycle. Voters made big decisions on referendums such as the Richmond casino, which failed for a second time and on a larger margin.
"We are proud to have run a community-centered campaign to create more opportunities for residents of this great city to rise into the middle class," organizers Richmond Wins, Vote Yes stated in a press release.
Additionally, Hanover County voters rejected a contested measure that would have allowed them to elect their school board leaders, with 52% of the vote. Gloucester County voters struck down a 2-cent per $100 assessed real estate tax that would have funded capital projects such as a fire station and renovation of school buildings.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Some Virginia child care facilities face an uncertain future with the September expiration of pandemic-era relief funding. Additionally, a recent report found facilities are understaffed and child care is unaffordable for many Virginia families, especially those with young children.
An estimated 88,265 kids in Virginia will lose their child care, according to The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank. An estimated 1,383 programs could close and 2,861 child care workers will lose their jobs.
Places like L & E Bright Future Child Day Center in Virginia Beach are in financial limbo.
Owner Elizabeth Oppong received past government funding, and said she's still struggling to keep the doors open. Her situation will be worse without federal funding, she said.
Oppong can't afford to hire more teachers, she said. That also means she cannot enroll new students, because there are state protocols for teacher to student ratios in day cares. She loses money every day, but there is a demand for her services.
"I get parents calling me every day," she said. "I do have spots, but I don't have a teacher yet."
Oppong, a single mother, opened her day care to help low income families access affordable child care, something she didn't have.
"Half your paycheck is going to day care," Oppong said. "When we opened the day care we decided to open a day care that's affordable."
Most of her clients use social services funding. Her rate can't increase unless the social services rate increases, she said. Oppong can't offset costs, which have seen "a big jump."
"My rent increases 3% every year," she said. "The bills continue to increase; I have gone from $9 an hour to $14 an hour to my staff."
Child care centers were stabilized during the pandemic with $24 billion from the 2021 American Rescue Plan. Day cares used funds to keep doors open despite lower enrollment rates and the increased cost of operations. There was an additional $15 billion injected to the Child Care and Development Fund.
It is estimated the program helped 220,000 child care providers nationwide, saved approximately 9.6 million child care slots and more than 1 million child care jobs.
Almost 5,000 child care programs in 96% of Virginia counties received a portion of funding, which impacted up to 317,500 children. Almost 3,000 centers used funds to pay for personnel costs and staffing, according to the Virginia ARP Child Care Stabilization Fact Sheet.
More than 2,100 child facilities operated out of homes used stabilization payments to make rent and mortgage payments, typically their largest expense.
Maria-Isabel Ballivian is the executive director of the Annandale Christian Community for Action Child Development Center. The center has the capacity to serve 290 children, but has only 187 enrolled. This is mainly due to staff retention. The center has lost potential staff to the school system because it can't compete with the wages schools provide, Ballivian said.
This directly impacts the quality of care the center is able to provide, she said. An increased number of enrolled children now have developmental delays, particularly speech delays, as a direct result of the pandemic and isolation during critical development, Ballivian said.
"Now early childhood programs like ACCA that are high quality, that provide an inclusive environment for children with special needs, are being forced to do a lot more with a lot less," she said.
Congress called on Biden in August to invest $16 billion to keep the Child Care Stabilization Fund program going. The end of the program will only worsen the crisis, the letter stated.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who signed the letter, is cosponsor on a bill to extend the fund. Versions of the Child Care Stabilization Act have been introduced in the House and Senate.
Kaine held a video call with the press in late September to discuss short-term solutions to the national budget.
"I am hopeful that in that deal we will include the same kind of robust increases for child care funding that we were able to get in last year's budget," Kaine said.
Federal lawmakers have until Nov. 17 to pass a budget.
A Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report on Oct. 16 found child care is unaffordable for many Virginia families, especially those with young children. Child care costs throughout Virginia surpass 10% of the median income. The federal government defines affordable child care costs at 7% or less of household income.
The demand for child care in Virginia beats out the availability, with at least 140,000 more slots needed to fill the gap, according to the report.
The JLARC report focused on the state's TANF, SNAP and Child Care Subsidy Programs. JLARC estimated 25,000 less children will have access to subsidized care when state program funding expires next year.
Virginia needs to keep expanded child care funding in place, the commission recommended. It outlined several other legislative and executive actions that could improve access to child care.
RICHMOND, Va. – College-aged people are among the largest voting block, yet tend to have the lowest turnout in elections, according to Campus Vote Project Virginia coordinator Amber Wilt.
The group is a project of the Fair Elections Center and works to reduce barriers to student voting, according to its website.
Just over 20% of voters ages 18-29 cast a ballot in Virginia's midterm elections last year, according to Tufts University. The state with the highest voter turnout in that age group in 2022 was Michigan, with 36.5%.
"Everyone has concerns, whether it's political or not, and they all are impacted by their ballot," Wilt said. "So I try to work with them a little bit to identify how their concerns can be shown on the ballot."
There are two primary obstacles between college students and voting, according to Wilt.
"One is students not feeling like their vote matters and that it amounts to anything, and the other being that they just don't really feel like they know enough about what's up for election," Wilt said.
There are definitely "unfortunate hurdles" that can get in the way of voting, according to Maria Reynoso, founder and executive director of We Vote VA. The group presents election information through digital content.
"At the same time, there are a lot of things happening in Virginia and across the country that could be motivating factors for people to really have their voice heard," Reynoso said.
Representatives should be more transparent and present more information online to help boost turnout among young voters, according to Reynoso.
"Young people are motivated. They're energized. They want to be involved," Reynoso said. "I think we just have to do a better job at giving access, making electoral information more accessible to people."
VCU Votes is a student coalition and a separate course, according to freshman Lucie Carberry, a student in the VCU Votes course. Students hosted an event Oct. 19 that mirrored a voting simulation to better prepare students for voting.
"A lot of college students have the problem of being embarrassed that they don't know how to vote and they end up not voting because of the anxiety related to the embarrassment of actually voting," Carberry said.
Most Virginia universities have campus organizations to increase voter education and engagement, such URGOV at the University of Richmond, HoosVote at University of Virginia, and Marlins Vote at Virginia Wesleyan University.
"There are groups on campus that are dedicated to this, and I would say search and find those groups, or go to your political science faculty members," said Carah Ong Whaley, academic program officer at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "They're going to be a really credible source of information if you don't have a voting coalition on campus."
College students face hurdles such as motivational and technical barriers when voting, Ong Whaley said.
"This isn't necessarily the case in Virginia, but in other states, there's just outright attempts to block young people from voting," Ong Whaley said.
Virginia has increased access to voting in recent years.
"Students can use their student ID to go vote, but they may not know that, and so helping inform them about how and demystifying the process of voting will help them get to the polls," Ong Whaley said.
Political parties can help make voting social, celebratory and communal. That is important, especially in a divisive environment, Ong Whaley said.
"Ask what you can do to improve your community the day after elections," Ong Whaley said. "Especially this year when we're talking about state and local elections, you know, these are really elections that impact our everyday lives as residents in Virginia, so it is really important to be a voter."
Virginia college voter guide 2023
Students may be confused about how to vote when away from home, especially after redistricting in 2021, according to Reynoso.
Virginia's redistricting may have changed a voter's representatives or impacted the partisan lean of their district. Voters can check districts and potential changes on the Virginia General Assembly website.
"Whether you're in school, living in the district that you're in right now, or going back home, local representation is what impacts you the most," Reynoso said.
All 140 seats in the state's General Assembly, which creates laws for all state residents, are open this election. There are 100 seats in the House of Delegates and 40 in the Senate.
There are also over 2,300 candidates vying for election to local seats and positions such as mayor, school board, board of supervisors, treasurer, clerk of court, commonwealth attorney and sheriff.
Voting is important in all districts and races, according to Reynoso. Turnout can sway the outcome of races, some more than others. The Virginia Public Access Project ranks districts by leans Republican, strong Republican, leans Democratic, strong Democratic and competitive.
There are 11 districts rated competitive by VPAP, and a handful of others that pundits consider too close to call.
Senate District 17: Suffolk, Franklin and Emporia cities. Isle of Wight, Southampton, Brunswick, Greensville counties. Portsmouth and Chesapeake cities (partial). Dinwiddie County (partial).
SD 24: Williamsburg and Poquoson cities. York County. Newport News City (partial). James City County (partial).
SD 27: Fredericksburg City. Stafford and Spotsylvania counties (partial).
Are you registered? Check voter registration status on the Virginia Department of Elections website.
If you are not registered, that's OK. Same-day registration is allowed in Virginia. You won't be turned away, but you will receive a provisional ballot to vote and sign a quick form agreeing you are eligible to vote.
Provisional ballots are placed in separate envelopes, and reviewed the day after the election.
Will you vote at your permanent residence or where you reside when away at school? You can vote in either place, but have to choose one.
What to bring to the poll:
One form of ID is required, including a Virginia driver's license or school-issued ID with photo. A utility bill, paycheck or bank statement that shows your name and address is also acceptable.
For a full list of acceptable ID, click to the state elections website.
Don't have any of that? You just have to sign a statement and vote with a provisional ballot.
Key Dates:
Friday, Oct. 27: Last day to request an absentee ballot.
Saturday, Nov. 4: Last day of in-person early voting.
Tuesday, Nov. 7: Election Day.
Friday, Nov. 10: Mail-in ballots must be received by noon, postmarked no later than Nov. 7.
RICHMOND, Va. – The commercial harvest of blue crabs has been extended in Virginia as the crab population trends upward.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted last week to approve the extension recommended by the Crab Management Advisory Committee. The harvest of crabs by hard crab pot is now Dec. 16, pushed back from Nov. 30. Lower bushel limits will begin Nov. 1 instead of Oct. 1.
The purpose of these changes is to promote efficient utilization of blue crabs and economic stability for the fishing industry, according to the Marine Resources Commission.
"Female crabs are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring on them," said Alexa Galván, a fisheries manager with the commission during a VRMC meeting. "But, the 2021 and 2022 exploitation rates were slightly above the target, not of the threshold which would be overfishing."
Blue Crab Vulnerability
The blue crab is an iconic part of the Chesapeake Bay, commercially and culturally. Their harvest brings in tens of millions of pounds of crab annually.
The Chesapeake Bay is home to hundreds of millions of blue crabs, according to a yearly survey by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Fisheries Service of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The first 1990 survey reported 791 million crabs. There were 323 million reported this year.
The Bay's blue crab population had been on a four-year decline before this year. The crabs were at their lowest population in 33 years in 2022, according to the survey.
The recent 42% increase prompted state agencies to expand commercial fishing timelines.
Blue crabs haven't been overfished since 2008, when a framework was put in place to protect female crabs, according to Mandy Bromilow. Bromilow is a fisheries specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"Blue crabs are a short-lived species and high natural variability in the population is not uncommon," Bromilow stated.
The population continues to show some signs of stress, according to Chris Moore, senior regional ecosystem specialist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The target level for adult female crabs is about 200 million and currently sits at about 150 million. The crab population has started to get healthier but concern from marine specialists remains.
Crabs have a sensitivity to various factors.
Areas of water with low oxygen, known as dead zones, could take away habitats and food sources from the blue crabs, according to Moore. The dead zones have gotten smaller, but environmentalists are also focused on improving other factors such as water quality and the underwater grass areas where crabs hide and feed.
Crabs are affected by "everything," including weather. It can be hard to pinpoint why the population is up or down in any given year, according to Moore.
"Our weather affects how many blue crabs actually come into the mouth of the Bay each year and then obviously migrate throughout the rest of the Bay," Moore said.
Crabs perish in really cold temperatures, but milder temperatures prevented a "winter kill" in recent years.
"In some ways, blue crabs may be one of the winners from climate change," Moore said.
Loved in Virginia, not yet embraced in Italy
Blue crabs have made recent headlines in Italy, where they have no natural predators. The new abundance in Italy is considered an invasion, a crisis and a threat to the economy. The Italian government allocated over $3 million to help fight against the overwhelming blue crabs.
Blue crabs have been in Italy for a while, likely because the larvae were transferred on ship ballast water, according to Moore. However, the population has expanded without natural predators or awareness of what to do with the crabs.
The warmer Mediterranean Sea allows blue crabs to dodge winter kill, according to Moore.
"The ones that are over in Italy right now, they're probably there to stay and hopefully they develop some good fisheries techniques for them and they're able to add them to the menus," Moore said.
Virginia would not relocate Italian blue crabs to bolster the Chesapeake Bay population, for concerns of disease. A possible method to increase the population would focus more on controlled cultivation and release of the adults -- but the aquaculture method is hard because crabs cannot be packed in, according to Moore.
"We're continuing to do a lot of work to try to ensure a healthier population," Moore said. "Everything from making sure we have a well-managed fishery to improving water quality and habitat."
Seafood Industry
Lower blue crab populations have an economic impact, but so does Virginia's waning infrastructure to process crab meat. People process crabs by removing the shells and picking out the meat, which is often sold by the pound. The decrease in crab picking infrastructure has probably had more effect on the market of crabs than the actual number of crabs out there, according to Moore.
"Historically, people from the community worked in the picking houses," Moore said. "We're very good at picking crab meat."
A lot of the picking workforce shifted to nonimmigrant workers, through the H-2B program, according to Moore. The H-2B program allows U.S. employers to temporarily hire migrant workers for a limited time to perform nonagricultural labor or services.
It's been getting harder for people to participate in the program, and also just to find people who know how to pick crabs can "be tough as well," Moore said.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Terms like volley llamas, flabjacks and dillballs sound like a bad joke, but are actually terms used in pickleball, a sport that's a smash hit in Virginia.
In fact, there are three upcoming pickleball tournaments in October alone and new facilities opening.
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport across the nation as of 2022, according to the national governing authority, USA Pickleball. The sport has taken hold in the South Atlantic region, which includes Virginia.
Virginia ranks No. 10 in the nation for pickleball courts, as determined by the Pickleheads website. The site reports 428 pickleball courts in Virginia. The website is a 101-level sport resource and a hub for finding players, courts and groups.
The sport is a hybrid of badminton, tennis and Ping-Pong that can be played on an indoor or outdoor court.
Bangers and Dinks recreational pickleball facility opened in Chesterfield County in July. Nicole Thompson and husband Jack are co-owners. The spot, named after two of the sport's terms, is central Virginia's first indoor pickleball facility, according to Nicole Thompson.
The facility offers floors with Pro-Cushion surfacing, specialized lighting, changing rooms and drink and snack options.
"I think pickleball is popular because it's easy to learn but hard to master," Thompson said.
Competitive camaraderie is a part of the game, according to Thompson. The pickleball culture encourages laughter and fun when playing.
Bangers and Dinks host college athletic teams, corporate team building events, holiday and birthday parties. There are single, dual and family memberships available, or drop-in play for a daily fee of $12.
Performance Pickleball RVA will open in Henrico County on Dec. 1. The facility plans to be the largest indoor pickleball space in the region, according to chief operating officer Jon Laaser. There are 18 total courts; 12 indoor courts and six outdoor courts.
Laaser wound up falling in love with pickleball, despite his initial indifference. He and his wife joined the Western Henrico Pickleball group shortly after. His background in tennis and Ping-Pong helped him learn the game quickly.
"I think there's kind of a misconceptions because of the name, that it's, you know, a goofy sport," Laaser said.
Pickleball is a sport for all ages, cultures and backgrounds, Laaser said. The sport offers people the chance to connect with strangers.
"The game has really skewed younger, and the older players that loved it in the beginning are still playing, but you really see it run the gamut age wise," Laaser said.
Laaser's soon-to-open facility was inspired from feedback after he hosted a few pickleball tournaments with his wife. This year they hosted two pickleball tournaments; Ladybug Classic and Body Armor 804. Ladybug Classic had 300 participants and Body Armor 804 offered approximately $10,000 in prize money.
Performance Pickleball RVA will host a grand opening celebration, The Pickle Ball, on Dec. 20. Riley and Lindsey Newman, ranked No. 2 and No. 9 respectively in mixed doubles in the Professional Pickleball Association tour, will attend.
Jonathan Medina Alvarez, a Richmond-area pickleball player, will be the club's resident professional, according to Laaser. Alvarez is the No. 3 ranked singles player in the Association of Pickleball Players. The association is officially sanctioned by USA Pickleball, which formed in 2005. Alvarez will lead instruction, clinics and crossfit training.
Other pickleball courts throughout Virginia, private and public, can be tracked on the pickleheads website.
It feels like pickleball just arrived, but this year marks the 58th anniversary of the sport, according to USA Pickleball. Three men created the game in 1965, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. The oft-repeated origin story is that they wanted to play badminton but had to use Ping-Pong paddles instead.
The number of pickleball players increased 159% in the last three years, according to USA Pickleball. There are approximately 70,000 official members and an estimated 4.8 million players in the U.S. The largest total demographic for pickleball players is ages 18-34.
There are over 44,000 courts. The governing association estimated that 130 new locations open per month.
Upcoming pickleball tournaments in Virginia include the Legends Championships in Wintergreen on Oct. 6; Upshot Pickleballs' Hustle and BUSTle Open in Fredericksburg on Oct. 13; and Pickleboo in Henrico County on Oct. 27.
Tournaments all over the world can be found on the Pickleball Brackets website.
Terms to know:
Fault: Any rules violation that stops play. If fault is a result of the receiving team, the serving team gets a point.
Line-call: When a ball in a play does not land in the required court space. The preferred word to indicate a line call is "out."
Two-Bounce Rule: Each side must make one groundstroke after the serve, prior to volleying the ball.
Non-volley zone: The area within 7 feet on both sides of the net. No volleying or smashing in this zone. Commonly called "the kitchen."
Volley: During a rally, a strike of the ball out of the air before the ball has bounced.
Overview of how to play doubles pickleball, per the official USA Pickleball Rulebook:
To begin the game the score must be called aloud. The server calls the serving team's score first, then the receiving team's score, lastly the server's number. The first call will always be "zero-zero-two," as the original server is referred to as the second server.
A serve is underhanded, and cannot be above the waist. A serve is made diagonally crosscourt. At the start of the game the server is awarded only one serve.For the remainder of the game, if the serving side faults then their partner has one more opportunity to serve.
Volleys are initiated outside of the non-volley zone. A player can be in the non-volley zone as long as their opponent is not volleying the ball. A player can stay inside the non-volley zone before or after returning a bounced ball.
The receiving team must let the ball bounce once after a serve. After the initial serve, the receiving side can hit the ball out of the air or choose to allow it to bounce.
The ball cannot bounce twice. If it does it is considered a "fault," any faults in the game means the opponents gain possession of the serve. Until another fault occurs and then the possession of the serve is switched again.
If the serving side holds serve (serving players continue gaining points), after each point the server will alternate serving from the left to right side.
When the servers advantage is even numbers they will serve on the right side, when the servers advantage is odd numbers they will serve on the left side. The receiving team returns the ball in the diagonal court of the server.
Similar to tennis, the ball must stay inside of the lines. The opponent can call "out," if they believe the ball from their opponent is out of bounds.
The most commonly used scoring option is best 2 of 3 games to 11 points. Players must win by 2 points.
RICHMOND, Va. -- The recently finalized Virginia budget makes significant investments in mental health services across the state, according to mental health advocates.
Gov. Glenn Younkin signed the budget into law in early September. It allocates billions of dollars in surplus funds to be used for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends in July. Many components of the funding for mental health services reflect Youngkin's "Right Help, Right Now" behavioral health plan, which emphasizes community–centered mental health care.
The budget allocates $58 million from the general fund to "expand and modernize" Virginia's comprehensive crisis services system. This includes investment in crisis receiving centers and crisis stabilization units, as well as enhancements to existing sites. Crisis receiving centers are alternatives to hospital emergency rooms, and offer communities a "no-wrong-door access to mental health and substance use care," according to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
Youth Mental Health Care
Lawmakers allocated over $10 million for the Virginia Mental Health Access Program. The program helps address the state's shortage of pediatric mental health specialists by training primary care providers in mental health care and offering a call line for weekly support, according to the program's assistant director of operations Rachel Reynolds.
There are 264 child and adolescent psychiatrists in Virginia, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. That equates to 14 psychiatrists for every 100,000 children, the national average, and falls within the range of a "severe shortage." There are many counties without a child psychiatrist.
This $4 million increase from last year will help the program broaden its service scope beyond pediatric care, Reynolds said.
"The biggest part of this additional $4 million allocation is going to be used to expand the program to perinatal health and maternal health," Reynolds said. "It's going to be able to include support for postpartum individuals, and they can be seen either through a pediatric office or an OB-GYN's office."
More than $12 million is allocated for child psychiatry and children's crisis response services and divided among health planning regions based on the current availability of services. The funds can be used to hire or contract child psychiatrists, train other health care providers or create new crisis response services with an ultimate goal to keep children out of inpatient care and encourage community-based services.
The budget included an additional $5 million for school-based mental health integration grants. These grants allow schools to partner with community mental health providers and bring care directly to students, according to Rachael Deane, CEO of Voices for Virginia's Children, a child policy and advocacy organization.
"It's really bringing that support system to the school, which we feel is a really commonsense way to go about it," Deane said. "We know that kids spend a lot of their time in school and in the school community, and these grants allow schools to help meet mental health needs by bringing folks into the school setting."
Voices for Virginia's Children continues to advocate for sustained funding for school-based mental health programs, Deane said. Overall, the organization is pleased with what funding has been allocated but "could always use more."
"We're immediately now looking forward to December, where the governor will unveil his proposal for the next biennial budget in Virginia, and we're hoping that even more investments for mental health will be in that budget," Deane said.
Community-Based Care
Other funding highlights include a one-time fund of $5 million for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to contract with local law enforcement agencies to transport individuals in emergency mental health situations to treatment facilities or to assume custody of them.
An allocated $18 million will allow community services boards staff to see a salary increase, effective Jan. 1 next year.
The budget allocates $3.1 million, a $1.5 million increase since last year, for the Behavioral Health Student Loan Repayment Program. The program promises to repay a portion of an eligible behavioral health professional's student loan debt in exchange for their commitment to practice in Virginia for a minimum of two years, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
A student loan repayment program, and others like it, can help support the pipeline for mental health professionals, according to Bruce Cruser, executive director of the advocacy group Mental Health America of Virginia.
This budget is a great first step, Cruser said, but the organization hopes to see more support and funding for the pipeline in the next biennial budget.
"We could have all the funded services out there in the world, but if we don't have people to provide the services, it doesn't get us anywhere," Cruser said.
"We need to have incentives to encourage people to go into the mental health field at all levels, from psychiatric nursing to therapists to psychiatrists to peer supporters," Cruser said. "We really want to see a big effort there."
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia schools will be able to hire more support staff positions, something educators say is desperately needed amid a continued teacher shortage.
State lawmakers last month approved an amended budget that will direct $152 million toward these school support positions. The appropriations help boost the ratio of allotted support staff per teacher. The funding ratio increased from 21 support positions per 1,000 pupils to 24 per 1,000 pupils -- though the older standard was 26 support positions, according to a July report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
This funding has been capped for over a decade, following a $3.7 billion shortfall in the Great Recession-era budget that was never adjusted. The cap reduction resulted in a $331 million reduction in state education funding last year, according to JLARC.
Some positions limited by the cap include administrative, clerical and operations staff, as well as technology and instructional professionals, according to the Virginia Association of School Superintendents website. Many education groups say the cap has resulted in the loss of thousands of support staff, even as enrollment grew.
The state's Standards of Quality provide the foundation for public education, including minimum staffing needs. The standards typically under-calculate how much staff is actually needed, according to JLARC. Elimination of the support cap was a near-term recommendation on the report.
Virginia school divisions receive less K–12 funding per student than the national average, according to JLARC. Other states receive just under $2,000 more per student.
Chad Stewart, the Virginia Education Association's policy analyst, said this cap was supposed to be temporary.
"An entire generation of kids have gone through their K-12 experience in the state of Virginia with far less support staff for helping their schools function and making sure that teachers weren't overwhelmed with all these additional duties, and could focus on teaching," Stewart said.
When there is an inadequate amount of support staff in schools, teachers or other support staff have to fill multiple positions, according to Stewart.
"It takes them [teachers] away from the duties they're trained to do, which is supporting students in different ways," Stewart said.
Guidance counselors in particular have fulfilled multiple support positions, such as monitoring cafeterias or clerical work in the office, according to Stewart. A law took effect July 1 to ensure counselors spend at least 80% of their time doing direct counseling of students.
Teacher Karl Knoche has worked at Virginia Beach City Public Schools since 2007. He has taught government and economics at First Colonial High School since 2014.
"All the support staff at my school does a great job of helping teachers and students, and I feel that I can go to them with any problems," Knoche stated in an email.
Knoche has extra duties such as monitoring students between classes, during lunch and before school, which can be "time consuming," he stated.
Teachers seem to have more responsibilities outside of the classroom than when he first started teaching, according to Knoche.
"We have been fortunate at my school to be fairly well staffed," Knoche stated. "We have had issues with having enough custodians, but that isn't due to the lack of jobs, but the lack of interest in the jobs."
Virginia leaders have grappled with teaching vacancies in recent years. The General Assembly committed to increasing compensation with 5% pay increases over three consecutive fiscal years starting in 2022, according to JLARC.
However, the pay increases may not address low or no compensation in previous years, coupled with inflation the past two years, the report stated. Additionally, not every school division could fund the full 5% increases because their locality does not provide enough matching funds "for employees not recognized through the SOQ formula."
Virginia ranks No. 22 for teacher pay, which is an average salary of about $61,000, according to the National Education Association.
The state had over 3,500 unfilled teaching positions in the 2022-23 school year. Elementary school teachers accounted for the most vacancies, followed by special education, according to data from the Virginia Department of Education. Special education positions at 5.8% had the highest percentage of unfilled positions, followed by world language and then elementary school teachers.
The VDOE announced a strategic plan in 2022 to improve teacher recruitment and retention. The goals are to make it easier for qualified teachers to be hired, consider more candidates eligible to fulfill open positions and reinforce strategies that maintain a thriving workplace, such as programs focused on teacher retention.
The use of appropriated funds will vary by district, but the intent is that local school divisions will use funds for support staff positions, according to a VDOE email response.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently issued an executive directive that emphasized the looming impact of artificial intelligence, though higher education is only beginning to grapple with how to utilize AI.
Youngkin's order is to ensure AI is used responsibly, ethically and transparently in state government, job creation and education.
A survey released earlier this year found that 60% of college students polled have not been taught how to use AI tools ethically or responsibly by higher education instructors. The same percentage of students also think AI tools will become the new normal, according to the BestColleges survey.
A U.S. Department of Education policy report published in May stated support for using AI to improve teaching and learning. The department stated the need to develop clear policy for AI use and that the anticipated risks and unintended consequences must be addressed.
ChatGPT was released to the public less than a year ago. The chatbot uses language models to mimic human writing and dialogue. It can respond to questions and generate various written content, including emails, prompts and articles. The chatbot is a form of generative AI, which can also create images, videos, songs and code.
Educators at every level are now faced with how to appropriately address the new technology.
Like many universities, Virginia Commonwealth University faculty and staff continue to discuss AI's role and how to guide professors moving forward, according to Mangala Subramaniam, the university's senior vice provost of faculty affairs.
VCU will solicit feedback from faculty on Sept. 26 to learn how AI has impacted their classrooms. The university will create an advisory council of faculty who are familiar with AI, and who can provide updated guidance for professors.
Faculty at VCU are either fearful of the technology, or they're willing to experiment with it, according to Subramaniam.
The university held two forums earlier this year focused on the potential challenges and opportunities of AI, including ChatGPT. Professors have the freedom to decide if they want to use AI in their classroom and are advised to make expectations clear in the syllabus about its use, according to Subramaniam.
Educators may face problems with AI, including plagiarism and how to detect if a student uses AI. Students may face uncertainty of acceptable and allowed use. VCU describes AI plagiarism and copyright as a "difficult topic" and advises that it should be made clear to students they will be punished if they submit AI-generated work as original content, according to VCU learning tool guide.
Educators and businesses need clear ways to detect AI-generated work, which has driven an industry response.
The software Turnitin allows educators to detect originality and plagiarism. It can now detect 97% of ChatGPT and GPT3 writing, according to its website.
Verified Human is a relatively new company that seeks to differentiate human-made media versus AI-generated media, according to its founder Micah Voraritskul.
Verified Human is conducting a study where the company will collect a thousand writing samples from college and high school students across the globe to see what is written by a human, written by AI, or put through an AI scrubber, according to Voraritskul. A scrubber is intended to modify AI-generated text and make it appear more human.
"I think what we're trying to do is help institutions of higher learning have some kind of policy," Voraritskul said.
Teachers are nervous about AI because their job is to assess student learning, he said.
"It's hard to assess student learning ... if 90% of assessment is done in writing and you can't determine whether or not the student wrote that, you don't know what the student has actually learned," Voraritskul said.
Student and faculty reaction to AI use depends on the assignment, the outcome and the standards of learning. Arielle Andrews is a VCU interdisciplinary studies student, with a focus on media studies, sociology and creative writing. She is a contributing writer for the independent student newspaper The Commonwealth Times.
"I think the best thing to do for students is instead of teaching them to fear, or like have a disdain for AI, is to more teach them how to work alongside it and use it ethically," Andrews said.
AI can be a beneficial tool and better used for things that are not "super impactful to the learning process," Andrews said.
"If an assignment can easily be completed by AI, then it's not testing those human traits of writing that it should," Andrews said.
Voraritskul is "pro AI." The tools can help students do better work in the future, he said. But he sees the potential danger of AI influence on critical thinking and understanding difficult concepts.
"When teachers are asking students to figure hard things out they want them to use their brains," Voraritskul said. "They want them to exercise their brain muscle so they can figure out what's going on in this problem."
Although the BestColleges survey found students were concerned about AI's impact on their education, more students were concerned about the impact of AI on society at large.
Voraritskul recalled that math teachers all over the world were concerned students would not learn how to add or subtract when Texas Instruments mass produced the first affordable calculators.
"Well that wasn't true," Voraritskul said. "And what are you going to do? Stop the calculator? Stop the computer? Stop the internet? Stop AI? No, you can't. You have to adjust."
RICHMOND, Va. — Early voting starts Sept. 22 and stakes are high for both parties, with all 140 seats open in the state General Assembly.
Republicans have pushed to take advantage of early and absentee ballots ahead of the Nov. 7 election. The party's support for early voting is a shift from recent years.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for early voting in a video released by the state Republican Party through its new initiative Secure Your Vote Virginia. The program encourages Republican voters to vote early and sign up for the permanent absentee list, which allows voters to vote by mail for all future elections. Youngkin also promoted early voting in his gubernatorial race.
"We can't go into our elections down thousands of votes," Youngkin said in the video. He will travel through key districts on a bus tour to stump with candidates and promote early voting.
Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates introduced and passed House bills 1444 and 1947 in the last session, which attempted to eliminate the permanent absentee list, in favor of an annual application. The bills did not pass in the Senate.
The strategy is something Republicans should have done for past elections, according to Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington.
"Gov. Youngkin has recognized that Republicans have been at a huge disadvantage with early voting over the last several election cycles and the governor is moving aggressively to try to reduce that early participation gap that has so strongly favored Democrats in recent years," Farnsworth said.
Early and absentee voting has spiked since the 2020 presidential election due to the pandemic and several legislative changes. The total number of absentee ballots increased by over 2.6 million from 2019 to 2020, according to state post-election reports. A record number of people voted absentee, according to spokesperson Andrea Gaines with the Virginia Department of Elections.
Absentee voting numbers have remained higher than pre-pandemic numbers in every general election. Almost 1.2 million absentee ballots were cast in 2021. Last year, over 990,000 absentee ballots were cast. Though there was a downward trend, the absentee votes were still more than double the combined numbers from 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Recent state changes that make voting easier, and the convenience of absentee voting, will keep future absentee voting numbers higher than in pre-pandemic elections, Farnsworth said. There is no doubt that the new system is convenient and popular with voters, he said.
"People like the idea of not having to wait to the last minute," Farnsworth said. "People don't know, something might come up — a kid might get sick, they might be stuck in traffic, they may have to work late."
The partisan gap in early and absentee voting has favored Democrats since 2016, data shows. Democratic voters made up over 60% of early votes in the 2022 election, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Democrats vote early by mail. Nearly 76% of mail votes were returned by Democratic voters within three weeks of Election Day in 2021, according to a VPAP graphic.
Look Ahead America, led by executive director Matt Braynard, is a national organization pushing to increase voter registration and absentee voting. Look Ahead America's primary focus is its voter turnout project for the 2023 Virginia General Assembly election, according to Braynard.
The organization identifies as nonpartisan and is not engaged in turnout on the basis of party, according to Braynard. The group has shown support for people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection and referred to them as "political prisoners" in the description of its "Jobs for #J6" project that helps now-unemployed people who participated in the insurrection to find work. The riots centered around recognition of the legitimacy of votes in the 2020 presidential election.
Early and absentee ballots are a more secure and convenient way of voting, and can help track participation, Braynard said.
"It's very expensive sending you mail and sending you door knockers and reaching out to you know via phone and texting and digital," Braynard said.
Look Ahead America supports the Virginia permanent absentee list.
"The way I see it is that the more people encourage folks to vote — by any means necessary, and probably the easiest way would just [be] to get on Virginia's permanent absentee list — the better," Braynard said. "I'm glad to see more people of all political stripes join the conversation to encourage that."
Early voting begins in Virginia on Friday, Sept. 22. To submit an early ballot in-person, voters should check registration status and visit the local registrar's office with an acceptable form of identification. Some districts have additional early voting satellite locations that can be found on the state elections website.
To vote by mail, voters should download and complete the absentee application form available on the Virginia Department of Elections website. A mail-in ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day and be received by the general registrar's office by noon on Friday, Nov. 10.
Many polling places will have weekend hours closer to Election Day. The last day to early vote in-person is Saturday, Nov. 4.
RICHMOND, Va. – Advocates worry more Virginians could experience food insecurity if Congress cannot pass an updated farm bill or emergency appropriation.
Nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to as food stamps, are funded through a piece of federal legislation often called the farm bill – which covers focus areas from crops and livestock to rural development and access to food. SNAP makes up about 80% of its funding.
Several farm bill programs are slated to expire at the end of September. Eddie Oliver, the executive director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, stated in an email that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed SNAP benefits will be distributed in October regardless of a farm bill's passage.
"My understanding is that the authorized spending levels remain in effect," Oliver stated.
The USDA helped appropriate emergency funding for the SNAP program in 2013 until Congress passed that farm bill. Such intervention could potentially occur now if this deadline is not met, but Oliver stated the future beyond October is still unclear – and expressed concerns over a potential government shutdown affecting benefits.
Increase in benefits need, and food costs
Just under 850,000 Virginians received SNAP benefits in June, according to the USDA. This means about 30,000 additional persons have enrolled since June 2022.
"There's really nothing more essential to the basic well-being and dignity of a family than having enough food to put on the table," Oliver said.
"No one can truly live well off of the SNAP program," Oliver said.
A recent Urban Institute study found the average cost of a meal in Richmond is $3.54, whereas the average amount a SNAP recipient can spend on a meal is $2.73 – leaving a 30% gap families still need to fill.
SNAP benefits are meant to cover 9 out of 10 meals, while food banks take care of one, according to Oliver. However, this has not been the case as of late, as lacking benefits are not able to keep up.
"While food banks and food pantries are an essential part of the solution, we can't do it all," he said.
The farm bill is usually bipartisan, as its extensive reach can be felt by all, Oliver said. However, there is growing concern that the legislation may be delayed or experience funding cuts due to debate between lawmakers – such as a Republican legislator saying the SNAP program needed to be "curtailed" due to being "one of the largest government handout programs."
Oliver stated there is no available text for the 2023 Farm Bill at the time of this report, and some lawmakers expressed frustration to him about it. The farm bill is "one of the most important pieces of legislation" and represents a "holistic approach" to food access, according to Oliver.
The reality for Virginians is that this legislation, should it be slowed or its funding for SNAP altered, will have local effects – and struggling food banks will feel it, according to Oliver.
"The slightest cut to the SNAP program will fall on us," Oliver said.
Food banks bridge growing gap
Food banks statewide attempt to bridge the gap between where hunger begins and government assistance programs end. But many representatives say the strain on food banks is taking its toll.
Nearly 300 new families have visited the Colonial Heights Food Pantry since July 1, according to Warren Hammonds, its executive director and only full-time employee. Many are homeless or experiencing emergencies.
"I wish we didn't have to feed this many families," Hammonds said, but he is glad they can help meet needs.
The "ugliness" of food insecurity has grown worse in recent years, according to Hammonds.
"It's almost painful to get a hug and have people just bawl, crying on your shoulder after you give 'em food because they didn't know what else to feel," he said.
The food pantry used to provide for about 3-5 homeless families a month. Now, nearly 20 families visit each week, something Hammond said reflects a "terrible" and "daunting" reality.
"Sometimes I use the word 'sobering,'" he said. "Sometimes I just cry about it."
Many homeless families receive temporary housing within local hotels, where they likely do not have access to a stove or other means of food preparation, according to Hammonds, who said the pantry spent an additional $10,000 in the past year to help meet their unique food needs.
"We have the resources today," Hammonds said, "but we may not have the resources in a year."
At least half a million dollars in additional funding is needed to feed food insecure Virginians, based on 2021 data from Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks. Rising inflation and growing food costs make this deficit harder to address, with the U.S. Consumer Price Index for food rising over 4% since last August – on top of an 11% jump the previous year.
Breanne Armbrust, executive director of the Neighborhood Resource Center of Greater Fulton in Richmond, said community organizations like hers are often nonprofit and function entirely off of its own community's donations.
Government assistance programs could be significantly improved to better serve Virginians, Armbrust said.
"More often than not, people that make policy-making decisions do not have the lived experiences of people that need to access these services," Armbrust said.
The Fulton resource center, among its many programs and functions, helps families apply for services like SNAP.
The process can be lengthy, confusing and even impossible for some without a helping hand, Armbrust said. Not everyone has access to a home computer or transportation to their local social services office. The hours of work a family might put into an application could still only result in benefits as low as $27 a month, Armbrust said.
"Imagine if you didn't know where you were gonna get your food from, and you don't know how you're gonna pay your bills, and what that does to a person," Armbrust said. "Then you expect them to jump through a bunch of hoops to maybe get a benefit."
These services need to become more accessible, especially because of how easy it is to find oneself in this situation, Armbrust said.
"It's not 'these people over here' that are receiving benefits," she said. "It could be any of us, and it very well may be all of us one day."
RICHMOND, Va. – A Virginia Commonwealth University professor and a partner are developing a new THC breathalyzer that could be used to quickly detect if someone is driving under the influence of cannabis.
VCU professor Emanuele Alves, who has a doctorate in forensic science, partnered with Wagner Pacheco, who has a doctorate in inorganic analytical chemistry and is an associate professor at Universidade Federal Fluminense. Pacheco traveled from Brazil earlier in the year to help develop the breathalyzer.
The device would offer immediate results and produce fewer false positives, according to Alves. Law enforcement and employers could test within a certain window of time for impairment that many tests, such as urine or hair analysis, do not offer. A blood test can track cannabis use within a 3-4 hour time frame, but is not a viable driver impairment option. Current THC breathalyzers take hours to achieve results.
The VCU-developed breathalyzer will also distinguish between THC and CBD presence in someone's system, which have different effects. CBD does not get a user high and is often sold as supplemental or personal care products.
The device will produce a change in color if a person has THC in their system and a different color for CBD, according to Pacheco.
"Our expectation is that this THC breathalyzer could be so useful for society as it is the alcohol breathalyzer," Pacheco said.
Law enforcement would be able to identify on-site if a driver is under the influence of THC. The breathalyzer could improve road safety by holding drivers accountable for driving impaired, Pacheco said. It is illegal to operate a vehicle while impaired.
The goal is to have the first prototype of the THC breathalyzer complete by 2025.
JM Pedini, development director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, said they do not agree with the development and eventual use of THC breathalyzers.
Studies have failed to prove that the presence of THC in breath is an indicator of either impairment or recent cannabis exposure, Pedini said. NORML has argued against the expansion of drug detection testing, and advocated instead for performance-based tests to determine someone's sobriety.
Examples include the DRUID test, which is an app that measures cognitive and motor functioning to test for impairment. The test measures such things as the person's reaction time, hand-eye coordination and balance. The measurements are then calculated and an impairment score is provided.
One reason NORML does not support THC breathalyzers is because the packaging of CBD products does not always accurately reflect its contents, according to Pedini.
"Because of the lack of regulatory oversight on products that are called CBD, a consumer may be of the belief that they are buying a product that contains just CBD when, in fact, it actually contains THC," Pedini said.
The VCU Police Department issued 20 DUIs in the past year, two of which "indicated the presence of some drug or narcotic," according to police Detective Frederick Wiggins.
Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational cannabis. Almost 80 deaths were reported in 2021 that involved a driver who had more than the allowed limit of THC, according to Axios Denver.
Richmond Police did not respond to requests for comment.
VCU Police complete field sobriety test training to help identify impairment and then can use other tests "to determine beyond that," according to Wiggins.
There are still many steps before the breathalyzer is read for the market.
"The VCU Police are constantly evaluating new equipment and I would personally say that any new tool that is evaluated and found could be useful would be of use to officers in any capacity," Wiggins said.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia hotel employees are being trained how to recognize and report the signs of human trafficking in an effort to reduce the number of victims.
The 30-minute, online training program officially launched this year. Current employees had to complete the course by the end of June. The General Assembly passed and funded a bill last year allowing the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services to create the online course.
Del. Shelly A. Simonds, D-Newport News, sponsored the measure.
The course is free to employees and must be completed after six months of employment and every two years. There are over 115,000 hotel employees that would be required to take the course, according to figures provided by the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
The VDCJS was "fully dedicated to this issue," Simonds said.
State leaders budgeted nearly $466,000 in the biennial budget for the state agency to provide the online course. The training is necessary because sex and labor trafficking occur frequently in hotels, according to Simonds.
"Law enforcement can only do so much, they need citizens to be involved and knowing the signs that human trafficking might be going on," Simonds said.
Virginia hotels supported the training. Hotel brands like Hilton and Marriott even had their own online course before it was mandated, according to Simonds.
Brands without their own training must complete the state-required course.
"Now this law requires that everyone does it, including smaller operators, smaller motel chains," Simonds said." I think it's really going to lift up the standards for everyone."
The Virginia Department of Health enforces hotel employees to have their human trafficking training certificate on file, according to Simonds. This certification is transferable to other Virginia hotel chains.
"There's a lot of support across Virginia for cracking down on human trafficking," Simonds said. "And whether it be from the hotel industry, tourism industry, the legislature, the Virginia State Police — we're all working together to find solutions."
Human trafficking affects at least 150 to 300 victims per year in Virginia, according to the Human Trafficking Courts' website.
Specific data is unknown due to underreporting from survivors. In 2019, 370 victims were identified in Virginia by the National Human Trafficking Hotline. This number does not represent the full scope of victims due to potential lack of knowledge surrounding trafficking or resources such as the National Hotline, according to the organization's website.
Tommy Herbert is the director of government affairs for Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, a trade organization that works to inform its members of law requirements and available training. Its website provides legislative information, bill tracking and multiple training programs.
The organization does not perform the training, but offers training resources to companies and their employees, according to Herbert.
"VRLTA looks forward to a future of advocating on behalf of Virginia's restaurant, travel, and hotel lodging industries as well as working with Virginia government stakeholders to enhance Virginia tourism," Herbert stated.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in an executive order on his first day in office, pledged his administration's commitment to help combat human trafficking and provide support to survivors.
State Attorney General Jason Miyares led a two-day Virginia human trafficking Call to Action summit in Richmond at the end of August. The summit covered trends and solutions to the state's human trafficking problem, according to a statement from his office.
Miyares works with local, state, and federal entities to prosecute traffickers and support victims, according to his spokeswoman Chloe Smith.
Miyares supported state legislation that also required first-year public university students to complete an online human trafficking training course during their school's orientation, according to Smith.
The attorney general also helped prosecute four individuals last month connected to a large-scale human trafficking ring which operated out of a Williamsburg laundry facility. Over 100 survivors were reported in connection to the ring, according to Smith.
RICHMOND, Va. -- The regional Fall Line Trail is set to officially break ground in Henrico County next month. The 43-mile-long trail will span from Petersburg to Ashland and serves as a counterpart to the Capital Trail.
Regional planners see it as a "spine trail" that can connect towns, schools, businesses, public transit stations, and other trail networks throughout Central Virginia.
"It's basically an alternative transportation corridor for non-motorized vehicles that will connect to a lot of things," said Todd Eure, assistant director of the Henrico County Department of Public Works.
Eure is a member of the PlanRVA Fall Line work group committee. PlanRVA is a state-designated council of nine localities that collaborate over regional projects.
Henrico County plans to start on the project in October, near Bryan Park. County leaders have designed the trail, set aside funding, and began to acquire land easements for their section. Henrico's portion of the trail is over 7 miles long and will be built in eight phases, according to the county.
The work starts near the City of Richmond line with an asphalt shared-use path from Bryan Park Avenue across Lakeside Avenue and into Spring Park. The project is a quarter-mile long and estimated to cost $1.2 million, according to the county.
The next phase, estimated at $3.3 million, will extend the trail from Spring Park to Dumbarton Road. Eventually, the trail will reach Chickahominy River at the boundary line between Henrico and Hanover counties. The county hopes to have its work completed by 2025, according to Eure. The plans allow for a longer time frame. Planners hope to complete the Ashland to Richmond section by 2025.
"We're trying to design ours to be a world-class trail," Eure said. "We are making it wider than the Capital Trail, so we're doing ours at 12 feet wide, as opposed to 10 feet, because we are building it for success."
Organizers face a few challenges ahead of the entire trail's completion. There is an overall $30 to $50 million funding gap, according to Eure. Everything from Ashland to Richmond is already funded, Eure said.
Local and state funding, along with federal grants and private donations helped raise $250 million. The trail originally was estimated to cost approximately $266 million. Costs have gone up marginally due to inflation and other design reasons.
PlanRVA still needs to buy some land for the trail and determine what percentage of out-of-pocket construction costs counties and townships will pay.
Members of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority Fall Line Trail work group met on Sep. 6. Topics discussed ranged from the content and color of signage, the funding gap, and how to incorporate information about local history and nature along the trail.
There will be 11 miles of trail under construction once Henrico breaks ground, followed by Hanover County in January, said Emily Monroe, community engagement coordinator for Bike Walk RVA, a Sports Backers affiliate. It is "really massive" to see the project take shape after years of paperwork, she said.
"So seeing these big connections really start to happen is exciting," Monroe said.
Richmond recently secured approximately $30 million for parts of the trail through state funding, according to Sports Backers' Bike Walk RVA. The group also helped raise some funding for the Fall Line's development by hosting community engagement events at hikes, rides, and events along parts of the trail.
State and local support for a massive regional trail wouldn't have been possible without the success of the Capital Trail, according to Eure. Eure has worked closely with the Capital Trail Foundation and witnessed the uphill battle to get the trail supported, funded and built. The 52-mile trail runs east from Richmond's downtown riverfront into Williamsburg. The Fall Line Trail will run north to south and provide a connection over to the Capital Trail.
"Nobody wants the Fall Line Trail to take 20 years," said Eure. "I think at a regional level, everybody understands the value that these trails bring to the residents of the region and to tourism, to economic development."
The projected date for the completed trail is sometime between 2029 and 2031.
The quality of life for citizens along the trail will "improve drastically," according to Monroe.
"When community members are able to feel safe when they walk, bike, or roll, they're more inclined to use alternate methods of transportation in more aspects of their daily lives," she said.
RICHMOND, Va. — Approximately 280 Virginia teachers have lost their license over two decades for felony sex crimes with a minor or a student, or inappropriate misconduct involving a minor or student.
That is just over 41% of the teachers who had action taken against their license, according to Capital News Service analysis.
The Virginia Department of Education has tracked the data since at least 2000. A teacher can lose their license for any misdemeanor or felony that involves a student or minor, and also for misconduct considered to be detrimental to students, among other reasons. Not all conduct detrimental to students involves a crime or sexual misconduct.
Almost 700 educators had action taken against their license. The causes ranged from sex crimes such as sexual abuse of minors, production of child pornography using students without their knowledge and sexting with students, to felony convictions that involved drugs and murder.
Overall, it is a low number of licenses lost when compared to Virginia's approximately 92,000 teachers. But the sexual misconduct or abuse allegations made annually against teachers are much higher. Many child safety advocates think child sexual abuse prevention, overall, and in schools, could still be improved with better reporting mechanisms and more consistent discussion, training, and resources.
Legislation passed in 2008 required Virginia courts to report known teacher convictions for certain offenses. The law also called for local school boards to create policies to address complaints of sexual abuse of a student by a teacher or employee. A majority of actions against teacher licenses in the VDOE database were made after 2011, the year the state Board of Education passed guidelines to help prevent sexual misconduct and abuse in Virginia schools.
The guidelines called for clear procedures on how to report suspected misconduct and abuse, and for training of school personnel and volunteers. The guidelines also outlined types of inappropriate conduct with a student.
Tracking sexual misconduct in schools
Charol Shakeshaft is a professor in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. She began researching school employee sexual misconduct in the 1980s. Teacher-initiated sexual misconduct occurs more than it is reported, according to Shakeshaft.
"I believe that we have left it to children to keep themselves safe," Shakeshaft said. "We need to stop expecting children to be responsible for their safety in schools and expect school employees to keep children safe."
Children may be less likely to report sexual abuse by school employees for reasons such as threats, feeling that no one will believe them or believing the behavior is acceptable, Shakeshaft said.
"I believe we care more about the comfort of adults than the safety of children," Shakeshaft said. "Tracking this information shines a light on adult sexual misconduct and misbehavior."
Students and school employees need training and education to better prevent abuse, and to encourage better reporting, Shakeshaft said.
'One case is too many'
Every Virginia teacher is required by state law to complete training in child abuse recognition and intervention as a condition of initial licensure. The training is not required for renewal of a license if it has already been done once. Every Virginia teacher is required to report suspected abuse, according to state law.
Protecting students from adult misconduct is a shared responsibility that must be a priority at all levels, stated Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons in a release to Capital News Service.
"While the school employees who offend often represent a small fraction of the commonwealth's teachers and support staff, one case is one too many for our children," Coons stated. Coons will continue to expect "diligence in reporting and supporting state board processes to remove licensure for misconduct."
Individual school districts maintain records of alleged sexual misconduct, according to the VDOE. School employees must report alleged or suspected abuse to school administrators, and to the Virginia State Child Abuse Hotline or the Department of Social Services.
The DSS investigates and tracks the number of alleged reports made. The VDOE tracks when DSS makes a founded disposition against a teacher that leads to licensure action. That means the investigation met the required evidence standard, which is based primarily on direct evidence, not anonymous complaints. The actions must also be proven to be out of the scope of employment.
The VDOE reports all actions against licenses to a national database, and checks the database monthly, Pyle stated.
There is a lot of variation between the number of abuse reports made to DSS, the number of founded victims, and the number of licenses that were lost.
In a seven-year period, DSS received almost 12,000 statewide allegations of abuse or misconduct by a school employee or teacher. The number of allegations against teachers is higher. The most recent data available through the DSS accountability reporting portal was from 2013-2020. However, action was only taken against 377 teaching licenses in that same time frame.
Proving sexual misconduct in schools can be 'difficult'
Sexual abuse was the third most frequent type of child abuse in Virginia last year. There were just over 3,000 investigations of alleged sexual abuse by Child Protective Services, which is a part of DSS.
There were 809 cases of sexual abuse that met the CPS "evidence standard," or 26% of investigated cases, according to the most recent DSS report. The burden of proof required by state code is just enough evidence to make it more likely than not that the asserted facts are true.
Schools are the No. 1 place outside of the family where abuse occurs. There were 48 founded abuse cases in Virginia public schools last year and four cases in private schools, according to DSS. There were over 400 reports made.
CPS investigates allegations of sexual abuse that occur within a school or home, along with law enforcement as the situation demands.
Both teacher advocates and CPS workers have previously expressed the need for improved guidance on sexual abuse complaints involving school employees, according to a 2019 report from the Virginia Commission on Youth.
The Commission noted that proving a case of sexual abuse by a school employee has additional reporting elements that can be difficult, and that the scope of employment standard should not apply. Several recommendations were made to improve training material and reporting processes.
Record requests of sexual misconduct or abuse
CNS sent records requests to 10 of the state's largest school districts to get the total number of any sexual assaults or misconduct reports made against faculty, staff, or employees in a recent three-year period.
Only four districts provided the records without charging a fee. Government organizations can charge the public a fee to fill a Freedom of Information Act request.
Chesapeake City responded that there were 11 reports alleging sexual misconduct with a student since 2019. Henrico County reported 23 instances. Stafford County had four. Richmond City had five reports in 2022. The reports represent allegations made, and should not be considered confirmation of guilt or misconduct.
Other districts either did not respond, stated they had no available records, or quoted costs to fill the records anywhere between $125 to $418.
Chesterfield County told CNS multiple times that there were no records "responsive to the request." CNS pressed the agency for clarification. The representative responded that they do not have an "existing" record and they would have to "pull individual records and create a report."
The agency stated that they are not required to create a record in response to a FOIA request, and they considered the request closed. This is technically accurate, and the better request would have been just for all records of allegations.
However, no other school district denied the request due to wording.
CNS also sent a records request to DSS. The department pointed to a dashboard that provides an overview of alleged abuse or neglect reports. 2020 is the most recent year data is available.
The DSS dashboard shows higher numbers than what school districts provided, but it also includes other forms of abuse that could lead to action against a teacher's license.
Combined allegations made against teachers and school employees:
Chesapeake City: 118 total allegations in 2019 and 97 total allegations in 2020.
Chesterfield County: 59 total allegations in 2019 and 50 total allegations in 2020.
Henrico County: 116 total allegations in 2019 and six total allegations in 2020.
Richmond City: 102 total allegations in 2019 and 62 total allegations in 2020.
Stafford County: 20 total allegations in 2019 and 22 total allegations in 2020.
Number of actions against teaching licenses in the above districts since 2000:
Chesapeake City had 12 licensure actions.
Chesterfield County had 25 licensure actions.
Henrico County had 31 licensure actions.
Richmond City had 18 licensure actions.
Stafford County had 12 licensure actions.
Audit finds excessive CPS caseload
Almost 53,000 children were identified as possible victims of child abuse or neglect in Virginia last year, according to the DSS. That includes mental and sexual abuse.
Of the total identified, 4,911 victims met the evidence standard in investigations. Some children experienced more than one type of abuse.
However, almost 40,000 of those children received a "family assessment response." DSS uses that as an "alternative response" to an investigation. The assessment includes determining if there are immediate child safety concerns, services needs of the child and family that could deter abuse or neglect, and risk of future harm to the child.
The Office of the Inspector General released a statewide audit of CPS departments last year that recommended several ways the department could improve.
One finding from the report was that case screening was not always handled in accordance with CPS requirements. The audit found instances where referrals made to CPS should have been assigned an investigation track instead of a family assessment track, and vice versa.
Another finding from the survey of local DSS offices throughout Virginia was that some workers feel they have an excessive caseload. There is no limit to the number of cases each CPS case worker may have at one time, according to the audit. Some offices were also reportedly understaffed.
The Inspector General's office concluded that important details regarding a referral could be overlooked if an office was understaffed. A recommendation was to determine the appropriate workload standards for CPS staff.
There are over 40 open DSS jobs currently listed for family services positions that would work on such reports of child abuse.
Sex abuse awareness takes center stage
Forty years ago, conversations about good, bad and secret touches were not common in Virginia schools.
The play "Hugs and Kisses" launched in Richmond in 1983 to teach children how to identify, report and protect themselves from sexual abuse.
The theater company estimated the play has served as an early intervention for the approximately 20,000 students who disclosed that abuse was taking place after seeing the play, according to Amber Martinez, the Virginia Repertory Theatre play coordinator.
There are about 150 performances of the play each year, and an estimated 45,000 to 55,000 students view it annually, according to Martinez.
Sexual abuse awareness education, based on state code and source interviews, is not consistently reinforced throughout Virginia schools. The "Hugs and Kisses" play is not mandatory, and schools choose how often they host the play, according to Martinez.
There has been pushback, especially in recent years, from school administrators and parents who are uncomfortable with discussion of "child sexual abuse," according to Martinez. However, those schools will usually schedule a performance after they review the script and see testimonials, she stated over email.
"I will say that with the new governor we've had, it's been trickier, and that's where politics and local voting is so important — it trickles down to what we teach and learn in schools," Martinez stated.
Teaching children and adults
Each school locality can decide if it will offer family life education. Some have called FLE Virginia's version of "sex education."
The FLE curriculum must include age-appropriate and evidence-based programs on topics that include, among others, awareness and recognition of child sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and assault, and the meaning of consent, according to state code.
The importance of personal privacy and how to honor boundaries are also taught. The curriculum is reviewed every seven years and was last updated in 2020.
Nineteen of the state's 132 school divisions did not offer FLE, according to a 2021 Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction survey. The greatest concentration of school divisions that did not provide FLE are in Southwest Virginia.
Republican lawmakers in 2022, as part of the governor's efforts to promote parental rights in schools, introduced a bill to require parental consent before a child takes the FLE courses, and to allow review of any of the material in advance. The bill passed the House on a party-line vote, but failed to pass in the Senate.
FLE does not replace the responsibility of adults to keep children safe, Shakeshaft said. But the training could lead to an increase in reporting abuse, she said.
"We need to teach students about boundaries," Shakeshaft said. "More importantly, we need to teach the adults better about boundaries."
Families Forward created the Darkness to Light program curriculum, which teaches adults to identify when a child may be experiencing sexual assault, said Jamia Crockett, CEO of the organization. Families Forward works with educators and mandated abuse reporters through the school system, law enforcement and mental health professionals.
They also provide parent-peer support groups through their Circle of Parents program. This allows parents to have a peer network to connect with the proper authorities to report issues if they find out their child is a victim of sexual abuse, Crockett said.
'Adults normalize harm'
Laurie Tasharski is the director of institutional abuse prevention for Stop Child Abuse Now in Northern Virginia. A comprehensive training approach is needed to better understand and report sexual abuse, she said. Training should focus on the ways children often disclose they are victims, even in ways they often "hint" at how a person makes them feel.
Instagram has become a place where young adults disclose abuse, Tasharski said.
"Kids are far, far more likely to disclose to friends or to disclose on social media than to tell an adult," she said. "I think part of that is that adults normalize harm between kids, and adults don't react well."
The burden of support for a survivor or a victim falls more heavily on younger people, through the ways they disclose abuse, she said.
Virginia training is more technical and focused on reporting the crime ‒ such as names of children involved and ages ‒ than it is about helping kids disclose information, Tasharski said.
"What we want to do is have conversations that make it safe for kids to say, 'that person makes me feel uncomfortable,'" Tasharski added.
Students need more education based on preventing sexual abuse, Tasharski said. There is focus on school security in schools, such as metal detectors and active shooter drills. This is important, she said, but the number of children who have experienced abuse is also incredibly high. Approximately 3.5 million child abuse cases are reported annually, according to SCAN.
"Prevention work is always going to feel less important than anything that ends up with the police at your door or a criminal charge," Tasharki said. "Unfortunately, we have a system that is geared to reacting when a crime is committed instead of preventing escalation of harm."
RICHMOND, Va. – A 3% tuition increase. Fees increase. Shrinking enrollment. A projected $25 million budget deficit. Reduced faculty positions. State mandated 7% merit increases. Temporary elimination of three-year contracts. Faculty protests. An unresolved statewide budget.
Virginia Commonwealth University has a number of challenges to navigate as it works through its budget process for the upcoming year.
VCU has approximately a $1.5 billion annual budget, according to Karol Kain Gray, the university's senior vice president and CFO of finance and budget. But it does not have enough incoming money that can be spent on general education funds.
"There is a misconception unfortunately among our academic community that we have [500] million dollars of money sitting in the bank that we can use in support of these budget cuts and faculty salaries," Gray said. "And we don't."
VCU actually has a bigger reserve of almost $650 million, from gifts, federal money and investments. But "well over half" of the funds have specific designations and use limits, according to Gray.
"We don't have enough state support," Gray said. "We don't have enough income coming in from our investments and we don't have enough funds coming in from our philanthropic area."
The budget pressure has led to a proposed elimination of 10-12 faculty positions in the Department of Focused Inquiry that could start as soon as the fall, and would apply to future contracts that would not be renewed.
In addition, VCU will defer the issuance of any new three-year contracts for any university term faculty, until there is less budget uncertainty, according to William Nelson, senior vice provost for academic administration and operations. Term faculty do not have tenure, and longer contracts can provide a sense of more job security.
Current three-year contracts will be honored. Nelson also said that many focused inquiry faculty will have "at least a year's notice, some of them more" if their contract is not renewed.
"We will resume offering three-year contracts where it makes sense to do so," Nelson said. "We're not abandoning three-year contracts."
Gray has to present a budget to the VCU Board of Visitors in June.
"And the only way I can balance the budget is by putting cuts on every unit and holding them responsible for meeting their budget," Gray said. "Every unit at VCU has received about a 5% cut."
Some departments are able to hit the 5% cuts by keeping positions vacant, or because teachers are retiring.
The Department of Focused Inquiry currently has 64 faculty and staff, according to its website.
Focused inquiry classes are required for all students on campus and are typically taken in a student's freshman year. There are 1-3 sequential courses, with at least the first one required for most students. The fundamental premise behind the starter courses is to introduce and develop student reasoning, communication, literacy and communication skills.
The department will need to adapt to the upcoming budget cuts, Nelson said. There are options on the table such as shifting to a two-course model and dropping the third option, which could keep more classes open, he said.
"I think there's several options on the table that we can consider to make sure that we stay committed to focused inquiry and to our students," Nelson said.
He noted that the department has made significant contributions to the university.
"But the contributions of the past don't make you immune to evolving and budget pressures of today," Nelson said.
Assistant professor Emily Williams has been at VCU over a decade and she currently teaches focused inquiry.
The courses have aided in retention rates among students of color and first-generation students, Williams said.
"The sequence has always been crafted in order to have a whole structure of support for students and we have made a difference in student retention rates, particularly with underrepresented minority students," Williams said.
The focused inquiry department completes much of the work and student support that VCU prides itself on, according to Williams.
"They hire people in those administrative categories, framing that as a form of support for students while trying to fire the people who are more directly connected to students and supporting them face to face," Williams said.
Class capacity for the focused inquiry courses is around 21 students, according to Williams. The number of students per course section will increase if the department loses faculty.
VCU promotes the "small, seminar style" classes as an important part of ensuring first-year success. Larger class sizes will limit important feedback and support for freshmen, Williams said.
"Those kinds of things can really shift and give students the sense that they are less individually supported," she said.
VCU has offered over 100 of the classes, listed under UNIV, each semester since at least 2013, according to a review of the VCU Bulletin — used by students to register for classes. Almost all of the classes were full in the most recent spring semester, and many had waitlists.
Psychology major and rising sophomore Kennedy Ogden was enrolled in focused inquiry courses both semesters of her first year and found them helpful.
"I got to be more of an individual than when it comes to other class assignments because previously everything else has a very strict rubric, but this one it's like you're graded based on your performance and how you're going to interpret the instructions," Ogden said.
The course helped Ogden find community and adjust socially as a first-generation college student, she said.
The Faculty Senate, a body of university-wide elected representatives, recently voted 95% in favor of a resolution that supports keeping focused inquiry faculty. The resolution asked VCU not to reduce the number of full-time faculty. It was sent to President Michael Rao, Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos and the Board of Visitors, according to a review of the resolution provided by Williams.
VCU Workers is the university chapter of the labor union United Campus Workers of Virginia. In reaction to the budget cuts, the group has held protests, social media information campaigns and a recent meeting.
The chapter hosted a town hall on May 3. They maintain that the university does not have a financial crisis. A UCW lead researcher pointed to at least $500 million in reserves. It is the money Gray said is designated for specific purposes and not general education.
The union said that VCU could have better anticipated the dip in funding. UCW called on the university to resolve the budget gap through reserve funds, credit use and cuts to planned construction.
The VCU UCW Instagram is a platform for faculty to voice their concerns, and to help to connect students and faculty, Williams said. The UCW Virginia union launched a petition to keep the focused inquiry positions. It has over 1,400 signatures.
"We believe in a unified vision of what VCU should be and that we're working towards that," Williams said.
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia will recognize Jewish American Heritage Month this May, and each succeeding year, after the state legislature recently passed a resolution.
This recognition will allow Virginia Jewish citizens to celebrate their heritage, especially during a time with increased antisemitism and hate crimes against Jewish people, according to Basya Gartenstein, the director of Jewish community relations and government affairs for the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.
The measure is "very exciting and encouraging," Gartenstein said.
The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond is a community and advocacy organization. It also offers a hotline to provide support to people experiencing financial stress, relationship stress, or food insecurity.
"It feels like a relief for the community to be able to take a moment and celebrate something happy and something different than the difficulty and the adversity experienced in recent years," Gartenstein said.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order on his first day in office to establish a commission to combat antisemitism. The commission is part of Youngkin's effort to ensure "religious freedom and equality for all citizens."
The commission released its data on antisemitic hate crimes and incidents in December 2022.
The report shows that 411 antisemitic incidents occurred in Virginia in 2021, a 71% increase from 2020 to 2021. Many of these incidents occurred in areas with larger population size, such as Richmond, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. These incidents also involved propaganda, such as white supremacist groups passing out flyers and vandalizing buildings with antisemitic graffiti, according to the report.
Gaps in Virginia law can make it difficult to label or prosecute antisemitic crime, and why so many examples of violence against Jewish people are categorized as "incidents."
State lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to pass legislation this recent General Assembly to classify antisemitic crimes as hate crime. Lawmakers did pass a bill introduced by Del. Anne Ferrell Tata, R-Virginia Beach, to adopt a working definition of antisemitism.
Antisemitic hate crimes are on the rise in the U.S., according to a study by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Antisemitic incidents and hate crimes against Jewish institutions such as synagogues and community centers have risen 124% in the U.S. since 2019, according to the report by the Commission to Combat Antisemitism.
"Just given the historical trauma that the Jewish community has experienced, those crimes really resonate on deep and profoundly scary levels," Gartenstein said.
Antisemitic hate crimes accounted for over half of all religiously-motivated hate crimes in 2021, according to FBI hate crime statistics from March. Over 800 of the 1,590 religiously-motivated incidents were directed toward Jewish Americans.
Cities around Virginia will host Jewish American Heritage Month events throughout May.
The Virginia Holocaust Museum is located at 2000 E. Cary St. in Richmond. The museum, which is wrapping up construction, has reopened and returned to its weekly hours, seven days a week. The featured exhibit on display through June 9 is "Halt! Remembering the Holocaust," which showcases artwork by G. Roy Levin. The museum also will host virtual tours.
The Norfolk Public Library will host Michael Panitz, rabbi of Temple Israel, for an open dialogue that includes the Holocaust, according to the library's website.
The new Capital Jewish Museum will not open until next month, but the museum's cultural associate will host a virtual exploration of the history of Jewish settlement in Washington, D.C. The event is May 11, and for registered members of Arlington's 55+ Pass community.
Several presidents have previously recognized Jewish Heritage Week, according to the Library of Congress. Congress issued a resolution in 2006 that urged the president to proclaim annually that state and local governments observe an American Jewish History Month. All presidents since have done so.
President Joe Biden issued the proclamation in late April, which urged "Americans to learn more about the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies."
By Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves, Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. ‒ The backlog of cases in Virginia's circuit court system worsened during the pandemic. Some people have been jailed for more than a year as they wait for their court date, according to records requested from several jails across the state.
Circuit courts handle most civil cases of more than $25,000, along with family matters. It also has authority to hear felonies, in addition to appealed cases from the general district courts and juvenile and domestic relations district courts.
Virginia's speedy trial law states that people in jail on a felony charge must be tried within five months. If they are not in jail, they must be tried within nine months.
People can remain jailed for a number of reasons, including case continuances, multiple trials, and other circumstances, according to the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office.
A sentenced felon can sometimes wait up to five years in jail for a bed in prison, according to the sheriff's office.
It can be difficult to determine the total jail population, or how long people wait in jail for a trial or sentencing. No central authority such as the Virginia Board of Local and Regional Jails holds access to those records, according to a response from the board. The board's role is to "guarantee the health, safety, and welfare of staff and offenders under its jurisdiction."
The Virginia Department of Corrections, or VADOC, referred a Capital News Service reporter's request for statewide jail population to the Board. The Board replied that the information would have to be obtained through each individual jail in Virginia.
CNS contacted five jails based on region and population.
The waiting: The people serving time in jail the longest
A person has been jailed almost seven years in the Virginia Beach Correctional Center. They entered the jail on Aug. 24, 2016 and have a felony charge and several misdemeanors, according to a records request from the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office. They now await sentencing.
A person has been jailed for over five years in the Richmond City Jail, the Richmond Sheriff's Office stated in response to a records request. Their stay began on Feb. 8, 2018.
A person entered the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Aug. 27, 2019, on a first degree murder charge. This person currently has about four and a half months until their next court date, according to a records request from the Fairfax jail.
An individual incarcerated almost three years in Henrico County awaits adjudication for pending charges, according to the Henrico County Sheriff's Office. They entered the jail on July 30, 2020. Henrico County did not respond to requests for additional information by publication time.
An individual at the Roanoke City Jail was jailed in November 2021 and has a court date scheduled for September, according to the jail's public information officer. The individual has returned to court 15 times to deal with five felony charges and has four more dates scheduled, according to the public information office.
The system: Some factors that contributed to court backlogs
"Most people ask for jury trials," said Edward Jewett, Richmond Circuit Court clerk. "So we have a lot scheduled, and so some have to get bumped. It's not a terrible backlog, but I would say that there is some backlog."
There were no 2022 studies on whether more circuit court judgeships should be established, the judiciary stated in its annual report to the General Assembly. The recommendation was made to fill current vacancies. At the end of the year, there were six statewide circuit court vacancies, five general district court vacancies and two juvenile and domestic relations court vacancies, per the report.
A judge is more likely to find someone guilty than a jury, according to Richmond Chief Public Defender Tracy Paner.
Although inmates have a mandated right to a "speedy" trial, in Richmond, there aren't necessarily dates available within those time frames, according to Paner. Often, the way to comply with the law is to have a substitute judge in place, Paner said.
The pandemic also stopped trials for a while, Paner said. Some jury trials have been postponed and some are already scheduled into next year, she said.
"There are clients who would plead guilty to that charge that they otherwise would not, when they're looking at no jail time or jail time they've already served," Paner said. "Just as a mechanism to get out of the jail."
A person waiting in jail faces the unknown and hopes for the best, but prepares for the worst, according to Paner.
The public defenders under Paner's charge average a daily estimate of 100 cases per lawyer, she said. The types of cases vary, and there's no determination as to how many are being actively worked on and how many are in a waiting period, according to Paner.
The National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals states the caseload of a public defender should not exceed 150 felonies per year or more than 400 misdemeanors per year, excluding traffic cases.
The culture: Many say jail is worse than prison
People experience more anxiety in jail than in prison, according to Donyel Burrell. Burrell served almost two decades in prison on felony charges from the mid-'90s, and then returned to jail for several violations.
A person in jail has more anxiety because they are not very involved in the legal process, and do not know what might happen to them. There is less anxiety in prison, once there is a resolution. There also are more opportunities in prison, such as programs and opportunities to make money, according to Burrell.
"It's just a lot of anxiety, a lot of wondering what's going on and what's going to happen," Burrell said.
Burrell now works with REAL LIFE, an organization that helps individuals affected by incarceration, homelessness or substance use disorder, according to its website.
Burrell has a front row view of the impact from the court's backlog, he said. He sees people from REAL LIFE whose cases keep getting "postponed, and postponed again," Burrell said.
"I see guys with petty larceny stuck there for four or five months waiting on their court dates," Burrell said.
REAL LIFE founder Sarah Scarbrough was the Richmond jail program director from 2013 to 2017. She oversaw behavior, health and preparatory programs, which ranged from addressing the continuous cycle of incarceration, to yoga, job preparation and more, according to Scarbrough.
The organization provides recovery housing options to people who have experienced overdoses, and who may be grateful for the incarceration or else they would be dead, Scarbrough said.
"It's sad that there isn't a process in place where they can be stopped and sat down in a place that isn't the penal system," Scarbrough said.
Scarbrough polled REAL LIFE program members for this story, and asked what was a more "comfortable" environment: jail or prison. With 34 votes, 95% voted for prison being more comfortable.
The system is designed to lock people up, Scarbrough said. The system is not designed for reform, she said.
"That is an issue," Scarbrough said. "We're saying correction, but we're not truly providing opportunities, or these opportunities are only talking points for somebody to be reelected."
RICHMOND, Va. – State lawmakers grappled during the recent General Assembly session with the best way to address rising antisemitism, but efforts produced mixed results.
Over 400 "antisemitic incidents" occurred in Virginia in 2021, according to the findings of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's Commission to Combat Antisemitism. This represents a 71% increase since 2020. Some were clearly identified as hate crimes, but "too few" are prosecuted as such, according to the report.
Gaps in state law can make it difficult to label or prosecute antisemitic hate crime. A bill to adopt the working definition of antisemitism passed, while a bill to classify antisemitic crimes as hate crimes did not.
Antisemitism in Virginia and Across the Nation
Jewish people make up approximately 2.2% of the nation's population, according to data from the American Jewish Year Book. Over 150,000 Jewish people live in Virginia as of 2022.
Antisemitic hate crimes made up over half of all religiously-motivated hate crimes in 2021, according to FBI hate crime statistics from March. These rates have increased over the last decade, and by 36% in a recent two-year period, according to a Anti-Defamation League 2022 report.
Daniel Staffenberg is CEO of the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, a Jewish community and advocacy organization. Much of what makes antisemitism such a difficult issue to tackle is a lack of understanding, Staffenberg said.
"When you get to know us, when you get to know what we believe and what we're about, and we get to know you — we feel that a lot of the hate will become tougher," Staffenberg said.
Non-Jewish Americans are more likely to consider antisemitism a smaller issue, according to surveys conducted by the American Jewish Committee.
Less than half of surveyed Americans knew approximately 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center study. The same study found people who knew less about Jewish history were more likely to have "cooler feelings" toward Jews.
Efforts to Address Antisemitism in Virginia
Youngkin's commission formed under an executive order issued on his first day in office, to ensure "religious freedom and equality for all citizens." The 15 appointed members came from many different faiths and professional backgrounds.
"We must reaffirm our commitment to stand against hatred and intolerance, and develop an actionable plan to combat antisemitism in our Commonwealth," Youngkin stated.
The commission released 21 recommendations to address antisemitism, according to its report.
It recommended Virginia adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, improve Jewish history education and improve the tracking and prosecution of antisemitic hate crime, according to its report.
Multiple bills were introduced this General Assembly session as a result of the commission's recommendations.
Defining and Educating Virginians on Antisemitism
Del. Anne Ferrell Tata, R-Virginia Beach, introduced House Bill 1606, to adopt the IRHA working definition of antisemitism as a "tool and guide." The bill received several amendments but ultimately passed and was signed into law by Youngkin.
Companion bill Senate Bill 1252 was defeated on a tie vote in committee.
Antisemitism, as defined by IRHA, is a hatred directed at Jewish people, property, community or places of worship. It is not just violence toward Jews, but can include seeing Jews as a monolith, or accusing Jews of "inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust."
The conversation surrounding Jewish protections is complex. Jewish identity can be ethnic, religious or both, Staffenberg said. The many misconceptions regarding Jews need to be addressed to best react to antisemitism, he said.
The Scope of the IRHA Definition and Free Speech
House legislators debated what Tata's bill would accomplish for Jewish communities.
"Combating antisemitism isn't what this bill is about," said Del. Daniel Helmer, D-Fairfax, during discussion of the bill. Helmer, who is Jewish, spoke of past experiences with antisemitic tropes. He voted against the bill.
Opponents raised specific concerns about whether or not the bill censors criticism of Israel's human rights violations against Palestinians.
Tata said this was not the case. The measure was amended several times to clarify it was purely a "non-legally binding" educational tool.
The First Step of "Tikkun Olam"
"Tikkun Olam" means "repair the world" in Hebrew.
Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, the first Jewish speaker of the House, spoke multiple times about her experiences with antisemitism. She urged lawmakers to not "wait for another antisemitic tragedy" to pass a bill like Tata's.
"We can't solve antisemitism right now," Filler-Corn said while speaking to Tata's bill. "But we can take a step, Mr. Speaker, in repairing the world."
Education is the first step in addressing antisemitism, Filler Corn said. She supported the bill, and said Tata consulted her about it.
"To combat antisemitism, you have to understand what it is — you have to define it," Filler-Corn said. "And that's what this bill was all about."
The measure will help Virginia track antisemitic hate crimes more accurately.
Law enforcement is not always clear on what constitutes antisemitic crime, despite "strong relationships" with the Jewish community, Staffenberg said.
The bill will drive training, education, identification and reporting, which are all critical to finding solutions, Staffenberg added.
Finding the Best Language to Protect the Jewish Ethnoreligion
Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, and Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, introduced SB 1184 and HB 2208. The companion bills would have classified antisemitic crimes as hate crimes, within state law.
House lawmakers extensively debated consequences of certain language, made multiple attempts at amendments and could never reach agreement in the conference committee. A conference committee occurs when the House and the Senate cannot agree on details of a bill.
Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, wanted lawmakers to accept his floor substitute, which added "ethnic" as a protected group.
All Jews — whether ethnic, religious or both — could then make a case for antisemitic crimes being hate crimes with this addition, he said.
Simon described his fear of antisemitic violence when his family attends synagogue, and how he worries about an attack.
"Is there enough room between that pew and the floor for me to lay on top of my kids to protect them or not?" Simon said.
Filler-Corn was one of the three delegates in the conference committee.
"Strong-willed individuals" in both the House and Senate were not willing to concede their position, Filler-Corn said.
The final decision was that the matter needed more time and could be taken up again in the future, she said.
"The fact that we were able to move forward with some legislation is important," Filler-Corn said.
The legislative approach to antisemitism needs to transcend party politics, she said.
"Yes, the ideas, the concepts, might have come from Gov. Youngkin's commission on antisemitism — yes, the patrons of these bills might be Republican patrons," Filler-Corn said. "But, again, we need to transcend party politics, and we need to move forward and support the Jewish community."
Filler-Corn and Youngkin partnered closely to address antisemitism in Virginia, she said.
Breaking the Cycle of Antisemitism
Jeff Dannick is the executive director of the Pozez Jewish Community Center, a community hub that serves the Northern Virginia area.
Antisemitism is not a problem that can be solved by only the Jewish community itself, he said.
"If I am only for myself, who will be for me?" Dannick said, quoting Rabbi Hillel, an important Jewish historical figure. "If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?"
This most modern rise in antisemitism is not unique— instead, it reflects a pattern of behavior that can be seen throughout history, Dannick said.
"There are good times and bad times," Dannick said. "When things go bad, oftentimes people will look for a scapegoat and oftentimes, for whatever reason, the Jewish community becomes that scapegoat."
Recent political and socioeconomic instability could have caused the downturn in this cyclical relationship, Dannick said.
"When those kinds of stressors are put on society, that is like a recipe for antisemitism," Dannick said, which is "always bubbling under the surface."
Antisemitic tropes and stereotypes cannot continue to be the only information people have about Jews, Dannick said.
All sides need to foster allyship and refuse to tolerate hate to make progress, he said.
"All we can do, while we are on this Earth for our time, is to try and break those cycles and to try and bring peace and harmony to community," Dannick said.
Jewish Community Continues to Build
Jewish organizations such as the Weinstein Jewish Community Center in Henrico County create spaces where Virginians regardless of faith can gather, Staffenberg said. The Weinstein JCC, like the Pozez JCC, is a gym, school and community center with membership open to all.
"It's much easier to hate what we don't know," Staffenberg said. "So we have engaged in a very strong effort to educate and build relationships among different parts of the community — among different faiths, backgrounds, races and that work continues."
The Jewish community remains resilient in the face of rising antisemitism, he said.
"You won't see the Jewish community shrink from antisemitism, or cease being actively involved in community — locally or anywhere," Staffenberg said.
Calls for pet cannabis exposure increase in Virginia, nationwide
By Mackenzie Meleski, Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. ‒ The Pet Poison Helpline reported an increase nationwide and in Virginia of calls concerning cannabis poisoning in household pets.
"We've had a really significant increase on the number of calls that we've had of exposures over the last two or three years, especially," said Dr. Rennee Schmid.
Schmid is a senior veterinary toxicologist and manager of veterinary medicine and professional services for the national Pet Poison Helpline. The 24-hour helpline is available for pet owners and veterinarians, and charges an $85 help fee. The helpline and Virginia Poison Center share some pet case statistics, according to Schmid.
Cannabis is ranked as the No. 9 toxin for pets nationwide, according to the Pet Poison Helpline website. The Pet Poison Helpline experienced a 735% increase in nationwide THC-related calls from 2018 to 2022, Schmid stated in a follow-up email. THC is the compound in cannabis which creates a "high" for the user.
Cannabis ranks as the No. 8 toxin for dogs in Virginia, according to helpline data. Chocolate is the No. 1 and No. 2 toxin for dogs and cats, respectively, according to helpline data.
The Virginia Poison Center reported an overall 286% increase in cases of pet exposure to cannabis from 2018 to 2022, according to Schmid. There was a 90.5% increase from calls made in 2021 to 2022. The helpline does not disclose raw case numbers, just percentages, because they are a privately owned company, Schmid said.
The difference between the overall national increase and Virginia increase is because cannabis is also sold recreationally in other states, according to Schmid. The maximum THC amount allowed by many states is higher than Virginia's alloted 10 milligrams per dose in its medical marijuana program.
"Some states just skyrocketed with the number of call differences that they have," Schmid said.
Cannabis intoxication in pets presents in a variety of ways, Schmid said. Pets can become lethargic, develop symptoms of hypothermia, low blood pressure or have a significantly low heart rate, according to Schmid. However, in some cases pets can become agitated rather than lethargic, Schmid said.
Most animals do not die from cannabis intoxication, but are more sensitive to THC than humans, according to Schmid. A lethal dose for pets is generally considered to be "a little over 6 grams per pound," Schmid said.
"That's a pretty high amount that they would have to be exposed to," Schmid said. "They'd have to get into a really large amount of marijuana itself or a large number of edibles."
However, "a really small amount can be quite problematic" for pets, according to Schmid.
Veterinarians treat pets for cannabis exposure by giving the animals intravenous fluids and monitoring their heart rate and blood pressure for several hours, Schmid said.
Pet owners need to keep cannabis products out of reach of their pets and smoke in areas where pets are not present, according to Schmid.
"They'll smell it; they'll be inquisitive about it," Schmid said. "Animals, they explore with their mouths, and so it's very normal for them to put something new in their mouth, taste and see what it's like."
Dr. S. Rutherford Rose is the director of the Virginia Poison Center at VCU Health.
"In general, when it comes to making sure that their pets do not accidentally consume cannabis products it is much the same as with small children," Rose stated in an email. "Never leave edibles lying around on counter tops or tables in the home."
The Virginia General Assembly decriminalized cannabis in 2021, which allowed adults aged 21 and older to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana and legally grow up to four plants in their home. The legislature earlier approved a medical marijuana program, but has failed to pass legislation to create a recreational market.
The medical marijuana market continues to grow in Virginia, and dispensaries sell edible products such as THC-infused fruit-flavored gummies and chocolates. The increase in calls to pet poison control centers is due to more availability of legal products and less stigma around calling for help, Schmid said.
"Instead of them being hesitant to call and seek care for their pet, they're more open to doing that," Schmid said.
Legal cannabis sellers have made their own efforts to prevent accidental poisonings of pets and children, according to Nathaniel Blakey, the head of edible production at RVA Cannabis Co.
RVA Cannabis Co., located in Chesterfield County, packages cannabis products in childproof and pet proof packaging, according to Blakey. Certain CBD products are made for pets, but pets should never be given products containing THC, Blakey said.
"CBD products like treats and tinctures are great for animals in moderation for those with stress or joint issues. But even these CBD products should be stored carefully," Blakey stated in an email. "We strongly recommended to keep bagged treats out of reach."
"People should have easy access to properly dosed edibles and be educated on what a legit product looks like," Blakey stated. "Consumers should also be educated on the fact that CBD will always be more responsible for more medicinal help and that THC is more recreational."
If pet owners think their pet has consumed cannabis products and needs medical attention, they can call a local emergency veterinary clinic or the Virginia Poison Center hotline at 800-222-1222.
RICHMOND, Va. ‒ Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently recommended the General Assembly accept an amended version of a bill that ends the practice of paying subminimum wage to certain Virginia workers with disabilities.
A certificate exemption under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to determine pay for disabled workers based on a productivity calculation compared to other employees, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. These workers are currently listed within the "tipped employees" section of state code.
The original House Bill 1924 eliminated use of the certificate and increased minimum hourly pay to $9.50 in July. This rate would continue to increase incrementally until 2027, when it reached Virginia minimum wage. The slow increase is meant to help employers adjust, according to Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, who introduced the measure.
Hope's bill passed the House unanimously on a block vote, meaning it was not discussed prior to voting. The bill passed the Senate 22-18.
The governor's proposed amendment adjusts timelines. It would remove the incremental pay bumps of the original bill. Instead, the wages of all previously exempt employees would be raised to Virginia's minimum wage when use of the certificates ended in 2030.
Any currently certified employer would be grandfathered in until 2030, but no new certificates would be issued after July 1.
The national average for workers being paid subminimum wage is $3.34 an hour, according to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 2020 report.
"I don't know how anybody could pay that and look themselves in the mirror," said Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, when speaking to the Senate. "That's disgusting. And there's no other way to describe that."
Disabled workers can encounter long Labor Department processing times that prevent them from getting back pay owed due to incorrectly calculated wages, according to a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
The certificates gave disabled workers "an entry point" into the workforce in the 1930s, said Jewelyn Cosgrove, Melwood's vice president of government and public relations. Such exemptions need to be reevaluated through a modern lens, she said.
Melwood is a nonprofit organization that provides jobs and opportunities for people with disabilities, according to its website. It held a certificate until 2014, Cosgrove said.
Disabled workers have access to more jobs these days, versus when it used to be "get a job, any job," Cosgrove said.
"People with disabilities should be and can be engaged in the workforce in meaningful ways in the careers of their choosing," Cosgrove said.
There are six employers in Virginia with active certificates as of January. These employers pay at least 286 total workers subminimum wage, according to the Labor Department. Four more employers in Virginia are pending approval for their certificates.
Active certificates are down 46% since 2018, according to a study by the Association of People Supporting Employment First. The same study found employment of disabled workers is on the rise across multiple states.
"I would never, ever accept a job where I was making $3 an hour," said Virginia APSE lobbyist Matthew Shapiro. "You wouldn't do that, so why is it OK for us to do that to more vulnerable ... folks than me?"
Shapiro was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects almost every part of his life, he said. He is the founder and CEO of the consulting firm 6 Wheels Consulting.
Resources such as job coaches, at-home work and self-employment render the certificate exemption no longer necessary, Shapiro said.
"What kind of Virginia do we want to be?" Shapiro said. "Do we want to be one that pays people fairly for the work that they do, and at good wages? Or are we OK saying we're going to pay somebody $10 a week?"
Thirteen states already have legislation in place to prevent employers from paying subminimum wage, according to the APSE study. Reforms are also being attempted at the federal level.
"This is a very demoralizing issue, and it shouldn't really be an issue in the 21st century," said Charlotte Woodward, the National Down Syndrome Society's education program associate.
Woodward was born with Down syndrome, she said. Her advocacy work is important to her because she believes disabled voices provide needed visibility, she said.
"The doctor told my mom I would never learn to read or write," Woodward said. "That, when I grew up, I would work in a sheltered workshop."
A sheltered workshop is traditionally defined as a supervised workplace for adults who have a physical or intellectual disability.
"Of course, my mom didn't take those words to heart," Woodward added.
Opponents of the bill question if sheltered workshops and subminimum wage are harmful to disabled workers. Sen. Thomas Norment, R-James City County, spoke to the Senate about the disabled son of his former administrative assistant.
"He never once, never once, mentioned how much he was paid or what the compensation was," Norment said. "It was the intangible reward and satisfaction and fulfillment of his day that he got going to work."
Sen. Jill Vogel, R-Fauquier, also opposed the bill. It would take away opportunities for employers to provide "a haven, a place, a job for people where they do not pay them minimum wage," she said.
Almost all of the workers originally employed under Melwood's former certificate are still employed by the organization, but now at "full wage," Cosgrove said.
"It's about recognizing that our employees' voices, and their desire for that full wage, brought that dignity — brought that stability," Cosgrove said. "It improved our employee morale immediately."
To assume disabled workers will thrive in sheltered production does not account for individual ability and interest, said Tonya Milling, executive director of The Arc of Virginia.
"Think of it as the same way you approach things in your own life," Milling said. "When I looked for a job, I looked for something that matched my skills, matched my abilities and could hold my interest."
Shapiro sympathized with concerns over disabled workers and their well-being.
"There is a 'dignity of risk' argument that can be made here," Shapiro said. "Are we going to allow [them] to go out into the world and break a nail? Or are we going to keep [them] in a bubble their entire lives?"
The Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services plans to aid transitioning employers with nearly $14 million in provided federal funding, according to the Disability Law Center of Virginia.
Youngkin's amendment, in addition to codifying the funds, would require DARS to report to the governor's office in 2024 about the transition away from certificates.
Lawmakers will vote on Youngkin's changes when they reconvene on April 12.
RICHMOND, Va. ‒ An interstate divided the Jackson Ward neighborhood in Richmond decades ago, and now leaders hope a bridge will help reunite it.
The proposed project area for a bridge deck to better connect the neighborhood runs from the Belvidere Street bridge to east of the North First Street bridge over Interstate 95. Federal dollars from a new program will help fund the project.
The interstate was built almost 70 years ago, and in recent years many citizens and leaders have acknowledged its long lasting impact on the community. Local and state agencies launched the Reconnect Jackson Ward Feasibility Study in January 2022 and utilized citizen input throughout the process. Grant applications were submitted last October to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program.
Democratic Virginia U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced in late February nearly $3 million in federal funding to improve transportation infrastructure and reconnect communities in Richmond and Norfolk.
Approximately 20 states have used transportation departments to build connections over highways, according to the final report from Reconnect Jackson Ward. Design elements include bridges, caps and lids to cover highways and create parks and pedestrian and bicycle pathways, according to the report.
The DOT pilot program will help reconnect neighborhoods that lack economic opportunity due to transportation infrastructure, according to a press release. Norfolk will receive $1.6 million and Richmond will receive $1.35 million toward the Jackson Ward project.
The congressional Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the pilot program and funded it with $1 billion over the next five years, according to an agency press release. The first round of funding distributed $185 million across 45 U.S. communities.
Warner recently visited the St. Paul's neighborhood in Norfolk to celebrate the project funding.
"Too many communities were cut off by the development of the interstate system," Warner stated on Twitter.
The Norfolk I-264 Reconnecting Communities Project will be used to find a solution to a jumbled, 14-lane stretch of interstate called the "spaghetti bowl" that blocks a low-income, majority African-American neighborhood from access to the downtown Norfolk area, according to a press release.
"I'm glad this funding is coming to Norfolk and Jackson Ward to bring together communities that were separated and burdened by the placement of past infrastructure projects," Kaine stated in an email response to an interview request. "I'm looking forward to seeing the positive impacts of these investments."
Kaine will continue to look for opportunities to help Virginia communities that may be cut off economically, he stated.
Gary Flowers is the radio host of the "Gary Flowers Show," a weekday morning radio show that highlights civic engagement and Black history, according to Flowers. He leads frequent walking tours through Jackson Ward that explore the influences which led to the ward's earlier identity as the "Black Wall Street" and "Harlem of the South."
The government must answer a few questions in order to address the displacement in Jackson Ward, he said.
"How will it address the Black residents displaced by I-95?" Flowers said. "Secondly, if there is a connector, then who is being connected?"
The interstate system was needed, but forced Black communities out of their neighborhoods, Flowers said.
"What was nefarious about the placement of I-95 from Maine to Florida is that communities of color were deliberately chosen for placement of the much needed federal highway," Flowers said.
The "white power structure" chose to build the interstate through the prosperous Jackson Ward community, Flowers said. Approximately 300 Black-owned businesses, seven insurance companies and five banks were located there, according to Flowers.
Flowers hopes to see the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood extended to its original boundaries, and people reimbursed for their losses, he said.
"To address the question of recompense for those homeowners, business owners and church congregations that were deliberately disrupted by I-95," Flowers said.
The interstate divided a thriving, self-sufficient Black neighborhood, which left the area vulnerable to the impacts of redlining by "white Richmond banks," Flowers said. Redlining is a now illegal practice where lenders avoid investing in individuals who live in communities of color because of their race or national origin.
The federal funding will help on "many different fronts," according to Melody Short, co-founder of the Jackson Ward Collective Foundation and vice president of programming. The Jackson Ward Collective supports current and aspiring Black business owners, according to its website.
"[Funding] helps with beautification, which naturally increases the attraction and value of the neighborhood," Short said.
The neighborhood also needs funding to help build more affordable housing, she said.
"It is a neighborhood that has been gentrified, and so historically that pushes the folk out of the neighborhood, and that's not helpful," Short said. "This was once upon a time an all-Black neighborhood."
Preliminary engineering and design plans for the bridge deck are slated to occur over the next two years, according to a project timeline, with construction projected to be complete by 2028.
RICHMOND, Va. -- A bill to help remove licensing requirements for eyebrow threading technicians failed to pass a House committee during the recent General Assembly session.
Eyebrow threading is a method to remove facial hair and eyebrows that began millenniums ago in Asia, and gained popularity in Western culture.
People interested in pursuing eyebrow threading must obtain certification through wax technician courses overseen by the Board of Barbers and Cosmetology under the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. The curriculum requires individuals to complete a minimum of 115 hours of training and to pass a written exam and practical exam, according to state licensing requirements.
The Board of Barbers and Cosmetology syllabus mentions waxing and temporary hair removal, but not threading specifically, according to LaFarn Burton, founder of LB Beauty Academy in Richmond. The state curriculum needs to delve into threading education more thoroughly, Burton said.
"It's like it was just stuck in there, but no meat to the threading," Burton said.
Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler, D-Virginia Beach, introduced House Bill 1498 to remove the requirement that an eyebrow threader must obtain an occupational license. The bill failed to advance out of a House subcommittee by a 3-5 vote.
Fowler introduced a similar bill in 2019, and Del. Kaye Kory, D-Falls Church, introduced a similar bill in 2015.
Convirs-Fowler did not return multiple calls and emails for a statement about the bill.
DPOR did not bring the bill to the General Assembly, and declined to comment on the legislation when contacted.
Meagan Forbes, director of legislation and senior legislative counsel for the Arlington-based Institute for Justice, testified to the subcommittee panel on behalf of the bill.
"Threading is a safe hair removal technique," Forbes said. "It does not involve chemicals or dangerous devices, threaders simply use their hands and a single piece of cotton thread to remove hairs."
Twenty states currently exempt threading "without issue," according to Forbes.
Zahra Lakhani, a DPOR-licensed educator, recently retired after doing eyebrow threading for approximately 30 years.
It would be a step backwards to remove the license requirement for threading, she said. The education an eyebrow threader receives through instruction is important, Lakhani said.
"It's very important to know the sanitary part of it, how to keep yourself safe, how to keep your customer safe, how to do the practice well and well skilled," Lakhnai said.
Sanitization is essential for threading because technicians roll the thread on the clients' faces, which could cause cross-contamination, according to Lakhani.
Rolling the thread cuts or burns the skin if the skin is not tight and held a specific way while removing hair from your face, she said.
"The consumer and the provider should always be protected," Lakhani said.
If the waxing education requirement was removed, Lakhani thinks at least 60 hours of threading training would be "sufficient," and should include sanitation training, theory and practice hours.
Stefania Rafeedie, who owns Arch and Beauty Studio LLC in Fairfax County, wrote DPOR to request an "Eyebrow Specialist" license in 2021, according to the letter accessed from the regulatory agency. More specific training is needed to provide specialized eyebrow treatments, according to Rafeedie.
"It is puzzling to me that while one of the above licenses are required, none of them teach a future practitioner how to perform these services," Rafeedie stated.
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University's Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.
