Redistricting updates, cannabis market bill and gun violence prevention funding

February 14, 2026

Supreme Court of Virginia greenlights redistricting referendum

Speaker Scott walks into his office — House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott (D–Portsmouth) heads back to his office after speaking to reporters about the Supreme Court of Virginia’s order in a case over redistricting efforts on Friday, February 13, 2026 at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond.

The Supreme Court of Virginia said Friday that plans to hold a ballot referendum on the new maps April 21 could go ahead for the time being, as it hears a legal challenge to state Democrats’ efforts to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 federal midterm elections.

The court wrote that its order has “no effect on the referendum scheduled for April 21, 2026,” and that it doesn’t “prevent the parties from raising the arguments and issues as this matter goes forward.”

Democrats hailed it as a victory, and could be heard cheering in their caucus meeting shortly after news of the order broke. “The fact that they said in their order, which is unusual, that this order, this decision, in no way impacts their ability for us to hold an election, tells you everything you need to know,” said Speaker of the House Don Scott (D–Portsmouth).

Click here for more on where the court battle over redistricting stands.

BizSense Beat: Saks Fifth Avenue, Otto Eats, Center Creek Homes

BizSense Beat is a weekly collaboration between VPM News and Richmond BizSense that recaps the region’s top business stories.

This week, Jonathan Spiers of BizSense joins host Lyndon German to talk about the Saks Fifth Avenue at Stony Point Fashion Park closing its doors, a Charlottesville-based Mediterranean restaurant taking over part of a vacant Manchester food hall and Richmond City Council approving a plan to add new homes near a centuries-old West End house.

Listen in and read more here.

This week in VPM News Shorts: Richmond Free Press shuts down

The Richmond Free Press building in downtown Richmond is photographed on Thursday, February 12, 2026. The newspaper announced that it is ceasing operations after 34 years.

What happened this week in VPM News Shorts?

Keyris Manzanares closed out the week with a look at her reporting on the Richmond Free Press ceasing publication after 34 years as the city’s weekly Black newspaper.

Don’t forget, you can watch all our Shorts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

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