Virginia has made progress in reducing its teacher shortage through new state initiatives, but shortages remain.Preview: An Alexandria City Public Schools teacher is being honored for her work helping elementary school students. Sharon Phox was named Northern Virginia's Regional Teacher of the Year during a ceremony on Wednesday. Phox teaches English language learning to third graders at James K. Polk Elementary School. Phox will become a member of a council that advises the Virginia Department of Education and is in the running to become the state's Teacher of the Year.
The Virginia Zoo says claims that a gorilla escaped earlier this week should not be believed. Reports of the escape began circulating on social media after a tractor-trailer crash in Norfolk. The zoo doesn't have any gorillas and noted in a statement that it would notify the public if any animals had escaped. The zoo added that maybe someone saw its mascot, the ZooSquatch, taking its daily run.
With less than a month to go before a ban on TikTok is set to take effect, several groups looking to buy the popular social media app are making their interest known. President Trump has said his administration is in talks with four groups about a potential TikTok sale. He told reporters aboard Air Force One recently that there could be a deal soon. The ban was initially set for January 19th.