VWU name change pushback, Wallops Island launch pad, CDC director ousted: Sunrise Brief

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: News 3 Anchor Blaine Stewart visits the newsroom, reflects on recovery from near-fatal heat attack

On Friday, June 13, WTKR News 3 anchor Blaine Stewart suffered a massive heart attack after attending a Nationals game in Washington with friends. It nearly took his life.

For those who have missed his warm greetings, graceful storytelling, and tack-sharp wit, we are thrilled to report joyous news: Blaine will soon make his return to the anchor desk.

To help him prepare — and, perhaps, shake off some dust — Blaine came to the station on Thursday for the first time in nearly three months to talk with his co-anchor and friend Erin Miller about his road to recovery.

TOP STORIES: VWU name change pushback, Wallops Island launch pad, CDC director ousted

1. Virginia Wesleyan University staff and faculty will meet for a town hall on Friday to discuss the college's impending name change.

   On Aug. 20, VWU officials announced plans to change the college's name to Batten University — it will take effect on July 1, 2026. This name intends to honor Jane P. Batten and her family's contributions. This name change has garnered notable pushback from students and alumni, with one online petition accruing over 3,800 signatures from people who want to halt the re-branding effort.

   Friday's town hall is intended to address concerns raised regarding the name change — however, students and alumni that aren't currently working for VWU are not permitted to attend. This included staff from The Marlin Chronicle, VWU's student paper. Instead, their faculty adviser will attend the meeting. A protest organized to oppose the name change will gather ahead of the town hall meeting.
   

2. On the Eastern Shore, Virginia leaders gathered on Wallops Island to celebrate Rocket Lab's new Launch Complex 3 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.

   Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Rocket Lab CEO Sir Peter Beck said the site will boost national security and drive innovation and jobs in the Commonwealth. The launch pad hosts the world's first reusable neutron rocket. Beck said this innovative rocket can "reliably reach the International Space Station and low Earth orbit, as well as explore beyond Earth and on to the Moon and Mars."

   Pad 0-D will host Rocket Lab’s Neutron launch vehicle, which can support payloads up to 33,000 lbs and potential missions to Mars or Venus. Pad 0-D features a distinctive black, 285-foot-tall water tower that holds about 200,000 gallons of water and can empty in less than one minute.
   

3. Susan Monarez was let go from her position as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, but her lawyers insist she can only be fired by President Donald Trump himself.

   CDC Director Susan Monarez ousted by White House amid other shake ups within Health Department

   According to a social media message from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Monarez was as of Wednesday "no longer director" of the CDC, the nation's foremost public health agency. But in a statement released Wednesday afternoon, attorneys for Monarez said she has not been fired and will not resign. Monarez, 50, was named acting director in January and then tapped as the nominee in March after President Trump abruptly withdrew his first choice, David Weldon.

   Many CDC officials resigned from their positions this week, coinciding with the battle over the agency's leadership.

   The list includes Dr. Debra Houry, the agency's deputy director; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, head of the agency's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. Monarez's ouster comes less than a month after she was confirmed by the Senate to lead the CDC.
   

This morning's weather: Sunshine and 80s today, Cooler this weekend

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says we're gonna have another beautiful day today! Highs will reach the mid 80s, with low humidity (for August). We will see mostly sunny skies with very low rain chances and light wind.

Highs will drop to the upper 70s this weekend. Expect a nice mix of sun and clouds. A stationary front will linger to our south and may be close enough to throw a stray shower our way.

That pattern continues for Labor Day. Expect partly cloudy skies with a slim chance for a shower, highs in the upper 70s, and relatively low humidity.

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

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