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 Nov. 20, 2023:
Virginia child care faces financial cliff
Reported by VPM News’ Megan Pauly
Virginia child care providers received close to $500 million in stabilization grants that have expired, with millions in other grants designed to help subsidize care for low-income families expiring next year.
Century Foundation Fellow Laura Valle-Gutierrez said most child care centers used the stabilization grants to help increase wages for providers, but day home providers who serve 12 kids or less in their own homes used the funds for rent or mortgage payments.
The Virginia Department of Education estimated that over 35,000 children will lose care starting in July 2024.
UVA delays release of campus shooting findings
Reported by The Associated Press
University of Virginia officials said they were further delaying the release of an investigation into the events surrounding a 2022 campus shooting that killed three student-athletes and wounded two other students.
Citing concern about the impact the findings could have on the suspect's pending trial, UVA said in a news release that it would not make a “redacted” version of the final report public until “after the criminal proceedings.”
“Making the report public at this time, or even releasing a summary of their findings and recommendations, could have an impact on the criminal trial of the accused, either by disrupting the case being prepared by the Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney, or by interfering with the defendant’s right to a fair trial before an impartial jury,” UVA President Jim Ryan said in a statement.
In other news:
- VUU tower signs stay dark as repair work, permit violations continue (Richmond BizSense)*
- After national attention, Suffolk School Board backtracks, allows prayer during public comment (The Virginian-Pilot)*
- Acorn by acorn, volunteers gather seeds to help save forests (The Washington Post)*
In case you missed it:
- Dominion to test another long duration battery, microgrid capability at Va. State University (Virginia Mercury)
- Danville Casino revenues continue to drop (Danville Register & Bee)*
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.