POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The Powhatan County chapter of the NAACP presented its policy recommendations for the county's school board at a town hall on Thursday, outlining demands for change regarding hate speech in schools. The evening of Thursday, May 2, the Powhatan NAACP laid out several proposed revisions to school policy when addressing incidents of racist and anti-LGBTQ+ speech. PREVIOUS: Powhatan School Board in planning phase to address alleged racial discrimination How did we get here? Community members have been sounding the alarm on such discrimination within Powhatan County P ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- After a busy start to the year, election offices in the Commonwealth are gearing up again for early voting in Virginia's June primary, which begins Friday. Voters in all localities will have some key choices to make when heading to the poll locations from Friday, May 3, through Saturday, June 15. For those looking to cast your ballots, find them here. Richmond Richmond City Office of Elections 2134 W Laburnum Ave Richmond, VA Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Chesterfield County General Registrar Chesterfield County 9848 Lori Rd, Chesterfield, VA Monday - Friday ..read more

NOTTOWAY COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Two people are hurt after a driver drove off of a Nottoway County road and a tree fell onto their car. The evening of Friday, May 3, troopers with Virginia State Police responded to report of a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of W. Colonial Trail Highway and East Courthouse Road. According to state police, an Impala ran off the road and ended up in an embankment. Shortly after, a tree then fell onto the car. Both the driver of the Impala and their passenger were hurt, but their injuries are not considered life-threatening, according to state police. Man ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A free festival celebrating Hispanic and Latin American culture and cuisine heads to Brown's Island in Richmond on Saturday, May 4. The ¿Qué Pasa? Festival will feature live entertainment, vendors, food and a kid's area. "We have three different areas for entertainment," Michel Zajur, president and CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, told 8News. "Of course, the main stage, but it's really great acts. We are bringing some people from out of town to perform here. Then, we have a lot of local artists." The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is hosting the ..read more

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- In observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Chesterfield Public Library and Chesterfield County's Mental Health Support Services Department are hosting a mental health resource fair. The fair is free to the public and will allow visitors to speak with representatives from local and nonprofit mental health organizations, as well as Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE), Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chesterfield County Public Schools, HCA Tucker Pavilion, Bon Secours Behavioral Health and more. There will also be workshops on recognizing ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- As the Virginia budget hangs in limbo, so too do military veterans across the Commonwealth.  That’s because one of the things Democrats and Republicans differ on is how a program designed to help the kids of disabled military veterans go to college should be run.  The program, which is called the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Program (VMSDEP), currently allows the children and spouses of military veterans who are more than 90% disabled to have their tuition waived for up to eight semesters at a public college or university in Virginia. Harrisonbur ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A Richmond business aiming to sell kava tea is finally able to after a year-long battle with the state of Virginia. 8News previously reported about the obstacles “KavaClub” faced when applying for a business permit last year. Now, KavaClub's doors are officially open, and as of April 24, they are allowed to sell kava tea. "We're just trying to figure out what's the best path forward, but we can serve kava, and that's been our goal," said Fred Bryant, the co-founder of KavaClub. "It's a big step forward.” Bryant said kava is a plant that has a mild psychoa ..read more

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A late-night shooting that left one man dead and three more hurt marks the third shooting on the same Henrico County street in just two weeks. On Thursday, May 2, at 11:27 p.m., the Henrico County Police Division responded to the 3800 block of Delmont Street for report of a shooting. Once at the scene, officers found two men who had been shot. According to police, these two victims were taken to area hospitals for life-threatening injuries. One of the two men, identified as 37-year-old Anthony Vondell Eberhardt of Henrico, later died in the hospital. In addition to ..read more

DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Five of the eight people who were charged with second-degree murder in connection to Irvo Otieno's death could essentially have their charges dropped. Dinwiddie County Commonwealth's Attorney Amanda Mann confirmed to 8News that she filed nolle prosequi -- or "unwilling to prosecute" -- motions on Friday, May 3, for five Henrico County Sheriff's Deputies charged in Otieno's death, which took place at Central State Hospital on March 6, 2023. Those five deputies are Randy Boyer, Dwayne Bramble, Jermaine Branch, Bradley Disse and Tabitha Levere, according to Mann. A ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Twelve of the 13 people arrested after a pro-Palestinian protest at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) on Monday were arraigned on two misdemeanor charges each Friday morning. 13 people, including six VCU students, were arrested the night of Monday, April 29, after the Richmond Police Department declared that protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and VCU's divestment from Israel were participating in an unlawful assembly outside of the James Cabell Library. The arrangement for most of these protesters was scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday, May 3, in the Richmond J ..read more