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Lynnhaven River Now building region’s first living shoreline made of mussels
Jeff Grimshaw’s family has owned a waterfront property in Virginia Beach for more than three decades, jutting out where the Lynnhaven Bay meets the river of the same name. Over that time “we’ve seen tremendous change,” Grimshaw said. “We are losing land at a pretty horrific rate.” Erosion exacerbated by storms and sea level rise has eaten away at the property’s edge, particularly in the last 20 years, he said. Now Grimshaw’s property will serve as a test site for a new kind of shoreline. Using a $15,000 state grant, the nonprofit Lynnhaven River Now is building a living shoreline made of mussels.
Dominion installs first post for offshore wind project
Dominion Energy plunged the first monopile — after the two existing pilot turbines — into the sea floor Wednesday, kicking off construction of the $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project that will bring 176 turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Installation of the post started mid-morning and was finished by the afternoon. The installation was delayed two weeks because a support vessel’s arrival was late ...
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.
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.
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.
Spotsylvania School Board considering drug testing all employees after teacher’s arrest
Two recent, alarming incidents in Spotsylvania County Public Schools prompted the school board to act during a Monday meeting that stretched into the early hours of Tuesday morning. The board voted 7-0 to instruct Interim Superintendent Kelly Guempel to bring back information to the next meeting on June 10 to examine the feasibility of implementing drug and alcohol testing for all employees. The testing would occur at the onset of hiring and randomly as well.
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.
Pressure the campaigns to hold an event at Virginia State University
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the de facto Democratic and Republican party presidential nominees, recently agreed to participate in two debates leading up to November’s vote. While the electorate may benefit from seeing the two major-party candidates square off, the revised schedule disappoints by nixing plans to hold a presidential debate at Virginia State University. Holding something meaningful, such as a vice presidential debate, at the Petersburg-area school would have tremendous value and the two campaigns should find a way to make it happen.
Mountain Valley Pipeline bumps planned in-service date
Developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline have revised their planned in-service date for the 303-mile natural gas project from West Virginia into Southern Virginia, saying they now hope to begin operating it in “early June.” On April 22, the pipeline’s joint venture company sent a request to the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission to authorize the pipeline’s operation by May 23, with a goal of placing it in service by June 1. The commission regulates the construction of interstate pipelines.
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.