Redistricting voting begins Friday, VB State of the City, DHS Sec. Noem ousted: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Redistricting voting begins Friday, VB State of the City, DHS Sec. Noem ousted

1. Beginning March 6, Virginia voters will begin deciding whether the state’s congressional districts should be redrawn. 

   What voters are saying on eve of early voting for redistricting special election

   Virginia Democrats are hoping to redraw Virginia's 11 congressional districts to give them a 10-1 advantage. The current breakdown is 6-5 with a slight Democratic lead. Democrats say the effort is a response to Republicans in other states redrawing districts to pick up seats for their party.

   The Tazewell Circuit Court granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) requested by the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee over the ballot referendum’s timing and phrasing on Feb. 19. This was done in an attempt to stop election officials from working on the upcoming referendum. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Virginia determined the TRO can be treated like a preliminary injunction, meaning they have the ability to put a "stay" (suspension) on the order.

   Following Wednesday's decision, early voting will begin this Friday, with the special referendum set for April 21. Even if the redistricting referendum passes on April 21, however, the Virginia Supreme Court will have the final say when the court hears arguments about whether this is legal or not.
   

2. Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer laid out his vision for the city's future during Thursday's State of the City address, pointing to tourism and the military as the twin engines driving the local economy.

   Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer highlights tourism growth, a $350 million entertainment district and military ties at the State of the City address.

   On the tourism front, city leaders say Virginia Beach welcomed more than 14 million visitors in 2024, generating about $2.6 billion in visitor spending and nearly $3.9 billion in total economic impact. Dyer highlighted the Oceanfront as the center of that growth and pointed to new developments aimed at expanding tourism beyond the summer season.

   Those developments include the Atlantic Park surf park project and the Dome by Ritter Mills concert venue. Together, they are part of a roughly $350 million entertainment district designed to bring year-round visitors and events to the resort area. "The one thing we want to do we want people to come to the beach, we had 14 million visitors come we want the people in Virginia Beach to know that this is their beach too and we want them coming out," Dyer said.

   Dyer also highlighted the city's deep ties to the military community. Virginia Beach sits in a region with nearly 97,000 active-duty service members — the largest concentration of military personnel outside the Pentagon. City leaders say the military contributes nearly $26 billion in economic impact across the region, supporting thousands of jobs and local businesses. Major installations like Naval Air Station Oceana and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story bring thousands of sailors, service members and their families to Virginia Beach each year.
   

3. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will no longer be in charge of the department as of March 31.

   Kristi Noem sits for second day of hearings on ICE conduct

   "The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at 'Homeland,'" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

   Noem responded by thanking Trump for appointing her as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. She said she looks forward to working more closely with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the new role "to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren."

   Noem faced lawmakers on Tuesday and Wednesday who grilled her over the department's handling of immigration enforcement. While it was expected she'd face pointed questioning from Democrats, several Republicans provided criticism during congressional hearings. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin will be nominated to replace Noem, Trump said.
   

This morning's weather: Warm and unsettled stretch continues

Forecaster Derrah Getter says this morning temperatures reach the upper 60s and low 70s but fall as we head into the afternoon with a backdoor cold front. A few spotty showers will be possible with a mix of clouds and sunshine.

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

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