Two new polls are showing Democrat Abigail Spanberger with the lead in the Virginia governor's race but with a difference between the numbers. The latest Roanoke College poll of more than 650 Virginians shows Spanberger leading Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears 43-percent to 26-percent. Meanwhile, a new poll of one-thousand Virginians by the nonprofit business group Virginia FREE finds Spanberger barely leading Earle-Sears 52-percent to 48-percent. It is becoming increasingly challenging to ensure political polls accurately represent the population due to declining response rates and sampling bias, which happens when the sample of respondents does not accurately reflect the demographics of the target population.
A piece of legislation gaining more support in Congress has some Virginia experts warning how it might actually be taking more money out of their pockets.Preview: TAG: What was not mentioned was if a person's income is reduced because tips are no longer taxable, that person could feasibly move to a lower tax bracket, resulting in a lower overall tax liability.
Two cities in Central Virginia are considering what seems to be an unpopular idea. Richmond and Petersburg are thinking of adopting a plastic bag tax to encourage shoppers to go with reusable bags and reduce landfill space. Richmond Mayor Danny Avula supports the idea, but some shoppers are against it. A Petersburg man is upset that he'll have to pay more when food and other grocery prices are constantly going up. One woman tells 12 On Your Side bags should be free considering how high food prices have gone. The Richmond City Council will discuss the idea at a meeting Tuesday.