The Richmond region gained jobs between May and June but the number of the unemployed also rose over that time, the Virginia Employment Commission said. The area's unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent in June from 7.7 percent in May. A year ago, the rate was 8 percent -- and thousands more people were working.

The Virginia Tea Party has announced plans to hold its first Virginia convention, while former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has unveiled a national Democratic Party strategy to tie the tea-party movement to the national Republican Party. The state convention will take place Oct. 8-9 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in downtown Richmond.

As it has in years past, Virginia Beach ranks high in an annual report that rates the water quality at 200 of America's most popular beaches. Four Virginia Beach testing sites received a rating of four stars out of five from the Natural Resources Defense Council, which released its 2009 report Wednesday. Only beaches in Alabama, California, Minnesota and New Hampshire were ranked higher.

Over the past eight months, state and local officials have quietly grappled with a recurring problem: mishandled medical wastes from local hospitals that could put public health and the environment at risk.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has decided to give away $55,500 in campaign contributions he received last year from the director of a veterans charity organization that is under investigation in Virginia and several other states.

Utah is not the only state where lawmakers are attempting to address illegal immigration — which is traditionally a federal issue handled by Congress.

As one voracious non-native fish bears down on the Great Lakes, notorious mussels are spreading across the West. Frustrated state officials say it’s time for the federal government to play a bigger role in stopping the spread of invasive species.