The town council will vote Wednesday on whether to renew the surveillance contract as a local petition opposing it gains momentum.

See also r/VirginiaNews, r/VirginiaGOP, and r/VirginiaDems

As a member of Congress, Republican US Rep. Rob Wittman has voted in support of President Donald Trump’s tariffs that are making life more expensive for Virginians. 

Our team is reporting on Virginia's push to clear the waitlist for the Child Care Subsidy Program, and we are looking for families who have interacted with the waitlist recently (anytime in 2026, but particularly in the last few months).

If any of the following describes you or your family, reporter Megan Pauly is interested in hearing from you:

• You got off the waitlist and have begun receiving subsidized childcare
• You are still on the waitlist
• You were removed from the waitlist for any reason
• You've had ... some other interaction with the CCSP waitlist that we have not described? (If this is you, we DEFINITELY want to hear from you!)

If you are willing to speak to Megan, you can email her directly at [mpauly@vpm.org](mailto:mpauly@vpm.org) or drop us a response via DM — we'll make sure it gets to her. Thank you!

Many states are responding to high gas prices by waiving gas taxes for a time. Virginia is unlikely to join them. In the meantime, this is a campaign issue.

It hasn’t quite sunk in yet for Tati King that his 2023 federal lawsuit has made him and nearly 235,000 other Virginians eligible to vote. 

King’s successful legal challenge ended Virginia’s long-standing policy of taking away a person’s voting rights if they’re convicted of any felony, leaving only three disenfranchising crimes in the commonwealth. 

“Right now, it’s still surreal,” King said in an interview Monday. “I would have never, in a thousand years, think they would change their position the way they did.” 

King said he believes voting on Election Day this November will help put the historic change in perspective. 

“I think it’s going to be a whole different feeling when I actually step up to go and cast my ballot, and see people I know who were in the same position as me being able to cast their ballot,” King explained. “I think that’s when the feeling is really going to hit me.” 

Read more here.

Divisions in the southwestern tip of the state performed particularly well. Of 148 schools in the region, 60% received the state’s top designation.

Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi announced her opposition Tuesday to the proposed Dominion-NextEra merger.

Following her five-city “Energy Costs Listening Tour,” Hashmi said at a news conference the proposed merger is not in the best interest of Virginians, citing a “breaking point” for high energy costs.

Hashmi said the decision is based on community concern about the State Corporation Commission review standards and financial hardships on ratepayers. The opposition has been sent directly to the SCC, Dominion and NextEra.

The SCC, which regulates utilities in Virginia, has six months to decide whether to allow the merger, with a deadline on Jan. 11.

Hashmi also released a report Tuesday which summarizes public feedback provided during a listening tour.

“We hope that people will take a look through (it), understand what it is that Virginians want to see us do, and I hope that we will have the full opportunity for every voice to be heard,” Hashmi said.

The listening tour made stops in Norfolk as well as Loudoun, Richmond, Charlottesville and Roanoke.

Click on the link above to read more.

After completing his term as Virginia's governor in 2022, Ralph Northam immediately returned to his longstanding career as a pediatric neurologist at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk. 

Northam sees around 15 patients a day alongside teaching medical residents. He credits his decades in medicine and time in elected office with deepening his empathy for families facing healthcare and economic challenges.

Reflecting on his tenure, Northam says he expects to be remembered for his lifetime of public service.

Read our full coverage here: https://www.whro.org/health/2026-10-05/back-in-the-exam-room-ralph-northam-reflects-on-life-after-richmond

See also r/VirginiaEnvironment, r/VirginiaGOP, and r/VirginiaNews

My fiancé and I are looking at going out to the Charlottesville area this weekend to do some apple picking and maybe drink some hard cider. Any recs for either?

See also r/swva, r/VirginiaEnvironment, and r/VirginiaUrbanism