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Loudoun Supervisors Advance Work-Group Approach to Dulles Airport Noise
Residents near Dulles Airport raising concerns about noise from aircraft overflights might have a chance at some relief after the Board of Supervisors on Thursday voted to move forward with a process to propose mitigation options to the Federal Aviation Administration. The action is the latest in a series of efforts by county leaders to address the concerns of community members. In January 2023, the board directed the staff to open a dialogue with the FAA and in February sent a letter to the FAA seeking assistance in mitigating the noise. After being unable to open regular correspondence with the FAA, the board hired Vianair Consulting in June last year to help with that process.
Student’s future in jeopardy after UVa denies access to Grounds citing protest
A nursing student arrested during a May 4 anti-war protest at the University of Virginia is still being denied access to Grounds, a prohibition that has already cost him a job and could result in him failing his academic program. A total of 27 people were arrested when Virginia State Police broke up an encampment of protesters opposed to Israel's monthslong war with Palestinian terror group Hamas, ... That total arrest number includes some who say they were never part of the protest but were in the area of the encampment when state police arrived. UVa issued all 27 who were arrested "no trespass" orders, or NTOs, preventing them from legally returning to Grounds. Most of those orders have since been lifted or modified. Mustafa Abdelhamid’s has not.
End to no-strings-attached free checking raises concerns among some advocates for low-income residents
The Roanoke-based credit union Freedom First has become the latest financial institution to stop offering no-strings-attached free checking accounts. The credit union switched about 20,000 of its more than 60,000 members from its basic “Freedom Checking” accounts to its new “Freedom Perks” accounts on May 1. The new accounts carry benefits such as credit monitoring and roadside assistance but, starting June 1, will charge a $7 monthly fee unless a customer maintains a $2,500 average daily account balance or is under age 21. As Freedom First and other financial institutions have enacted such requirements, they have raised concern among some who argue that people with low incomes struggle to meet the requirements or pay the fees.
As primary election looms, make a plan to participate at the polls
Coming only days after most public school districts complete their academic year, Virginia’s June 18 primary election will almost certainly struggle to draw crowds at the polls this year. That’s unfortunate given the importance of several races on the ballot this summer. Nomination races for U.S. Senate and House will shape November matchups that will help determine the majorities of the Congress, which convenes in January. Voters shouldn’t overlook this opportunity to participate and should make a plan now to have their say. Tuesday is the registration deadline for those who intend to vote in the June primary, a date made less important thanks to measures that allow eligible Virginians to cast a ballot through same-day registration.
Tobacco Commission approves $500,000 for Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill
The Virginia Tobacco Commission voted to approve a $500,000 grant toward engineering and design of an improved natural gas gate at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill in Pittsylvania County. The commission approved the grant during its meeting Wednesday in Ewing in southwest Virginia. "Prospect interest in the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill makes it imperative that engineering design for the natural gas gate to proceed so that the required gas gate infrastructure can be constructed to provide natural gas service to the property," according to staff comments on the commission agenda.
Rozell: GOP House races expose the risks of far-right primary campaigns
Can a Republican primary campaign that is so ideologically extreme navigate back to the electable middle in time for the fall election? Two Virginia congressional races are testing the proposition and either could ultimately determine the balance of national power and profoundly shape U.S. policy for many years. One is the confusing and bitter nomination fight in the rural, strongly conservative 5th Congressional District that exposes deep fissures in the GOP.
D.C.-area parents worry about learning loss and teacher shortages, poll finds
Nearly half of Washington-area parents say learning loss from the pandemic and teacher shortages are major issues for local schools, a Washington Post-Schar School poll found, as districts continue to look for ways to boost student performance. When asked to rate how serious certain issues were in their communities’ schools, 46 percent of parents of schoolchildren across the region say learning loss from covid disruptions and not having enough teachers are major problems. More than half of parents in D.C. name each as major problems, along with roughly half in suburban Maryland and just over 4 in 10 in Northern Virginia.
Virginia Explained: Data center expansion, with all its challenges and benefits
Humanity is almost a quarter of the way through the 21st century and Virginia — home to 70% of the world’s data centers — is on the frontlines of the latest emerging technology: artificial intelligence, or AI. The prevalence of data centers and the rising role of AI don’t equate to a dystopian battle between humans and machine control, though (at least at the moment). Rather, these issues are at the center of a debate over localities’ authority and revenue benefits, historic preservation, environmental considerations, and electricity demand and utility rate projections, all shaped by ever-increasing internet use.
Tobacco commission announces more than $5 million in grants for Southwest, Southside
Eleven projects in Southwest Virginia totaling $3.71 million and eight projects in Southside totaling $1.33 million — focusing on site development, agribusiness, tourism and business development — were approved by the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission during the first meeting the panel has held in Lee County. Among the awards is a grant of $656,416 that will go toward constructing a shell building for a potential data center at a developing Wise County industrial park called Project Intersection. In recent months, county and economic development officials have said repeatedly that they hope to land data centers for Southwest Virginia.
Bill and Hillary Clinton to headline Virginia fundraiser for Biden, hosted by McAuliffe
President Biden and former President Clinton will team up for a mega fundraiser inside the Beltway in late June, hosted by former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Axios has learned. The event will be the third iteration of a successful fundraising formula that includes an evening with two (or three) Democratic presidents for the price of one. Scheduled for June 18, it follows the “three president” extravaganza in New York in April and a planned event with Biden, Clinton and former President Obama in mid-June in Los Angeles, hosted by George Clooney. The New York event brought in $26 million for Biden’s re-election effort.