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FEMA adds 180 Richmond sites to flood zones
Roughly 180 Richmond homes and businesses will soon be in a high-risk flood zone, according to new FEMA flood maps for the city. The additions will likely be required to buy flood insurance for their property when the maps go into effect in two weeks. FEMA updates its Flood Insurance Rate Maps every five years to account for shifts in flood risk due to environmental changes, construction and development impacts, or other factors, per the city.
Trump Administration to End Protections for 58 Million Acres of National Forests, Including in Virginia
The Trump administration said on Monday that it would open up 58 million acres of back country in national forests to road construction and development, removing protections that had been in place for a quarter century. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans to repeal the 2001 “roadless rule” that had preserved the wild nature of nearly a third of the land in national forests in the United States. Ms. Rollins said the regulation was outdated. ... The unspoiled land in question includes Tongass National Forest in Alaska, North America’s largest temperate rainforest; Reddish Knob in the Shenandoah Mountains, one of the highest points in Virginia; and millions of acres of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho.
Youngkin names Richmond hotelier Neil Amin to VCU board, former House leader Eric Cantor to W&M board
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has named local hotelier Neil Amin to the Virginia Commonwealth University board of visitors. Amin is CEO of Shamin Hotels, which is based in Chesterfield County and owns about 75 hotels on the East Coast. His term begins July 1. Each year, the governor nominates people to the board of visitors for each public college in the state. The members typically serve a four-year term that can be renewed once.
Petersburg mayor among prominent names chosen for new Richard Bland College Board of Visitors
Petersburg’s mayor and the general manager of one of the city’s pharmaceutical manufacturers will be among the charter members of Richard Bland College’s Board of Visitors. The list, released June 20 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office, also includes a former state education official and a longtime area business professional. ... Among the notable names on the board is Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham, a 1996 graduate of RBC.
Federal judge temporarily halts lawsuit over Dominion’s Virginia Beach offshore wind farm
After a series of delays, a federal judge last week temporarily stayed a lawsuit against Dominion Energy’s wind farm off the Virginia Beach coast. Judge Loren AliKhan of the U.S. District Court in Washington ruled that the groups involved must decide whether they wish to proceed by late September. The lawsuit does not currently affect Dominion’s ability to move forward. The delays in the case stem from changes in federal leadership and policy under President Donald Trump, who has taken action to halt the offshore wind industry.
Warner, 21 other senators call for limits on Insurrection Act
Sen. Mark Warner wants to rein in a 218-year old law granting presidents sweeping power to send troops to suppress protests, a measure President Donald Trump has said he might use. Warner has joined 21 other senators sponsoring a bill that sets new limits on the Insurrection Act of 1807 — the law that President Abraham Lincoln invoked in the Civil War. “It’s clear that President Trump is unworried about defying the limits on executive power clearly outlined in our Constitution,” Warner said.
What to Do With the Top of Afton Mountain?
Augusta County wants a highway entrance that combines commercial development with a fitting welcome to the Valley; conservationists want to protect wildlife, the water supply, and open space; developers want a crack at a unique and desirable piece of property. Then there are nearby landowners, businesses, commuters, birdwatchers and hikers who all have their own interests in the possibilities ahead for the famously blighted 25 acres of mountain property uphill from Interstate 64 and Route 250. What the owners call the “lower mountain” is one of several scattered parcels in Albemarle and Augusta County that have had an uncertain future since the death of their owner, Phil Dulaney, in 2023.
Controlled environment agriculture and vertical farming looking up in rural Virginia
One by one the frizzle sizzles, brush strokes and violas make their way from plastic tubs to greenhouse beds. The tiny flowers rise just an inch or two out of rockwool, peat and oasis foam. They had germinated in a vertical grow room at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center in Danville. Now that they’ve sprouted, plant science student Jacob Haymore carefully places each one in the greenhouse slots where they will grow for the next several weeks. Soon they’ll stand about 8 inches tall, ready to add color to a summer salad.
Rush to finish work on Capital Beltway expansion in Virginia is underway
The final phase of the $660 million, 2.5-mile Capital Beltway expansion in Virginia is in the home stretch after nearly four years. Crews plan to mark another milestone on June 27 when they are scheduled to shift the Outer Loop southbound lanes to begin completion on a key phase of the project.
‘Extremely distressing’ Chesapeake Bay blue crab populations call for curtailing harvest, experts say
Blue crab populations in the Chesapeake Bay have taken a sizable hit in 2025, marking a need for more cautious harvest regulations, some environmentalists say. Each winter, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William & Mary cooperate on a dredge survey to record the population of blue crabs.