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Federal Spending Rescued Mass Transit During Covid. What Happens Now?
As commuter buses and trains ran nearly empty at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government stepped in with $69.5 billion in relief funds. It was about five times the federal support for transit approved for 2019, and it is credited with rescuing public transit and saving more than 50,000 jobs in the United States. … With ridership still lagging and the prospects for mass transit again uncertain, the health of large transportation agencies around the county could hinge, in large part, on how much aid and in what form the federal government can supply. … The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which serves Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, in December released a budget that predicted “an unrecognizable Metro” because of service cuts.
Supreme, North Face brand owner to leave Henry County in 2025
VF Corp., the parent company of apparel brands including Timberland, North Face and Supreme, plans to close its Henry County distribution center in March 2025. VF spokesperson Ashley McCormack said the closure is intended to reduce the company’s operational costs. “We have evaluated how we are shipping products to best meet the needs of our customers,” McCormack said in an email. “As a result, we have made the difficult decision to close the Martinsville, VA Distribution Center. This transition will deliver operational efficiencies, consolidate our operations, and reduce real estate costs.”
VF Corp. to close Martinsville distribution center
Company officials confirmed Tuesday that VF Corp. will close its distribution center in Martinsville by March 2025. ... The number of employees affected was not disclosed, but the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. lists the facility on Nautica Way in Martinsville as employing between 250 and 500 people. Several employees at the facility described the scene Monday when everyone was called together and told to vacate the premises ...
Rep. Beyer pushes for more AI transparency
Alexandria Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) is doubling down on a push for new transparency standards after a controversy surrounding OpenAI and actress Scarlett Johansson. OpenAI claimed its new ChatGPT assistant, which sounded eerily similar to Johansson, wasn’t based on Johansson despite the actress saying the company previously tried to hire her for the chatbot. Further adding to evidence that it was, in fact, based on Johannsson’s voice was OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posting a one-word reference to the 2013 movie Her, which notably features Johansson playing an AI. Beyer said legislation he’s been advocating for would create transparency standards showing how the AI models are trained.
Solar firm Energix fined again for Virginia environmental violations
A company behind multiple utility-scale solar farms in Southside and Southwest Virginia has been cited for the third year in a row for violating state environmental regulations and must pay a civil penalty of $158,000. Energix Renewables has agreed to correct the problems at solar facilities in Buckingham, Henry, Sussex and Wythe counties, according to a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality consent order posted online Friday.
Solar farm developer cited for western Virginia environmental violations
A developer of solar farms, including ones in Henry and Wythe counties, allowed stormwater to flow uncontrolled from construction sites, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Energix US will pay a $158,000 fine for violating erosion and sediment control regulations at seven sites.
How a Stafford mom helped pass a law that pays caregivers of disabled children
When Emily Sagle sat down to draft a Facebook message this past November, her zeal for helping families living with severe disabilities was tempered only by a deeply ingrained skepticism of bureaucracy. “I was like, ‘The government is long lines and red tape,’” recalled the Stafford County mother of two, “it will never go anywhere.” Sagle’s message did, however, find the inbox of its intended recipient, then-Delegate-elect Joshua Cole. Within weeks, she had secured a sit-down meeting with Cole — who’d been elected only weeks prior — and a staffer at a Fredericksburg-area Starbucks to discuss a potentially expiring Medicaid waiver program that allowed parents to be paid as caregivers for their disabled children.
Virginia Democrats celebrate environmental wins, say they’ll still fight to stay in RGGI
Virginia first entered the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in 2020, and it’s added over $800 million to state efforts to combat climate change. While Governor Glenn Youngkin has tried to pull the state out of the agreement, Democrats said Tuesday they managed to still achieve some environmental wins despite RGGI cuts. Delegate Alfonso Lopez said the Democratic legislature got $231 million for environmental management for farms. That included $20 million for new pollution reduction projects. Then there’s $400 million in bonds for updating sewage treatment plants.
Youngkin signs bipartisan bills aimed at helping Virginia’s kids avoid foster care
In a ceremonial bill signing held in Hanover County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed two bipartisan bills aimed at helping Virginia’s kids avoid foster care. The bills create the Parental Child Safety Placement Program, allowing local Departments of Social Services to facilitate an agreement between a child’s biological parents and a relative so that relative may take care of the child to avoid putting them in foster care.
Fentanyl is fueling a record number of youth drug deaths
Fentanyl, a pervasive killer in America’s illicit drug supply, is increasingly landing in the hands of teens across the region and nation, worrying providers who say treatment options for youth are limited. Across the country, fentanyl has largely fueled a more than doubling of overdose deaths among children ages 12 to 17 since the start of the pandemic, according to a Washington Post analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released this month. Fatal overdoses in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are in keeping with the national increase in opioid fatalities, which until recently primarily claimed the lives of adults.