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Marine heat waves in Chesapeake Bay doubled over past two decades, according to new research
The temperature of water in the Chesapeake Bay naturally fluctuates each year, tied to weather patterns and ecosystem changes across the bay’s massive, 64,000-square-mile watershed. But a new study led by the University of Maryland is yet another confirmation of what scientists have reported for years: The bay is steadily warming and seeing a growing number of extreme heat incidents known as marine heat waves. The frequency of underwater heat waves in the bay doubled over the past 20 years, researchers say in the paper published this week in a scientific journal called Estuaries and Coasts.
Hope is the thing on the overpass: Protesters in Woodstock keep returning to be seen and heard
In 1984, Kurt Weitz took an oath to defend the Constitution as a U.S. Army officer. In 2025, he stands on an overpass above Interstate 81, gripping a Canadian flag. Below him, cars rush past in a current he knows won’t shift easily. He’s one of dozens, sometimes hundreds, who have gathered each Saturday on this bridge in Woodstock for the past 10 weeks — signs in hand, flags in the wind — protesting what they see as a growing threat to American democracy.
Richmond’s second water crisis in 5 months
Across Richmond, the collective sentiment Tuesday afternoon seemed to be the same: “Here we go again.” What early Tuesday morning had started as an ostensibly minor issue with the city’s water treatment plant rapidly devolved into Richmond’s second full-blown water crisis in fewer than five months.
New boil water advisory issued in Richmond, months after January water crisis
Richmond officials issued a new boil water advisory Tuesday for large swaths of the city, less than six months after a catastrophic water crisis left much of the region without safe drinking water for days. “People can use the water,” Avula said. “They just need to boil it before they drink it,” Mayor Danny Avula said in a virtual press conference Tuesday afternoon, adding that the city doesn’t currently have plans to distribute bottled water.
Chesterfield one step closer to hosting world’s first commercial nuclear fusion plant
A zoning application has been filed in Chesterfield County for what could be the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion power plant. ... The application was submitted under a conditional use permit (CUP), which outlines the development of a 94-acre parcel of land within the James River Industrial Center.
Virginia Beach School Board votes to officially end DEI initiatives
School board members in Virginia Beach voted 6-5 to officially end diversity and inclusion initiatives in the school district. Specifically, the board has spent several meetings discussing updates to Policy 5-4, formerly known as “Educational Equity.” The policy had previously included several sections and references to “diversity,” “inclusion,” “implicit bias,” “cross-cultural” and “equity.” All of those references are now removed, and Policy 5-4 is renamed to “Educational Opportunity and Achievement.”
Roanoke Spent $5 Million More in 2024 Than Council Authorized, Violating State Law, Audit Says
Roanoke spent $5 million more than the City Council authorized last budget year, a violation of state law and significant lapse in oversight, according to an auditor’s report. The finding, made in the city’s annual comprehensive financial report released last week, underscored accounting issues that have plagued the government and which emerged during a belt-tightening budget year.
New trails will connect Hampton Roads cities, offer regional boost
As warming days remind us that summer is nearly here, the call of the outdoors can be heard even by those whose daily lives play out in cities and densely settled neighborhoods. Fortunately, thanks to foresight, planning and hard work, the developing South Hampton Roads Trail is beginning to offer residents of the region’s five cities — Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Suffolk — easier ways to get out in nature, whether they are enjoying an alternative way to reach a destination or simply exercising in the fresh air and sunshine.
Yancey: U.S. House wants to axe a tax credit that has driven growth of high-wage manufacturing jobs in rural areas
President Donald Trump wants to boost American manufacturing, a goal that has eluded other presidents in the so-called “post-industrial” era but a laudatory one nonetheless. However, many of the manufacturing jobs that he and other administration officials talk most prominently about are likely minimum-wage or other low-wage positions. Meanwhile, the “big, beautiful” bill now moving through Congress would likely slow the growth of one fast-growing manufacturing sector where the average annual income is $81,600. Furthermore, those jobs are concentrated in places that voted for Trump in 2024, meaning that some Republican members of Congress are finding themselves in the position of potentially slowing manufacturing growth in their own districts.
Cowan: Officials should protect Chesapeake from data center noise
As a mental health professional, I never expected to speak out against a data center. But after learning more about the recently proposed facility in Chesapeake, I was, quite frankly, disturbed — disturbed that city leaders would consider placing such a massive industrial structure next to long-established neighborhoods. These are homes where families have built lives, where children play and where peace and quiet have long been part of daily life. At this month’s Planning Commission meeting, the developer addressed the projected decibel level of the facility and outlined general mitigation efforts. What he failed to address, however, is one of the most concerning and least understood aspects of data centers: low-frequency noise.