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Youngkin signs legislation aimed at protecting children
Governor Glenn Youngkin signed legislation on Wednesday that protects children from exploitation, missing child alerts and sentencing guidelines. “As a father of four children, I know that protecting our children is a parent’s highest priority. By signing these pieces of legislation today we continue to make progress to ensure the safety and well-being of our children. I am proud to sign these bills that protect our children and hold those who commit atrocities against children accountable,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Completion of Mountain Valley pipeline delayed, again
Developers are again delaying — slightly, they say — plans to begin shipping natural gas through the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Construction crews are still working to complete the final sections of the 303-mile pipeline, Matthew Eggerding, deputy general counsel for the project, wrote in a letter late Tuesday to federal regulators. Rather than place the pipeline in service by June 1, as Mountain Valley had asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a month ago, the company is now “adjusting its targeted in-service date to early June,” the letter stated. An exact date was not provided.
GOP actions in the states, including Virginia, put contraceptive access in the 2024 spotlight
Republican lawmakers in states across the U.S. have been rejecting Democrats’ efforts to protect or expand access to birth control, an issue Democrats are promoting as a major issue in this year’s elections along with abortion and other reproductive rights concerns. Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, pushed the issue into the political spotlight this week when he said in an interview that he was open to supporting restrictions on contraception before he reversed course and said he “has never and never will” advocate to restrict access to birth control.
Despite concerns, Washington County Planning Commission approves solar rules
Washington County Virginia’s Planning Commission this week proposed updates to its solar energy guidelines in anticipation of large-scale solar farms locating there. Texas-based Catalyst Energy has proposed putting solar panels on as much as 1,800 acres of land in Washington County, largely in agricultural areas around Wyndale near the Washington County Industrial Park, said Washington County Zoning Administrator Stephen Richardson.
Panel Asks Loudoun School Board for Guidance on Renaming Initiative
A School Board committee voted unanimously Tuesday to seek guidance from the full board on the renaming of division schools affiliated with people, places or ideals linked to slavery or the confederacy. The panel was reviewing a recommendation to potentially rename nine schools. The decision came after staff members asked the Finance & Operations Committee on May 7 for direction on how it should proceed with nine school names that had been identified by the Black History Committee of the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library as needing a closer look.
Virginia weighs regulations on hound hunting, citing tensions with landowners
Virginians have hunted deer and bears using hounds for centuries. The tradition has benefits for wildlife management and recreation, state officials say. But they also say they’re seeing rising conflict between hunters and landowners who don’t want dogs encroaching on their property. “This is the most common complaint that the department receives,” Cale Godfrey with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources told a state board earlier this year. “Frequent, repeated instances of unwanted dog presence are the source of many of those complaints.” State officials are now weighing new regulations on hound hunting. This week the department launched a public comment period on two proposals.
Youngkin signs CODI alert bill in honor of Codi Bigsby
On Tuesday afternoon, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a bill to create the CODI alert in honor of Codi Bigsby, the little boy from Hampton who is presumed dead after his father, Cory Bigsby, was found guilty of his murder. The alert similar to an Amber Alert, but it removes the criteria of the suspicion of abduction.
Spotsylvania School Board revisits book policy
While book removals from Spotsylvania County school libraries was a hot-button issue last year, the issue has been nonexistent in 2024. Last year, former schools Superintendent Mark Taylor removed 30 books from libraries after they were challenged by parents. A new majority school board took over in January and it quickly placed Taylor on leave. The board fired Taylor in March. During its Monday night meeting, the school board addressed the issue of the banned books’ current status.
Dominion Energy may move proposed natural gas plant to Chesterfield Power Station site
Dominion Energy is considering a different location for its proposed Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC). In a letter sent to the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors on May 1, Dominion Energy proposed the idea of “potentially siting CERC on the Chesterfield Power Station Property,” which is around six miles away from the currently-proposed site. Dominion Spokesperson Jeremy Slayton said the idea was based on feedback from the community.
Henrico County-based Altria seeks approval for lockable e-cigarette and flavored vaping pods
Henrico County-based tobacco giant Altria Group‘s vaping unit is asking federal regulators to let it sell a device that locks out users unless they can verify that they are old enough to legally use it. At the same time, Altria’s NJOY unit is asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve watermelon- and blueberry-flavored nicotine vaping pods. The FDA does not currently allow fruit- or candy-flavored vapes.