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Loudoun Supervisors Narrowly Approve Data Center Near Leesburg
After months of meetings in which supervisors debated the merits of allowing a data center on land near Leesburg Executive Airport, the board last night voted narrowly to approve the proposal. The rezoning application was submitted by JK Land Holdings and would permit up to 556,746 square feet of data center space on a 22-acre tract along Crosstrail Boulevard and Sycolin Road. It would also alternatively permit up to 416,000 square feet of warehouse or distribution uses, or up to 218,000 square feet of industrial uses.
As Richmond’s departing finance director touts progress, she warns there’s still ‘pockets of secrecy and sabotage’
In what will likely be her last presentation to the Richmond City Council, departing Finance Director Sheila White said the office she’s led has made substantial progress, while warning that “pockets of secrecy and sabotage” remain. White gave the Council’s Finance and Economic Development Committee a status update Wednesday as she prepares to leave city government on July 25. After leading the city’s struggling Finance Department since 2021, White told Council members that — from her perspective — a turnaround is underway even if it’s not obvious to businesses and residents experiencing problems with their tax bills.
Federal license plate reader searches raise surveillance questions
Across Virginia, automated license plate readers built by Flock Safety silently capture and log details of every passing car. Most people don’t know they are being tracked; fewer know where that data ends up. Data from automatic license plate readers usually ends up in the hands of law enforcement. In Virginia, state and local law enforcement can access this data to support criminal investigations or missing persons cases. But in the City of Richmond, a recent incident is raising concerns about how technology can be misused for federal immigration enforcement.
Embattled UVa Medical School dean stepping down
Four months after a resignation letter in her name was deemed a hoax and nine months after 128 health care professionals at the University of Virginia penned a letter of no confidence in her leadership, UVa School of Medicine Dean Dr. Melina Kibbe is stepping down. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston announced Monday it planned to hire Kibbe and she would officially be named president of the center after a required 21-day waiting period. UVa has not yet said who will be replacing her.
When will UVa have a new president?
There is no guarantee that the University of Virginia will have a new president by the time students return to Grounds in Charlottesville on Aug. 26. UVa announced Wednesday that the selection of an interim president will take weeks and is set to include a nomination process as well as multiple listening sessions with university community members. Former UVa President Jim Ryan's resignation took effect last Friday after he announced June 26 he would be stepping down under pressure from the Trump administration Department of Justice.
Earle-Sears shakes up campaign for Virginia governor as fundraising, polls lag
GOP gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears has asked her campaign manager — a pastor with no political experience — to step away from that role amid calls from some fellow Republicans to shake up a campaign that is lagging in fundraising and polls, according to two people familiar with the matter. Will Archer, pastor of Potomac Valley Church in Dumfries, may stay on with the campaign in a different role, according to the two, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. The move came this week as the latest campaign finance reports indicate that Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman, is widening her fundraising lead and a new poll shows Earle-Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor, trailing by double digits.
Democrats lead fundraising in top statewide races, but Miyares outpaces AG opponent
New campaign finance reports show Democrats hold a fundraising edge in Virginia’s races for governor and lieutenant governor, while Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is leveraging his incumbency to outpace his Democratic challenger. The latest reports, covering the period from June 6 to June 30, show Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger raised more than $4.2 million and ended the month with over $15.2 million in the bank.
Letter from 12 deans to UVa. Board of Visitors goes unanswered for almost two weeks
In the wake of former University President Jim Ryan’s sudden resignation, 12 of the University’s 14 academic deans sent a letter to the Board of Visitors July 4 calling for transparency and expressing a desire to work alongside the Board during a time of "confusion and alarm” for many stakeholders. “We can be your partners in supporting the very best outcomes for our students, our patients and the broader University community,” the letter read. The Cavalier Daily obtained the letter from a source who wished to remain anonymous. The source said that, at the time of publication, the academic deans had received no response from the Board regarding their offer to meet with the Board “as soon as possible.”
UVa hospital CEO Wendy Horton to resign
Wendy Horton, CEO of the University of Virginia Medical Center, is leaving the flagship hospital of the UVa Health System. Her exit means that in less than five months all three of UVa Health's top executives have announced their departures, leaving the top-ranked hospital system in the commonwealth without permanent leadership. And this in the wake of UVa President Jim Ryan's abrupt resignation last month under pressure from the Trump administration Department of Justice over diversity policies. Horton plans to leave Charlottesville in early September for San Francisco, where she has been named senior vice president and president of adult care services within the University of California ...
Rail Trail coalition makes push at Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting
A coalition of 12 local governments made their presence known at Wednesday morning’s Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting, voicing strong support for converting the Shenandoah Valley’s dormant rail corridor into a dedicated multi-use recreational trail. Shenandoah County Supervisor Tim Taylor delivered a coordinated message on behalf of the group at the meeting held at the George Washington Hotel in Winchester. ... “The vast majority of our community leaders, and our constituents, still believe the highest and best use of this corridor, at this time, is the creation of a multi-use trail.”