The 2026 General Assembly session hit its halfway point this week. Michael Pope and Radio IQ Politics Analyst Jeff Schapiro take a look at the session so far and the week that was in state politics and government.

Roanoke hosted a grand opening of a first-of-its-kind-in-the-world facility on Thursday.

Delegate Cliff Hayes said assessing the risk each AI bill could have on federal funding was a collaborative effort; even Governor Abigail Spanberger’s office was involved.

Small business groups and Virginia farmers are sounding the alarm ahead of any bills’ final passage.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, just months after resoundingly winning an office previously held by a Republican. The Democratic rebuttal will immediately follow Trump’s address to Congress next Tuesday, offering the party’s most high-profile opportunity to deliver a countermessage.

Members of the Virginia General Assembly are trying to get a prescription for savings.

Suicide is a common law crime in Virginia, something that was inherited from British law back in the 1700s when people who died by suicide forfeited all their property to the king. In 1961, the British Parliament decriminalized suicide. But it's still a crime in Virginia.

The event is also a kind of contest, complete with a WrestleMania-style gold belt for the elected official who eats the most oysters.

Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands delivered his annual “State of the University” address on Wednesday.

Now that the session is halfway over, leaders on the money committees will be focused on balancing the books on the next fiscal year. The House and Senate will both release their proposed budgets on Sunday.