Virginia

The “summer slump” is a real worry for Virginia teachers and lawmakers

Published

2 years ago

July 9, 2024

The “summer slump” is a real worry for Virginia teachers and lawmakers

School’s out for summer for most of Virginia public schools. And teachers are worried about learning loss.

After schools closed for the pandemic, test scores plummeted. Now, figuring out a way to address that learning loss is even more worrisome for teachers, administrators and legislators who are concerned about the summertime slump.

“What we find is that with the traditional summer break, many students are losing between two and three months’ worth of schooling that they’re needing to make up at the beginning of the next school year,” says Roanoke Delegate Sam Rasoul, who chairs the House Education Committee. “And with a robust summer school program, we’re helping to close that gap.”

He says school divisions should have more resources they could use for summer school. But Senator Schuyler Van Valkenburg, a Democrat from Henrico County who’s also a high school civics teacher, says it’s time to reimagine the summer break.

“It’s really about reimagining the schedule so you don’t have this big two-and-a-half-month gap where we know that particularly kids that are lower down the economic scale tend to have more of a summer slump,” he says. “And so, I think reimagining the school year is probably the most effective way at getting at that slump.”

He points to schools in Richmond that have modified their calendar to have shorter summertime breaks and a more year-round schedule – a trend he says the General Assembly should encourage at divisions across Virginia as the best way to solve the summertime slump.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

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Virginia

Del. Dan Helmer on Virginia redistricting and congressional run

Published

40 minutes ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Del. Dan Helmer on Virginia redistricting and congressional run

Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer led fellow Democrats to major gains in November’s election. Now he’s turning his attention to the redistricting of the Commonwealth, and a run in the newly proposed 7th district. He joins Sydney Persing on The Final 5 to discuss.

Posted March 2, 2026 11:55pm EST

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Virginia

Man shot, killed by Virginia trooper ID’d after crash ends in deadly stabbing attack

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Man shot, killed by Virginia trooper ID’d after crash ends in deadly stabbing attack

FAIRFAX, Va. (7News) — Virginia State Police have identified the man who was shot and killed by a trooper after a crash ended in a stabbing attack on Interstate 495 Sunday afternoon.

Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, died at the hospital on Sunday after he was shot.

RELATED | 2 dead, dog killed after stabbing spree, trooper shooting on I-495 in Fairfax County

Investigators said Llamado was confronted by the trooper who opened fire around 1:17 p.m. The trooper was responding to a report of a road rage incident and found Llamado with a knife, according to a news release.

Four stabbing victims, all women, were also found at the scene, along with a dog that was also stabbed.

Michelle Adams, 39, died from her injuries. The dog also did not survive. The three other women were all taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to VSP. 7News is not identifying the surviving victims.

Investigators said the stabbings stemmed from a crash in the southbound lanes of I-495.

The trooper who opened fire was not hurt and is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the use of force.

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Investigators said they do not believe the attack is connected to terrorism.

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Virginia

Two dead after I-495 road rage incident leads to stabbing, Virginia State Police shooting – WTOP News

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Two dead after I-495 road rage incident leads to stabbing, Virginia State Police shooting – WTOP News

A road rage incident led to a shooting involving the Virginia State Police on Sunday on Interstate 495. Four individuals were also stabbed.

Two people are dead Sunday in Annandale, Virginia, after a road rage incident led to a shooting involving Virginia State Police on Interstate 495.

A release issued by the Virginia State Police said a trooper fatally shot a man after responding to a report of a road rage incident on the southbound lanes of I-495 just before 1:30 p.m. at exit 52, near the Little River Turnpike.

The man, transferred to a hospital with serious injuries, has been pronounced dead. VSP said the trooper shot in self-defense after the man confronted him with a knife.

The trooper did not suffer any injuries during the altercation.

Officials found four stabbing victims at the scene, but only identified a 39-year-old woman and a dog. Both the woman and the dog died.

Early findings suggest the stabbings took place after a crash on the Capital Beltway. The crash remains under investigation.

The VSP’s release comes after the main lanes of the Capital Beltway Outer Loop, before Little River Turnpike, were closed to traffic for several hours, only recently opening the express lanes. Main lanes between Arlington Boulevard and the Little River Turnpike remain closed.

Stay with WTOP for the latest developments.

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