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Solar project proposed on Bent Mountain; Blacksburg’s ESS to expand
A Massachusetts renewable energy company has proposed placing solar panels on Bent Mountain. New Leaf Energy Inc. proposed construction of an energy facility at 9150 Reed Road that would begin generating electricity in 2027. The site is a former apple orchard — now mostly cleared for pasture — that belongs to Glenn Reed. The facility, which is described as small, will generate 3 megawatts or 4 megawatts of energy, the proposal said.
VCU students upset about school’s handling of pro-Palestine protest
Students at Virginia Commonwealth University that VPM News spoke with Tuesday were upset with the way university officials handled Monday’s student-led protest calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war — and for the university to comply with a list of demands. “Today’s the last day of classes,” said 23-year-old VCU student William Spencer outside the James Cabell Library on Tuesday. “I don’t understand why you don’t let this sit out a week. And then people go home at the end of next week. And so honestly, I think it would have been much better from the university to just tolerate it.” Spencer, who attended Monday’s protest, questioned the university’s decision to get police involved and so quickly. He said he witnessed students get hurt.
C’ville residents: Comparing 2017 white supremacist rally to pro-Palestinian campus protests unfair
Rabbi Tom Gutherz of Congregation Beth Israel, Charlottesville’s only synagogue, says it’s “political theater” to compare the campus protests against U.S. involvement in the war in Gaza to the white supremacist rallies that took place in Charlottesville in August 2017 — which is what former president Donald Trump did last week. On April 24, after a day in a felony criminal trial in Manhattan, Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of college protests by comparing them to the violent events in 2017, including the car attack by a neo-Nazi on counter-protesters that killed Heather Heyer and critically injured others.
New rules for ‘forever chemicals’ mean challenges, high costs for Fauquier County
Fauquier County has until 2029 to remove “forever chemicals” from public drinking water to comply with new EPA standards, but it’s going to be a heavy lift. This month, the Environmental Protection Agency released a first-of-its-kind standard for regulating PFAS compounds; it places strict limits on the concentration of chemicals allowed in public drinking water. PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” are man-made chemical compounds that are incredibly difficult to destroy and do not break down naturally.
Demonstrators take to streets in Richmond
Two days after police and pro-Palestinian protesters clashed at VCU, demonstrators took to the streets on Wednesday night. Demonstrators gathered at Abner Clay Park in the Jackson Ward neighborhood around 7 p.m. A group of about 60 marched from the park to VCU Police Headquarters at Broad and Third streets, and then returned to the park. A few hours later, a few people on bicycles briefly tried to block law enforcement vehicles near Madison and Clay streets before police turned on their sirens and lights.
Montgomery County manufacturer to invest $1.6M to increase capacity
ESS Technologies, which specializes in packaging line design, equipment manufacturing and integration for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and consumer packaging goods industries, will invest $1.6 million to increase capacity at a new facility in Montgomery County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.
D.C.-area senators try to stop more flights at Reagan National Airport
A group of Washington-area Senate Democrats who oppose adding more longer-distance flights in and out of DC’s Reagan National Airport — which was included in a bipartisan FAA bill released this week — are pressing for an amendment vote to strip it out of the legislation, which is being debated on the floor now. “The proposal flies in the face of known safety concerns and known congestion concerns so we are going to push very hard for this amendment,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland who warned that he and the other local senators may oppose the bill in the end if they don’t get a vote.
Virginia’s Planned Parenthood seeing more clients as Florida ban goes into effect
The Virginia League Planned Parenthood is trying to gauge how many patients will now head north. Virginia is now the only southern state that has not imposed additional restrictions on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, said Paulette McElwain, Chief Executive Officer of Virginia League for Planned Parenthood.
CEO of free clinic serving Appalachia saw pay package nearly double over 2 years, tax forms show
The director of the Health Wagon, a nonprofit free clinic that serves one of the poorest and medically underserved areas in the state, earned $520,000 in 2022, a pay package that nearly doubled over the last two years and was 12 times that of the average income of the people she serves. The increase places her compensation well beyond that of comparable executives in wealthier regions of Virginia, who are paid between $100,000 and $200,000.
Early voting starts Friday for June primaries; 13 on ballots in 7th District
Early voting starts Friday for the June 18 primary elections, which feature a crowded field of candidates. Seven Democrats and six Republicans are in the running for the 7th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat from Henrico County, has held the post since 2018 and is running for Virginia governor in 2025.