Donning a face mask for protection, Lauren Stephenson pointed to new wood installed along the baseboard of her kitchen cabinets, one of several spots where black mold has been growing inside her apartment at Jefferson Pointe in Prince George County. Other spores sprouted inside cabinets, along windowsills and the doorframe to enter her residence. Signs of leaking water were visible along the ceiling.
The persistent mold spores — and the apartment management’s apparent lack of proper remediation — are at the center of a lawsuit Stephenson has filed with the help of a former Virginia legislator that spotlights how state law protects tenants from living conditions that threaten their health.
It isn’t uncommon for Stephenson to have breathing issues, since she’s dealt with asthma throughout her life, she said. But the onset of chronic headaches last December, more severe breathing issues and flu-like symptoms, along with skin rashes on her baby son Brycen prompted a hospital and specialist visit.
As an infant unable to speak, she said he couldn’t tell her when “something was wrong,” and the fact that he was sick alongside her “really bothers me,” she said, her voice cracking briefly.
Testing from a pulmonologist eventually confirmed mold exposure. Despite filing work orders and sending other notification of the diagnosis stemming from mold to her rental property’s office, Stephenson eventually had to pack or discard most of her belongings and move in with her parents. She still pays her $1,300 per month rent, she said.
And now she’s filed a lawsuit. Former Republican state delegate Tim Anderson is representing Stephenson’s case, filed in Prince George County Circuit Court, which is seeking a court trial.
Stephenson’s on-site property management declined to comment on the pending litigation, as did the Florida-based realty firm that oversees it.
Mold spore growth along the doorframe to enter Lauren Stephenson’s apartment on March 17, 2025. Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods / Virginia Mercury
The filing outlines how Stephenson submitted a work order to her landlord in early December inquiring if something could be done about mold she’d spotted in her home. Allegedly no action was taken until February when she reported that the baseboard beneath her kitchen sink appeared rotted from water damage and that she saw black mold behind it.
The case cites state law, the Virginia Landlord Residential and Tenant Act, which outlines the rights and obligations for landlords and renters in Virginia. On mold specifically, it requires that landlords promptly remediate reports of its presence using professional standards of guidance documents published by various U.S. health, housing and environmental departments. Tenants are also supposed to receive copies of paperwork regarding the remediation.
But instead, Anderson said, “They take some wood and they literally boarded up over the black mold, like ‘ah, problem solved.’”
The apartment’s walls were also painted with a coat of Kilz, which is a primer paint meant to prevent mold from forming in the first place.
By this point, Stephenson left her apartment at the recommendation of her doctor. Stephenson said she shared a doctor’s note advising such with her landlord in an attempt to break her lease early to no avail.
A state law that was signed last year makes it a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to sell or offer services as a professional mold remediator to residential dwelling units without certification from the Institute of Inspection, Clearing and Restoration Certification. It’s unclear if mold remediation services done at Stephenson’s apartment were performed by a company holding such certification.
Stephenson is “grateful” that she had somewhere to go when her home became unsafe. But medical bills and continuing to pay rent on a home she can’t live in is a challenge. She wouldn’t be able to afford another apartment while paying for her current one.
Her lawsuit seeks $2 million in compensatory damages, legal fees and reimbursement for rent paid during March, April and May of this year.
Given the signs of water damage and the mold remediation issues Stephenson experienced, she wonders if any of her neighbors might be having similar problems and what the source of the mold might be.
“I feel bad if other people are suffering as I have,” she said. “We don’t deserve to pay thousands of dollars to live somewhere that’s toxic for our health.”
Mold has been a major concern for residents in several Virginia localities in recent years, including in Virginia Beach, Herndon and Henrico County. Tenants who suspect they may be living with mold should contact their apartment managers and may find more information and resources through the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection at 804-786-2042 or 1-800-552-9963.
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From last year to now, Virginia raised teacher pay by an average of $3,000. Still, the commonwealth’s average pay rate for educators remains stagnant compared to other states, according to the latest salary report published by the National Education Association.
The commonwealth dropped by one spot to 26th, paying teachers an average of $66,327, an increase from a year ago. Virginia’s average teacher pay is $5,703 below the national average of $72,030, the NEA report states.
Education leaders and lawmakers in the commonwealth said inflation and investments are some of the factors contributing to mixed results in the national salary report.
“Clearly (the report) shows that we have made good improvement in recent years, and we have a long way to go,” said House Education Committee Chair Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke.
Rasoul admitted that the commonwealth is thousands of dollars below the national teacher pay average, “but when we started this journey a few years ago, we were in the bottom third of states, and so we’re approaching where we need to be.”
The Virginia Education Association (VEA), representing the largest group of K-12 teachers in the commonwealth, said that while the national data shows gains have been made in Virginia, pre-kindergarten to higher education teachers are still not making enough to support themselves after being adjusted for inflation.
According to VEA, the average public school teacher salary increased by 3% from the previous year, but when adjusted for inflation, teachers made only $108 more.
“While it might look like teachers are getting support, they are actually losing money, which has a direct impact on student learning,” VEA said.
While recognizing recent gains, VEA president Carol Bauer said Virginia’s teachers are “still losing economic ground” while schools continue weathering the state’s education staffing shortages.
“True historic investment means decisively closing salary gaps, adequately funding schools, and ensuring every classroom has a qualified teacher. Virginia must commit to real, sustained investments to attract and retain educators, rather than relying on incremental gains that barely keep pace with inflation,” Bauer said.
What can Virginia do now?
Virginia has an opportunity to boost educator pay even more, after the General Assembly recommended changes to the state budget.
This week, Gov. Glenn Youngkin will decide whether to support lawmakers’ budget proposal to provide bonuses to teachers and lift a cap on state funding for non-instructional school staff positions. This would give school divisions greater flexibility to hire the staff they need without being “restricted” by outdated student-to-staff ratios.
In 2009, during the Great Recession, lawmakers initiated the cap to reduce state spending on non-instructional school staff positions, including central office and administrative, technical, clerical, maintenance, and instructional support positions.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to comment on the report. However, in the governor’s budget recommendations in March, Youngkin wrote that Virginia has raised teacher pay by 18% over the last three years.
The budget amendments now being considered by the governor contain $166 million more for public education, including $84.7 million to raise the cap.
Last year, state lawmakers formed a joint committee to work on overhauling the Standards of Quality (SOQ), the state’s funding formula determining the financial needs of school divisions, after a state study group found local governments have been shouldering a disproportionate share of K-12 education costs compared to the state’s contributions.
Lawmakers arranged for the state and localities to pay an even split of contributions in 1972, but they changed it in 1993, urging localities to start paying for K-12 fringe benefits.
According to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, the state’s share was established at 55%, while localities paid 45%.
What’s next?
House Education Committee Vice Chair Shelly Simonds, D-Newport News, carried the support cap bill and budget language to support non-instructional positions.
As a former teacher and school board member, Simonds said a core issue her legislation will address is the administration’s prioritized focus on overhauling testing and accountability measures — part of the administration’s efforts to combat learning loss and raise student testing scores — instead of recruiting and maintaining teachers.
Simonds said some ways to make teaching the best job in Virginia could involve creating competitive pay, treating educators as professionals in the school buildings, and offering maternity leave, professional development and planning periods to collaborate with colleagues.
“The only thing that has been really proven to improve education is highly qualified teachers,” Simonds said. “Having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom is the way we move the needle on test scores for our children.”
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
The content focuses on advocating for higher teacher pay and increased public school funding, highlighting the challenges teachers face with current salaries lagging behind the national average and inflation. It presents perspectives from education advocates and Democratic lawmakers supportive of investing more in public education. While recognizing some progress, the tone calls for more substantial government commitment, aligning with generally progressive stances on public education funding and labor support. The article maintains a factual and policy-oriented approach without extreme rhetoric, situating it in the center-left range.
www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-04-30 14:54:32
SUMMARY: I’m 13 News Now meteorologist Evan Stewart. It’s Wednesday, April 30th, with warm temperatures in the 80s across Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore, over 10° above average. A frontal boundary near North Carolina could trigger isolated showers and thunderstorms later today and into the evening. While severe weather is impacting Texas and nearby areas with tornado risks, Hampton Roads faces a low, level one risk for isolated strong storms. Thursday remains warm with a slight 20% rain chance, and Friday brings more late-day showers and storms. A slow-moving front will increase weekend rain chances, possibly lingering into early next week with cooler weather.
There will be several chances for rain showers and potentially even storms through the weekend.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 12:55:00
(The Center Square) – Virginia just logged one of the sharpest drops in fentanyl deaths in the country — down 44% from last year and nearly cut in half since 2021—Gov. Glenn Youngkin says it’s proof his crackdown is working.
The administration credits everything from drug seizures to tougher laws on dealers, plus a massive naloxone rollout. “Overdose deaths skyrocketed across America and in Virginia, driven primarily by illicit fentanyl flowing across our southern border. With an average of five dying Virginians each day, in 2022, we launched a comprehensive effort to stop the scourge of fentanyl, it’s working, and Virginia is leading,” said Youngkin.
He also tied the drop to border enforcement, echoing President Trump’s argument that immigration policy is key to stopping fentanyl from entering the U.S.
“Our approach stands on four principles: interrupt the drug trade, enhance penalties for drug dealers, educate people about the dangers of fentanyl, and equip them to save the life of someone in crisis,” said Youngkin in astatement.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, fatal overdoses across all substances fell by34.1% in 2024compared to the year before — the sharpest drop since the epidemic peaked in 2021.
Trump’s recent moves include a new order cracking down on sanctuary cities, more troops at the southern border and a pledge to ramp up deportations.
“We have turned the tide in this battle and must now redouble our efforts to build on our success,” said Dr. Colin Greene, Special Advisor on Opioid Response.
In Virginia, Youngkin’s team points to several key efforts behind the numbers. Operation FREE, a joint law enforcement initiative, has seized enough fentanyl to kill every Virginian ten times over, according to the administration. The commonwealth also banned pill presses, expanded penalties for dealers, and now requires schools to notify parents when student overdoses happen.
Since 2022, nearly 400,000 doses of naloxone have been distributed statewide, and almost 100,000 Virginians have been trained to use it. First Lady Suzanne Youngkin’s “It Only Takes One” campaign is also part of the strategy — aimed at raising awareness among families, schools and local communities.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The article presents a clear ideological perspective, with a tone that strongly supports Governor Glenn Youngkin’s policies on combating fentanyl deaths. It emphasizes the success of Youngkin’s efforts, such as drug seizures, tougher laws, and border enforcement, which aligns with conservative viewpoints, particularly regarding immigration policy and law enforcement. The framing of the issue—highlighting Youngkin’s leadership and drawing connections to President Trump’s immigration stance—reinforces a right-leaning narrative, suggesting that tougher border control is key to solving the fentanyl crisis. The article does not present significant counterpoints or explore opposing viewpoints on these measures, which could balance the coverage. Overall, the content reflects a pro-administration stance, particularly aligning with the policies of the Republican Party.
