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Sunshine week: a look behind the curtain
Reporters (and editors like me) are always talking about the hundreds and thousands of pages of public documents that led to a break in the story. So what do we really do with all that stuff?
Politics
The 2026 General Assembly session wraps with no budget, special session on the horizon
The legislature will reconvene April 23 to deal with the budget. Among the bills that passed on the final day: Cannabis sales legalized, “skill” games legalized, task force to study VMI established, collective bargaining for state employees authorized.
Local
Beyond the cardinal numbers: Have you heard about the state bird?
A swooping survey of all things cardinal
Culture
Only 13 of the nearly 100 known lynching sites in Virginia have historic markers. A new state program seeks to change that.
The General Assembly allocated $76,008 to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to cover the costs of 15 new markers at or near the sites of lynchings.
education
Roanoke City School Board approves preliminary budget in preparation of cuts
The school board’s budget is not final and does not yet detail cuts to programs or personnel that will need to be made in the upcoming fiscal year, but it did include 2% raises for RCPS employees.
eCONOMY
Commonwealth Cyber Initiative announces funding for multiple AI and other critical infrastructure projects
CCI’s director says that $1.9 million to seed 19 Virginia college and university cybersecurity proposals amounts to its biggest program to date.
OPinion
Two of Virginia’s three biggest jobs announcements have been in Pittsylvania. It could soon be three of the top four. Here’s why.
If all these jobs announced come to pass, three companies alone will make up for all the jobs Pittsylvania has lost over the past quarter-century.
Health Care
Budget bill could cap Medicaid payments for adult dental services
Dentists warn that a $2,000 annual limit would halt treatment plans and worsen access to care in a region already short on providers.
news briefs
Headlines from across the state: Bedford County moves to close Stewartsville Elementary
From elsewhere: Virginia joins states challenging Trump administration over birth control access. Earthquake rattles Appomattox County. Virginia Tech sits out NIT.
Sports
VHSL basketball: Abingdon girls win state title, Salem girls come up short
Also winning state titles Saturday were the John Handley boys and the Petersburg boys. Full list of state championship winners, scores and box scores.
WEATHER
Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes possible Monday with another sharp temperature shift
Monday’s risk of severe storms across Virginia is a sequel to last week’s 80s-to-snow transition — and some snow is again possible in western Virginia by late Monday.
Cardinal 250
An army of ghosts haunts Prince Edward County history
Local legend says that 70 French soldiers from the Revolutionary War are buried at Kingsville. But were they really? Historians dig into the story to separate fact from folklore.
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