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Tony Smith, CEO of Secure Solar Futures at his office in Staunton, Monday, June 8, 2026. Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ
Advocates for consumers and clean energy see opportunities – and risks – to remake energy policy and practice in Virginia
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Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced an expansion of DroneUp's headquarters on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach in 2022. It was expected to create more than 500 jobs. Photo by John-Henry Doucette // VCIJ
DroneUp, started by a Navy veteran, launched with high praise – and up to $6 million in incentives – from state and local leaders. But the commercial drone company has failed to rise to expectations.
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Marshall, Michigan - The Cereal City Solar project, a 100 MW solar farm. It is a project of NextEra Energy Resources, a major developer of renewable energy
The planned acquisition of Dominion Energy by NextEra Energy brings together two multi-billion-dollar utilities. Here’s how they compare, and what consumers might see ahead.
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Political signs offer opposing views on redistricting ahead of the April 21 Virginia referendum. Source // Wikimedia Commons
George Washington believed the House of Representatives should be close to the people. The Founders failed to anticipate a century of Congressional stagnation with a fast-growing population.
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Investigative reporter, Elizabeth McGowan, right, speaks with Nick Proctor, The Nature Conservancy’s community outreach manager, left, and Haysi, Virginia, mayor, Larry Yates, for a story about TNC’s Cumberland Forest Project in March 2025. Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ
Investigative reporter Elizabeth McGowan joins the VCIJ newsroom, bolstering environmental and energy coverage.
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As coal production in Southwest Virginia wins White House support, miner protections stall under the Trump Administration. Miners, their families, and the community struggle with the illnesses the industry leaves behind.
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U.S. President Donald Trump signs executive orders during an indoor inauguration parade at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Pool/Sipa USA
A strong executive worried the nation’s Founders. Centuries later, the debate continues.
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A police officer puts cordon tape on a hydrant outside the home of former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, after he shot and killed his wife Cerina Fairfax and himself, according to police, in Annandale, Virginia, U.S, April 16, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
The murder-suicide of a former state official and his wife reveals a common thread in family violence
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A message from James City County acknowledging VCIJ’s record request and an invoice the county sent. Image: Kunle Falayi//VCIJ
VCIJ at WHRO sent identical records requests to dozens of Virginia law enforcement agencies. The proposed fees challenged how ‘public’ public records really are.
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A nonprofit newsroom received law enforcement rosters and certification data from the state after a court battle.
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Photo illustration by Kunle Falayi // VCIJ
A VCIJ at WHRO analysis of Flock Safety data shows a startling variety of reasons – mandated by a new state law – for vehicle surveillance. Critics say the automatic license plate reader law has made use of the technology even less transparent.
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First responders block access to Old Dominion University's campus following an on-campus shooting on March 12, 2026. Photo by Yiqing Wang // WHRO
Weapon law violations at Virginia's colleges and universities have climbed since 2020, driven by cases at Old Dominion University and Virginia Commonwealth University, according to Virginia State Police data.
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Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump hold a "We the People" banner, a Three Percenters flag and a 13-star Betsy Ross U.S. flag, gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S. January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith
A simple change to the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution drew little debate from the Founders. Its ambiguity continues to be seized and fought over.
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Photo Illustration by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ
The mission of this series is to give readers insights into how the Founding Fathers debated and addressed the issues we still contest today.
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Virginia Beach School Board Member Alveta Green listens to Julie Xirau speak Tuesday during a school board meeting. Xirau is the mother of Joshua Sikes, an 11-year-old student with autism who died in November 2024 days after being placed in a makeshift seclusion area. The board voted on a new policy to limit seclusion but didn’t outright ban the practice. Photo by John-Henry Doucette // VCIJ
Virginia Beach reported the highest use of student seclusions in the state. A new policy limits the controversial practice for children in crisis.
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Virginia Beach School Board Chairperson Kathleen Brown said the proposed policy could address concerns of parents and be reviewed if there are unintended consequences. Photo by John-Henry Doucette // VCIJ
The Virginia Beach School Board may ban the use of seclusion rooms in city school buildings, a step to curtail the controversial practice of isolating troubled students in emergencies.
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Official map of Farmville, Virginia in 1934. The outlined area shows the Longwood College campus on the north section and the predominantly Black neighborhood, known as the triangle, to the south. Longwood planned expansions beginning in the 1960s that would diminish, then capture, the neighborhood.
A Virginia university wanted property for dormitories and classrooms. It targeted a Black neighborhood at the center of the Civil Rights Movement.
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File photo // WHRO
Law enforcement data from the 2020 Community Policing Act sheds light on traffic enforcement across the Commonwealth
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Republican Sen. Richard Stuart sits in the Senate chamber in Richmond, January 16, 2026. Stuart is trying install a solar farm on property he owns that is under a conservation easement. Photo by Christopher Tyree // VCIJ
Republican Sen. Richard Stuart wants to develop a large solar farm on his property. Green energy advocates say it would set a dangerous precedent.
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At a time of major political divisions, Abigail Spanberger speaks about her vision for a unified and economically sound Commonwealth during her inaugural address on January 17, 2026.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger becomes Virginia’s first female governor, acknowledging generations who fought for a political voice.
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