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Turbyne-Pollard and Thornhill: RVA’s rising senior population exposes a gap in adult day care
RVA faces a quiet yet profound crisis — and within this challenge lies an extraordinary opportunity. Our population is growing older at an unprecedented rate, forever changing the ratio of young-to-old and transforming the very fabric of our community. Did you know that in 2010, for every child under the age of 5 in Virginia, there were two adults over 65? By 2030, that ratio will shift dramatically: Four older adults for every young child. We must confront this demographic reality proactively, and our houses of worship have a unique role to play.
Stephens and McKenna: Group offers a new vision for economic growth in Hampton Roads
In the face of the rapidly changing economic landscape, collaboration is more important than ever. That’s why the creation of the Regional Organizations Presidents’ Council (ROPC) is a pivotal step for the Hampton Roads region. The ROPC, a coalition of regional organizations and their CEOs, is committed to driving economic growth in the region by focusing on collaboration, advocacy and strategic initiatives that move our region forward. The ROPC is committed to creating a stronger, more competitive regional economy for all. The ROPC is not “yet another organization.” Instead, it was formed in 2024 to formally bring together our regional organizations.
ICE promises bystanders who challenged Charlottesville raid will be prosecuted
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has broken its silence, conceding its agents were responsible for the arrest of two men during a raid on a downtown Charlottesville courthouse and promising that the bystanders who questioned those agents will be prosecuted. ICE also blasted the area’s top prosecutor, who has announced he will be investigating the raid, as “posturing for the media.”
Transit agency envisions bus rapid transit across Potomac
A new long-term “blueprint” to dramatically expand Northern Virginia’s bus rapid transit lines calls for significant investment along core Arlington routes. A draft Bus Rapid Transit Action Plan, unveiled yesterday (Wednesday) is meant to guide agencies throughout the region as they consider future transit investments. A proposed map of possible BRT lines envisions two routes connecting Columbia Pike to Crystal City and D.C., and another route running east from Falls Church into Rosslyn, across the Potomac River and into Georgetown. According to Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) estimates, all three of these routes would be some of the most heavily trafficked in the entire region.
Federal cuts to NOAA could be an ‘incredible blow’ for Chesapeake Bay, storm reporting
As summer and hurricane season nears, weather and environmental officials say federal cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will negatively impact climate research, education and storm reporting. The Trump administration reportedly plans to cut NOAA’s roughly $6.1 billion budget by 27% to $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2026. According to an internal administration document obtained by ProPublica, the proposed cuts would close the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, which could end support for NOAA’s hurricane hunter missions, and cut funding to the office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research by nearly 75%.
State finds Henrico NICU violated state standards, failed to maintain medical records
A recent report from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) revealed a lack of training, repeated failure to report bruising and injuries in babies and a missing medical records system in Henrico Doctors’ Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), violating state standards for hospital care. The hospital failed to ensure that these nurses received the proper training before their shifts, as several babies have since been found with fractures and bruising between 2022 and 2024, with some dying.
Russell County considers 3 small solar projects, as interest in Southwest Virginia grows among solar developers
Russell County officials are considering the county’s first three commercial solar energy developments, eight years after leaders there began working to position the locality to attract the projects. The projects, which would together produce up to 22 megawatts of power and cover a total of about 230 acres, would be developed on depleted farmland, one near the Russell County-Tazewell County line and the other two on rural sites outside the town of Lebanon.
Real ID deadline looms May 7 for air travelers
Come May 7, your old Virginia driver’s license might not get you past airport security. That’s the day the federal government will begin enforcing the long-delayed Real ID Act, requiring all domestic air travelers who use a driver’s license at TSA checkpoints to present a Real ID-compliant credential — or be turned away. If you don’t have one, and you’re planning to fly after that date, it’s time to act.
Del. Orrock stresses bipartisanship as he kicks off bid for 19th term in 66th District
When state Sen. Tara Durant was in the Virginia House of Delegates, she recalled Saturday, she was fortunate that her Richmond office was right next to Del. Bobby Orrock’s. Whenever the brand-new delegate had a question, all she had to do was go next door, and Orrock would say, “Come on in, young lady,” and greet her with a hug and a big smile. “What a great way to have a good friend like that when you are trying to navigate and get your sea legs and understand how to do this,” Durant told a small crowd at Angela’s Italian Restaurant in Thornburg. Durant (R-Stafford) was among a group of elected officials and GOP members who came out to support the re-election campaign of Orrock, a Republican who is the longest-serving current delegate.
Price of a home in Richmond region to likely keep climbing
Perhaps the greatest change to life in the Richmond region since the pandemic is the increased cost of buying a home. The median price of a single-family home has shot up 89% from about $220,000 in 2015 to almost $415,000 in the first quarter of this year. Now, experts have bad news for prospective home buyers: Prices are not likely to decline this year. Laura Lafayette, CEO of the Richmond Association of Realtors, said she can envision the median price rising an additional 5% to 7% this year.