TOP STORIES: USS Normandy returns, Virginia SOL test change, Israeli airstrikes escalate
Following a three-month deployment, the USS Normandy (CG-60) will return to Naval Station Norfolk on Thursday. The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser spent its deployment in the Caribbean Sea, and waters around Central and South America. The USS Normandy sailed in the U.S. 4th Fleet area with the goal of "strengthening maritime partnerships, enhancing regional security, and conducting multinational naval operations," according to a release. The ship first set sail from Naval Station Norfolk on Feb. 25. The crew is expected to depart the ship around 12:00 p.m. — News 3 will be on the scene to highlight this homecoming.Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, Virginia's Standard of Learning (SOL) tests will count for 10% of the final grade for students in grades 7-12. This move is part of a bipartisan effort to improve test results across the commonwealth. SOL tests will also introduce a new 100-point scoring system, replacing the current 600-point system. Currently, these tests do not impact a student's grades. Some Virginians have pushed back against this change, expressing that a good student doesn't have to be a good test taker. The president of the Virginia Beach Education Association felt mixed about this change, saying, "it's a standardized test, and we don't have standardized students." Israel struck multiple areas in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis overnight into Thursday, killing 54 people, hospitals say. It was the second night of heavy bombing, after airstrikes Wednesday on northern and southern Gaza killed at least 70 people, including almost two dozen children. This severe military action comes amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow to escalate action in the Gaza Strip. Last week, Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip, activating tens of thousands of Israeli reservists to enter and occupy areas of Gaza that had previously been unaffected. Almost 3,000 have been killed since Israel broke a ceasefire on March 18, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. International rights group Human Rights Watch said Thursday that Israel’s stated plan of seizing Gaza and displacing hundreds of thousands of people “inches closer to extermination,” and called on the international community to speak out against it.
