Local Spanberger appointment, pedestrian safety project, Venezuela oil plan: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Local Spanberger appointment, pedestrian safety project, Venezuela oil plan

1. Appointments for Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger's cabinet are rolling through as inauguration day nears.

   Former Hampton Superintendent Dr. Jeffery Smith was announced to be Spanberger's choice to lead Virginia's Department of Education, according to a release put out by her team. Smith has 32 years of experience in public education, according to Hampton City School's website. He began his term as superintendent for Hampton Public Schools in 2015, serving in the position for around eight years before announcing his plans to retire in 2023.

   Spanberger's appointment for Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner, Stephen Brich, is also a Hampton Roads native. Birch is an Old Dominion University graduate and he helped oversee some of the $3.9 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion.
   

2. Fencing is being put up at the median on Mercury Boulevard in Hampton in an effort to increase pedestrian safety.

   Fencing going up on Mercury Blvd in Hampton to try to increase pedestrian safety

   On Dec. 28, someone was hit and killed trying to cross the street where there wasn’t a crosswalk. This project aims to prevent similar incidents. A five-foot tall fence is being put up in the median between Seldendale Drive and the entrance to the shopping center — it is expected to be complete in early Spring 2026.

   “We do have goals of putting up more fencing at other places on Mercury. This time around, our public works department is looking to actually appeal to City Council to include it in the city’s Capital Plan. That would speed up the funding process," Hampton Public Information Officer Mike Holtzclaw said.

   Many pedestrians and business owners applauded this effort when speaking to News 3. However, one nearby business owner remained skeptical over the efficacy of a new fence on the medium.

   “If a vehicle hits the fence, that’s not going to protect anybody. It’s a good idea and it’s a bad idea," said Sunsplash Caribbean Restaurant Owner Jeremy Brown.
   

3. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela would be providing 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., and he pledged to use proceeds from the sale of this oil “to benefit the people” of both countries.

   Trump believes U.S. oil companies can be up and running in Venezuela in 18 months

   The White House is organizing a meeting Friday with U.S. oil company executives to discuss Venezuela, which the Trump administration has been pressuring to open its vast-but-struggling oil industry more widely to American investment and know-how. Representatives of Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend the White House meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.

   The country’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, pushed back on Trump, who earlier this week warned she'd face an outcome worse than Maduro’s if she does not “do what’s right" and overhaul Venezuela into a country that aligns with U.S. interests, including by granting access to American energy companies.

   Earlier Tuesday, officials in Caracas announced that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said overall “dozens” of officers and civilians were killed in the weekend strike in Caracas and said prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as a “war crime.” He didn’t specify if the estimate was specifically referring to Venezuelans since Cuba's government confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela were killed in the raid.
   

This morning's weather: Sunshine and 60s today, warming to the 70s to end the week

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says we'll have a very mild morning with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. We will see mostly sunny skies today with highs in the upper 60s.

Highs will dip to upper 50s on Thursday, still above normal for this time of year. We will start with mostly sunny skies and clouds will build in through the day.

Temperatures will jump back up on Friday with highs near 70 as a warm front slides to our north. We will see partly to mostly cloudy skies with a spotty shower possible.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

Traffic map:

Interactive Traffic Map

For the latest traffic updates, watch Conor live on News 3 This Morning here.

WTKR News 3, Where You Are: In the app

Follow us on social