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 June 1, 2023:
Many Virginia wetlands’ protection unclear post-Sackett
Reported by VPM News’ Patrick Larsen
Virginia is home to about 1 million acres of wetlands, from Chesapeake Bay marshes to the Great Dismal Swamp to Blue Ridge fens. After last week’s Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA, many of them are no longer protected under the Clean Water Act.
Five justices, led in an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, held that the Clean Water Act only protects “wetlands with a continuous surface connection to bodies that are ‘waters of the United States.’”
In his concurring opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh was critical of the Supreme Court’s decision. He wrote that the new standard, which doesn’t cover wetlands without an obvious surface connection to protected waters, could threaten culturally and economically important water bodies like the Chesapeake Bay.
Four teams selected as finalists for City Center project
Reported by VPM News’ Sterling Barbett
Richmond is evaluating four teams for the mixed-use City Center project, which will include demolition of the Richmond Coliseum. The developer teams have each undergone interviews with the city.
Maryland-based Capstone Development, which is also involved in the city's Diamond District project, is among the finalists. Other contenders include the local City Center Gateway Partners, Dallas-based Lincoln Property Company and Richmond Community Development Partners — with locations in Richmond and Houston.
Guidelines for the City Center project include a combination of hotels, office and retail spaces, mixed-income housing, and public green space.
In other news:
- Data center proposals pile up in Spotsylvania (The Free Lance–Star)
- Limited housing vouchers with tens of thousands in line: A look at rental assistance waitlists in Hampton Roads (The Virginian-Pilot)
In case you missed it:
- How a fossil fuel pipeline helped grease the debt ceiling deal (The Washington Post)
- Was the 1623 poisoning of 200 Native Americans one of the continent’s first war crimes? (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Va. Dems make risky bet that abortion issue spells doom for Joe Morrissey (The Washington Post)
