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 April 14, 2025:
State health department confirms hundreds of layoffs after ‘COVID-19’ cuts
Reported by VPM News’ Adrienne Hoar McGibbon
As VPM News previously reported, the state stood to lose up to $425 million following the federal cuts, based on available information from the General Assembly.
VDH has since confirmed that the approximate unspent balances from the shuttered grants total $219 million, although a spokesperson for the agency added that amount could still change as final expenses are closed out.
The three impacted grants, which awarded roughly $870 million to the commonwealth, covered epidemiological research to prevent and control emerging infectious diseases; child vaccination and immunization programs; and addressing health disparities for at-risk and underserved communities.
The abrupt March cuts led the state’s health agency to layoff or pause contracts for 530 people, including 13-full time positions and 517 temporary positions. According to VDH, it hopes to rehire employees to fill other vacancies within the health department.
Henrico County tackles water service needs in FY26 budget
Reported by VPM News’ Lyndon German
Henrico County's Board of Supervisors passed its roughly $1.36 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Tuesday.
Historically, the county has implemented planned rate increases for water and sewer maintenance almost every year. The 5% increase itself will only affect residents’ bi-monthly billing by $7.35.
Bentley Chan, director of public utilities, told VPM News that the agreed-upon rate increases are a proactive measure to reduce costs across the board. He added that the increased revenue collected by the county will go toward the immediate priority of safeguarding access to clean and safe drinking water.
“While our current systems are resilient, we want to make sure we can act quickly, should something happen,” Chan said. “Those rate increases help us do that.”
News you might have missed from around the commonwealth
- At Sheltering Arms, a new kind of garden takes root (Richmond Times–Dispatch)*
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.
