VPM's daily newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Hosted by Benjamin Dolle, episodes are recorded the night before so you can wake up prepared.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of Friday, April 30, 2021:
Governor Ralph Northam eased some restrictions on outdoor gatherings yesterday. The updates follow new CDC guidance that, among other things, vaccinated individuals can safely unmask outdoors in small groups. Effective immediately, the state is expanding the maximum number of attendees allowed at outdoor sporting events to 1000 people. Masking is still required indoors and in large crowds, like at concerts or graduation ceremonies. More rollbacks are scheduled for mid-May.
Virginia’s minimum wage will rise to $9.50 an hour beginning tomorrow. It will increase to $12 an hour in 2023. As Ben Paviour reports, Democratic candidates for governor would like to see it go up further from there.
Some voters recently received texts making homophobic comments towards Virginia Beach Delegate Glenn Davis. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the messages included an image of Davis, who is running to be the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, at a Hampton Roads pride event. The texts pitched former delegate Tim Hugo as the quote “one true conservative” in the race. In a social media post, Hugo denied involvement in the texts. Although, his campaign did use the image for a mailer highlighting Davis’ support for anti-discrimination legislation.
The president of the VCU student government is facing online harassment after a right-leaning media outlet wrote an article about them. The student says they’ve received hundreds of insults and threats.
Local mental health organizations are holding an event in Chesterfield tomorrow to help those suffering from anxiety and depression due to the pandemic. People can check out the Southside Mental Health Fair at Southside Church, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Attendees are recommended to wear face masks and maintain physical distancing.
An increasing number of Virginians are dealing with mental health issues during the pandemic, according to a new study out of Eastern Virginia Medical School. You can help researchers understand what’s happening, by going to covidstudysmart.org.
Late last week, a controversy erupted about potential changes to Virginia's high school math curriculum. Several conservative outlets reported the commonwealth was eliminating all accelerated math classes before 11th grade. To find out more, VPM's Politifact Editor Warren Fiske spoke to Virginia Mercury reporter Kate Masters.
- VPM would like to issue a correction. In a story featured in yesterday’s newscast about a new intersection on Midlothian Turnpike, the number of cars at that intersection was incorrect. 44,000 cars pass through the intersection each day, not 444,000. We regret the error.
