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One Missing Middle lawsuit dismissed, but Arlington County’s legal fees still mounting
The first Missing Middle case to be heard in Arlington Circuit Court was dismissed last week, but legal fees in another lawsuit against the county continue to balloon. The dismissed lawsuit related to a pair of planned six-plexes in Alcova Heights, approved after the Expanded Housing Option changes. A judge struck the suit down on Friday “due to technical defects,” Zachary Williams, an attorney for developer Classic Cottages, told ARLnow. … This news comes as attorney fees from a more expansive lawsuit against EHO have mushroomed in recent months.
Following Youngkin veto, legislators look to protect those in mental health crisis
Virginia legislators passed a bill this session that would’ve given those with behavioral, neurological or cognitive health issues protections when in confrontations with the police. But Youngkin vetoed the effort. Now in summer working groups, some still hope to see problem addressed. Peter Francisco is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard. He’s got a 24-year-old autistic and legally blind son. Two years ago, after his son became aggressive, Francisco called the police for help. When the cops arrived, they tackled his son, but an officer’s face was scratched in the scuffle.
Study: Va. Living Shorelines Boost Recreational Fishing Economic Impact
Virginia’s legislation that made living shorelines the default option for erosion control (versus bulkheads or riprap) was met with some skepticism back in 2020. But a new study shows a benefit beyond wetlands conservation: these shorelines are generating local and state revenue through the recreational angler industry. Tidal marshes and living shorelines along Virginia’s Middle Peninsula produce more than $6.4 million in economic value each year from recreational anglers, according to a study by a team of researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The study, published recently in Ocean & Coastal Management, is the first to assign an economic value to an ecological benefit of living shorelines.
Port Authority doing further study of Southwest Va. site
The Virginia Port Authority will ramp up its evaluation of a proposed inland port site in Washington County, a new report shows. The authority and state previously reviewed two regions to consider locating a second inland port. That study identified the Mount Rogers area of Southwest Virginia as somewhere an inland port operation — which transfers commercial cargo between rail and highways — could potentially succeed.
Sen. Mark Warner says U.S. may be less prepared for election threats than it was four years ago
With only five months before voters head to the polls, the U.S. may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation aimed at influencing voters and undermining democracy than it was before the 2020 election, the leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Monday. Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, based his warning on several factors: improved disinformation tactics by Russia and China, the rise of domestic candidates and groups who are themselves willing to spread disinformation, and the arrival of artificial intelligence programs that allow the rapid creation of images, audio and video difficult to tell from the real thing.
Dominion closes sale of Utah gas utility for $4.3B
Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility Dominion Energy has closed on its $4.3 billion sale of subsidiaries Questar Gas and Wexpro to Canadian pipeline and energy company Enbridge, Dominion announced Monday. Salt Lake City, Utah-based natural gas utility Questar serves more than 1.2 million customers in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Wexpro supplies natural gas under a cost-of-service agreement to Questar. The deal was first announced Sept. 5, 2023. This is the second of three deals announced at that time to be finalized so far.
Grid tech laggards slow U.S. shift to renewables
New digital technology is being wired and programmed into power grids around the world to bolster their ability to use more renewable energy. But energy experts say the most state-of-the-art technology needed to meet rising electricity consumption is struggling to get a foothold in the United States. “Basically, we can’t do it without these technologies,” said Ann Rendahl, a member of the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission. “I don’t know how to put a finer point on it.”
Trial set to begin for Ohio man charged in 2017 Charlottesville torch rally at the University of Virginia
Years after a white nationalist rally erupted in violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, a trial is set to begin Tuesday for one of the people charged with using flaming torches to intimidate counterprotesters. The trial of Jacob Joseph Dix, 29, of Clarksville, Ohio, would be the first test of a 2002 law that makes it a felony to burn something to intimidate and cause fear of injury or death. Lawmakers passed the law after the state Supreme Court ruled that a cross-burning statute used to prosecute Ku Klux Klan members was unconstitutional.
Youngkin calls for repeal of new limits on college tuition program for military families
After attempting to rein in the skyrocketing costs of a state program that covers college expenses for some military families, Virginia leaders are discussing whether the move is proving so politically unpopular that they should return to Richmond to undo it. Advocates for military families have called for a special General Assembly session to repeal the changes to eligibility rules for the Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program, which assists spouses and children of military members who were killed or severely disabled as a result of their service.
Chesapeake Bay cleanup faces difficult trade-offs with agriculture
Rarely has the future been so clear. At midnight on Dec. 31, 2025, the Chesapeake Bay region will miss its goal for reducing nutrient pollution in the Bay. It will be the third miss, after work toward deadlines in 2000 and 2010 also came up short. While progress has been made, trends since the most recent Bay cleanup goals were set in 2010 suggest the region might not hit its nutrient reduction target for many decades. The primary reason for the shortfall is the region’s inability to grapple with the 25% of the Bay watershed that is covered by farms.