In Virginia, most of Flock license plate reaader cameras are operated by a private company called Flock Safety. The locations of ALPR cameras are not typically shared with the public, adding to people’s concerns about how the data gets used. But a federal judge unsealed the locations of 614 Flock cameras in Hampton Roads last November. Christopher Newport University geography professor Johnny Finn jumped on the data set, downloaded the locations and dropped them into mapping software. … Finn, who has studied residential racial segregation in the region for years, said he suspected Flock cameras in the region are highly concentrated in majority Black communities and high poverty areas. And that’s what he found. “Of the 10 census tracts in Hampton Roads with the most cameras, eight of those 10 are majority Black,” Finn said.

In a crowded room Tuesday night in Richmond’s East End, a trio of top city officials made their pitches for why they should get a bigger share of taxpayer dollars. … The goal of the exercise, according to city officials who conducted Tuesday’s meeting at the Luck’s Field Community Center, was to show the hard decisions that go into balancing Richmond’s yearly budget. … Tuesday’s meeting was the first budget-focused town hall in a planned series of six events. Over the course of about two hours, officials explained Budgeting 101 to the residents who attended. … Though Tuesday’s event was mostly an abstract exercise in prioritization and not a data-heavy look at the budget, the public and the City Council have more insight this year into budgetary matters that previously have been worked out behind the scenes.

The Southampton County School Board voted Monday, Jan. 12, to resume broadcasting its Public Comments period on the YouTube livestream of its meetings. In 2023, the board had reached a consensus to not broadcast public comments. Starting in August of that year and continuing into 2026, the audio and video cuts out on the livestream for the duration of the period, leaving just a black screen until the next agenda item begins. In a fall 2023 interview, Board Chair Dr. Deborah Goodwyn explained the rationale behind the board’s consensus while applying some context. … “We also need to make sure as a board that during the Public Comment period we don’t have disinformation or misinformation being circulated,” she continued. “Our board does not respond to public comments, so because we don’t respond to public comments, it’s easy enough to leave the public confused or misinformed or disinformed.” … On Monday, School Board Member Brandon Rodgers said, “I would ask that the board consider opening up the broadcast of the Public Comment period on our broadcast for the entire meeting instead of blacking that period out.” He indicated that it has become the typical practice of members of the public to broadcast the Public Comment period on their own. This practice has been observable as some individuals in the gallery hold up their phones to record the period, sharing the video on social media. “We might as well make those comments available to all the public,” Rodgers said. “So I’m going to make a motion that the board approve the broadcast of the Public Comment period during the broadcast of our meetings.”

Purcellville Vice Mayor Carl “Ben” Nett is calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an investigation into actions by the Purcellville Police Department, Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Town of Purcellville that he claims are involved in a criminal conspiracy targeting him. … In July, following an investigation by the Virginia State Police, Nett was indicted on six felony charges by a special grand jury and arrested. Those charges are advancing through the criminal justice system. Nett also is subject to an ongoing recall effort, with a trial scheduled to begin March 2. Nett has called these actions “political persecution” and said other members of the Town Council are conspiring with town staff and Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson. He touted his career in national security and a decision by a three-member grievance panel convened by the town that found he was unfairly targeted and should be reinstated to the department.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced 10 nominees to fill the Board of Visitors’ vacancies Saturday, less than a day after former Rector Rachel Sheridan and four other members of the Board resigned. The nominees come from a variety of fields including law, business, medicine, government and nonprofits, and are varied in their donations to political campaigns and parties. … The Cavalier Daily analyzed public records of all 10 nominees’ past political contributions from the Virginia Public Access Project and OpenSecrets.org. While the majority of Spanberger’s nominees have made contributions to Spanberger herself and other Democrats in recent election cycles, at least five have donated to Republican-affiliated candidates or organizations in the past.

Virginia has a hate crime problem. While hate crimes across the United States went down in 2024, they shot up in Virginia. According to a recent Virginia State Police report, hate crimes increased by a shocking 25.5% in 2024 compared to 2023. Virginia is going in the wrong direction. Virginia has laws that enhance the penalty for crimes where the perpetrator intentionally selects the victim based on, among other things, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Those laws, however, have a flaw: The identity of a victim of a reported hate crime is public information. That public disclosure risks discouraging victims from reporting hate crimes. Correcting the flaw can help increase prosecution and deterrence, which will reduce the commission of hate crimes. There are two reasons that making the victim’s name public reduces reporting. First, some victims of hate crimes prefer to keep certain aspects of their lives confidential. … The second reason people do not report hate crimes is the fear of “second victimization.”