Education is power
In May 1963, civil rights demonstrators in Birmingham, Alabama, demanded the integration of public schools. White authorities ordered them pummeled by fire hoses. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court had…
Richmond mayor candidates’ ideas on housing and how the state can help the city
City Hall in Richmond, Va. (Parker Michels-Boyce for The Virginia Mercury) Typically a very local issue, presidential candidates are discussing housing policy this year and Virginia’s state legislature continues to…
Virginia businesses weigh benefits of electrification as leaders review policies
Passenger vehicles drive on Interstate 64 past the Goochland Safety Rest Area East. (Charlie Paullin/Virginia Mercury) This is part two of a five-part series about Virginia’s transition to electric vehicles…
Shuttered Va. Boar’s Head plant workers speak out after listeria outbreak and more state headlines
The state Capitol. (Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) • “Virginia voters support school cellphone bans, Post-Schar School poll finds.”—Washington Post • “Employees speak out after Virginia Boar’s Head plant announces shut down.”—WRIC…
Free school meals are on the rise in the U.S. That could change depending on the next president
Students eat lunch at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in South Salt Lake, Utah, in March 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Should all U.S. public school students…
Lawmakers will meet for ‘Veto Day’ on Oct. 10. Here are the bills they’ll consider.
Veto Day is scheduled for Oct. 10. (Dana Wormald | New Hampshire Bulletin) Lawmakers will have a chance to override more than a dozen vetoes from Gov. Chris Sununu when…
How immigrants navigate their digital footprints in a charged political climate
José Patiño, a 35-year-old DACA recipient and Arizona community organizer, says it took him a long time to overcome the fear of sharing his personal information — including his legal…
How Ohio farmers are sizing up the 2024 race
Tony Logan, left, and Bill Wiley. (Photo by Nick Evans/Ohio Capital Journal.) You aren’t going to hear much about agricultural policy in this year’s stump speeches. Politicians may bemoan the…
Another Midwest drought is causing transportation headaches on the Mississippi River
For the third year in a row, extreme drought conditions in the Midwest are drawing down water levels on the Mississippi River, raising prices for companies that transport goods downstream…