A collection of WHRO feature news including WHRO stories, interviews and in-depth reporting from Southeastern Virginia.
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The Hampton Roads Alliance is pushing local leaders to address the issue by considering more energy infrastructure.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The Elizabeth River Project wants people to report river otter sightings to collect data on their comeback.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Laskin Road widening project delayed again; VDOT still figuring out for how long, how much it'll cost
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For the second time since the project broke ground in 2019, contractors have told VDOT that unexpected field conditions mean it'll take longer to get done - until at least sometime in 2025.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Stricter federal air pollution standards likely won’t help Norfolk, Newport News communities plagued by coal dust
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For half a century, residents of Lambert’s Point and Southeast Newport News have complained about coal dust from nearby terminals. They say they can't keep waiting for officials to collect more data to show there's a problem.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The Williamsburg-James City County school board approved a $199 million budget increasing staff salaries by an average of 4.5%.Superintendent Olwen Herron proposed a 3% salary increase for all employees, but some board members and district staff said it didn’t go far enough.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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A federal judge ordered Sentara executives to answer more questions about an ongoing case in which the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether Sentara Health Plans — formerly Optima Health — unfairly increased premiums and pocketed an extra $665 million in 2018 and 2019.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The raises follow several years of tuition freezes at public colleges supported by state funding.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The suit, filed by a coalition of conservative groups, argues that the offshore wind industry threatens endangered whales. Scientists say there's no evidence of that.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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City Council will decide this week if an Oceanfront business can convert it's second story into hostel-like accommodations for international workers.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Part of Suffolk’s improvement plan for the congested Godwin Boulevard route includes redesigning where the four-lane road crosses the Suffolk Bypass just south of Sentara Obici Hospital. But just what is a diverging diamond interchange?WHRO asked Old Dominion engineering professor Mecit Cetin how they work.…
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Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Hampton will expand to 24-hour, 7-days-a-week operation after a unanimous vote Wednesday night by Hampton City Council.Colonial Downs Group, the company that operates Rosie’s, applied to extend the gambling parlor’s hours after Rivers Casino in Portsmouth opened last year. That casino already runs 24/7.…
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Three years after Virginia lawmakers voted to adopt the standards, the state is rolling them out. Here's what that does -- and doesn't -- mean.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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NIMBYs, flooding and a fading middle class: Norfolk’s housing study reveals city’s challenges
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A new housing study highlights the need for affordable housing for lower incomes and the disappearance of the city's middle-income residents.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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In state SOLs, James City County students outperformed Williamsburg students in math, science and reading
If Williamsburg and James City County decide to split their school district, Williamsburg test scores may drop. James City County students outperformed Williamsburg students in math, science and reading SOL tests according to the city's feasibility report, released this week.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The City of Williamsburg says a plan to split its school division from James City County wouldn’t happen until August 2028 at the earliest and cost $18.9 million in the first year. The report, released Monday, said accounting for staffing costs, utilities, materials and other services, there would still be a $2.4 million operating deficit during ye…
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With Portsmouth's waste-to-energy plant closing soon, a lot more trash is headed to the Regional Landfill in Suffolk. Long-term, that could change too.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The $40 million in state funding originally passed by the House of Delegates has become a loan to the city of Newport News in the latest budget compromise.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Many smaller farms in places like Chesapeake are being absorbed into larger farming operations or bought up for development.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Lawmakers say the new legislation will simplify the process for officials to get abandoned and derelict vessels out of the water.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Suffolk’s Assistant Fire Chief David Harrell said the city responds to any locality that requests mutual aid where no formal agreement exists. In 2023 alone, the department sent or received mutual aid 462 times. The city formalized that process with other Hampton Roads by approving an ordinance this week at City Council that adds the last few local…
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It's the third dead whale found in the region in as many days.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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WHRO recently joined one of the Virginia Aquarium's annual whale tours to learn more about the creatures' passage through the area.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Last week, WHRO joined one of the Virginia Aquarium's annual whale tours -- and it was a quite successful one.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Weeks after a controversial Alabama court case ruling prompted clinics in the state to stop providing treatment, fertility providers and their patients are concerned about what’s next.U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine’s Access to Family Building Act is currently making its way to committee in the Senate. If passed, it would guarantee patients the right to seek t…
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A dead humpback whale washed onto the beach at the Oceanfront Sunday, while another washed up at False Cape State Park on Monday. Boat strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the most common causes of whale deaths.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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WHRO's Laura Philion spoke with former prosecutor and legal scholar Laura Killinger of William & Mary Law School about the history of “no body” murder cases in Virginia.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The tribe is working to restore more than 70 acres of an ancestral village site called Mattanock Town.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Health roundup: College happiness study; Nansemond clinic opens; OBX launches doctor training program and more
This month in Hampton Roads and Virginia health news: A college happiness study at Old Dominion, the Nansemond Nation opens its health clinic in Portsmouth, Sentara joins a nationwide cancer screening study and much more.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Navy is considering a housing project that could cost up to $400 million in downtown Newport News, officials say
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The project would aim to improve living conditions for sailors assigned to ships undergoing maintenance at Newport News Shipbuilding, which the Navy has been trying to address after a rash of suicides.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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City officials confirmed this week that the public will retain access to the 15 acres that remain in city ownership. But it's unclear what that will look like.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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A study at Old Dominion University is looking at how to mitigate student stress on campus using meditation.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The number of residents over 65 is expected to grow dramatically in Virginia Beach, exacerbating an already serious need for affordable senior housing.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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A reader wrote in asking how much longer the construction would take. Officials say it's right on schedule.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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While many coastal cities like Norfolk plan seawall projects to protect against flooding, a team at Virginia Tech -- and a university in Scotland -- are studying how higher temperatures and sea level rise affect the walls long-term.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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A New York investment firm will pay Dominion about $3 billion for a 50% non-controlling interest in the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The local Planning District Commission has been working on a plan to submit to the EPA. It is a look at local greenhouse gas emissions and how to cut them.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The clinic officially opened its 1,000-square-foot dental care expansion this week, adding two new dental exam chairs to its facility. It also added a new behavioral health room where telehealth services will be available to patients.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The new plan could accelerate ongoing efforts at the Port of Virginia to electrify equipment like forklifts and straddle carriers.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The plan, due to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by March 1, outlines a vision for how to cut climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions across the state's various sectors.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The city's current recycling contract ends in June. No matter which new one the city pursues, costs will “rise sharply."Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Virginia Beach Del. Barry Knight lost his seat on the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee last week without explanation. He's a longtime state budget negotiator and the most senior Hampton Roads state delegate.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Hampton Roads boasts notable Black neighborhoods, historically Black universities, Green Book locations and even the site where the first Africans set foot on U.S. soil in 1619. What it doesn't have is a way to help visitors find them all - but that may change soon with a little help from the General Assembly.…
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Fort Monroe may get $80 million to start long-needed utilities work to entice private development
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Since Virginia took ownership the former U.S. Army base in 2011, its struggled with drawing private investment - in part because of issues with the Army-installed utilities.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is calling on state officials to invest in more oyster restoration for economic, resilience and ecological benefits.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Norfolk International is getting $6 million to replace its aging customs facility, the latest in a stream of federally funded improvements announced at the airport. The total cost of the customs facility is around $33 million, Airport Authority president Mark Perryman said.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Manteo residents like being miles from the mainland, but it does have downsides, like making it difficult to keep health care providers in the immediate area.A partnership between the town’s health care task force and the North Carolina Medical Society may offer a solution. They’re launching a preceptor, or training program, based in the Outer Bank…
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The Planning Commission will vote Wednesday whether to adopt the study into the city's overall comprehensive plan.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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The tribe said the clinic will be a “one-stop shop” for tribal members, Medicaid patients and people without insurance.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Eighteen more first responders will help staff Station 11, still under construction. The new positions, funded by FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, will also help offset upcoming retirements.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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Many Virginia Beach workers can’t afford to rent or buy in the city. New study recommends steps to fix that.
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The Virginia Beach City Council has said tackling housing accessibility is one of its top priorities.Kirjoittanut 89.5 WHRV-FM, Norfolk, VA
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