Virginia

Top States for Businesses

Virginia ranks as the top state for businesses while Alaska ranks as the worst based on 10 categories, including the cost of doing business and a high-quality workforce, according to a recent report.

  • By Andre Claudio

Food Delivery Robots Gaining Popularity

The emerging technology poses regulatory questions for state and local governments.

  • By Andre Claudio

Introducing Route Fifty's Infrastructure Update

In this first edition of our new weekly newsletter, we look at the implications of the November election results on infrastructure issues around the U.S.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Lessons From the Virginia Governor’s Race: Pay Attention to Voters’ Concerns Instead of Making It All About National Politics

COMMENTARY | A former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush watched the Virginia governor’s race through the eyes of her students at the University of Virginia, whose concerns were shared by most voters.

  • By Mary Kate Cary, The Conversation

Route Fifty Presents: The Top State and Local Races to Watch on Election Night

Here's a roundup of the hottest governors' and mayors' contests around the U.S.

  • By Route Fifty Staff

Cracking Cold Cases: Police Turn to Podcasts to Track Down Killers

Law enforcement officials say that department-sponsored podcasts—free, easy to download and available on demand—are perfect for disseminating information. (America’s true-crime obsession doesn’t hurt.)

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Renters Now Majority in 100+ Suburbs

Residents in major metropolitan areas are renting more than buying homes as compared with 10 years ago, according to a report.

  • By Andre Claudio

The Best and Worst Places to Work in America

A nationwide ranking from a nonprofit group factors in state policies related to wages and worker protections.

  • By Andre Claudio

Disinformation May Be the New Normal, Election Officials Fear

Races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia this year could face election falsehoods.

  • By Matt Vasilogambros, Stateline

Counties and States Embrace Fentanyl Test Strips in Battle Against Opioids

Arlington County, Virginia announced that it would begin distributing the strips to addiction-prone people leaving the county jail, the latest in a growing number of government agencies to turn to the tests as a way to prevent overdoses.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Amid State Hospital Closures, a Federal Funding Plan to Shore Up Mental Health Staffing

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam proposed a $485 million spending package to increase high turnover and vacancies at state-run behavioral hospitals, which have struggled during the pandemic.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

There Has Never Been a Black Woman Governor. Will Virginia Change That?

Former state delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy is picking up high-profile endorsements from groups that support women and people of color, including Higher Heights. But the Democratic primary hasn’t been easy.

  • By Amanda Becker, The 19th
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Census Delay Spells Election Chaos for States

Late census numbers endanger the redistricting Republicans need to shore up such suburban districts they could easily lose next year.

  • By Tim Henderson, Stateline

How Two States Resolved Problems with PrepMod’s Vaccine Management System

Virginia and Maryland both experienced issues with vaccine appointment link sharing. Virginia opted to develop its own vaccine management platform, while Maryland worked with the vendor.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram and Andrea Noble

For States’ Covid Contact Tracing Apps, Privacy Tops Utility

Nearly half the states have or are planning to launch a digital contact tracing system, but critics say the technology has overemphasized privacy at the cost of usefulness.

  • By Lindsey Van Ness, Stateline

How One County Helps Low-Income Homeowners Rehab Their Houses

James City County, Virginia tapped federal housing dollars to fund repairs and rebuilding projects that make homes safe and habitable. "Nothing is more affordable than the house you already have," notes a local official.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Northeast ‘Ghost Forests’ Multiply as Waters Rise

COMMENTARY | New research indicates two factors behind the emergence of “ghost forests” filled with dead trees along the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coast.

  • By Todd Bates, Futurity

Black Women are Still Underrepresented in America’s Statehouses, New Report Shows

Georgia has the most Black women in its legislature, at 39, but in many states representation still lags.

  • By Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th

The States Where The Most Confederate Symbols Were Removed Last Year

The Southern Poverty Law Center says nationwide over 160 monuments and other symbols came down from public spaces.

  • By Brent Woodie

Vaccine Appointment Link Sharing ‘Highly Problematic’ for Health Departments

Virginia transitioned to a new centralized coronavirus vaccine registration system this week that officials said should help prevent people from passing links they use to schedule shots on to others.

  • By Andrea Noble

Sensors Show How Rising Seas are Inundating One City’s Stormwater System

Norfolk, Virginia found tidal backflows reduced stormwater capacity by about half in some areas.

  • By Andrea Noble