www.youtube.com – 12 On Your Side – 2025-05-26 07:42:40
SUMMARY: As summer travel kicks off, more than a million Virginians will hit the road, increasing crash risks during the 100 deadliest days. A new backseat seat belt law, effective July 1, mandates all passengers buckle up, no matter where they sit, or face tickets. Chrissy King, whose son Chris died unbuckled in a 2020 crash, advocates for the law, known as the Christopher King backseat law (House Bill 2475). AAA supports the campaign, noting seat belts reduce death risk by 45%. Last year, half of crash fatalities were unbelted, highlighting the lifesaving importance of buckling up.
One mom is hitting the ground to spread awareness about the new law, after a tragic crash changed her life forever.
www.youtube.com – NBC4 Washington – 2025-05-27 20:07:03
SUMMARY: Drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged one to four. Experts recommend constant supervision—keeping kids within arm’s reach near pools. Safety devices like floating alarms, immersion wristbands, and door or gate alarms can alert parents quickly if a child enters the water; these typically cost under \$300. Pool fencing is required in most U.S. counties, generally at least 48 inches high and enclosing the entire pool. Since drowning is often silent and happens in under a minute, immediate action is vital: remove the child, call 911, and start CPR. Having CPR certification is strongly advised for pool owners.
Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan offers tips and tools that can help parents protect their children from fatal water accidents.
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www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-27 13:35:00
A recent Roanoke College poll shows Democrat Abigail Spanberger leading Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by 43% to 26% in Virginia’s 2025 governor race, with 28% undecided. Earle-Sears faced scrutiny after amending her financial disclosures to add seven unlisted trips paid for by outside groups, raising legal concerns. Earle-Sears emphasizes school choice and border security, while Spanberger focuses on healthcare reform. She is unopposed in the Democratic primary for governor. The June 17 ballot features contested lieutenant governor and attorney general races. Republican Lt. Gov. nominee John Reid has faced criticism, challenging Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s handling of the controversy.
(The Center Square) – A growing list of political distractions has clouded Virginia’s 2025 elections — just as Democrat Abigail Spanberger opens a double-digit lead in the race for governor, according to a new poll.
Spanberger leads Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears 43% to 26%, with 28% of voters still undecided, the latest Roanoke College survey shows.
Earle-Sears’ campaign drew renewed attention today afterit was reportedthat sheamended her state financial disclosure formsto include seven previously unlisted trips paid for by outside organizations.
The omissions, flagged inmedia coverage, have raised legal questions under Virginia’s conflict-of-interest laws. The Office of the Attorney General, which typically handles enforcement of such filings, declined to comment Tuesday when asked whether the omissions couldbe classifiedas a felony.
Earle-Sears is running on the same Republican ticket as Attorney General Jason Miyares.
While both campaigns remain active on social media, their messaging strategies have diverged. Earle-Sears has continued posting regularly about school choice, border security and threats to parental rights.
Spanberger, in contrast, has focused on policy proposals without directly referencing her opponents — including a plan to reduce prescription drug costs and expand access to care. “Quality, affordable healthcare shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg,” shewrote
Spanberger is unopposed in the Democratic primary for governor, but the June 17 ballot includes contested races for lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Republicans have already nominated former radio host John Reid for lieutenant governor, whose candidacy drew early criticism — ending in Reid pushing back against calls to drop out and framing the controversy as a test of conservative resolve in a high-stakes statewide election year.
The situation drew criticism not only ofReid,but also of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’shandlingof the matter. Democrats have yet to coalesce behind a clear frontrunner in either down-ballot race.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This article primarily reports on the ideological positions and actions of Virginia political candidates and events surrounding the 2025 elections with a focus on Republican controversies and Democratic polling leads. The language is mostly factual, but the framing emphasizes Republican issues such as the financial disclosure omissions and controversies involving candidates, while portraying the Democrat Abigail Spanberger’s campaign positively by highlighting her policy proposals and polling advantage. The use of phrases like “legal questions” and “renewed attention” on Republican candidates subtly underscores scrutiny on the GOP side. However, the article avoids overt editorializing, maintaining a news-reporting tone overall.
Richmond issued a boil water advisory on May 27, 2025, affecting neighborhoods served by the Ginter Park Tank, due to operational issues at the city’s water treatment plant. Residents were urged to conserve water and boil it before use. This advisory follows a catastrophic January crisis that left thousands without safe water for days. A state report faulted Richmond’s outdated system, citing preventable failures and a slow response, demanding corrective action and $63 million in upgrades. Despite ongoing improvements, the recent setback highlights persistent vulnerabilities. The city continues monitoring the situation and advises residents to follow safety guidelines until further notice.
Richmond officials issued a new boil water advisory Tuesday for large swaths of the city, less than six months after a catastrophic water crisis left much of the region without safe drinking water for days.
“People can use the water,” Avula said. “They just need to boil it before they drink it,” Mayor Danny Avula said in a virtual press conference Tuesday afternoon, adding that the city doesn’t currently have plans to distribute bottled water.
The latest advisory, announced by the city of Richmond in coordination with the Virginia Department of Health late Tuesday morning, affects residents served by the Ginter Park Tank, including neighborhoods such as Byrd Park, Brookland Park, Carver, Carytown, Chamberlayne, the Fan, Jackson Ward, Oregon Hill, Randolph and the VCU Monroe Park campus.
By Tuesday evening, the advisory had expanded to include Southside neighborhoods such as Ancarrow’s Landing, Bellemeade, Blackwell, Commerce Road Industrial Area, Hillside Court, Davee Gardens, Manchester, Oak Grove, and Windsor.
Some customers may experience total service loss or low pressure, Avula advised. Others may not notice a change, but officials urged all residents to conserve water immediately and to boil water before consuming it.
“This advisory comes after the city’s water treatment plant experienced an operational issue in the early morning hours on Tuesday, May 27, and after the water system had been restored to full production,” the city said in a statement. “The filters re-clogged after running at full production for over an hour.”
The pressure drop has impacted the Ginter Park tank, and while the city says it is monitoring efforts to restore full pressure, no timeline has been given. The city warned that the list of affected areas could grow if usage continues to outpace supply.
“As a cautionary measure, all residents are asked to conserve water to ensure all needs are met during this time,” the statement said. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates to our customers as new information becomes available.”
Officials urged residents to avoid drinking tap water, making ice, brushing teeth, cooking, or washing food or dishes with unboiled tap water. Full water safety guidelines and neighborhood maps are available at rva.gov.
It’s not clear how long the advisory will last. The water levels in the city’s reservoir need to be at a certain height for water testing to begin, Avula explained. Then, the Virginia Department of Health must conduct two tests, between 16 and 24 hours apart, in order for the boil water advisory to be lifted.
At 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Avula hopped on a media briefing to announce that a water sample for the first of two tests had been collected.
While Richmond residents learned about the latest water issues late on Tuesday morning, officials in neighboring localities had been made aware before sunrise. Henrico and Chesterfield counties were able to reduce the amount of water they drew from the city’s system, and Hanover sent an advisory to residents Tuesday afternoon saying the county’s drinking water is safe and doesn’t need boiling before consumption.
Avula explained that alerts to the public happen “much later than internal communication.” He said that the city reached out to Chesterfield and Henrico counties to “try to figure out, ‘hey, what can we do to reduce demand on the system?’”
“That allowed us to have more time to recover the facility and then make a plan of action to move forward,” interim DPU director Scott Morris added.
But the city’s messaging to residents flip-flopped earlier in the day. A release near 9 a.m. indicated there was no effect to drinking water; by noon, the boil water advisory was put in place.
The advisory is likely to draw renewed scrutiny to Richmond’s water system, which remains under investigation following the massive January breakdown that left thousands without water or usable water pressure for nearly a week.
The city of Richmond has asked residents in the affected areas to boil and conserve water as long as the advisory is in place. (Courtesy of the city of Richmond)
In April, the Virginia Department of Health released a scathing 314-page report on the January event, calling it “completely avoidable” and the result of “a long chain of preventable failures” at the city’s century-old Water Treatment Plant.
“This crisis could have been prevented with better operational decisions,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton said at the time. “Our goal now is to ensure corrective actions are taken swiftly and effectively, so Richmond-area families can trust their water supply.”
The report, based on an independent probe by the engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson, detailed a cascade of failures, such as untested batteries, broken valves and neglected emergency protocols. When a winter storm knocked out overhead power lines on Jan. 6, the plant’s backup systems failed, flooding underground equipment rooms and halting production.
The city’s response was slow and, in many cases, ineffective. By the time Richmond issued a boil advisory that afternoon, pressure had already dropped dangerously low. Water systems in Henrico, Hanover and Goochland counties, which connect to Richmond’s, were also impacted. Full restoration didn’t come until Jan. 9, and the boil order wasn’t lifted until Jan. 11.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin called the disruption “unacceptable” and said, “It should never happen again.”
As a result of the January failure, the city received a second formal notice of violation and is now under a mandate to develop and implement a corrective action plan. The SEH report identified over $63 million in additional needed improvements, on top of $60 million already proposed in the city’s capital plan.
Those upgrades include modernizing electrical systems, automating emergency operations, and redesigning the clearwell overflow system to prevent future floods.
While Mayor Danny Avula said he was “incredibly proud” of the work done so far by the Department of Public Utilities, the VDH’s findings painted a picture of what one official called a “culture of complacency,” where temporary workarounds were the norm and long-standing vulnerabilities went unresolved.
Now, just weeks later, the system has suffered another setback.
The city said it will continue to post updates on its website and social media platforms. Residents are encouraged to check those resources regularly and to follow all water safety precautions until the advisory is lifted.
Virginia Mercury reporter Charlotte Rene Woods contributed to this story.
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article primarily reports on the water crisis in Richmond with detailed coverage of government failures, infrastructure issues, and public health concerns. It emphasizes accountability, citing independent reports and critical statements from officials, including Governor Glenn Youngkin. While the tone remains factual, the focus on systemic failures and the “culture of complacency” within city government leans slightly toward a progressive viewpoint that advocates for governmental responsibility and infrastructure investment. However, it maintains balanced reporting by including official responses and avoids overtly partisan language, placing it modestly left of center.
