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Major Hampton investment, Va. marijuana proposal, more details on boat strikes: Sunrise Brief

A breakdown of today's top stories, weather, traffic and what we're talking about on News 3 This Morning.

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By: News 3 This Morning team

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TOP STORIES: Major Hampton investment, Va. marijuana proposal, more details on boat strikes

Hampton Mayor Jimmy Gray announced a large investment during the inaugural State of the City address on Wednesday.

Hampton Mayor announces HII spending $28M to upgrade facility in the city

HII, the company that owns Newport News Shipbuilding, will invest $28 million in its Light Manufacturing Advanced Technology facility. This move will lead to around 300 jobs being created down the line, according to the City of Hampton. In a video message, Newport News Shipbuilding Human Resources VP Xavier Beale said the move will strengthen the relationship between the company and the city.
Following economic growth, the mayor talked about what's being done to address sea level rise and climate change. Efforts to address housing, crime, and health care needs were next.
“With the help of Congressman Bobby Scott, we received funding to establish several neighborhood resource centers that will serve as hubs for police and for members of the community. The first center will be opening soon off of Rip Rap Road," said Gray.
A revised framework for a proposed retail marijuana market was recently introduced by Virginia lawmakers.
As it stands, the legislation aims to open up the retail marijuana market by Nov. 1, 2026, more than five years after possession was legalized in Virginia.
For the past two years, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly has passed legislation to create a retail marijuana market, only for it to be vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. These efforts could be realized once Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger takes office. A Spanberger spokesperson said she believes Virginia needs a clear strategy for a market that prioritizes public safety while growing the economy and looks forward to working with the General Assembly on a path forward.
Lawmakers said localities would have final say on zoning and siting rules for stores under the proposed framework, but at minimum, stores would be banned within at least 1,000 feet of schools, places of worship and childcare facilities. The proposed framework would allow localities to raise local sales tax from 2.5% to 3.5%, permit temporary two-year licenses for growers to sell marijuana, and include studying on-site consumption at stores. Concerns were raised by the Cannabis Small Business Association regarding the quick rollout and limited number of licenses available.
The Pentagon knew there were survivors after a September attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea and the U.S. military still carried out a follow-up strike, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The rationale for the second strike was that it was needed to sink the vessel, according to the people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly. The Trump administration says all 11 people aboard were killed.
What remains unclear was who ordered the strikes and whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was involved, one of the people said. The questions are expected to emerge Thursday during a classified congressional briefing with the commander that the Trump administration says ordered the second strike, Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley. Hegseth has defended the second strike as emerging in the “fog of war,” saying during a Cabinet meeting this week at the White House that he didn’t see any survivors but also “didn’t stick around” for the rest of the mission.

This morning's weather: Building clouds today, rain & snow on Friday

Thursday Morning Weather Webcast

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says we've got a cold start this morning with temperatures near 30 degrees. We will warm to near 50 today, warmer than yesterday but still below normal for this time of year. Expect sunshine to start the day with building clouds.

Messy weather returns on Friday. A rain/snow mix is possible Friday morning with better snow chances to the NW and better rain chances to the SE. Precipitation will change to mostly rain by midday. The best chance for snow accumulation with be on the Eastern Shore, Middle Peninsula, Peninsula and inland Southside. Highs will only reach the mid 40s on Friday.

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