POLLUTION

Warner, Kaine announce more than $30M for zero-emission school buses in Virginia

Eight local school districts will be getting funds to purchase the buses, officials say

Smith Mountain Lake collects over 4 tons of debris during 2022 cleanup days

Volunteers collected about 125 trash bags full of trash and debris from the shoreline in May

New report calls condition of the James River ‘stable but threatened’

The organization issued its latest assessment Tuesday, with an overall score of 61 percent and a letter grade of B-.

German court ruling clears the way to settle VW diesel cases

According to the ruling, Volkswagen is basically obliged to pay damages to car owners affected by the diesel scandal. Volkswagen said the decision announced Monday would clear the way for settlement of remaining consumer claims in Germany. The decision affects some 60,000 individual claims brought by car owners there; around 262,000 others have already been covered by an 830 million-euro ($904 million) class-action settlement. For the majority of the 60,000 pending cases, this ruling provides clarity, the company said in a statement. He had sought the full purchase price but the court ruled he must accept less due to depreciation related to the distance he drove.