VPM Daily Newscast: June 30, 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 30, 2023:
Youngkin appoints major donors to UVA’s Board of Visitors
Reported by VPM News’ Ben Paviour, Omega Ilijevich
Gov. Glenn Youngkin named a slate of 40 new picks to Virginia college and university boards, including supporters who’ve given hundreds of thousands of dollars to his political fundraising efforts.
Three out of four of Youngkin’s picks to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors are donors.
The largest is John Nau III, a UVA alumnus and owner of a Texas beer distribution business who previously served on UVA’s board from 2011 to 2015. Another of Youngkin’s picks for UVA’s board, private equity CEO Paul Manning, has given Youngkin more than $240,000 over the course of the Republican’s roughly two-year political career.
Virginia universities evaluating admissions policies following affirmative action ruling
Reported by VPM News’ Connor Scribner
Several public Virginia schools — including Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech — issued statements saying they plan to review their admission policies following a Thursday Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious admission policies at two universities.
While the Virginia schools noted changes could be required, the universities also reaffirmed their commitment to educating students from historically underrepresented groups.
Legal experts told partner station WHRO News that schools will have to find other ways to ensure they’re maintaining a diverse student body.
Virginia's Colonial Parkway is getting a $123M overhaul
Reported by WHRO’s Ryan Murphy
The parkway connects historic Jamestown Island with Colonial Williamsburg and the Revolutionary War battlefield at Yorktown, making up the sprawling Colonial National Historical Park.
It hasn’t had a major repair since opening in 1957 — and the timeless ride is showing its age. Some of the concrete slabs have sunk into the wet soil below, causing dips. Standing water is an issue in spots, as are 66 years of wear and tear.
But a huge infusion of federal funding to the park means an overhaul for much of the parkway will start later this summer.
In other news:
- VCU to cut as much as $25 million from its budget (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- ‘Long-term’ changes coming soon to I-64 in Hampton: lane reductions, traffic shifts on bridge (The Virginian-Pilot) *
In case you missed it:
- 'Forever chemical' found in Smith Mountain Lake (The Roanoke Times) *
- Ben’s Chili Bowl, a D.C. institution, plans expansion beyond Beltway (The Washington Post)*
- More data in the cloud means more centers on the ground to move it (The New York Times)*