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From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Charlotte Rene Woods of the Virginia Mercury, Olivia Diaz of the Associated Press, and Whittney Evans of VPM News. They discuss the week's top headlines: Google partners with Youngkin to offer AI training courses, state corrections ombudsman is on track reviewing prisoners' complaints, and how ballot initiatives and recalls work in Virginia. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Visa-holding Norfolk-based cruise workers deported
“Due process is the law,” protestors chanted outside the gates of a Carnival cruise ship in Norfolk Sunday morning. They gathered following a report that showed at least a dozen lawful, visa-holding Filipino cruise ship workers were allegedly wrongfully deported. Aquilina Soriano Versoza is the executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center. The grassroots non-profit represents low-wage and immigrant Pilipino communities in the United States. Soriano Versoza told 10 On Your Side that more than a dozen Filipino crew members of the Carnival Sunshine cruise line, all holding valid 10-year C-1/D visas, were “forcibly removed in handcuffs” by Customs and Border Patrol officers at the Port of Norfolk.
Newly freed ‘Waverly Two’ celebrate their freedom after presidential commutation
If you ask Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne, God himself orchestrated their release from federal lockup. Since 1998, the two have been imprisoned for the killing of a Virginia police officer. It was God who introduced Claiborne’s aunt to Jarrett Adams, the lawyer who spearheaded their nephew’s innocence claims. It was God who brought them to Kerri O’Brien, the local news reporter who spotlighted their case for more than nine years. And God again, who led President Joe Biden to commute their sentence before leaving office last year.
UVa. Student Council passes resolution to uphold student voices during presidential search
Student Council representatives unanimously passed a non-binding resolution during a virtual meeting June 14 that aims to affirm the voice of students in the search for a new University president. The resolution requests that five students be included on the search committee, and that the Board of Visitors provides key updates to the student body throughout the search process.
George Mason prepares for a future with less federal funding
Before the 2024 election was decided, George Mason University was already preparing for the political fallout. As candidates campaigned on slashing federal funding for “woke” institutions, university leadership braced for what President Gregory Washington warned would be a shifting research landscape. His message to campus: federal research dollars may decline—prepare accordingly. That preparation took shape last fall as the Grand Challenge Initiative, a five-year, $15 million plan to realign the university’s research priorities around pressing societal problems. Now, as the Trump administration resumes scrutiny of diversity programs and freezes grants to elite universities, Mason’s early pivot appears prophetic.
Virginia Capital Trail plans extension to Colonial Williamsburg as Trail757 project moves forward
Williamsburg is taking new steps to connect with a walking and biking trail that would serve the 757 region. Trail757, originally known as the Birthplace of America Trail, is a project that envisions a long-distance trail that connects trails across the Hampton Roads region. The proposed 90-mile path on the Peninsula would connect to the 52-mile Virginia Capital Trail, which runs from Jamestown to downtown Richmond. The trail would also link the Virginia Capital Trail with Colonial Williamsburg along 7.5 miles that would run from Jamestown High School to South England Street, according to an announcement made Thursday.
Is this the end of the line for light rail in Hampton Roads?
Light rail expansion in Hampton Roads hinges on Norfolk’s stalled plans for Military Circle, local officials say, but beyond that the future is dimming as a result of skyrocketing construction costs in recent years. Hampton Roads Transit was nearing completion of the environmental impact study on a 2-mile extension to Military Circle but was instructed to stop because it could not define the end-of-line station. For now, HRT remains in a “holding pattern,” and no work has been done on the study since at least August 2023.
VRE long-range plan includes big changes
After nearly two years working on a new long-range plan, the Virginia Railway Express commuter train system got a stamp of approval for its System Plan 2050 last week. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission approved the plan Thursday, following the recent approval by the Potomac Rappahannock Transportation Commission, the two commissions that own and operate the regional commuter rail system.
Northern Virginia Transportation Commission backs regional transit funding plan
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission endorsed a multi-billion-dollar regional transit funding proposal Thursday, even as Virginia faces a $153 million shortfall in its share of the plan. NVTC’s Resolution #2571 supports the DMVMoves initiative’s proposed $500-600 million annual funding program starting in fiscal year 2028. The plan would fund Metro infrastructure improvements and establish a regional bus priority program serving Alexandria and other jurisdictions.
U.K.-based wire alloy manufacturer announces first U.S. location in Danville
Danville will be home to the first U.S. location for WB Alloys, a U.K.-based wire alloy manufacturing company, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office announced Friday. The project represents a $6.6 million investment and is expected to create 30 jobs. The facility in Danville will specialize in wire alloy production for the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense, which already have a presence in the city through the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing program.