The Virginia Mercury

The Virginia Mercury is a nonprofit online news platform that operates independently, focusing on Virginia's state government and policy matters. As the state undergoes significant changes—such as the removal of Confederate statues and transformations in healthcare and energy—The Mercury seeks to offer a unique viewpoint on these critical issues. This news organization employs four experienced journalists from Virginia’s newspaper industry, who work full-time to deliver original content and guest opinions on various subjects. Funding for The Mercury comes from the Hopewell Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that aids donors, social entrepreneurs, and other innovators in quickly initiating new and impactful projects.

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Virginia House Speaker Scott joins national Democratic campaign board

3 days ago | virginiamercury.com | Charlotte Woods

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, is joining the board of directors of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the national party’s state-level strategy arm, just as Virginia enters one of its most consequential election years in recent memory. The DLCC will draw on Scott’s experience — alongside that of six other new board members from around the country — to help shape its plans to support state legislative races this year and beyond.
Youngkin’s signature sets stage for Virginia health insurance to cover IVF treatment in the future

6 days ago | virginiamercury.com | Charlotte Woods

A bill that can help people start and grow their families through fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization will become law, after Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed it along with several other measures he initially tried to amend. Youngkin carves out $900 million as Virginia prepares for Trump-era uncertaintyHouse Bill 1609 by Del.
Virginia teachers struggle to keep up as history guide rollout lags

6 days ago | virginiamercury.com | Nathaniel Cline

Virginia teachers are still flying blind months into a new school year — trying to adapt to overhauled history standards without the full set of instructional guides the state promised to help them navigate the change. Since early April, the Virginia Department of Education has continued to publish its history instructional guides to help prepare teachers to instruct students in the state’s updated history and social studies standards.
Earle-Sears ‘morally opposed’ to Virginia’s reproductive rights amendment, note shows

6 days ago | virginiamercury.com | Charlotte Woods

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury May 8, 2025 Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears signed Virginia’s in-progress reproductive rights constitutional amendment, but noted her personal objection to it in a handwritten note on the bill. As president of the Senate, she is legally required to sign bills that the legislature passes but she doesn’t have to add any comment to her signatures.
Va. AG launches investigation into Loudoun schools after ‘uncomfortable’ boys’ locker room incident

1 week ago | virginiamercury.com | Nathaniel Cline

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced on Tuesday that the state will investigate Loudoun County Public Schools following a media report that the school division launched a Title IX investigation after three high school boys said they felt “uncomfortable” when a biologically female student changed clothes in a boys’ locker room and recorded their discussion about it.
Virginia Health Department investigating potential pediatric cancer cluster in Southwest Virginia

1 week ago | virginiamercury.com | Charlotte Woods

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury May 7, 2025 The Virginia Department of Health is investigating a potential pediatric cancer cluster in Southwest Virginia and is hoping to learn more from residents there. After a group of Scott County residents contacted the Virginia Cancer Registry with concerns about the number of children with cancer in their area, VDH’s LENOWISCO Health District is seeking more information.
Right-to-contraception bills highlight key reproductive health care debate in this year’s elections

1 week ago | virginiamercury.com | Charlotte Woods

Contraception access is an issue resonating loudly within Virginia’s public and political spheres this year and last week, it manifested through state lawmakers contrasting Virginia’s twice-failed attempt to protect access to birth control medications against a similar measure that recently sailed through neighboring Tennessee’s legislature. For the second year in a row, Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a right-to-contraception bill carried by Del.
‘I will not back down’: Reid says he has no plans to exit LG race, despite governor’s request

1 week ago | virginiamercury.com | Charlotte Woods |Samantha Willis

Days after John Reid became the de facto Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has asked him to drop out of the race. Reid vowed he would “not back down” in a fiery video response on his campaign’s Facebook page Friday evening. Youngkin’s request, first reported by The Richmonder, came in response to allegations that a social media account with the same handle that Reid uses had shared pornographic content online.
Virginia prepares to finalize transgender athlete restrictions

1 week ago | virginiamercury.com | Nathaniel Cline

A heated fight over transgender athlete participation in Virginia schools is coming to a head this week, as state high school sports leaders prepare to finalize controversial new restrictions — despite mounting pressure from advocates urging them to reconsider.
Sophia Nelson, Author at Virginia Mercury

1 week ago | virginiamercury.com | Sophia Nelson

I received an email about an event happening on May 17, 2025, at Virginia Commonwealth University, marking the 71st anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, which dismantled segregation in schools nationwide, hosted by the Virginians for Reconciliation Project. What struck me immediately — and not in a good way — was that the panel […]