‘Families like mine are at risk’: Leslie Mehta on IVF access

“We need to make sure we have leaders in Richmond who will fight for us.”

That was Planned Parenthood of Virginia’s Executive Director Jamie Lockhart’s message during a recent roundtable discussion with Americans for Contraception, advocates, doctors, and community members in Midlothian. As she explained, Medicaid cuts that were included in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will lead to undetected cancers, untreated STIs, and difficulty in obtaining birth control, affecting more than 5,700 Virginians.

Early voting for the Nov. 4 election is happening now.

🖊️ : Jessica F. Simmons

For more on the story, read here: https://bit.ly/4nTrsxQ

New FBI data shows Virginia ranked 11th in the nation for elder fraud last year, with seniors losing more than $106 million to scams—many of which began with fake tech support calls, romance schemes, or impersonation scams online. As these fraud tactics grow more sophisticated, families are often left picking up the pieces.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, says the state needs stronger enforcement and tech accountability. While a bipartisan law helps banks flag suspicious activity, platforms like Facebook and Google remain largely untouched by regulation. The FBI is urging vigilance—and encouraging all victims or witnesses to report potential scams to https://bit.ly/31W3RDG or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

🖊️ : Jessica F. Simmons

For more on the story, read here: https://bit.ly/4mM9kVB

On Tuesday evening, Dogwood hosted their first IRL event, Voices of Virginia. Speakers included, @raepickett (@ppava), @candimundonking, @maureencoffeyva,
and @carlyinthedmv and more. The event was also accompanied by partner orgs @network_nova and @4publiced.