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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.
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.
Smithfield Foods relocating 115 corporate jobs to Hampton Roads
Smithfield Foods is relocating about 115 of its U.S. corporate jobs to Hampton Roads. Two regional Midwest offices — in Illinois and Missouri — will close and associated positions will move to the Smithfield headquarters by the end of next year, said Ray Atkinson, Smithfield Foods spokesperson. Since the process has just begun, the company hasn’t yet determined how many employees will move and how many positions will be open for hire, Atkinson said. The positions include finance, procurement, human resources, information technology and other support functions.
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.
After Va. elections, governor’s race begins a new phase
Virginia’s election season kicked into high gear Saturday as the newly formed Democratic lineup for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general launched a statewide bus tour on a blistering hot afternoon while their Republican rivals kept to a far more low-key campaign approach. “Everywhere we travel, people get to hear from us about the things we are for,” gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger said at an afternoon rally at Richmond’s Abner Clay Park with her ticket mates, state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi (Richmond) for lieutenant governor, and former Norfolk delegate Jerrauld C. “Jay” Jones for attorney general.
From the classroom to the campaign trail: Ghazala Hashmi’s rise
Before she was a state senator from Chesterfield County, and long before she became Virginia's Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, Ghazala Hashmi was known by colleagues as a calm, soft-spoken English professor who led meetings with precision and brought her deep love of early American literature to the classroom. After nearly 30 years in the classroom, Hashmi has made a swift rise in politics and is now the first Muslim woman in the U.S. to be nominated to a statewide ticket, according to her campaign.
Protecting American treasures deserves federal commitment
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year calls for $163 billion in spending cuts across a variety of non-military programs. It would slash a whopping $1.2 billion from the National Park Service and programs it oversees — including national historic sites. With that kind of money on the cutting board, a proposal to cut $158 million from the park service’s Historic Preservation Fund might sound unimportant. Make no mistake: Such a deep cut would effectively spell the end of a vital source of money that has been essential to preserving history in Virginia and in other states and on tribal lands across the country.
Democratic candidates for Connolly’s congressional seat debate fairness over Walkinshaw’s frontrunner status
A crowded field of Democrats is vying for the party’s nomination in the special election for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. James Walkinshaw, [the late U.S. Rep. Gerry] Connolly’s chosen successor, appears to be the clear frontrunner, sparking concerns among rivals that the nomination process favors establishment candidates and also limits voter access. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the special election date for Sept. 9 after Connolly, 75, died in May due to esophageal cancer. It came weeks after Connolly announced he would not seek reelection and would step down as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. The 11th District Democratic committee announced a firehouse primary scheduled for June 28, giving candidates less than a month to make their case to voters.
Senate draft of ‘big, beautiful bill’ could cut funds for Virginia hospitals, also affect Medicaid
Virginia’s hospitals are monitoring congressional budget proposals with concern. While the recently-passed U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the President Donald Trump-backed “big beautiful bill” retained federal mapping that preserves Medicaid access in Virginia, a new draft in the U.S. Senate could alter two critical funding mechanisms that support Virginia’s hospitals and their ability to bolster the state’s expanded Medicaid program. The Senate proposal could change provider assessment rates and state-directed payment programs. The two funding mechanisms are critical to hospital operation in Virginia and how they chip into the expansion of Virginia’s Medicaid program.
How Black Lung Came Roaring Back to Coal Country
Denver Brock and his son Aundra used to spend early mornings hunting rabbits in the wooded highlands of Harlan County, Ky. But they don’t get out there much these days. They both get too breathless trying to follow the baying hounds. Instead, they tend a large garden alongside Denver Brock’s home. Even that can prove difficult, requiring them to work slowly and take frequent breaks. “You get so dizzy,” Denver Brock said, “you can’t hardly stand up.” The Brocks followed a long family tradition when they became Appalachian coal miners. For it, they both now have coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, a debilitating disease characterized by masses and scarred tissue in the chest, and better known by its colloquial name: black lung.