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Manassas City Council hikes data center tax rate 72% in new budget
Both property owners and data centers in the City of Manassas will pay higher tax bills under the $333 million budget for fiscal year 2025 the city council approved Monday. … The budget hikes the tax rate paid by data centers in Manassas by 72%. Data centers will pay $2.15 per $100 in the assessed value on their computer servers and other computer equipment. The new $2.15 rate is a 90-cent increase over the city’s current “computer and peripherals tax rate” of $1.25. The new rate applies to all businesses in the city, but data centers and other tech companies such as Micron pay the bulk of the tax revenue.
Chesapeake City Council rejects referendum on possible voting changes
Chesapeake City Council rejected a resolution [Tuesday] night to poll voters on whether the city’s voting system should change. In a 3-6 vote, city council members decided against asking residents about shifting from an at-large system, where all registered voters can cast ballots on all city council members and the mayor. In its place could have been a ward voting system, where constituents vote for a representative in their district and the mayor.
Older worker accuses Virginia-based Raytheon of discriminating by seeking recent college grads
A major defense contractor was sued Tuesday over allegations that it discriminated against older workers in job ads. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston accuses RTX Corporation of posting ads that target younger workers at the expense of their older peers in violation of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Act, and the Virginia Human Rights Act. RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies Corporation, is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
Loudoun Groups Cite Priorities in Power Line Opposition
Bury new transmission lines. Explain the impact of new power infrastructure on local communities. Stop data center growth. Those are the priorities listed by Loudoun residents speaking up about the planned transmission line projects by Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy in the county. On Tuesday, the Lansdowne Conservancy, Loudoun Transmission Line Alliance and Piedmont Environmental Council hosted a community meeting to delve into those issues. The conservancy has been leading the effort to have all or part of Dominion Energy’s Aspen to Golden 500- and 230-kV line project along Rt. 7 in eastern Loudoun undergrounded—a feat Dominion said is not feasible ...
Bob Good’s brother accused of berating primary opponent McGuire at church
The brother of a congressional candidate allegedly verbally assaulted his brother’s opponent in a church on Sunday. John McGuire is running for Virginia’s Fifth District Congressional seat against incumbent Bob Good. McGuire was attending Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg over the weekend, where he said Good’s brother, Steve Good, came up to him following the early service.
Shenandoah County School Board sued after reinstating Confederate school names
The Virginia NAACP and five students are suing a school board that voted last month to restore the names of two schools previously named for Confederate leaders, saying the decision creates a discriminatory educational environment for Black students. The federal complaint filed Tuesday says the reversal denies Black students an equal opportunity to education by forcing them to attend a school named after Confederate leaders. “It just feels like a huge step in the wrong direction,” said Briana Brown, one of the student plaintiffs, and a rising senior in a program housed in Mountain View High School. “And if we let them get away with this, what’s next?”
Petersburg schools’ acting superintendent resigns weeks after taking over
Petersburg City Public Schools’ acting superintendent John Farrelly resigned, the school division announced Tuesday evening, less than two months after he took over the school district. The former superintendent, Tamara Sterling, disappeared in late February and officially resigned March 20. The reasons for her departure have been shrouded in secrecy as school officials refuse to answer questions about the circumstances surrounding her parting. ... The Petersburg school division is under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Education due to its schools’ troubles.
Metro still not complying with safety commission’s document requests, leader says
On Tuesday, the leader of a commission overseeing Metrorail on safety said Metro is still not turning over all of the safety-related documents the commission has asked for. Metro’s refusal comes despite a subpoena and calls from a Congressman for Metro to turn all the documents over. As 7News first reported in April, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) – which was created by Congress to oversee Metrorail on safety – hit Metro with a subpoena for refusing to turn over all documents the WMSC requested for an investigation into the “fitness for duty and occupation health” of Metro employees.
Mountain Valley Pipeline gets final approval to begin operations
The Mountain Valley Pipeline was authorized Tuesday to begin operations, the final step in a bitter, decade-long battle between natural gas advocates and opponents. Approval of the deeply controversial project was granted in a one-page letter released shortly after 5 p.m. by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “We find that Mountain Valley has adequately stabilized the areas disturbed by construction and that restoration and stabilization of the construction work area is proceeding satisfactorily,” Terry Turpin, director of the commission’s Office of Energy Projects, wrote in the letter.
Virginia NAACP sues Shenandoah school board after district restored Confederate names
The Virginia NAACP on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Shenandoah County School Board for what it called “reaffirming discrimination,” after the school system voted to rebrand schools with Confederate names in May. The lawsuit alleges that the school board violated the U.S. Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunity Act. The plaintiffs seek to remove the Confederate names, mascots and vestiges, and to prevent any future school naming involving Confederate leaders or references to the Confederacy.