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Appalachian Power cancels Southwest Virginia battery energy storage system
Appalachian Power has canceled its plans to build a battery energy storage system in Southwest Virginia, citing factors including storm damage brought by Hurricane Helene last year. State regulators last year approved Appalachian’s plan to build the system on two sites in Grayson and Smyth counties to serve around 2,790 customers on the utility’s Glade-Whitetop circuit. It would have stored electricity drawn from the grid and deployed it during high-demand periods and outages.
Yancey: 8 things to know about Google’s data center deal in Botetourt County
The biggest news last week was that Google has bought 312 acres in Botetourt County for a potential data center complex. While “potential” is an important qualifier, this does not appear to be a speculative project. The timeline for “Project Raspberry,” as it’s called in some government circles, is for the project to break ground in early January, shortly before Gov. Glenn Youngkin leaves office. It didn’t take long after the Google project was announced that it drew raspberries of a different sort online.
$500K grant in jeopardy if Averett doesn't get default waiver
Citing “time is of the essence,” Averett University is asking its bondholders for a default waiver to finalize its 2024 financial audit report, otherwise jeopardizing $500,000 in grant funds used in the summer months. Since Averett has stayed current on the payments, there is no monetary default on the $14.67 million in bonds it took out in 2017 for construction projects. However, Averett was informed earlier this year that it was technically in default for other reasons.
From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Anna Bryson of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Brandon Jarvis of Virginia Scope, and Brad Kutner of Radio IQ. They discuss the week's top headlines: the Virginia GOP ticket's first joint appearance, Sears and Spanberger on immigration, and ICE arrests at Chesterfield County courthouse. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
How Virginia’s wealth works against poor rural homeowners getting FEMA aid for storm recovery
The calendar that hung on the wall in Sherry Smith’s water-damaged trailer read February. It unceremoniously marked the time when life inside the mobile home stopped for her and her husband, Mike Smith. It had been more than three months since winter storms brought widespread flooding across Southwest Virginia and about three feet of water into the Smiths’ home. . . . When the disaster declaration was approved for Virginia, it was for public assistance to help rebuild infrastructure in damaged localities. Individual assistance, meant to help people rebuild or repair homes or relocate to new ones, was not approved. That fact has left many in the town of Richlands feeling overlooked and wondering why. The answer lies in a formula used by the federal agency to determine whether a state would qualify for assistance, and what kind of assistance, after a disaster. That formula directly disadvantages the more rural, more impoverished — and more disaster-prone — parts of Virginia.
Hospital associations in Va., 13 states warn against proposed cuts to Medicaid and hospital funding
As Congress debates funding changes to Medicaid that could negatively impact rural hospitals and patients’ access to care, hospital associations in Virginia and 13 other states sent a joint letter to U.S. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, warning of the potential risks to health care access for people who need it the most. Provider assessment rates and state-directed payment programs are at risk — two funding mechanisms that are critical to hospital operation in Virginia and that determine how hospitals chip into the state’s expanded Medicaid coverage. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association estimated each program could take a $2 billion hit, if the proposal is fully implemented.
Former campaign treasurer for Kaine and Warner admits to embezzlement
A former campaign treasurer for Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner of Virginia and other Democrats pleaded guilty this week to embezzling more than $840,000 in political contributions to finance a trip to Italy, a private suite for an Elton John concert, a chartered yacht tour and other luxury expenses. Katherine M. Buchanan, 59, was the campaign treasurer for the two senators and former U.S. representative Stephanie Murphy of Florida and held the same job at several political-action committees supporting the three Democrats’ electoral efforts. She pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling funds from those entities and evading taxes.
Former Roanoke state Sen. Granger Macfarlane dies
Former Roanoke state Sen. Granger Macfarlane has died. He was 95. A Democrat, Macfarlane served two terms in the 1980s and early 1990s. In Richmond, Macfarlane earned a reputation as an independent-minded legislator — some called him a “maverick” — who insisted on reading every bill, sometimes to the consternation of other senators when he found provisions they were hoping wouldn’t attract attention.
GOP nominee for lieutenant governor recalls meeting Ronald Reagan in Lynchburg
John Reid, the long-time conservative talk radio show host in Richmond who is now the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, had a feature on his show called “Reid on the Road” where he would take his listeners on journeys across the state. On one of his trips, Reid did a live show from the Craddock Terry Hotel in downtown Lynchburg where he reminisced about his visits to Liberty University. One of his best memories was from 45 years ago when he was only 9 years old and got to meet former California Gov. Ronald Reagan who was running for president, Reid recalled in an interview with The News & Advance.
Democrats’ pick to replace Rep. Connolly wants to carry forward his legacy
In the crowded primary to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia) in Congress, there was only one Democrat who could claim much of a link to the late longtime congressman: Fairfax County Supervisor James R. Walkinshaw. As the popular lawmaker’s chief of staff for a decade, Walkinshaw, 42, had long been seen as a likely successor in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District — even well before Connolly’s death opened up this seat in the D.C. suburbs. With support from Connolly and the broad political coalition he had built across Fairfax, Walkinshaw managed to win almost 60 percent of the vote in Saturday’s election against nine other candidates. . . . The Sept. 9 special election will pit Walkinshaw against Stewart Whitson, a lawyer at a conservative think tank whom Republicans picked as their nominee Saturday.