Ben Paviour
Ben Paviour is reporting in Virginia as part of The New York Times’s Local Investigations Fellowship. He previously covered courts, criminal justice and state politics for VPM News — with a focus on accountability.
He previously covered politics and culture in Cambodia and lived pre-journalism lives as a tech writer at Google and a program manager for a youth job training program in Alameda County, California.
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Virginia’s pandemic rent relief program could run out as early as July 2022 after spending nearly $1 billion, a state official told lawmakers on Wednesday. -
Republican Glenn Youngkin’s wealth helped catapult him from political nobody to Virginia’s executive mansion, investing $20 million of his own money into his campaign. It was a drop in the bucket of a fortune valued over $450 million, with his financial holdings eclipsing the annual budgets of several state agencies he’ll soon manage.
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Columnist Gordon Morse says he was let go by the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press after VPM published a story detailing payments he received from Dominion Energy.
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Hot on the heels of sweeping Republican gains in Virginia, state representatives for the National Rifle Association say they’ll push legislation to undo portions of gun control legislation passed by Democrats over the last two years.
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The Virginia Division of Capitol Police are investigating a racist voicemail left at the Emporia offices of Del. Roslyn Tyler (D-Sussex) the weekend before she lost her seat in the Nov. 2 elections.
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Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger will be running for a third term in Virginia’s 7th District. VPM News’ Ben Paviour spoke with the congresswoman about the state recent election results, CRT and the bipartisan infrastructure bill, among other topics.
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A mysterious group that spent more than $60,000 promoting third-party candidate Princess Blanding in Virginia’s closely contested governor’s race is connected to a longtime GOP operative, but Virginia's lax disclosure laws mean we may never know all the details.
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The Virginia Employment Commission is inefficient, underfunded, and unprepared for future surges in unemployment claims, according to an audit released on Monday.
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Voters in Virginia have elected Republican Glenn Youngkin as the next governor after years of Democratic control. The GOP win could signify a hard road to 2022 for Democrats nationwide.
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Republican Glenn Youngkin has defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the race for governor in Virginia, according to a call from the Associated Press. Republicans look set to sweep the statewide ticket.
