Virginia Rising

By Luz Lazo February 21   The days of Uber, Lyft and other app-based ride-sharing services’ uncertain legal status in the Washington area are nearly over — at least in the District and Virginia.New regulatory frameworksfor the growing industry are soon to be in place in the two jurisdictions allowing the services to operate legally.“They’ll probably say these regulations are …

Fifty years ago, brave women and men from around the nation joined African Americans in the fight to secure their constitutional right to vote. Today, the struggle to defend our right to vote continues. The movie Selma tells the powerful and moving story of one of the major battles in American history for voting rights. As part of our celebration …

Latest Episode (listen now) The Uber Economy: a race to the bottom? A discussion with NVM’s Jon Liss The ride sharing service Uber has been in the news a lot recently, and most of the attention has been negative. On one hand, many riders are very satisfied with the service, that is when they’re not being charged surge prices. But …

By Jenna Portnoy February 9 RICHMOND — The Virginia House of Delegates on Monday passed a bill that would put additional limits on voting in a state where the laws are already among the most restrictive.Under the bill, voters would have to submit a copy of their photo identification when they apply by mail to vote by absentee ballot. Currently, …

You’re not alone, and some Virginia legislators are trying to help Posted by: brad – Jan 22, 2015 “In high school I told my counselor I was undocumented and I remember he told me ‘students like you don’t go to college,’” said Giancarla Rojas in a meeting to help fight the student debt crisis many face here in Virginia. Rojas …

  BOB BROWN/times-dispatch Del. Jeffrey L. Campbell, R-Smyth, listens to debate during the floor session of the Virginia House of Delegates at the State Capitol in Richmond, VA Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. Campbell has a bill that would require a copy of a photo id to be included in any absentee ballot sent in during an election. Posted: Friday, January …

WAMU 88.5 FM  Radio Interview By: Michael Pope January 29, 2015 Hundreds of taxicab drivers from across the commonwealth visited the Virginia Capitol in Richmond on Thursday to rally for new regulations for app-based, ride-hailing companies. Earlier this week, lawmakers struck a deal with a deal with Uber and Lyft to create new regulations for the companies. “Under the old …

What the rise of the app-based cab service says about the future of work in America Jon Liss January 27, 2015   |    This article appeared in the February 16, 2015 edition of The Nation. This article was adapted from a paper produced as part of the Future of Work Project, an inquiry supported by the Open Society Foundations. Thirty-one …

  RICHMOND — Virginia lawmakers on Thursday heard two hours of sometimes emotional testimony about campus sexual assault — and then threw up their hands.On the heels of high-profile cases of rape on college campuses, lawmakers are struggling with how to punish the perpetrators without taking away victims’ rights when they are most vulnerable. At issue is whether to require …

Students gather in Richmond for Virginia Student Day of Action by Maddy Weingast | Jan 19 2015 |       The Cavalier Daily   Courtesy Richmond Times Dispatch College students from around the state gathered in Richmond Monday for the Virginia Student Day of Action against Student Debt at the General Assembly. The event was organized through the Virginia Student Power Network …