VPM's daily newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before so you can wake up prepared.
Listeners can subscribe through NPR One, Apple Podcasts, Megaphone, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.
Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of Wednesday, September 22, 2021:
Virginia’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission will unveil the Emancipation and Freedom Monument on Brown’s Island in Richmond this morning. The new monument commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. It features 12-foot-tall bronze figures of a man, woman and infant recently freed from enslavement. They stand on a base highlighting influential Black Virginians. Among them are Nat Turner, who led one of America’s most significant rebellions of enslaved people; and Reverend Wyatt Tee Walker, King’s chief of staff. The unveiling will begin at 10 a.m., rain or shine. The public is welcome to attend. VPM will also livestream the event.
Passengers who rely on the GRTC may have to make some adjustments this winter. Ian Stewart has the story.
The mother of Xzavier Hill, a Black teen shot and killed by Virginia State Police during a traffic stop, is petitioning the Richmond Circuit Court to solicit testimony from the troopers. Police claim Hill was reaching for a weapon when the troopers killed him. The grand jury report in Hill’s case only included six sentences of one of the troopers’ statements, and no testimony from the second. Latoya Benton, Hill’s mother, says that’s not enough. The Commonwealth Attorney filed a response saying Benton has enough evidence that she doesn’t need the officers’ testimony to file a wrongful death suit. According to Benton, the court ruled earlier this week that she has two weeks to submit her questions for the officers. Then, the court will consider whether to require the officers to answer them.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated staffing shortages at childcare centers across the country, including in Virginia. VPM’s Megan Pauly reports.
The City of Richmond wants to hear from residents about how it should spend federal money from the American Rescue Plan. A spending plan was already drafted based on public feedback. It includes investments to help the city recover from the pandemic. Mayor Levar Stoney says it’s important to give people more opportunity to review it before it’s finalized. Residents can attend an in-person meeting or take an online survey through October 4th. To learn more, go to rva.gov/arp.
The State Corporation Commission’s review of Dominion Energy found more than $1 billion in profits above the fair return rate over the past four years. But several state laws on the books would reduce the amount returned to customers to around $312 million, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Some of those reductions include covering unpaid customer bills stemming from the pandemic, as well as over $300 million to invest in clean energy projects. This is the first review of Dominion’s profits since 2015. Dominion will file its responses to the case, and the SCC will have until January 18 to make its final decisions.
