u/WHRO_NEWS

Under Virginia's newly adopted state budget, most localities are now authorized to ask voters to approve a 1% sales tax increase to fund school construction and renovations. 

While the new mandate could benefit Suffolk as it seeks to replace five aging schools, city officials confirmed that a sales tax referendum will not be on the ballot this fall due to a lack of time to organize and publicize it. 

Suffolk's ambitious 10-year capital improvements program is projected to approach $500 million for school replacements, expansions and renovations.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/local-government/2026-07-02/school-project-sales-tax-wont-be-on-the-ballot-in-suffolk-this-year

For decades, the free ferry serving Knotts Island has carried residents across Currituck Sound to the mainland for school, work and medical appointments. 

However, the pending North Carolina budget backed by the General Assembly calls for tolls to be implemented by Jan. 1 on all state ferries that currently operate without them. 

Local residents and county officials strongly oppose the decision, arguing that the ferry serves as the island's only route to the rest of North Carolina without having to drive through Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. 

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/news/local-news/2026-07-02/bracing-for-tolls-on-the-ferry-connecting-knotts-island-to-north-carolinas-mainland

A newly expanded Virginia law has taken effect to ban food vendors of all sizes from using or selling single-use expanded polystyrene containers, commonly known as Styrofoam. The ban covers items such as plates, cups, bowls, trays and hinged containers.

State lawmakers originally passed the restriction in 2021 before launching a first phase last summer that only targeted large food chains with 20 or more locations.

According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, less than 1% of expanded polystyrene is recycled, and the material contains styrene, which is a possible carcinogen.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-07-02/styrofoam-food-containers-now-banned-at-all-virginia-restaurants

Colonial Williamsburg wants visitors to be able to see and interact with its archeologists as they uncover history.

That’s why it opened the new 40,000-square-foot Colin G. and Nancy N. Campbell Archeology Center in April.

WHRO News reporter Nick McNamara recently went on a tour with CW Vice President Jack Gary to learn more.

Volunteers, students and staff at Virginia Peninsula Community College recently transformed the campus theater into a fabrication shop to build massive set pieces for Colonial Williamsburg’s upcoming Fourth of July program. 

A dedicated crew of about 20 people worked six-hour days for nearly two weeks to construct the large-scale items for the nationally broadcast "America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together" event. 

The intensive project allowed students to master unfamiliar tools, learn advanced fabrication techniques and develop critical problem-solving skills outside of a traditional classroom setting.

(Story and photos by Ashley White)

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/education-news/2026-07-01/vpcc-students-make-va250-set-pieces-that-will-be-in-national-spotlight-this-fourth-of-july

Volunteers, students and staff at Virginia Peninsula Community College recently transformed the campus theater into a fabrication shop to build massive set pieces for Colonial Williamsburg’s upcoming Fourth of July program. 

A dedicated crew of about 20 people worked six-hour days for nearly two weeks to construct the large-scale items for the nationally broadcast "America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together" event. 

The intensive project allowed students to master unfamiliar tools, learn advanced fabrication techniques and develop critical problem-solving skills outside of a traditional classroom setting.

(Story and photos by Ashley White)

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/education-news/2026-07-01/vpcc-students-make-va250-set-pieces-that-will-be-in-national-spotlight-this-fourth-of-july

Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a law this week to return Virginia to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, reversing a 2023 withdrawal. 

The mandatory cap-and-trade program requires power operators to purchase credits for their carbon emissions, incentivizing a transition to cleaner energy sources. 

During Virginia's initial three-year participation starting in 2021, power plant emissions fell by 22% while generating $827 million to fund community flood preparedness and low-income energy efficiency programs.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-07-01/virginia-is-back-in-the-regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative-heres-what-that-means

Something 250 years in the making didn’t just start in one day.

As America officially celebrates its semiquincentennial birthday this weekend, an exhibition at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown opens Wednesday and recognizes the events and people who helped shape the birth of the nation.

“Give me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation” was one of the significant commemorations of its kind for the 250th when it opened last year at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in Richmond.

It opened on the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry delivering his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech at St. John's Church in Richmond.

The 5,000-square-foot exhibit will be on display in Yorktown through Jan. 31, 2027.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/arts-culture/2025-03-26/give-me-liberty-exhibition-in-richmond-invites-the-world-to-see-virginias-role-in-forging-america

Luthier Brian Hawkins has cultivated a close-knit community of aspiring crafters at Hawkins Guitar, a specialty school and workshop tucked inside a Virginia Beach office park.

Having built custom guitars for nearly three decades, Hawkins opened the school in 2019 to guide students through the meticulous process of crafting their own instruments.

The collaborative environment allows students of varying skill levels to work alongside one another, sharing ideas and building confidence.

(Story and photos by John-Henry Doucette)

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/news/local-news/2026-06-30/sounds-of-sanding-lead-to-music-at-guitar-school-in-virginia-beach

Virginia’s newly passed final budget includes $2 million for a highly anticipated study by William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science to investigate the menhaden population in the Chesapeake Bay. 

The funding, introduced as a budget amendment by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, comes amid growing concerns from environmentalists and recreational anglers over what they believe is a decline in menhaden and the predator species that feed on them, such as ospreys and striped bass. 

While industry officials say that coastwide assessments show no evidence of overfishing, environmental groups argue that regional data may mask a localized decline within the bay itself.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-06-30/virginia-budget-funds-long-awaited-research-on-menhaden-in-the-chesapeake-bay

An autonomous sea drone operated by the Navy helped rescue crewmembers of a downed Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman earlier this month, marking the first time an unmanned vessel was used to rescue U.S. troops. 

While the Navy long prioritized large warships, the Pentagon ramped up drone interest and allocated billions of dollars following Houthi rebel drone attacks in the Red Sea. 

To meet this massive demand, the Navy is now establishing a marketplace to buy drones at scale, with plans to finalize an initial list of winning manufacturers by September.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/military-veterans/2026-06-29/the-navy-is-spending-billions-to-develop-a-new-tool-for-naval-warfare-unmanned-waterborne-drones

After his pancreatic cancer returned last year, Mathews County resident Brad Dugai traveled to North Carolina to access an investigational targeted cancer drug called daraxonrasib.

Advanced pancreatic cancer is historically one of the deadliest forms of cancer with limited treatment options. These diagnoses typically require patients to undergo frequent and difficult chemotherapy infusions.

The FDA recently allowed the drug's manufacturer to launch an expanded access program which permits licensed local oncologists to request and administer the drug to eligible patients outside of a standard clinical trial.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/health/2026-06-29/new-pancreatic-cancer-drug-program-may-help-rural-patients-get-treatment-closer-to-home

July 4th is just around the corner. People are gearing up to ring in the 250th birthday of the United States of America with fireworks and fanfare.

Officials urge anyone planning to celebrate with a few drinks to factor in how they’ll get home.

The 757 Sober Ride Program gives people another option if they’re impaired from alcohol or another substance, such as cannabis.

For Independence Day weekend, the program will operate July 3-6 from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. People can request a ride anywhere in Hampton Roads at 757SoberRide.com. The rides are provided through Lyft and are free up to $15.

Stay safe this weekend!

The Judeo-Christian Outreach Center started its affordable housing project in Virginia Beach more than a decade ago. Now, the long-awaited project is complete with 38 new affordable housing units.

The nonprofit’s executive director, Todd Walker, says having a safe place to sleep can change someone’s life. And the new units will provide permanent housing to people currently homeless.

But it’s been a long road to get to this moment. Neighborhood groups opposed the project in 2017, and the pandemic delayed progress. Walker says it took persistence and teamwork to bring it to life.

"If we continue to work together, we can do so much more," says Walker.

He expects people to start moving in mid-July. And for the work to continue.

(Story and photos by Toby Cox)

Read our full coverage here: https://www.whro.org/business-growth/2026-06-26/we-wanted-to-be-a-part-of-the-solution-virginia-beach-nonprofit-builds-38-new-affordable-apartments

The Norfolk City Council voted unanimously to expand fare and rule enforcement authority for Hampton Roads Transit's internal Transit Security Officers. 

The update to the city code officially allows internal officers to enforce the fare code across the entire transit network, including buses, ferries, transfer centers and The Tide light rail. 

The decision drew immediate questions from the public regarding accountability, training and oversight for vulnerable transit riders.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/local-government/2026-06-26/062626hrt-security-saunders

Fort Monroe will receive a major financial boost exceeding $15 million under Virginia’s newly approved state budget.

The largest portion of the funding, $12 million, is earmarked for critical utility infrastructure upgrades within the inner fort to replace aging systems that have plagued redevelopment efforts since the Army left the fort in 2011.

Fort Monroe Authority officials say the crucial upgrades will prepare several vacant buildings for public reuse.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/virginia-government/2026-06-26/virginia-budget-to-give-millions-to-fort-monroe

Happy Pride from Norfolk! 🏳️‍🌈

We'll be at Town Point Park all day for Hampton Roads Pride Fest.

Visit the WHRO booth to play games and pick up some public media swag!

The WHRO News team is currently at one of the Williamsburg area’s first Pride events today! The event is from noon to 5 p.m. at Jamestown Beach Event Park.

It’s the brainchild of grassroots group Virginia Organizing and a coalition of faith groups such as Williamsburg Baptist, St. Martin’s Episcopal and the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalist churches. The day will be full of music, vendors, yard games and all-ages activities.

WHRO News recently sat down with Brian Brewer of the planning committee to talk about what it means for the LGBTQ+ community.

Read and listen to the full interview here: https://www.whro.org/arts-culture/2026-06-25/one-of-williamsburg-james-city-countys-first-pride-events-is-saturday