Sentara suspends degree programs, Pembroke Square details, Pope Francis' funeral: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Sentara suspends degree programs, Pembroke Square details, Pope Francis' funeral

1. The Sentara College of Health Sciences (SCOHS) is discontinuing its nursing and non-nursing degree-granting programs. The school says "all current students will be able to complete their programs, either at SCOHS or through a designated partner."

   Nursing students in limbo as Sentara College of Health Sciences suspends degree program

   Of the 460 enrolled students at the college, 385 are in degree-seeking programs. SCOHS will also be evaluating their certificate programs. In a statement, a SCOHS spokesperson said, "this shift reflects a common model in healthcare today, where health systems partner with external academic institutions rather than operate their own degree programs."

   News 3 spoke with Rachael Braet-Foster, a nursing student at the school. She said many in her close-knit cohort think uprooting and transferring would be a hardship. Some students are military spouses, have specific loans or have children, and many worry new programs won't be as flexible with childcare or that credits won't transfer, causing delays.
   

2. Details have been shared with News 3 about the new amenities that will be built at Pembroke Square in Virginia Beach. The $200 million redevelopment project for the former Pembroke Mall location first started in Nov. 2021.

   New tenants Fogo de Chao, Funny Bone, Hilton ready to fill out redeveloped Pembroke Square

   Tempo by Hilton, Fogo de Chão, Funny Bone Comedy Club, DraftCade, and a new seven-story apartment complex have been confirmed as new additions to Pembroke Square. In some of the renderings, there's a pedestrian bridge attached to the hotel — however, the developers said that has not been decided.

   Crews are expected to break ground on the hotel in 30-45 days. Fogo de Chao is expected to be open by the end of May. Funny Bone is expected to open in October at its new location in Pembroke Square, along with DraftCade.
   

3. Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday at 4 a.m ET in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican said Tuesday. Currently, the pope is will lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica starting on Wednesday until his funeral.

   Pope Francis' funeral scheduled for Saturday morning in St. Peter's Square

   Novemdiales, a nine-day mourning period, was issued in the aftermath of the pope's passing. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the Mass. The pope's funeral will be attended by many church and political leaders from around the world, including President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

   The Vatican will then get ready to choose a successor by gathering the cardinals for a conclave, where they will elect a new pope. This puts a key decision in the hands of the cardinals: they can either continue with Pope Francis' progressive agenda or pivot back to more traditional ideals. It's important to mention that Pope Francis appointed 110 out of the 138 cardinals eligible to vote, and a two-thirds majority is required to choose a new pope — the cardinals will keep voting until a candidate passes the post.
   

This morning's weather: Soggy morning with partly cloudy skies ahead

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says we've got showers and storms early this morning. Rain will be moving out around sunrise, and we will see clearing skies this afternoon. Temperatures will only warm to near 70 today.

Thursday looks good with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies and highs in the low to mid 70s (near normal).

We will warm to the upper 70s on Friday with partly cloudy skies and a few scattered showers.

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

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For the latest traffic updates, watch Conor live on News 3 This Morning here.

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