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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of April 21, 2025:

VCU protest spotlights cancellation of student visas at Virginia colleges

Reported by VPM News’ Megan Pauly and Dean Mirshahi

Over 100 people chanted “hands off our students now” during a recent protest on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus, in response to the termination of about three dozen student and alumni visas on Virginia campuses in recent days by President Donald Trump’s administration.

VCU is one of at least four public four-year colleges in the commonwealth where students or recent graduates have had their visas canceled, along with George Mason University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Kenza Zitouni, one of the organizers, said VCU students are standing in solidarity with the two international students and one recent graduate who recently had their visas revoked. Zitouni called the revocations part of a “calculated attempt to intimidate and discourage dissent against the imperialist war machine.”

“These three students are part of a larger growing population across the U.S., and students are being punished for not being from here,” Zitouni said.

Hanover County to consider pay raises for appointed boards and commissions

Reported by VPM News’ Lyndon German

While Hanover County’s Board of Supervisors routinely raises salaries for employees across various county departments, the county’s appointed boards and commissions haven’t received a pay increase in over a decade. But that may be about to change.

County staff recently studied compensation in other Virginia localities to determine just how far behind the curve Hanover’s pay scale is. Deputy County Administrator Jay Brown presented staff’s findings to the county’s finance committee last week.

“We did a market review just to see how our boards compare with other boards in the region,” Brown told VPM News. “Several of our boards are behind the market, so we presented those findings and made some recommendations to the finance committee.”

Among the suggestions was raising the salary of school board members, which has remained at $8,000 per year since 2006. The school board is required to approve its own wage increase, and was criticized by the Hanover NAACP chapter and other groups when it attempted to do so in 2023.

News you might have missed from around the commonwealth

• On the agenda: Richmond budget amendments, Ashcake Road Landfill expansion (VPM News)
  
• Local nonprofits face major cuts in the city’s new budget. They’re warning of potential impacts. (The Richmonder) 

• Richmond police review 2025 crime statistics: ‘For God’s sake, leave your gun at home’ (Richmond Times-Dispatch)* 

• Congress cut funding for thousands of community projects — here’s how it’s affecting affordable housing in Charlottesville and Albemarle County (Charlottesville Tomorrow) 

• Rappahannock Tribe acquires nearly 1,000 acres along its namesake river (Virginia Mercury) 

*This outlet utilizes a paywall.