Yes: Virginia votes to redraw congressional maps, favoring Democrats Now, Dems have to defend the measure in court.

Yes: Virginia votes to redraw congressional maps, favoring Democrats by @deanmirshahi.bsky.social and I www.vpm.org/elections/20...

Richmond City settles former FOIA officer lawsuit after hostile litigation @deanmirshahi.bsky.social @vpm.org www.vpm.org/news/2026-04...

Richmond Flying Squirrels christen CarMax Park with a 3–2 victory The new stadium replaces The Diamond after 40 years of baseball.

Richmond has a new home for minor league baseball for the first time since The Diamond opened in 1985.

The Flying Squirrels sent CarMax Park's first crowd ever home happy on Tuesday with a 3–2 win over the Altoona Curve. @deanmirshahi.bsky.social was on hand for the opener:

Retail market for recreational weed passes Virginia General Assembly The legislation is expected to be signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Retail marijuana is finally coming to Virginia. The yearslong-in-limbo legislation is expected to be signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger. via @deanmirshahi.bsky.social

Hundreds gather at The Valentine to celebrate Bill Martin’s life and legacy “Bill's life is a testament to the power of … showing up for our community.”

“Every year, before the event, I would get a call or a text from Bill that said, ‘What's your pizza order?’”

Many visitors to Bill Martin's memorial said what stood out to them was Martin’s daily acts of kindness, despite his packed schedule across the city.

More from @deanmirshahi.bsky.social:

Federal judge orders widespread voting rights restoration for Virginians District Court Judge John Gibney wrote that Virginia law violates a post-Civil War rule.

Federal judge orders widespread voting rights restoration for Virginians by @deanmirshahi.bsky.social www.vpm.org/news/2026-01...

Democrats sweep Virginia's statewide offices, expand House majority Voters sent Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones to the Capitol.

Big thanks to @jahd.bsky.social and @deanmirshahi.bsky.social for letting me crash the VPM news election night post party - always love a public media co-byline.

Btw VPM is a treasure and their coverage of the election this year was the gold standard www.vpm.org/elections/20...

Youngkin mobilizes Virginia National Guard for anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests The governor's office is coordinating with both protest organizers and law enforcement.

New: The National Guard troops put on state active duty "may be employed as a unit to a single incident site, or by distributing squads to multiple incident sites, dependent on the needs of the supported agency," per an internal document obtained by @vpm.org www.vpm.org/news/2025-10...

Before approving next year’s tax rate, Council voted down an effort to lower it by 4 cents. @vpm.org

Richmond City Council maintains real estate tax rates for 2026 Updated: Council ultimately backed Mayor Danny Avula's proposal.

Richmond City Council voted Monday to keep the real estate tax rate at $1.20 per $100 of assessed value for 2026.

They postponed the vote back in September; read @deanmirshahi.bsky.social's related story for more! #RVA

Tavares Floyd indicted on election fraud charges A grand jury determined Monday that the case against Floyd could move forward.

@deanmirshahi.bsky.social and i are back on the tavares floyd beat for @vpm.org. why are we covering a former city council candidate, you ask? oh, no particular reason:

Spanish translation of Richmond City Police’s report on a reported missing man being in ICE custody: Actividad confirmada del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) de EE UU en Vecindario de Richmond Esta mañana alrededor de las 7:03 a.m. oficiales del Depto. de Policía de Richmond (RPD) respondieron a un reporte de una persona extraviada, un hombre adulto, en la cuadra de 1500 Clarkson Road. Al llegar los oficiales, observaron la presencia de agentes del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) de Estado Unidos en el vecindario de Southwood. Los oficiales de RPD consultaron con los agentes, quienes confirmaron la detención y custodia de la persona reportada como extraviada. Oficiales de RPD prosiguieron a contactar al individuo que hizo el reporte para notificarle que dicho hombre estaba en custodia de agentes federales. De acuerdo con las normas de la Ciudad, el Departamento de Policía de Richmond no participó en la actividad de ICE.

RPD’s Spanish translation:

New: Richmond police said a man who was reported missing and officers were looking for today was in ICE custody. RPD says they didn’t help. @vpm.org

The Senate of Virginia delegated to its Committee on Privileges and Elections the responsibility of considering the resolution to confirm gubernatorial appointees to the governing boards of George Mason University, the University of Virginia, and the Virginia Military Institute and deciding whether (and how) to bring that resolution to the Senate floor for a vote. By voting 8-4 to not report the confirming resolution, the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections rejected those appointees on behalf of the Senate. Because confirmation of a gubernatorial appointee requires the majority vote of a quorum of each chamber of the General Assembly, the action of the Senate committee manifested the General Assembly’s “positive unwillingness” to make the requested confirmations and constituted a refusal to confirm under the Constitution of Virginia. Accordingly, the Constitution of Virginia required the rejected appointees to immediately cease their participation on their respective boards. They have not done so. Instead, following the legal advice of the Attorney General, the defendant Rectors of the George Mason University and University of Virginia Boards of Visitors and President of the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors have continued to recognize the rejected appointees as members of their respective governing boards. Moreover, they intend to continue to do so.

AP:Virginia judge bars Youngkin's university board appointments rejected by Senate Democrats apnews.com/article/judg...

Opinion: drive.google.com/file/d/1s06V...

Where are the cooling centers in Central Virginia? Updated July 27: It's gonna be another set of scorchers this week, y'all.

Hey, Central Virginia. It's really, really hot outside. Stay cool! www.vpm.org/news/2025-06...

Virginia hospitals could lose up to $26B due to federal Medicaid cuts Gov. Glenn Youngkin has called some estimates of the impact “literally made up.”

A spokesperson for Gov. Glenn Youngkin pushed back on an estimate by the CFO of Virginia's Medicaid agency that federal cuts could cause “a macroeconomic financial shock" for the state, saying that “economic impacts should be evaluated by individuals with specific expertise in hospital finance.”

New: James Murdoch, the son of media mogul and Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch, and his wife Kathryn each gave $50K to @abigailspanberger.com for her run for Virginia governor. @vpm.org

Tune in today for updated reporting from @deanmirshahi.bsky.social on Sheila White's resignation as Richmond finance director:

Richmond finance director Shelia White has resigned, a city spokesperson says. Her last day is July 25. @vpm.org

UVA president Jim Ryan resigns under pressure from Trump administration The Justice Department has been investigating UVA over its diversity practices.

BREAKING: UVA President Jim Ryan resigned Friday, according to news reports.

State lawmakers explore parole changes amid abuse claims at Red Onion Virginia has not allowed discretionary parole in 30 years.

New for @vpm.org: State lawmakers explore parole changes amid abuse claims at Red Onion www.vpm.org/news/2025-06...

Richmond P-card audit finds at least $5M in 'questionable' spending The review flagged about 25% of official purchases in a 23-month period.

Richmond’s audit of the staff P-card program found multiple issues: purchases with “missing or insufficient documentation,” unclear rules, inadequate training and inconsistent policy enforcement.

www.vpm.org/news/2025-06... via @deanmirshahi.bsky.social #RVA

NEW: Levar Stoney concedes to Sen. Ghazala Hashmi in the Lieutenant Governor Democratic primary. @vpm.org

New: Richmond's interim CAO Sabrina Joy-Hogg will resign, per the City. The national search for a permanent CAO is wrapping up and a candidate is "soon to be announced."

Trump’s AmeriCorps cuts end Virginia community service grants Updated: The cuts affect more than 150 people serving in the commonwealth.

New: After DOGE cut its AmeriCorps grant and 15 others in Virginia, Richmond says it will keep its program - the RVA Health Corps initiative - thru August by using matching funds from previous program years.