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Richneck shooting lawsuit, SNAP faces possible disruption, Hurricane Melissa: 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: Richneck shooting lawsuit, SNAP faces possible disruption, Hurricane Melissa

The courtroom was packed for the second day of Abby Zwerner's $40 million lawsuit against the former assistant principal of Richneck Elementary School.

Day 2 of Abby Zwerner's $40M Richneck shooting lawsuit wraps with Zwerner's mom testifying

Zwerner, a former teacher at Richneck Elementary School, was shot by her 6-year-old student on Jan. 6, 2023. The lawsuit claims negligence in preventing the incident, alleging that school leaders — in particular, former Assistant Principal Ebony Parker — ignored multiple warnings that the child had a gun and intended to use it.
The director of human resources for Newport News Public Schools said Parker admitted to her two or three days after the shooting that it was reported around 12:20 p.m. that the student had a gun in his backpack — over 90 minutes before the shooting. The first day of testimony concluded with Julie Zwerner, Abby's mother, who spoke about the lasting impacts of the shooting, adding that her daughter does not plan to return as a teacher.
News 3 will continue to stream the trial on our website and app.
Amid possible disruptions to SNAP benefits, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said his administration has established a new program: Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA).

Virginia Governor Outlines Emergency Assistance Food Benefits

If the federal government shutdown has not ended by Nov. 1, VENA will begin on Nov. 3. Those who receive SNAP benefits will receive the state funds directly to their EBT cards. Earlier this month, Youngkin declared a state of emergency as a means to free up emergency funds to assist Virginians in need of food assistance.
On the federal level, the Trump administration is facing a lawsuit filed by over two dozen states, including North Carolina, regarding SNAP benefits. This follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture's announcement that it will not use any of the over $5 billion in emergency funding to cover a possible lapse in funding for SNAP. The lawsuit claims this move violates federal law, while the Trump administration has argued that funds “not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists.”
Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in eastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm.

Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica as one of the strongest hurricanes on record

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in eastern Cuba early Wednesday as a Category 3 storm after pummeling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, the U.S. National Hurricane Center says.
Authorities in Cuba have evacuated more than 700,000 people, and forecasters say the Category 3 storm would unleash catastrophic damage in Santiago de Cuba and nearby areas. The storm was expected to generate a storm surge of up to 12 feet and drop up to 20 inches of rain in places.