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Virginia Beach police to launch drones as first responders at the Oceanfront
Before the first police officer sets foot on the ground of a possible crime scene, officials may already have gathered critical information with the help of a self-flying drone. Drones as first responders is a growing program in police departments across the country, and Virginia Beach will soon be the first Hampton Roads city to use the technology.
Virginia’s cellphone ban will return students’ focus to education
Mark July 1 on your calendar (which is probably in your cellphone). That’s the day a state law goes into effect mandating that public school students not use cellphones during the school day. When the new 2025-26 school year starts toward summer’s end, that new reality may take a little getting used to, but before long it should promote learning and student engagement. It should make teachers’ jobs a bit easier. The ban also should reduce the emotional and mental stress that constant attention to the world as presented by mobile phones can inflict on adolescents.
Miller: What responsibility does higher education have to America?
If you haven’t noticed, the future of education in the United States is suddenly looking much more uncertain than at any point in the past half-century. For some students, changing economic indicators are causing them to reconsider whether attending college is the best next step on their career path. Meanwhile, shrinking population numbers are contributing to an upcoming “enrollment cliff” that education leaders have been preparing for since the early 2000s. But the most unexpected complication of all has been the sudden interest the federal government has taken in dismantling certain functions and freedoms of education that America has taken for granted since its inception.
Experts warn of the economic and environmental impacts of federal cuts on Hampton Roads
During a committee meeting Friday at Norfolk State University, Virginia lawmakers heard from experts from a variety of sectors about how the volatility of federal cuts is having a profound impact on Hampton Roads. The Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions convened for the fourth time, having heard presentations at the General Assembly Building in Richmond as well as in Alexandria and Wytheville. In Norfolk, speakers highlighted significant federal workforce populations and reliance on federal funding for climate resiliency and other initiatives.
VPAP Visual Jones vs. Jones for Attorney General
Jay Jones secured the Democratic nomination for Attorney General in last Tuesday's primary election, after losing the primary in 2021 to incumbent Mark Herring. Jones won a larger share of the vote in 113 of Virginia's 133 localities compared to four years ago. See where Jones performed better, or worse, this year in Virginia's counties and cities.