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Despite the objections of residents, a large battery storage facility proposal in James City County is heading to the Board of Supervisors in November with the Planning Commission’s blessing.

The commission on Wednesday voted 5-2 to recommend approving Pelican Energy Storage’s 650-megawatt project at the former BASF acrylic fiber plant site near the Grove neighborhood. Grove is a working-class community that became home to many Black residents displaced by the creation of military installations in James City and York.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/local-government/2026-10-08/planning-commission-recommends-large-battery-storage-project-in-james-city

Across Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore, nonrenewals and steep rate increases are rising as insurers reevaluate their exposure to coastal storm risks and climate volatility. 

Data released by Congress reveals that Accomack County saw a 400% jump in dropped policies between 2018 and 2023. In a separate report, more than half of U.S. insurers reduced their written policies between 2018 and 2024. 

WHRO News dug into how exactly the home insurance industry upheaval is affecting local homeowners.

Read our full coverage here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-10-08/home-insurers-are-retreating-from-some-coastal-communities-heres-whats-happening-in-hampton-roads

Virginia Natural Heritage Program zoologist Ellison Orcutt recently rediscovered Protandrena abdominalis, a rare, red-colored native bee species that had not been documented in Virginia for more than a century. 

The discovery took place on a privately owned property in Isle of Wight County, where the landowners spent years restoring native flora that helped many bee species spread on their own.

State researchers emphasize that studying rare native bees helps evaluate conservation efforts and protects key pollinators across Virginia's nearly 500 native bee species.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-10-02/rare-bee-rediscovered-in-virginia-after-more-than-a-century

Norfolk plans to begin demolishing the former Globe Iron site in the Bruces Park area late this fall, setting up the 25-acre property for new development.

On Tuesday, Deputy City Manager Ron Williams told Norfolk City Council that bids for the $3 million demolition are under review. In August, the city announced a $1 million grant from Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Bobby Scott to help cover the cost.

The work will clear steel warehouses and a one-story office building from the city-owned site.

Globe Iron Construction Company operated an industrial metal shop, building steel frames and metal components for construction projects from the late 1950s until 2012. Environmental testing found heavy metals, petroleum products and other chemicals, according to a 2023 report. The report said that while contamination levels were relatively low overall, the contamination and the old buildings would likely make it more expensive to build at the site versus undeveloped land.

Williams said it’ll take around a year for demolition, but the city can begin marketing the site to developers this fall. He expects to ask council this winter to let the city go out and seek proposals for mixed-use or residential development.

The site was once the target of a proposed waste facility. In 2019, Select Recycling Waste Services abandoned its state permits for a recycling facility there, The Virginian-Pilot reported at the time.

City officials said the plan was really a waste transfer station that would need council approval. Opponents said truck traffic and the waste station would add to environmental injustice in the neighborhood

The city of Norfolk purchased the property in 2021.

(Story by Brian Saunders)

Featuring readings, workshops, a film screening and an anthology launch, the 49th Annual Old Dominion University Literary Festival, “Make Room for Wonder,” runs Sunday through Thursday, Oct. 8, on campus and at other Norfolk locations.

It will showcase headliners such as MacArthur Fellow Hanif Abdurraqib, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for  “There’s Always This Year”  and the 2026 Weston International Award for career achievement in literary nonfiction. Abdurraqib is also the MFA Creative Writing Program’s Edith and Forrest P. White Writer in Residence.

Check out the full lineup here: https://www.whro.org/arts-culture/2026-10-01/odus-literary-fest-offers-conversations-readings-with-award-winning-authors

Getting ready to fly can start long before takeoff. At Norfolk International Airport, these families practiced every step—without leaving the ground.

More than 50 Hampton Roads participants got to be a part of “Let’s Fly,” an airport rehearsal for people with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Check out the latest story from WHRO News digital producer Alexis Mitchell.

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel will close in one direction at a time for several weekends in October.

The first closures will be westbound: starting this weekend, Oct. 2 to Oct. 5, all lanes of the HRBT will be closed heading west from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. The westbound lanes could also close the following weekend, Oct. 9 to 12, if the contractor needs to do more work.

At a Sept. 15 Norfolk City Council work session, Councilman Carlos Clanton commended VDOT for avoiding the weekend of Old Dominion University’s homecoming. But he noted that Norfolk State University’s homecoming weekend is Oct. 9 to 11, and said he hoped there was good communication for NSU's because "there should be a lot of people coming here."

Mike Davis, the district engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation, said he’s hopeful those extra weekends won’t need to be used.

“We did incentivize the contractor that if they finish early, they'll get a significant bonus. We did disincentivize it that if they're late getting out of the roadway come rush hour, there's some hefty penalties tied to that,” Davis told Norfolk City Council.

Oct. 16 to 19 will see closures of all eastbound lanes, with another option to close Oct. 30 to Nov 2. Those closures will also run from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, with the early November weekend only closed if needed by the contractor.

Davis also said the work is badly needed – one tube hasn’t been paved since 2012, the other since 2006.

A newly expanded statewide initiative called Switch Together is helping Virginia households adopt rooftop solar energy at significantly lower costs. 

Run by the national nonprofit Solar United Neighbors, the program lowers installation prices by pooling consumer demand and running a competitive reverse auction among vetted installers. 

The program offers bulk discounts around 20% to 30% below market value. Officials say the savings are especially critical after the Trump administration recently revoked federal solar tax credits.

Read more here:  https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-09-29/rooftop-solar-program-offering-discounts-for-virginia-households

Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center is stepping up local emergency care after officially earning a provisional Level 3 trauma center designation.

The upgrade means an operating room inside the facility can now be prepped within 30 minutes of an emergency, cutting down stressful, long-distance ambulance rides to Richmond or Newport News.

More than 87% of James City County residents have lived in what experts call a trauma center desert.

(Story by Nick McNamara)

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/health/2026-09-29/sentara-williamsburg-receives-provisional-level-3-trauma-center-designation

When a developer bought the Frank Williams Farm in Chesapeake, it triggered community concerns about potential data center construction while highlighting broader pressures facing local agricultural lands.

Farmers across Hampton Roads and the nation face increasing economic strains, including rising costs, tariffs and cuts to federal farm programs, which often leave selling land as their primary option.

While data center expansion has intensified this pressure, localities such as Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Suffolk have responded by adopting temporary moratoriums and stricter public input requirements.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/business-growth/2026-09-25/as-farmers-face-mounting-financial-pressures-advocates-want-to-keep-farmland-away-from-developers-and-data-centers

As e-bike popularity grows among children and teens, the Virginia Beach Police Department recently hosted a safety session to educate families on state rules and proper operation. 

Presenters also reminded families about local restrictions and urged riders to always wear helmets and monitor their lithium-ion batteries.

The outreach comes as hospital data shows a sharp rise in youth e-bike injuries, while national surveys indicate many parents remain unfamiliar with how the technology is regulated. 

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/education-news/2026-09-28/as-e-bike-popularity-rises-among-youth-virginia-beach-pd-pushes-safety

President Donald Trump repealed a 2009 executive order from President Barack Obama that had helped coordinate federal and local efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. 

Trump argued the original order created broad mandates without clear implementation guidelines.

Environmental advocates swiftly challenged the repeal, with Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Hilary Harp Falk calling the 2009 directive “foundational” to 15 years of water quality progress.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-09-23/trump-repeals-execitiveorder-that-boosted-chesapeake-bay-restoration

About 1 in 5 residents in the City of Franklin is diagnosed with diabetes. Yet, only one health care clinic in the city is dedicated to treating the disease.

Southside Diabetes opened four years ago to provide needed care for a town that’s part of what’s known as Virginia’s diabetes belt. The bustling practice draws patients from rural and suburban communities more than an hour away.

Despite the demand, the clinic is struggling with the impacts from last year’s changes to federal health care policies.

The Trump Administration’s H.R. 1, also known as One Big Beautiful Bill, tightened federal policies and funding for Medicaid and Medicare patients.

“That need for healthcare did not decrease when Medicaid coverage was reduced,” clinic owner Dr. Dana Stallings said.  “If anything, the need continues to grow. What has changed is how, or whether they can pay for and access that care.”

The Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO spent several days in Franklin, documenting in images and narrative the daily challenges faced by patients and health care providers.

View our coverage here: https://www.whro.org/virginia-center-for-investigative-journalism/2026-09-22/a-rural-diabetes-clinic-struggles-to-provide-care

Eastern Shore residents have an opportunity to learn entry-level, marketable skills that could lead to employment in forestry and related fields, thanks to a free class from two regional non-profit organizations.

Nonprofits Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP Inc.) and Chesapeake Bay Trust are teaming up to offer the Community Forest Skills Program, which will run Sept. 23-Oct. 28.

Any Shore resident can register for the class, but preference will be given to people between 18 and 25 years old.

Those with low- to moderate-income levels, or who are currently unemployed, are also encouraged to consider this opportunity.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-09-21/this-eastern-shore-program-wants-to-help-people-find-forestry-jobs

Norfolk's Commonwealth's Attorney's Office has partnered with Harvard researchers to test an AI-based tool through a two-year study called "Triage Scores." 

Backed by a $38,251 grant, the funding will support a part-time data analyst inside the prosecutor's office to compile case data and track outcomes. 

Unlike traditional risk scores that only guess the likelihood of reoffending, the new triage scores are looking to weigh the potential benefits and drawbacks of specific choices, such as plea deals.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/local-government/2026-09-18/260918-harvard-nfk-saunders

Federal investigators with the U.S. Department of Education found that Virginia Beach City Public Schools broke Title IX rules by failing to "properly investigate and record reports of student sexual misconduct." 

Even though federal records logged 117 incidents of sexual harassment and multiple other offenses between 2017 and 2020, the school district only produced 12 investigation reports during that period. 

In response, the school division and federal officials worked out a seven-part agreement aimed at strengthening student protections, updating training and streamlining how complaints are handled.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/education-news/2026-09-18/virginia-beach-schools-reaches-agreement-with-u-s-ed-department-over-title-ix-investigations

Williamsburg-James City County Schools’ top administrator supports the proposed redistricting maps released in August as the division rezones ahead of opening new pre-K centers next year.

Superintendent Daniel Keever told the School Board on Tuesday he didn’t believe the division could adjust the boundaries to support one of the principles guiding the redistricting without compromising others.

“Although we recognize the personal connections that people have to their schools, we must also consider the needs of the school division as a whole,” Keever said.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/education-news/2026-09-16/wjcc-superintendent-sticks-to-previously-proposed-redistricting-maps

The Suffolk Planning Commission recommended a temporary ban on data centers while recommending a specific definition for the facilities during its recent meeting. 

Under the proposed definition, a data center is an establishment built solely to store, manage, process or transmit digital data, exempting facilities such as hospitals that host network hubs for secondary business needs. 

Commissioners emphasized that the proposed pause is designed to give the city time to establish clear zoning rules rather than delay the issue.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/local-government/2026-09-16/suffolk-is-one-step-closer-to-temporarily-banning-data-centers

The Navy has agreed to a $1.7 billion privatization deal with Hunt Military Communities, transferring control of junior sailor housing across Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News to the private developer. 

Under the five-year plan, Hunt will manage more than 8,000 beds, which includes renovating and building 16 facilities across NAS Oceana, JEB Little Creek-Fort Story and Naval Station Norfolk. 

The initiative hopes to alleviate housing shortages caused by the Navy's push to move junior sailors off ships. However, the deal comes despite past lawsuits from tenants regarding Hunt's management of privatized military family housing.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/military-veterans/2026-09-16/the-navy-has-announced-a-1-7-billion-project-to-privatize-all-hampton-roads-barracks

A new report reveals that Hampton Roads and Eastern Virginia urgently need more than 3,500 registered nurses alongside hundreds of physical therapists, social service assistants and licensed practical nurses.

The shortages extend to specialized roles, such as radiologic technologists and mental health counselors, where losing even a single worker can disrupt critical emergency services.

Officials attribute these gaps to an aging population and pandemic-related burnouts. Obstacles such as childcare or transportation issues also prevent students from completing their training.

(Story and photo by Yiqing Wang)

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/health/2026-09-15/a-new-report-says-hampton-roads-needs-thousands-of-healthcare-workers