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There’s a Shortage of OB-GYNS Locally, Statewide, and Nationally
In mid-February, Dakota Richardson went to the emergency room at Stafford Hospital for abdominal pain. Ultrasound imaging revealed a large cyst on one of her ovaries. “They told me they were not going to remove it right away because it wasn’t an emergency yet,” Richardson told the Advance. “But they said, we want you to go to your gynecologist.” She did, and a follow-up ultrasound showed that the cyst was still there. She and her doctor decided to move forward with surgery at Mary Washington Hospital to remove it.
New flights are coming to Reagan National Airport. Where will they go?
An aviation law signed by President Biden this month will add five new round-trip flights to Reagan National Airport. The move followed a year of political struggle, with backers citing the benefits of adding nonstop destinations and boosting competition and critics warning of new delays and safety risks on the airport’s already overused primary runway in Arlington, Va.
12,000 Virginians who died in combat honored at War Memorial ceremony
Charles T. Lewis went 80 years without recognition. But last month, that clerical mistake was corrected, and Lewis, a Norfolk soldier who died fighting in Normandy during World War II, finally had his name etched in the Virginia War Memorial’s glass Shrine of Memory. His legacy — and that of nearly 12,000 other Virginians who died in combat — was at the heart of the 68th Memorial Day Ceremony held by the Virginia War Memorial.
Toxic sediment cleanup at Chesapeake’s Money Point finally entering last leg
The industrial area of Money Point in Chesapeake was once the most contaminated section of the Elizabeth River, and among the worst in the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed. Visitors could smell toxic creosote that covered the river bottom feet-thick, a tar-based substance used by industrial plants to preserve lumber coming from places like the Great Dismal Swamp. By the 1990s and early 2000s, the ecosystem was pretty much dead, said Marjorie Mayfield Jackson, executive director of the nonprofit Elizabeth River Project.
Youngkin joins veterans, families in commemorating Memorial Day at Virginia War Memorial
Hundreds of Virginians joined veterans, their families and Gov. Glenn Youngkin at the Virginia War Memorial on Monday for the Commonwealth’s 68th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony. “On Memorial Day, it is not the death of our service members, but it is how they lived their lives, that we must celebrate,” Youngkin said. Youngkin was joined by Major General James Wing, who served as the Adjutant General of Virginia.
Haines: Youngkin fights bias in the opioid crisis. Why not maternal health care?
Last May, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order to expand Naloxone access and combat opioid overdoses. As vice chair of the Chesterfield County School Board last year, I was grateful for the governor’s efforts to combat well-documented bias toward those who struggle with substance-use disorder. Bias has prevented school boards from stocking life-saving naloxone. The governor’s strategic decision to attend a Revive! Training at Stafford High School with the first lady gave political cover to Virginia school boards considering policies to stock naloxone in their schools.
Virginia Explained: Data center expansion, with all its challenges and benefits
Humanity is almost a quarter of the way through the 21st century and Virginia — home to 70% of the world’s data centers — is on the frontlines of the latest emerging technology: artificial intelligence, or AI. The prevalence of data centers and the rising role of AI don’t equate to a dystopian battle between humans and machine control, though (at least at the moment). Rather, these issues are at the center of a debate over localities’ authority and revenue benefits, historic preservation, environmental considerations, and electricity demand and utility rate projections, all shaped by ever-increasing internet use.
Rozell: GOP House races expose the risks of far-right primary campaigns
Can a Republican primary campaign that is so ideologically extreme navigate back to the electable middle in time for the fall election? Two Virginia congressional races are testing the proposition and either could ultimately determine the balance of national power and profoundly shape U.S. policy for many years. One is the confusing and bitter nomination fight in the rural, strongly conservative 5th Congressional District that exposes deep fissures in the GOP.
D.C.-area parents worry about learning loss and teacher shortages, poll finds
Nearly half of Washington-area parents say learning loss from the pandemic and teacher shortages are major issues for local schools, a Washington Post-Schar School poll found, as districts continue to look for ways to boost student performance. When asked to rate how serious certain issues were in their communities’ schools, 46 percent of parents of schoolchildren across the region say learning loss from covid disruptions and not having enough teachers are major problems. More than half of parents in D.C. name each as major problems, along with roughly half in suburban Maryland and just over 4 in 10 in Northern Virginia.
As primary election looms, make a plan to participate at the polls
Coming only days after most public school districts complete their academic year, Virginia’s June 18 primary election will almost certainly struggle to draw crowds at the polls this year. That’s unfortunate given the importance of several races on the ballot this summer. Nomination races for U.S. Senate and House will shape November matchups that will help determine the majorities of the Congress, which convenes in January. Voters shouldn’t overlook this opportunity to participate and should make a plan now to have their say. Tuesday is the registration deadline for those who intend to vote in the June primary, a date made less important thanks to measures that allow eligible Virginians to cast a ballot through same-day registration.