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Sierra Club’s Virginia chapter says data center growth is unsustainable
In a new report, the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter said business as usual on data centers is unsustainable. Lead author and researcher Ann Bennett used publicly available data on existing facilities, as well as those under construction or proposed to be built. She said that wasn’t an easy task because data was not available for all facilities due to a lack of transparency from developers and state and local governments. The Sierra Club’s estimate of total data center square footage either built or in the development pipeline is roughly 390,000,000 square feet, split among 1,295 facilities.
Prince William County board chairs clash on plan to build data centers behind Four Seasons
Deshundra Jefferson, the chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, and the former chair, Corey Stewart, are at odds over a proposal to rezone land behind Four Seasons, one of the county’s largest over-55 communities, for as many as five large data centers. Stewart, 56, spent 16 years on the board of supervisors and left in 2019, when he declined to run for reelection. He’s now an attorney working with landowners interested in rezoning their properties for lucrative data center deals.
Southside House of Delegates race draws interest from both Democrats, Republicans
House District 49 is one of only two delegate races in the state that feature primaries among both Democrats and Republicans. The Danville-centered district includes portions of Pittsylvania and Halifax counties. Republican Del. Danny Marshall is retiring after representing the area in Richmond for more than two decades and the GOP is seeking to hold onto the seat.
Democrats look to Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger for a win after rough patch
Democrats are touting former Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who they hope will be a bright spot for the party in the state’s gubernatorial election later this year, after months of internal drama and political bruisings from the GOP. Spanberger has already clinched the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), who is term-limited, ahead of Tuesday’s primary.
Virginia Democrats set to pick nominees in closely watched 2025 primaries
Virginia Democrats are set on Tuesday to pick their nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, rounding out the statewide ticket and setting the stage for a bellwether election later this year. Most of the nominees slated to be at the top of the November ticket have already been picked, and Republicans aren’t even having a statewide primary. In the race for governor, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, whose candidacy thwarted prospective primary challengers, will go up against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears — the only Republican who qualified for the ballot. Republicans have also solidified nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Vindman, Kiggans cross aisle in bid to get phones out of classrooms
Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-7th, and Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-2nd, are top targets of each other's political party in next year's congressional midterm elections, but they are making a common cause of getting cellphones out of school classrooms. Vindman and Kiggans have introduced a pair of bills in the U.S. House of Representatives to provide incentives to schools that prohibit cellphones in classrooms from the first bell in the morning to the last bell in the afternoon.
Warner speaks out on Trump policies during Shenandoah University visit
Virginia’s general election in November will be watched closely by the entire country because the outcomes will serve as a report card on President Trump’s performance in the White House. That’s according to Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, who held a town hall meeting Friday morning with a crowd of about 150 people in Halpin-Harrison Hall at Shenandoah University (SU).
Portsmouth sheriff declines to expand existing partnership with ICE
As some cities in Hampton Roads, such as Chesapeake, are broadening cooperation with federal immigration authorities, Portsmouth Sheriff Michael Moore said his department won’t be expanding its existing agreements with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But that doesn’t mean the agency isn’t cooperating with ICE, according to Moore, who said it will continue to honor immigration detainers that aid federal authorities’ deportation efforts.
Texts show Richmond officials reversing course on boil water advisory
In the early morning hours of May 27, officials knew they would likely have to issue Richmond’s second boil advisory of the year due to collapsing water pressure, text messages obtained by The Times-Dispatch show. When contacted by The Times-Dispatch that morning, they said that overnight issues at the city’s water treatment plant hadn’t been serious enough to necessitate the notice — despite the internal communications to the contrary. Three hours later, they backtracked and warned Richmond residents in large swaths of the city against consuming the tap water without boiling it.
Trump looms over Virginia governor’s race: What to know on primary day
Virginians are heading to the polls in one of this year's banner election fights where President Donald Trump's name isn't on the ballot but his second-term policies are very much top of voters' minds. The most consequential of the June 17 primary races center around who will be the next governor of the Old Dominion, a state that has seen its share of the federal government workforce shrink at the hands of Trump and former DOGE leader Elon Musk.