Whittney Evans

When recreational marijuana officially becomes legal in Virginia this summer, people who use marijuana to manage health conditions can expect changes to the medical program as well.

On July 1, adults 21 and older can begin legally using recreational marijuana in the commonwealth. They can even grow their own marijuana plants at home. But there are still a lot of rules Virginians have to follow if they want to stay on the right side of the law.

As a class action lawsuit over unemployment claims heads to mediation, members of a state commission fielded questions from lawmakers concerned with lengthy delays and unclear denials of benefits.

The Virginia Employment Commission has begun settlement talks with residents who filed a federal class-action lawsuit over delays in their unemployment benefits. Last month, legal aid groups sued the head of the VEC on behalf of five Virginia residents.

Prisons and jails have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. At least 2,500 people who are incarcerated throughout the country have died. The virus also killed 218 corrections officers and 41 non-custody employees, according to One Voice United, a Michigan-based advocacy group for correctional officers and staff. The organization is hosting a virtual vigil Friday, where they will read the names of officers and staff who died.

Richmond City Council has agreed to start supplementing the salaries of lawyers in the city’s Public Defender’s office. They’ve set aside $500,000 in this year’s budget-- roughly half the amount the office asked for.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring debated challenger Del. Jay Jones (D-Norfolk) Wednesday night, during a televised forum in Arlington.

Eight women recently filed a lawsuit against a Virginia summer camp, claiming they were sexually abused by staff. The complaints raise questions about training and prevention across the industry as camps reopen for the summer.

The Virginia Court of Appeals will consider the case of two men serving life in prison for the murder of a police officer, despite a federal jury’s ‘not guilty’ verdict. It’s a complicated case that highlights how federal and state criminal prosecutions are intertwined.

People who knew her called Adele Johnson a graceful visionary. Johnson, executive director of the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, died from pancreatic cancer this week.