Resendiz's mom wants answers, Norfolk school closure plan, Trump bill in Senate: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Resendiz's mom wants answers, Norfolk school closure plan, Trump bill in Senate

1. Esmaralda Castle, the mother of Sailor Angelina Resendiz, alleged that the U.S. Navy mishandled her daughter's disappearance during a press conference Wednesday.

   Resendiz' mom accuses Navy of delays, miscommunication in daughter's death

   Castle spoke alongside advocates with The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). They accused the Navy of waiting six days to issue a missing persons alert, instead marking Resendiz as AWOL. LULAC's vice president for veterans said Castle was mislead by Navy officials during this time, alleging that they gave Resendiz's mother false hope that her daughter was still alive.

   "We shouldn't be okay with this... These aren't isolated incidents, they're happening systematically across all branches," Castle said at the press conference. Resendiz's mother and LULAC leaders alleged that the military's culture was a factor in Resendiz' death, specifically the alleged treatment of service members who are women of color. They are demanding more information from this investigation.

   Resendiz was a culinary specialist assigned to the USS James E. Williams. She was last seen at her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk the morning of May 29, and nearly two weeks later, her body was recovered in the woods behind a Norfolk elementary school.

2. The Norfolk School Board has received a tentative plan to consolidate funds, which proposes closing 10 schools while rebuilding or repurposing others.

   Preliminary plan unveiled for Norfolk schools to be closed, repurposed, rebuilt

   This initiative was spurred by Norfolk's current surplus school capacity, which means the district has more seats available than the number of students enrolled. A committee was assigned to propose a consolidation plan to the school board based on various district-wide data points.

   The committee chose 10 schools, mostly elementary schools and early childhood centers, to recommend for closure. This preliminary list included Granby Elementary, Norview Elementary, Norfolk Technical Center (the facility would close — but, the program would be moved to Lake Taylor High School), among others. This plan still requires approval, so the Norfolk School Board will hold community engagement sessions to discuss these recommendations on Thursday.
   

3. President Donald Trump has urged lawmakers to pass his "Big, Beautiful" bill by July 4 — however, it faces an uphill climb in the Senate.

   'Big Beautiful Bill' looms amid Middle East crisis

   The congressional GOP is attempting to get this bill on Trump's desk without having to appeal to Democratic lawmakers. This has resulted in Republican Senators altering the bill's contents to give it wider appeal among their colleagues. For example, a provision which would have authorized the sale of public lands to offset the bill's cost — which was advocated by Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah — has been excluded from the package.

   Despite the uncertainty surrounding the bill's final text, optimism remains among Republican Senators, who believe they can push the legislation through the Senate by Friday or Saturday. Following Senate approval, it will be passed to the House of Representatives for a quick vote, with hopes of landing on Trump’s desk by Independence Day.

This morning's weather: Still sweltering, "pop up" storms possible

*** Heat Advisory for all of SE VA and NE NC from 11 am to 7 pm Thursday.

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says highs will return to the mid 90s today with an afternoon heat index to 105+. Expect partly cloudy skies with scattered showers/storms “popping up”, mainly in the afternoon hours. Strong to severe storms are possible.

Highs will remain in the low to mid 90s for Friday with afternoon heat index values near 105. Expect partly cloudy skies with a scattered shower/storm possible.

Still hot and humid this weekend. Highs will linger in the mid 90s with an afternoon heat index near 105. Most of the weekend will be mostly sunny to partly cloudy with a scattered shower/storm possible.

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

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