Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism

3 weeks ago | vcij.org | Kunle Falayi

A virus once declared eradicated in the U.S. reappeared in Fredericksburg in April. An analysis of state health data by the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO shows vaccine hesitancy and gaps in health care have left some public and private elementary schools vulnerable to the spread of the highly contagious virus. The first case of measles hit Virginia in April, raising risks for a troubling comeback 25 years after U.S. health officials declared the eradication of the virus.

3 weeks ago | vcij.org | Kunle Falayi

Nearly half of the commonwealth’s public and private kindergarten classes fail to meet an important vaccination threshold, an analysis of state health data by the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO shows. Public and private schools in Virginia are required to report vaccination data to the State Department of Health at the start of every school year. The reporting marks how many kindergartners in a class received a measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, shot.

2 months ago | vcij.org | Louis Hansen

Proposed sales, sudden firings strike commonwealth’s urban crescentA brief posting on a government website this month listed federally-owned properties across the country that could potentially be sold. It was a glimpse into what federal cuts could do to Virginia’s economy and the federal government’s presence in the state.

Dec 4, 2024 | vcij.org | Louis Hansen

A new state commission will seek documentation on campus expansions from dozens of Virginia public colleges and universitiesRICHMOND - For decades, Virginia’s public colleges and universities expanded campuses to accommodate growing student populations – often at the expense of Black communities. State and local elected leaders are just now probing what price these communities paid.

Nov 27, 2024 | vcij.org | Leah Small

Tribal leaders seeks federal recognition with support from the governor The 250-acre Mattaponi reservation sits high above the Mattaponi River, granting a prized view of a wide river bend with wooded shores. It’s quiet, peaceful and among the oldest reservation lands in the U.S. By mid-November, the leaves had turned, and the native hunters took to the woods. Days before Thanksgiving, the tribe honored a nearly 350-year-old treaty with the state of Virginia.