Human Interest

Catch up with a local entrepreneur Brian Calhoun, who created a best-selling board game featuring a unique barnyard animal that’s a cross between a chicken and a pig. Then visit The Arts Center In Orange, a venue that provides opportunities for the community to teach, exhibit, learn about and enjoy the arts.

About 2,500 people gathered on Capitol Square Thursday for the 2nd annual Virginia March For Life. The group rallied against abortion in the state and called out Democrats for supporting increased access to abortion in the Commonwealth.

Life for children and youth in Virginia's foster care system is often tumultuous and filled with uncertainty. Frequently, they are required to change homes and schools multiple times before the age of 18. At that point, youth not adopted into permanent homes must "age out" of the state's foster care system. Many then face the responsibilities of adulthood without reliable housing, strong job prospects or supportive relationships.

Richmond’s top prosecutor has dropped the charges against a woman who was arrested last month for having her face covered during a gun rally that drew thousands of armed protesters.

Black History Month is a time of remembering and celebrating people and events that have been an important but neglected part of our nation’s history. For a small, determined group in Petersburg, though, preserving Black history is something they do every month, by remembering the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen.

American kids today are 55% more likely to die by the age of nineteen than children who grow up in other industrialized countries. Is the American Dream an outdated one? Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn explore this question in their latest book, Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope. It chronicles the lives of people Kristof grew up with in rural Oregon, where roughly a quarter of the children who rode the school bus with him, died in adulthood from drugs, alcohol, suicide or accidents.

The company proposing a new landfill in Cumberland County has moved forward with the state permitting process. That means the almost 500 square acre Green Ridge Recycling and Disposal facility could be one step closer to reality.

Meet a photographer whose book highlights and celebrates area musicians who have influenced the Charlottesville music scene over the past five decades. Then sit down with the founders of an organization created to honor a young civil rights activist and provide scholarships for individuals passionate about social change.

Non-profit leader and musician Jim Wark passed away late last week after recently being diagnosed with cancer. VPM reports on his life, legacy and the memories from friends and collaborators across Richmond.

The statue Rumors of War by Kehinde Wiley features a contemporary African American person high on a pedestal riding a horse. As the former capital of the Confederacy, this depiction is in deep contrast to the Confederate monuments lining Richmond’s nearby streets. With the unveiling of this statue, VPM knew we must be at the center of the social media conversation around history, positionality and recontextualization. When designing the social media strategy we kept three questions in mind: How do we cover such an historic unveiling? How do we put such history into context? How can we create a space for productive and informed conversations?