Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi. (Photo via the Office of the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney)
Norfolk becomes first in Hampton Roads to fund prosecutors for all jailable misdemeanors
Brian Saunders
Norfolk Reporter
Norfolk is set to become the first city in Hampton Roads to staff a prosecutor for every jailable misdemeanor case, addressing a longstanding funding gap in the regional criminal justice system.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said that because state funding focuses almost exclusively on felonies, misdemeanor dockets in the region have historically gone unstaffed, leaving police officers to argue cases directly in court.
Supported by roughly $900,000 in new funding approved by the Norfolk City Council, Fatehi's office is expanding its legal team and adding a dedicated director of diversion to better connect defendants with alternative sentencing resources.
Public will get to weigh in on proposed changes to Chesapeake Bay menhaden harvest
Atlantic Menhaden. (Photo via the Maryland Department of Natural Resources)
The Menhaden Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has advanced a proposal for public comment that could cut the Chesapeake Bay menhaden harvest cap by up to 50%.
The addendum outlines options to reduce the annual industrial catch limit from 51,000 metric tons and spread the harvest out across specific seasonal timeframes to ease stress on the bay's ecosystem.
Environmental advocates praised the precautionary move to protect species such as striped bass and osprey that rely on menhaden.
Chesapeake’s top public health official to step down after decades guiding city’s health department
Nancy Welch, director of the Chesapeake Health Department. (Photo by Yiqing Wang)
Chesapeake Health Director Dr. Nancy Welch is stepping down from her role at the end of August after serving 35 years as the city's public health leader and spending nearly 50 years in the field.
Welch will officially retire in January, transitioning her focus to population health initiatives with Healthy Chesapeake, a community nonprofit she helped establish.
WHRO News sat down with Welch to discuss her next steps and what she hopes the next Chesapeake health director will carry forward.
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