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1 of 4 election fraud charges dismissed in Blacksburg case
One of four election fraud charges against Blacksburg Town Council member Liam Watson was dismissed by a Circuit Court judge Tuesday. The grand jury indictment in question alleged that Watson listed a false address on official paperwork that certified his qualifications as a candidate in the Nov. 7, 2023, election for a seat on the council.
Norfolk floodwall delayed 4 years as costs rise, city considers alignment changes
Norfolk’s downtown floodwall project will take an additional four years to finish, Army Corps of Engineers officials told Norfolk City Council on Tuesday. The update comes as city and elected officials push for several changes to the project, which also faces an uncertain financial future. “Just know that this is being watched very closely,” said City Council member Courtney Doyle. Complications such as rising costs after the pandemic and issues with the real estate certification process have pushed the end of construction for the entire $2.6 billion floodwall and coastal resiliency project until 2037, said Keith Lockwood, Norfolk district chief, Water Resources Division, of the Army Corps.
Charles City County: Proposed data center promises windfall, stirs opposition
Financially troubled Charles City County is considering a large data center campus with its promise of a multimillion-dollar tax windfall. On Tuesday, the county board of supervisors will consider rezoning a 515-acre tract of woods in the northwestern corner of the rural county, about 20 miles east of Richmond. The rezoning request from Kansas-based Diode Ventures said it expects data centers on the site would operate 24 hours a day, but it did not provide detail about how many buildings it plans or the size of its investment or expected electricity use, although its map of the site noted eight areas on the tract that it labeled as buildable areas.
Data centers could soon be banned from Warrenton
Data centers could soon be banned from the Town of Warrenton. The Warrenton Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended that the town council remove data centers as an allowable use in industrial districts — effectively banning them from the town by eliminating the process by which they can be approved. The move comes about four years after the Warrenton Town Council approved a change to the zoning code to allow data centers in certain areas with a special exception permit, a process that requires a review of a project’s details to ensure it won’t negatively impact neighboring properties.
Fairfax County government workers vote to unionize in contentious election
A long-coming, sometimes bitter battle over the right to represent thousands of Fairfax County government workers ended in victory last week for one union, even as another cried foul over the election process and results. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local Virginia 512 announced last Friday (May 16) that county government workers have elected it as their exclusive bargaining unit for future contract negotiations after the largest organizing push among general government employees in Virginia history.
Speakers attack, defend trans students after Loudoun County locker room incident
The right of Loudoun County Public Schools transgender students to choose which bathroom or locker room they use was both attacked and defended by public speakers at before the Loudoun County School Board on May 20. The often heated comments by about 40 speakers were in response to an incident March 21 in which a transgender student allegedly made video recordings of three male students without their consent in the locker room of Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn.
U.S. 58 reopens months after it was destroyed by floodwaters — and months ahead of schedule
A 1.5-mile section of U.S. 58 between Damascus and Konnarock that was decimated by flooding and high winds from Hurricane Helene last September will officially reopen Thursday afternoon — five months ahead of schedule. The cost of the project is expected to total about $7 million, according to a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Va. transportation board approves nearly $1 billion in funding for SMART SCALE projects
Virginia awarded $983.6 million to 53 applicants in the sixth iteration of the competitive SMART SCALE process to help improve transportation across the commonwealth. On Wednesday, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the transportation and infrastructure projects that were recommended for approval by staff, after weighing 270 applications and making significant changes to the program last year.
Protesters gather outside Kiggans’ Town Center office to voice concerns about Trump’s spending bill
It was a soggy Wednesday, but that didn't keep protesters from gathering in the Town Center section of Virginia Beach with a message regarding President Trump's proposed spending bill, which he is dubbing a "big, beautiful" bill. About two dozen protesters carrying signs and umbrellas were sounding off in the rain. Amanda Pittman from the group Affordable Virginia organized this protest right outside Congresswoman Jen Kiggans' (R-Virginia) Town Center office.
Gerald Connolly, 75, Top Democrat on House Oversight Committee, Is Dead
Representative Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia, a feisty Democrat who prided himself on getting things done, and who defeated Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York to become his party’s top member of the powerful House Oversight Committee, died on Wednesday at his home in Fairfax County, Va. He was 75. His family announced the death. Mr. Connolly said late last year that he had esophageal cancer and would fight the disease. But in April, he told his constituents that the treatments had been unsuccessful and that he would not seek re-election in 2026.