Virginia lawmakers wrapped up their session by sending hundreds of bills to Governor Abigail Spanberger, even as a final budget deal remains unresolved. The legislation covers a wide range of issues, signaling how far Democrats could push their agenda under unified control. Among the measures are plans to raise the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour by 2028, expand paid sick leave, legalize recreational marijuana sales, and ban assault weapons. Other bills would block insurers from using credit scores for car insurance, allow public employees to unionize, and prevent local police from assisting federal immigration enforcement unless required by law. Governor Spanberger now faces a deadline of April 13 to sign, amend, or veto the proposals, with decisions that could shape the state’s direction for years.
ed@edhisted.com
Ed launched his radio career in 1975 and has spent more than five decades in the broadcasting industry. During that time, he has served in a wide range of roles including Air Personality, News Director, Sales Manager, Operations Manager, and General Manager at numerous radio stations in various markets across the country. Beyond on-air and management responsibilities, Ed has also worked extensively on the technical side of broadcasting. His background includes RF engineering and information technology, with particular experience configuring digital automation systems and remote voice-tracking platforms used by stations across the country. Ed was also among a select group of industry professionals invited by Google to its California headquarters following the company’s acquisition of Scott Studios. He was one of just 12 broadcasters nationwide chosen to participate in discussions and provide input during the design and rollout of Google’s digital broadcast automation platform. Although the majority of Ed’s career—spanning roughly four decades—was rooted in music radio, he transitioned into news and information programming in 2012. He says the move into spoken-word broadcasting was a natural evolution after decades of experience in multiple areas of the industry.