The VPM Daily Newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of March 31, 2025:
Ex-VDH Commissioner: Federal cuts may lead to ‘horrific consequences’
Reported by VPM News’ Adrienne Hoar McGibbon
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s decision to cut up to $425 million in federal funding for COVID-related grants makes Virginians more susceptible to future pandemics and “horrific consequences,” according to a former top state health official.
In an interview with VPM News, Dr. Norman Oliver — who led the Virginia Department of Health through the COVID-19 pandemic as state health commissioner — said the cuts will interrupt efforts to upgrade state data collection systems, increase the likelihood of infectious disease spread, and decrease public health efforts to address the opioid epidemic and sexually transmitted diseases.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump’s administration notified public health officials across the country about its decision to eliminate $11.4 billion in federal funding for COVID-related programs. The communications director for HHS said in a statement that the department “will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”
But Oliver, who was tapped by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam to head the state’s public health agency in 2018 and served in that position until 2022, said the funding was doing more than just fighting COVID.
“The money was allocated to build the public health infrastructure to fight not just COVID, but future threats to public health,” Oliver told VPM News. “We will, in fact, experience future pandemics, and the lesson we should learn from COVID-19 is that we need to be better prepared.”
Richmond City Council to consider bag tax, polystyrene ban
Reported by VPM News’ Patrick Larsen
The Office of Sustainability presented a Richmond City Council committee last week with information on three proposals set to be considered during Earth Month (aka April). They include a plastic bag tax, a balloon release ordinance and a polystyrene ban.
The ordinances are designed to help the city meet waste reduction targets set in planning documents like Richmond300 and RVAGreen2050, according to Sustainability Manager Tara Worden.
“Our overarching goal is ambitious, but necessary, to reduce Richmond's overall landfill waste by 25% by 2030 while advancing environmental justice and creating economic benefits for all residents,” Worden told the governmental operations committee.
Two of those are or will be required by state law — more on that later.
News you might have missed from around the commonwealth
- Va. Board of Education moves to raise bar to pass state tests (Richmond Times-Dispatch)*
- Virginia Department of Education says Powhatan childcare program was potentially operating illegally (WRIC)
- Virginia commerce secretary quits amid Youngkin department reshuffle (The Washington Post)*
- Military veterans launch Democratic runs for Va. House in GOP strongholds (Virginia Mercury)
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.
