SUMMARY: Jamal Bailey lives with sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder causing red blood cells to become sickle-shaped, leading to pain, fatigue, and complications. He frequently requires blood transfusions, which boost his energy and quality of life. Regular blood donations are critical for patients like Jamal, but only about 3% of eligible U.S. donors give blood. Matching blood types is vital, especially for sickle cell patients who need donors with similar genetic backgrounds. African or African-American donors are more likely to provide compatible blood. Awareness and donations during Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month are essential to support those affected.

Going to the movies, hanging out with friends, playing video games — Jamal Bailey is your typical young adult who likes walking. But sometimes even something as simple as walking can take its toll.

“It can be stabbing, other times achy, it can be deep in your muscles. Sometimes it feels deep in your bones,” Bailey said. “It’s just a lot of different types of pain.”

You wouldn’t know it from looking, but Bailey suffers from a difficult form of sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder that causes red blood cells to change to a sickle shape, limiting its ability to carry oxygen, blocking blood vessels and causing pain, fatigue and other complications.

The complications of sickle cell mean that regular blood donations from the public are critical, but as Red Cross divisional chief medical officer Courtney Lawrence explains, participation remains low.

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by Shannon Heckt, Virginia Mercury
September 5, 2025

On Friday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Norfolk Offshore Wind Logistics Port, otherwise known as the Fairwinds Landing renovation project in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region, would have its over $39 million in federal funding withdrawn. Work has already begun on that project. He also announced the termination of $20 million for the Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) Offshore Wind Development Project, which has already been spent.

“Wasteful wind projects are using resources that could otherwise go towards revitalizing America’s maritime industry,” Duffy said in the announcement. “Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg bent over backwards to use transportation dollars for their Green New Scam agenda while ignoring the dire needs of our shipbuilding industry.” 

It is not clear how much of that funding for the Fairwinds Landing project has been spent already and how much would have to be returned to the federal government. A representative for the Norfolk Economic Development Authority said they have supported the effort to request for reconsideration on the cut. They also said the project will positively support the local economy and the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding needs.

“Our revised project scope of work, which was submitted to the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) in mid-August in response to their request, will help restore America’s maritime dominance by focusing on rebuilding America’s shipbuilding and maritime industrial base in line with MARAD’s current priorities. We look forward to working with MARAD to utilize the (Port Infrastructure Development Program) funds at Fairwinds to address critical port upgrades that support its goals,” Mia Byrd Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Norfolk Department of Economic Development said.

The PMT project was billed as an effort to upgrade the terminal to be a staging area for offshore wind infrastructure buildouts, such as the nearly $11 billion Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project that is over halfway completed. The overall PMT project cost $223 million and was completed in March. The federal funds had been awarded in 2022.

“The Port of Virginia has completed the improvements made to Portsmouth Marine Terminal and as a result, the deep-water terminal is fully-functional, ” Port of Virginia spokesman Joseph Harris said. “The federal government’s Port Infrastructure Development Program grant was integral to the success of this project because funds from that program helped offset some of the improvement costs. The PMT project was delivered on-time and on-budget, thus this port has no unobligated federal funds.”

The Dominion project did not have any federal grants, John Larson with Dominion said in the meeting. With the PMT renovations already finished to allow for the staging of pylons for the wind turbines, the project should continue as planned. The 2.6 gigawatt offshore wind project is anticipated to come online in 2026.

“You know, we’re continuing to move forward and focus on the project,” Larson said. “If you look at the president’s comments, he stated that, you know, companies that were doing well with their projects, that were far along, they’re going to take hard reviews. What does that mean?”

At a September 3 meeting, the Virginia Offshore Wind Authority discussed continuing to promote offshore wind projects, despite their newfound unpopularity on the federal level. With Virginia facing an energy crisis, the board said that an “all of the above” approach needs to include offshore wind as part of the puzzle of addressing the state’s needs.

“The political reality is that we need all of them because based on who’s in office, energy projects change. Right now, SMRs and gas are popular, who knows? Next year, it can be back to renewables.
We need to be developing all of it,” Virginia Maritime Association Senior Vice President Will Fediw said in the meeting.

Virginia’s federal lawmakers are also weighing in. Democratic Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, along with U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, said the efforts to withdraw funds from the Norfolk project are reckless and impact more than just offshore wind projects, as the funds for the port would have improved the port overall, including for shipbuilding, an industry critical to the nation’s economic and defense sectors.

“If the Administration took the time to learn about the project, it would realize that it is about investing in maritime supply chains and port infrastructure to support not only clean energy but also shipbuilding and ship repair. Stopping this project makes no sense, hurts our economy, and is completely counterproductive to the Administration’s so-called efforts to ‘restore America’s maritime dominance,’” the delegation said in a joint statement. “We will be working with our colleagues in Congress, state officials, and partners in the region to urge the Trump Administration to reverse its decision.”

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.

The post Norfolk port project funding to be withdrawn amid federal cuts to offshore wind projects appeared first on 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-Right

This content presents a narrative that critiques the Biden administration’s offshore wind funding decisions, emphasizing concerns about wasteful spending and shifting priorities toward more traditional maritime industries like shipbuilding. It features critical quotes from a Trump-era official and highlights Republican framing (“Green New Scam agenda”), indicating a center-right bias. However, it also provides perspectives from Democratic lawmakers and industry representatives supporting offshore wind projects and economic benefits, maintaining a relatively balanced tone overall. The piece leans center-right due to its focus on skepticism toward federal green energy funding under the current administration while acknowledging opposing views.

SUMMARY: Texts about missed packages or unpaid tolls are common scam tactics designed to steal personal information. These urgent messages pressure recipients to click links or provide credit card details, potentially installing malware. Scammers often mimic legitimate sources, but red flags include unusual email addresses (like Gmail for the Postal Service). To protect yourself, ignore unexpected messages if you aren’t expecting a package or toll, and verify issues directly through official websites or customer service. Avoid engaging with the sender—block and delete the message. Using apps from USPS, FedEx, and UPS can help securely track your deliveries and avoid scams.

Text scams about a package delivery you missed are one of the fastest-growing scams hitting phones now. News4’s Susan Hogan and Consumer Reports tell why not to pay or even click.
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