Sept. 1, 2026

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Two nurses help move a patient at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center. (Photo by Yiqing Wang)

Yiqing Wang

Health Reporter

The Virginia Nursing Workforce Center has launched the Earn to Learn program to help address the state's nursing shortage by funding partnerships between nursing schools and healthcare providers. 

Under the initiative, up to 12 two-year grants worth $400,000 each will allow nursing students to earn wages as nurse externs, patient care technicians or nursing assistants while completing their education. 

The program hopes to create a direct bridge into the healthcare workforce as state data shows 21% of registered nurses in Virginia plan to retire within the next decade.

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Beth Dryer, founder and executive director of the 757 Creative Reuse Center, stands in front of newly installed gardening beds during the "Back to Our Roots" community event along Colley Avenue. (Photo by Brian Saunders)

Volunteers recently gathered on Colley Avenue in Norfolk for the "Back to Our Roots" event to plant fall vegetables and inaugurate a new collaborative community garden outside the 757 Creative Reuse Center’s new location. 

Hosted alongside the Elizabeth River Project and Community Farmers, the project is looking to foster hands-on learning through a shared-work model where experienced gardeners mentor beginners rather than dividing the space into individual plots. 

Organizers launched the initiative to directly combat local food insecurity, an issue that impacts roughly 16% of Norfolk residents, according to regional food bank data.

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Coast Guard students run practice drills at Coast Guard Training Center at Yorktown on Aug. 28, 2026. (Photo by Steve Walsh)

The Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown, the service's oldest and largest training facility, graduates more than 12,000 students every year. 

Unlike other military branches, Coast Guard members typically enter the fleet directly after boot camp and may wait up to two years before attending specialized follow-on training at schools such as Yorktown.

Unprecedented growth following a recent recruiting overhaul leaves Yorktown's beds at capacity as the Coast Guard works toward an ambitious goal of adding 15,000 recruits by fiscal year 2028.

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Almost a year after the Pentagon formed a 'barracks task force,' some say repairs are moving slowly Read More

VIDEO: A taste of the story: The next chapter for a local restaurant owner Watch here

Federal judge says Virginia still failing to follow voter restoration order Read More

VIDEO: As Flock surveillance spreads, Virginia communities push back Watch here

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