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Environmental groups in Hampton Roads at odds with Army Corps over proposed wetlands mitigation project
For decades in Hampton Roads, officials have used a legal mechanism called mitigation banking to protect local ecosystems. If a developer or locality impacts wetlands or river bottom when building a project, they must compensate by paying to restore it elsewhere. Organizations that conduct restoration work can sell credits to developers to meet those requirements – hence the bank-like system. The goal is for the compensatory work to serve the same river or watershed that is affected by the original development action. But local environmental groups and some federal scientists now worry that an impending decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could upend that system.
Aston and Fleet: Hampton Roads lawmakers continue to deliver for higher education
It is not common these days to hear voters say positive things about what leaders in government are doing. Yet, in this age of political division, Virginians agree on at least one big thing: Our top-ranked higher education system drives growth and opportunity in our commonwealth. And, in Hampton Roads, our legislators are leading the way. Recently, our organization, the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, released the results of a wide-ranging statewide public opinion survey to gauge voters’ views on higher education.
What’s ahead for Virginia colleges if Trump targets international students?
Virginia had over 21,000 international students in its colleges in universities last year, but recent actions from President Donald Trump may see that number change. The fight over international students in U.S. colleges started last month when Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his office would move to revoke Chinese student visas from Harvard University over national security concerns. Then, Rubio announced increased vetting of all foreign students' social media accounts. And this week the president's new travel bans from 12 countries went into effect and also applies to would-be students. Some of these issues are winding through the courts, but immigration visa attorney Keith Pabian said it will disrupt US colleges.
One Virginia Community Took a Radical Approach to Fighting Addiction. It’s Working.
When Officer Chelsea Johnston came across a wanted felon one evening in May, Johnston jerked her cruiser in front of him, sprinted after him and tackled him to the ground. Still catching her breath, Johnston motioned for someone to step out of the cruiser: Joy Bogese. “Thank God,” the man said. “It’s you.” Bogese, who served time for financial crimes that fed a heroin addiction, now spends many of her evenings in a police cruiser as a recovery specialist helping people with addiction get into treatment. The man asked Bogese to help him get into a drug-treatment program at the local jail, where Bogese occasionally facilitates groups. She is part of a growing effort in Chesterfield County’s fight against addiction.
New documents show Averett’s finances in dire straits in 2024, but optimism in 2025
Averett University’s financial situation last summer raised serious concerns about its ability to operate, according to a draft audit prepared for the university. But the private university in Danville has had recent fundraising successes that may help pave its path forward. ... The Danville school started cutting costs a year ago, at the tail end of fiscal 2024, in response to its discovery of a budget shortfall caused by what Averett officials have said were unauthorized withdrawals from its endowment. Averett has laid off staff, eliminated academic programs and begun selling property to keep the university afloat.
Volunteers keep watch over Smith Mountain Lake’s water quality for nearly four decades
For nearly 40 years, volunteers and environmental experts have made sure Smith Mountain Lake is ready for a season of fishing, swimming, and other recreational use. And while finding help over that time is rarely a problem, concerns about Harmful Algae Blooms are bringing new focus to their work. Ferrum College laboratory supervisor Carol Love has been monitoring Smith Mountain Lake since the late 1990’s.