After decades of work to clean up the polluted Chesapeake Bay, the federal, state and local partners within the 64,000-mile watershed have acknowledged they won’t reach their 2025 goals. But neither are they giving up.
Representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, the regional partnership of states within the watershed, will gather Tuesday in Annapolis to discuss how to achieve not only those goals but new ones.
In Virginia, the discussion already has included pollution reduction measures farmers can adopt, and funding for them.
“The good news is that we’re entering this meeting with the partnership stronger than ever,” said Adam Ortiz, the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator in the mid-Atlantic, who noted this will be the first meeting since 2014 with the governors from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania in attendance.
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The presence of all three is an indication of the importance of the Chesapeake Bay to their states’ ecosystems — it is home to over 300 types of fish, birds, insects and plants — and economy. The Bay’s seafood industry alone is worth $3 billion a year to Virginia and Maryland, according to the Virginia Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.
Acknowledging the shortcomings of the work so far, the Chesapeake Bay Program Beyond 2025 Steering Committee earlier this year recommended recommitting to the partnership and streamlining processes. It also advocated for local involvement and new approaches.
On Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a four-page Executive Directive, stressing that, “Virginia is committed to being a part of the Partnership and continuing our efforts to protect the bay.”
But he also wrote, “it is evident that a clearer path forward is needed.”
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Behind on the Bay
After starting the partnership in 1983 with a one page document, the partnership’s work has become a complex system with the states making commitments to reach certain outcomes, such as oyster abundance and water quality standards.
Virginia has met 100% of its sediment reduction targets, but only reached 80% of the reduction for nitrogen and 62% of the reduction for phosphorus. The concern is that those nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients feed harmful algal blooms and oxygen-deprived “dead zones,” that culminate with less than desired water quality standards. Cows in a stream in Rockingham County. (Charlie Paullin/Virginia Mercury)
In October, 29.8% of the Bay and the tidal tributaries feeding into it were found to have met water quality standards, “below the 100% attainment necessary to support a healthy Bay ecosystem.”
“Chesapeake Bay restoration is at a crossroads,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Director Chris Moore in a recent statement lauding Youngkin’s commitment to the partnership. “Virginia’s upcoming legislative session is a prime opportunity for the Commonwealth to continue our important investments in cleaner waterways and iconic living resources.”
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The causes
Work on the bay the past 40 years have focused on pollution reductions from the stormwater and wastewater sectors, and the agricultural community.
During a December 2023 meeting with the Virginia State Water Commission, Mike Rolband, the director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, reported that upgrades to stormwater treatment plants, which are behind on the goals, and wastewater treatment plants, which are ahead of the goals, had led to a reduction of 8.2 million pounds of nitrogen and 708 pounds of phosphorus.
But farmers, while making progress last year, have only installed about 6,095 acres of forested buffers, or 28% of what’s needed for targets set for 2027.
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A chart of agricultural practices installed in Virginia. (Courtesy of Department of Conservation and Recreation).
Martha Moore, vice president of governmental relations with the Virginia Farm Bureau, said the slow adoption rates were due to insufficient funding from the state’s cost-share program
“They got really frustrated,” said Moore of farmers who were told, “we just don’t have the money.”
Farmers also were upset that they were not part of the conversation. This year that changes with the creation of a farmers advisory committee.
“We know that we can’t see an acceleration of and completion of the restoration effort without the success of farmers,” Ortiz said.
In his directive, Youngkin acknowledges a need to verify best management practices that may be happening but not being counted, which happens because they haven’t been reevaluated in years. Moore said a survey with the Virginia Cooperative Extension will help capture those numbers.
“Really what we want to see is the continuation and building upon where we’re seeing those successes,” said Travis Voyles, secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, in an interview. “Avoiding the hammer, but really embracing those incentive based approaches, in a voluntary manner, that are being effective.”
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The funding
Youngkin’s directive also calls for an evaluation of water quality improvement funds, which provide the funding for the stormwater and wastewater plant upgrades. Excess revenues for the fund are to be directed to the best management practice cost-share program.
In an interview Friday, Chris Pomeroy, an attorney with the Virginia Association of Municipal Wastewater Agencies, said funding for the wastewater sector must continue in order to maintain the reductions that have been made, calling it “the single most important thing Virginia can do.”.
Pomeroy said about $600 million had been appropriated so far and about $800 million is needed to complete projects underway.
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Del. David Bulova, D-Fairfax, speaks during a Joint Senate Agriculture Conservation and Natural Resources Committee and House Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee retreat in September. (Charlie Paullin/Virginia Mercury)
With the agricultural program fully funded now, Moore said, “I’m just very proud of the fact that we finally have achieved that goal. Now, I think we just have to figure out, how do we get to the end?”
One potential way, according to the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board that oversees the conservation districts around the state that administer the cost-share program, is more staffing to get the money out the door. A point the board made in a letter to Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, and Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, the chairs of Virginia’s natural resource and agricultural committees.
“The team is now deploying more resources than at any point in their history, while pay compression and uncompetitive salaries strain the Department’s ability to retain key staff,” wrote board chair Charles Newton. “The Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board is concerned that without new investment into the Department’s team, the agency will face more staff loss and be unable to keep pace with the growing demands for their services.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia will elect its first woman as governor Tuesday as Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia will elect its first woman as governor Tuesday as Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger look to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Voters will also decide races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and the state House of Delegates.
The commonwealth is holding one of two elections for governor this year. Historically, the races in Virginia and New Jersey in the year following a presidential election have been closely watched on a national level as a barometer of how voters are feeling about the party holding the White House.
Spanberger has held a financial advantage throughout the campaign, bringing in about $66 million over the course of her campaign, compared to about $35 million for Earle-Sears. The Democrat entered the final two-week stretch of the campaign with about $4.1 million remaining in the bank, compared to $1.3 million for the Republican.
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The race for lieutenant governor features Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi of Richmond and Republican talk-radio host John Reid. Hashmi prevailed in a crowded June Democratic primary, while Reid was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Reid’s campaign got off to a rocky start when Youngkin called on him to withdraw from the race after allegations surfaced linking Reid to a social media account containing sexually explicit photos. Reid has denied any involvement with the account.
Controversy has also swirled in the race for state attorney general, where Republican incumbent Jason Miyares seeks a second term. His challenger is former Democratic state Del. Jay Jones, who in text messages from 2022 suggested, among other things, that a prominent Republican lawmaker get “two bullets to the head.” Jones has apologized for the messages, but the issue has been a major topic not only in the race for attorney general but also at the top of the ticket. Earle-Sears has criticized Spanberger on the campaign trail and in television ads for not calling on Jones to withdraw from the race.
Voters will also determine which party will control the closely divided state House of Delegates, where Democrats hold a 51-48 seat majority, with one seat vacant. The state Senate is not up for election this year.
Virginia has undergone a political realignment in the last 20 years, driven largely by population growth in the Washington, D.C., suburbs in Northern Virginia, which has favored Democrats. The area is home to a concentration of federal workers, some of whom are now furloughed because of the government shutdown or lost their jobs as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal workforce.
Republican presidential candidates carried the commonwealth in 10 consecutive elections from 1968 to 2004, but Democrats have prevailed in the five elections since. Despite the recent streak, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris won Virginia with a relatively modest 52% of the vote in 2024.
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Virginia voters tend to be less party-loyal when it comes to state offices, as the governorship has changed party hands seven times over the last 60 years.
Starting in 1976, every time a party has won back control of the White House, Virginia voters have elected a governor from the opposing party the following year. And in 11 of the last 12 gubernatorial elections, the winner of the Virginia governorship has been from a different party than the incumbent president. The sole exception was 2013, when Democrat Terry McAuliffe was elected governor while fellow Democrat Barack Obama occupied the White House.
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
Virginia does not conduct automatic recounts. Candidates may request and pay for recounts if the margin between the top two candidates is 1 percentage point or less. The government will pay for the recount if the margin is less than 0.5 percentage points or the outcome has changed. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:
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How late will polls be open?
Polls close at 7 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in the races for governor, lieutenant governor, state attorney general and the House of Delegates.
Who gets to vote?
Any registered voter in Virginia may participate in statewide elections or in local elections in their state House district or municipality.
What do turnout and advance vote look like?
As of early September, there were about 6.3 million registered voters in Virginia. Voters do not register by party.
In the 2021 gubernatorial election, turnout was about 55% of registered voters. About 36% of votes in that election were cast before Election Day.
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As of Monday, nearly 987,000 ballots had already been cast before Election Day. See the AP Advance Vote Tracker for the latest update.
How long does vote counting usually take?
In the 2024 presidential election, the AP first reported results at 7:11 p.m. ET, or 11 minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 3:56 a.m. ET with about 95% of total votes counted.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2025 election at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/.
SHENANDOAH COUNTY, Va. — Twenty dogs were seized from a Virginia home because of poor living conditions, according to the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said Shenandoah County Animal Control helped with a welfare check in Edinburg on Oct. 21 and ended up seizing the dogs.
Neighboring animal control officers, animal shelters and humane societies assisted with transporting the dogs and taking some of the dogs after the seizure as 20 dogs was an “overwhelming number of animals” for the Shenandoah County shelter to support.
Anyone interested in adopting or fostering one of the dogs should contact the Shenandoah County Animal Shelter.
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The investigation into the conditions at the home is ongoing, the sheriff’s office said.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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ACC opponents match up when the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals (6-1) and the Virginia Tech Hokies (3-5) play on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at Lane Stadium.
How to watch Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Louisville vs. Virginia Tech odds
Odds provided by BetMGM.
Stats to know
Louisville, on average, scores 4.7 more points (34.6) than Virginia Tech allows (29.9).
Virginia Tech’s defense has surrendered an average of 367.1 yards per game so far this season, 45.9 yards fewer than the 413-yard average from Louisville’s offense.
This year Virginia Tech puts up four more points per game (25.4) than Louisville gives up (21.4).
Virginia Tech averages 87.5 more yards per game (373.8) than Louisville allows per matchup (286.3).
This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
Photo: Jonathan Bachman, Tim Warner, Kevin C. Cox, Eakin Howard / Getty Images
