Lawmakers want to ban the use of herbicide paraquat in Virginia, which has been linked to Parkinson's Disease and is banned in 70 countries worldwide. But farmers are pushing back, saying alternative weed killers are too pricy and not as effective. virginiamercury.com/briefs/bill-...

COMMENTARY: Democrats are asking voters to protect democracy by abandoning America’s most sacred of democratic principles: that voters get to choose their politicians, and that elections mean something, guest columnist Alex Keena writes. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/09/g...

The bills would lift the $25,000 housing grant cap for government workers, which supporters say will help them buy homes in the areas they serve. Opponents say the measures could be too costly and unfairly benefit high-earning workers in Northern Virginia. virginiamercury.com/briefs/state...

Bills that could allow by-right zoning for apartment buildings, townhomes and mixed-use developments in certain commercial corridors cleared the Senate Thursday, one of several proposals to boost housing supply working through the Virginia legislature. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/06/h...

Democratic legislators advanced a package of bills to tighten federal immigration operations in Virginia, including ones to require judicial warrants for courthouse arrests and restrict immigration enforcement in schools, polling places and other public spaces. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/06/h...

A report found more than 5 million Virginians live in an area “without sufficient staffing to maintain the critical functions” of emergency management. Lawmakers punted a bill to set aside $5 million to help localities hire full-time emergency managers. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/06/b...

Virginia Democrats dropped their long-awaited congressional map Thursday, proposing a 10–1 split. The plan largely keeps the 9th mostly intact, redraws Northern and central Virginia, and presses forward despite an ongoing court fight ahead of April referendum. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/05/v...

NEW: Virginia House Democrats pushed through a sweeping package of gun control bills Thursday — including an assault weapons ban, industry liability measures and tighter storage rules — over fierce GOP opposition. #Valeg virginiamercury.com/2026/02/05/h...

A bill by outgoing Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, that would remove Confederate monuments from Virginia’s Capitol Square advanced in the state legislature Wednesday. via @virginiamercury.com

A Virginia Senate bill to remove Confederate monuments from Capitol Square advanced in committee, directing officials to take down and store the statues pending a final decision. The measure reflects ongoing debates over how the state commemorates its past. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/05/b...

Dozens of Democratic tax bills are fueling GOP attacks on Gov. Spanberger — but most are still lingering in committee, and the governor hasn’t backed them. Meanwhile, lawmakers have already advanced multiple bills tied to Spanberger’s affordability agenda. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/05/a...

Gov. Abigail Spanberger has ended an agreement allowing Virginia State Police and corrections officers to assist ICE, fulfilling a campaign promise to refocus law enforcement on state duties. Republicans say the move puts politics over public safety. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/04/s...

Unlikely allies worked to pass probation reform bills last year that created a workgroup to refine the proposal this year. via @virginiamercury.com

Virginia is on track to revamp its probation system after bipartisan bills moved forward this session, aiming to reduce supervision lengths, cut revocations, and improve outcomes for people leaving the justice system. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/04/v...

Virginia lawmakers advance a bill to tighten biosolids rules amid rising concern over PFAS “forever chemicals,” with advocates saying the state shouldn’t become a dumping ground and critics warning of impacts on farms and wastewater costs. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/04/w...

Virginia watermen are pushing back hard against proposed terrapin protections that would require devices on crab pots to keep northern diamondback turtles out, saying it adds cost and could hurt the crab fishery. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/03/v...

Virginia lawmakers have introduced the Humane and Toxin-Free Cosmetics Act to ban toxic chemicals like formaldehyde, mercury and PFAS from beauty products sold in the state. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/03/v...

🧨 As ICE eyes expansion in Virginia, former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s last-day directive to sell a shuttered Augusta County prison is drawing scrutiny over a potential detention site. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has since paused the sale. #vagov virginiamercury.com/2026/02/03/a...

A bill that would set up a framework for siting solar projects that localities could follow and that prohibits the premature rejection of solar infrastructure development has passed the Virginia Senate. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/02/v...

Attorney General Jay Jones has announced that Virginia will sue the EPA over its rollback of the Clean Air Act and last week he helped open the door for the state to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, marking early actions on environmental issues. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/02/v...

The 2025 annual report on Hampton Roads Ventures, a for-profit subsidiary of Norfolk’s housing authority, reveals a $15 million investment in two projects in other states — but none in Norfolk. Some City Council members are losing patience. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/02/n...

A Fairfax County Public Schools teacher says one of her colleagues helped students seek abortions without parental consent. The school system investigated and refutes her claims. Now the case is in federal court, as a Virginia State Police probe continues. virginiamercury.com/2026/02/02/f...

A case playing out before the State Corporation Commission over a controversial high-voltage transmission line in Northern Virginia has inspired legislation in the General Assembly designed to keep the powerful lines away from residential areas and schools. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/30/v...

Virginia officials approved more than $545,000 in opioid settlement grants in January to support local treatment, recovery and prevention programs. via @virginiamercury.com

Clarke, Franklin, Henrico and Patrick counties and the city of Fairfax just got a $545,429 cash infusion from the state to expand opioid abatement programs and strengthen community-based responses to addiction and overdoses. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/30/f...

A bill that would provide more protections to renters whose landlords don't remedy critical maintenance issues or unlivable conditions is up for debate, and another that would allow localities to set caps on how much landlords are allowed to raise rents each year. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/30/d...

Virginia lawmakers are reviving long-stalled paid sick leave and family & medical leave bills in the 2026 General Assembly as Democratic control and a supportive new governor boost chances of passage. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/29/v...

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones joins 21 other attorneys general in condemning what they call unconstitutional federal pressure on Minnesota, warning DOJ demands tied to immigration enforcement threaten state sovereignty, public safety and community trust. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/29/v...

Virginia lawmakers and Native tribes teamed up to push education and sovereignty reforms aimed at confronting the legacy of a racist 1920s law that barred Native children from schooling in the state for decades. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/29/l...

Hundreds packed a Hanover County Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday as the board pushed back against a DHS plan to convert an Ashland warehouse into an ICE processing facility. Supervisors cited land-use conflicts, lack of consultation and fiscal impacts. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/29/n...

NEW: Virginia Democrats roll out slate of bills to curb federal immigration enforcement, citing public safety concerns after deadly actions in Minnesota. Republicans argue Virginia has no say in federal actions. #valeg virginiamercury.com/2026/01/28/d...

Commentary: “Solar can save Virginia farms — if government gets out of the way.” — Ivy Main urges smarter policy to help farmers survive by embracing solar energy and cutting red tape that limits installations on agricultural land. virginiamercury.com/briefs/solar...

Virginia House panel advances a bill to create a task force to examine whether the Virginia Military Institute should continue to receive public funding. The move follows broader debate in the General Assembly over VMI’s governance. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/28/h...

GOP Reps. Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman are pressing the federal government for transparency after the 90-day pause on offshore wind projects, including Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. virginiamercury.com/briefs/kigga...

NEW: A Virginia circuit court struck down Democrats’ proposed redistricting amendment, ruling lawmakers violated constitutional requirements and their own rules. The decision blocks an April referendum and sets up an appeal. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/27/v...

Del. Dan Helmer says he has settled with all parties in a defamation lawsuit tied to sexual assault allegations that surfaced days before the June 2024 Democratic primary in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. virginiamercury.com/briefs/helme...

Bills targeting governance and oversight at the Virginia Military Institute are advancing in the 2026 General Assembly session. One proposal would form a task force to examine VMI’s funding and future as a state institution. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/27/b...

Va. state senator is proposing a bill that would keep future data centers in industrial zones — blocking them from being built near residential areas amid growing community concern over noise, power use and local impacts. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/27/v...

A Virginia Senate panel advanced a slate of gun safety bills Monday that were previously vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, marking significant legislative movement in the new session. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/27/v...

A bill moving through the VA General Assembly would standardize visitation policies at state correctional facilities — including clearer rules on dress code, extended access for long-distance visitors and public reporting by the Dept. of Corrections. virginiamercury.com/briefs/pendi...

Virginia lawmakers are moving to create a volunteer cyber civilian corps — a team of trained volunteers to help respond to cybersecurity threats and strengthen defenses — joining several other states with similar programs as cyber risks rise. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/26/v...

NEW: In newly Democratic Virginia, immigration enforcement is shaping up as an early test for Gov. Abigail Spanberger, as she reins in state cooperation with ICE amid GOP backlash and growing pressure from advocates. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/26/i...

A lawsuit alleging that the Virginia Department of Corrections improperly keeps people confined solitarily for long periods of time will be allowed to move forward, a federal district judge ruled this week. Another lawsuit against the agency is also progressing. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/23/f...

Virginia AG Jay Jones has launched a national search to recruit university counsels for three of Virginia’s public colleges and universities to stop the Trump administration’s “continued politically-motivated assaults” on Va.’s academic institutions, Jones said. virginiamercury.com/briefs/ag-jo...

An effort to provide k-12 students with free breakfast is again moving forward in Virginia’s legislature. The bill has advanced a few years in a row but fell short of becoming law due to some legislators’ concerns over cost. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/23/c...

Spanberger’s declaration of a state of emergency due to the anticipated severe winter weather triggered Virginia’s anti-gouging statutes, which protect consumers from paying “outrageously high prices” for essential goods like water and food during an emergency. virginiamercury.com/briefs/price...

NEW: Virginia is bracing for a major winter storm this weekend, with snow, sleet and ice expected to make travel hazardous across the commonwealth. Officials urge preparation and caution as the storm moves in. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/22/w...

Construction resumes on $11.2 billion offshore wind project by Dominion Energy three weeks after the federal government called for a pause on the work citing national security concerns. Via @shannonheckt.bsky.social @virginiamercury.com rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/01/22/w...

Parents and advocates packed the Virginia General Assembly Wednesday urging lawmakers to expand early childhood care options and improve access as the 2026 session gets underway — signaling growing pressure on child care policy in Virginia. virginiamercury.com/2026/01/22/p...