Keya Vakil

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all the Virginia news that’s been happening coming right up. But First… If you’re one of the thousands of Virginians who commutes via Amtrak, we’ve got some good news for you: The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation is teaming up…

In the weeks since the Mueller Report was released, both the public at large and elected officials have largely been split along partisan lines. Virginia is no different. U.S. Rep Morgan Griffith (R-9) has been outspoken in his assessment that the Mueller Report cleared the President and the issue is resolved. Griffith admitted to the…

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all the Virginia news that’s been happening coming right up.  But First… Check out this wonderful profile of Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and the potential first ‘first gentleman.’ 5 Things you need to know today… Minimum wage battle continues — Yesterday…

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is the latest elected official to come out against mandatory minimums. In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Northam criticized the “tough on crime” philosophy animating so much of the American criminal justice system since the 1980s, and said mandatory minimums have contributed to America’s growing prison population while “disproportionately harming…

This is part two of our series looking at the minimum wage. Check out part one here. If you’re a full-time minimum wage worker in Virginia earning $7.25 per hour, working 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, you earn $15,080 before taxes. While that’s technically over the poverty line for an individual ($12,140),…

Welcome to today’s edition of the Dogwood Daily. We’ve got a round-up of all the Virginia news that’s been happening coming right up. But First… Ever wondered what you could (or couldn’t) get away with putting on a vanity license plate? Now you can find out by diving into the hundreds of personalized license plate…

Virginians holding long-term-care insurance policies could see double or triple-digit percentage increases in their premiums. That’s what would happen if the companies selling these policies get their way. Most of Virginia’s long-term-care insurers are asking the State Corporation Commission to approve rate increases, despite having already won approval for double-digit increases in recent years. The…

Four Northern Virginia school systems are taking a stand in support of Gavin Grimm, a transgender teen who sued the Gloucester County School Board after he was barred from using the boys’ restroom in his school. The school boards in Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax and Arlington counties weighed in on the long and controversial case…

This is the first of a multi-part series exploring the minimum wage in Virginia. Earlier this year, Virginia’s Republican-controlled General Assembly failed to raise the state’s minimum wage, which sits at $7.25 per hour. Indeed, while 20 other states raised their minimum wages this year, Virginia continues to lag behind, trailing even many deeply conservative…

After a week of chaos that saw the Richmond City Council threaten to take legal action against Mayor Levar Stoney’s administration, the two sides finally came to an agreement, balancing the city’s $757 million budget without cutting education funding or raising taxes. Last week’s tense negotiations ended with an $11 million hole remaining in the…