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 May 30, 2025:
City of Richmond says nixed FEMA grant would not have prevented water outage
Reported by Chris Suarez for VPM News
A second service disruption to Richmond’s water utility this year has resurfaced questions about the recent cancellation of a $12 million FEMA grant intended to reinforce the city’s water treatment plant.
However, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Public Utilities said the scope of the work described in a 2023 grant announcement had nothing to do with the problems this week— it was pegged for improvements to hard infrastructure at the treatment plant, including concrete walls, berms, gates and channels.
Former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said it’s possible he would have done things differently if he knew there were more severe problems at the Douglasdale Road plant — or that federal dollars were available for repairs.
“I really can’t recall any sort of document coming across my desk as mayor speaking directly to this grant,” Stoney said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Stoney, who is running for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, defended his record over eight years in Richmond’s top job, citing over $400 million in funding dedicated to the treatment plant: “What should bother every Richmonder right now is [President] Donald Trump ripping away grants for critical infrastructure like our water system.
State works to address shortage of early childhood special education teachers
Reported by VPM News’ Megan Pauly
State officials are working to address a persistent and growing shortage of early childhood special education teachers in the commonwealth.
Rob Gilstrap, VDOE’s assistant superintendent of educator preparation, said in a May presentation that over the last six years, 7–9% of early childhood special education positions have either stayed vacant or been filled by individuals without specific coursework in that area.
The Virginia Board of Education voted unanimously on May 22 to remove a requirement that educators seeking an endorsement in this area take credits at the graduate level; soon, they’ll be able to take these credits at the undergraduate level as well.
Gilstrap said the move will align the endorsement with all other special education endorsements in the state — and could help fill at least 70 positions after the regulation change takes effect. He said the current graduate level requirement is believed to be a mistake, since all of the other special education endorsements only require undergraduate-level work.
News you might have missed from around the commonwealth:
- How local police are using LPR surveillance cameras (Cardinal News)
- Search finds 742 bodies under Confederate marker in Richmond (Richmond Times-Dispatch)*
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.