VPM Daily Newscast: June 15, 2023
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 15, 2023:
How does Hanover County Public Schools' book ban work?
Reported by VPM News’ Lyndon German
Members of Hanover County’s appointed school board approved an alteration to administrative policy that expedites the removal of books from school libraries.
Any parent or guardian of a Hanover County Public Schools’ student, school employee or resident of Hanover may file a challenge regarding any material located in a school’s comprehensive library. Challenges are subject to multiple layers of review, but the school board makes the final decision.
The school board can also supersede the review process, as the provision gives its members the express right and sole discretion to remove any and all materials from libraries, classrooms, school buildings or the entire division by majority vote. Hanover exercised that sole discretion immediately after approving the policy by banning 19 books.
VA hospitals are outperforming private hospitals, latest Medicare survey shows
Reported by NPR News
Despite many widely publicized scandals, VA health care has been consistently rated as competitive with private care. This most recent survey showed that the VA beat out private facilities in all 10 categories surveyed, such as patient satisfaction, hospital cleanliness and communication with nurses and doctors.
Favorably comparing with the private sector is important for the VA, because Congress has expanded the VA's use of private care as an option when veterans have to wait too long or travel too far for a VA appointment. Private care is much more expensive for the VA.
In other news:
- Fire ants are marching westward in Virginia, driven by a changing climate (Cardinal News)
- Virginia Democrats have a fundraising edge — but face more primaries (The Associated Press)
- New Hopewell budget includes step pay increases for public safety and public works, COLA for others (The Progress-Index)
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