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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of May 28, 2025:
The Latest: Richmond City’s May 2025 water outage
Reported by VPM News’ Jack Glagola, Keyris Manzanares, Lyndon German and Billy Shields
Several City of Richmond neighborhoods are under a boil water advisory Tuesday, following an overnight failure at the water treatment plant on Douglasdale Road.
Mayor Danny Avula appeared in a virtual press conference Tuesday afternoon alongside Public Utilities Director Scott Morris, where Avula said the earliest the advisory could be lifted is Thursday. To lift the advisory, city water must first undergo two rounds of successful sampling and testing, separated by 16 to 24 hours.
Avula said Tuesday’s boil water advisory was prompted by a reclogging of filters at the treatment plant. That caused water levels to drop in areas served by the Ginter Park tank.
“We did see drops in production combined with the utilization that happens in the morning, and that dropped water pressures below the 20psi threshold,” Avula said, later adding that all points of Richmond’s water distribution were tested and only the Ginter Park tank’s supply had dropped.
“What's really different about this scenario than January, is that in January, our pumps were fried and weren't actually producing water. That's not the case here,” Avula added. “We're currently making 40 to 45 million gallons a day, so we're seeing consistent water production, and now we need to just refill the reservoirs.”
In a later update, the city extended its boil advisory to the area served by the Cofer Road tank, which includes several neighborhoods along the Richmond Highway and Commerce Road corridors.
Jefferson School bolsters history exhibit with Charlottesville student records
Reported by VPM News’ Hannah Davis-Reid
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center in Charlottesville is decorated with exhibits that tell the history of one of the city’s first schools for Black students through alumni and community members — but there’s a gap in the records.
That’s where historic student files from Charlottesville City Schools come in.
Newly received records from CCS spanning from 1909 to 1965 will help the center craft its Pride Overcomes Prejudice exhibit, which tells the story of the Jefferson School.
“The 1919 period is a period that we don't know a lot about. So you can imagine that as historians, we're like, ‘What, wait? We need to see what's in these folders!’” said Andrea Douglas, the center’s executive director.
Superintendent Royal Gurley said CCS — which has partnered with the Jefferson School to write curriculum on local history since 2011 — located the files this school year while preparing to digitize its archived student records.
“This moment is very profound in the sense that it is helping to illuminate the stories of Black education here in Charlottesville City Schools,” Gurley said.
News you might have missed from around the commonwealth:
- New nursing home oversight laws will 'finally' give Virginia power to hold 'bad actors' accountable (WTVR)
- Va. governor vetoed bill to make Black history classes mandatory towards graduation. What’s next? (Virginia Mercury)
- Greene County policy barring staff from speaking to press 'unconstitutional,' experts say (The Daily Progress)*
- Virginians Are Restoring a Forest Economy Built on Herbs and Tradition (The New York Times)*
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.