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NOAA predicts ‘above normal’ hurricane season
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting another “above normal” hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean for 2025. Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, said there’s a 60% chance of an above-average season and a 30% chance of a “near-normal” season. There could be 13 to 19 tropical storms, with six to 10 hurricanes, according to NOAA’s forecast. Of those hurricanes, three to five could be “major” storms — Category 3 or above. In recent weeks, other weather entities such as Accuweather and Colorado State University released similar season forecasts.
NOAA predicts above-average Atlantic hurricane season with as many as 19 named storms
Warm seawater will likely drive another above-average hurricane season this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday. Forecasters expect between 13 and 19 named tropical storms to form in the Atlantic Ocean between June 1 and November 30. Six to 10 will become full-blown hurricanes, with three to five eventually becoming major storms. National Weather Service director Ken Graham said improved forecasting has dramatically cut fatalities from these storms, particularly storm surge projections. But he warned that things can change quickly and people need to heed warnings and be prepared.
Preservation Virginia lists historic battlefields among endangered sites thanks to data centers
Two Civil War battlefields in and around Northern Virginia have been named to Preservation Virginia’s 2025 list of the state’s most endangered historic places, with the nonprofit citing the growing threat posed by data center development. Manassas National Battlefield Park in Prince William County and Wilderness Battlefied in Orange County are among 11 sites identified in this year’s report. Both are located near large-scale data center projects that have already been approved ...
Section of U.S. 58 reopens 5 months ahead of schedule
U.S. Route 58 reopened to traffic Thursday afternoon, some seven months after floodwaters obliterated a 1.5-mile section between Damascus and Konnarock. Repairs were completed five months ahead of schedule and significantly under budget, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said during a midday ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event occurred at a spot where floodwaters from Hurricane Helene turned Whitetop Laurel Creek into a raging torrent last September,
New poll shows Spanberger with 17-point lead over Earle-Sears
Former congresswoman and Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger fared better with voters than current lieutenant governor and Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, according to a Roanoke College poll released Thursday showing Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 43%-26%. This follows another poll published this week showing Spanberger with a 4-point lead over Earle-Sears. The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College interviewed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19 to determine that Spanberger leads Earle-Sears by 17 percentage points. Meanwhile, another new poll commissioned by business organization Virginia FREE conducted between May 9 and May 13 shows independent voters favoring Spanberger by 53%-47%.
Watson: Spanberger’s tepid support for ‘right to work’ is all politics
I read with some skepticism the recent opinion piece ("Spanberger displays a rare trait in politics – intellectual honesty," May 16) by my good friend and former House of Delegates colleague, David Ramadan, suggesting that a vague campaign statement by the Democratic nominee for governor somehow demonstrates a rare example of political courage. On the contrary, former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger’s declaration that she would not sign legislation that “fully repeals Virginia’s right-to-work law” was a predictable tactic intended to preempt a vulnerable issue in her campaign for governor.
Youngkin announces $16.9M investment in workforce housing
Governor Glenn Youngkin visited the Harrisonburg Innovation Hub on Wednesday, May 21 to announce more than $16.9 million in state funding for workforce housing investments across Virginia. The funds, which are part of the Virginia Workforce Housing Investment Program, will support 10 projects statewide and are expected to leverage more than $254 million in private investment.
Trump Administration Opens Investigation Into Diversity Efforts at Virginia School
The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it was investigating the admissions system at an elite public high school in Fairfax County, Va., which has been accused of discriminating against Asian American students to favor other racial groups. The administration has repeatedly argued that the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action in college admissions should also apply to K-12 education. But the court has never made such a statement, and it chose last year to allow the high school’s admissions program to stand.
Magnet school in Northern Virginia faces federal racial discrimination probe over admissions policy
The Trump administration launched an investigation Thursday into the admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, citing a state report that found that the elite program lowered its standards to increase racial diversity at the expense of Asian-American students. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened the probe a day after Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares released the results of a two-year investigation into the 2020 revisions to the prestigious magnet school’s admissions criteria.
Education Department opens investigation of admissions at selective Virginia high school
The Education Department said Thursday it is opening a civil rights investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia over the admissions policy at an elite, selective high school. A change in the admissions policy introduced five years ago at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology led to the enrollment of more Black and Hispanic students and faced a court challenge from some parents. The plaintiffs argued it came at the expense of Asian American students, whose numbers at the school dropped.