Young Virginians will receive free books thanks to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
For Dolly Parton, the journey of imagination begins with a book. Inspired by her childhood favorite, "The Little Engine That Could," the renowned country singer established Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that sends one free book to children under the age of five each month. This Read More...
The case for eliminating jaywalking laws
Most of us have probably looked both ways quickly before darting across the street outside of a sidewalk. Whether traffic was light or the crosswalk was simply too far away, jaywalking is a fairly common offense, but data from the California Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) shows that Black Read More...
Richmond, VA unveils Emancipation and Freedom Monument
Last week we shared how a controversial Robert E. Lee statue was finally removed from Virginia’s capital. In an acknowledgment of the history of slavery and the fight for equality in the US, Richmond has unveiled a new monument—a statue of a man and a woman holding an infant after they were Read More...
Robert E. Lee statue set to be removed from Richmond, VA
A colossal 21 foot tall Robert E. Lee statue has been removed from Virginia's capital, state officials said on Wednesday. The statue stood for over 130 years as a monument to the Confederacy. "Virginia's largest monument to the Confederate insurrection will come down this week," Governor Ralph Read More...
Virginia restores voting rights for the previously incarcerated
Last year, we wrote about a proposed bill in Washington DC that would end felony disenfranchisement in the district. Fortunately, that bill passed and now the state of Virginia is eying a similar policy. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced an executive action this week that would restore Read More...
Virginia slated to become first southern state to abolish capital punishment
The United States is one of the few developed countries that has not discontinued capital punishment and it is estimated that over four percent of incarcerated individuals on death row were wrongly convicted. Although 22 states have discontinued capital punishment, the practice is still used, Read More...
Meet Luke and Joshua, the teens who saved bees in Virginia
With bee populations threatened by habitat loss, a pair of 14-year-olds in Virginia decided to take matters into their own hand with their own project to save local bumblebees. To kick off the project, the teenagers identified two existing public spaces in the town that could be used as a Read More...
Robots are already making contact-free deliveries in some American cities
You might not see many people walking down the sidewalk in downtown Fairfax, Virginia, during the pandemic, but it’s possible that you’ll see a robot. The city is the latest to partner with Starship Technologies, a company that makes small delivery robots and now operates a fleet of 20 in Read More...
Virginia’s new law demonstrates the power of green corporate voices
Yesterday we shared an article about how Virginia is the first southern state to commit to 100 percent renewable energy. Today, we take a deeper look at how companies in the state played a critical role in passing the landmark Virginia Clean Economy Act. Numerous clean energy businesses, Read More...
Virginia is the first southern state to commit to 100 percent renewable energy
Virginia passed a landmark law on March 6 which makes it the first state in the southern United States to commit to achieving 100 percent renewable energy. The Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020 includes plans to eliminate emissions from the electricity sector and create 13,000 new clean energy Read More...