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Long-awaited effort to limit data center noise in Prince William County hits a snag
A nearly three-year effort to revise Prince William County’s noise ordinance to limit the constant, annoying low-pitched roar emitted by some data centers will be delayed because further testing is needed to enforce the new rules. The county formed a special committee of residents and county staff and hired three different consultants to work on the new ordinance, an effort that has so far taken about two years. But one of the three consultants — a specialist on enforcement — said more testing is needed to devise a better way to identify the source of problem noise.
Norfolk School Board fires superintendent in surprise 4-3 vote
A closely divided Norfolk School Board voted Wednesday to remove Superintendent Sharon Byrdsong as the school system faces demands from Norfolk City Council to close at least 10 schools. The vote was 4-3 with School Board Chair Sarah DiCalogero, and members Jason Inge, Tiffany Moore-Buffaloe and Tanya Bhasin voting to terminate Byrdsong’s contract without cause. Vice chair Alfreda Thomas, members Adale Martin and Kenneth Paulson voted against the resolution. In remarks before the vote, Paulson said the firing was in direct response to a May memo Byrdsong sent the board criticizing what she said was dysfunction and a loss of trust between the School Board and the public.
Trump and Army plan to restore name of Fort Lee — but not for that Lee
President Donald Trump and the U.S. Army plan to restore the names of seven bases that had been named for Confederate officers. But the Army says the restored names, such as Virginia’s Fort Lee, Fort Pickett and Fort A.P. Hill, will not honor the Confederate officers, but decorated service members who had the same last names as the Confederates. For instance, the Army plans to rename the former Fort Lee in Prince George County — now Fort Gregg-Adams — for Fitz Lee, a Black Buffalo Soldier who received the Medal of Honor for helping rescue wounded comrades under fire during the Spanish American War.
Henrico, Hanover come to the table to discuss water
The governments of Hanover and Henrico held a joint meeting Wednesday in the wake of two Richmond water outages this year that left county leaders “frustrated.” The topic of conversation: how do the two counties work with Richmond and Chesterfield to make sure it doesn’t happen again? Henrico and Hanover have been talking about the need for regional oversight since January.
FBI leaders seek to move some training from Quantico, Virginia, to Alabama; Youngkin questions proposal
FBI leadership is pushing to move one of the bureau’s elite training academies from Quantico, Virginia, to Huntsville, Alabama, according to multiple people familiar with the plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a proposal that has not yet been made public. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s effort to relocate the National Academy — a 10-week training program for local and international law enforcement and federal agents who are not with the FBI — is part of the Trump administration’s broader goal of shrinking the bureau’s footprint in the Washington, D.C., area and relocating personnel to Huntsville.
No, Not That Lee. Pentagon Finds Black Hero to Rechristen Base Long Named for Robert E.
In its latest move to undo diversity efforts, the Army announced this week that it had found ways to restore the names of seven installations that long venerated Confederate heroes. But in the case of Fort Lee in Prince George County, Va., the Pentagon did it with a curious twist. Rather than restore the name of Gen. Robert E. Lee, the Confederate commander who defended slavery, the Army found Pvt. Fitz Lee, who was Black and fought in the Spanish-American War. Private Lee, who had kidney disease, died in 1899 within months of being awarded a Medal of Honor.
Female athletes, including one from UVa, appeal NCAA settlement, saying it violates federal antidiscrimination law
Eight female athletes filed an appeal Wednesday of a landmark NCAA antitrust settlement, arguing that women would not receive their fair share of $2.7 billion in back pay for athletes who were barred from making money off their name, image and likeness. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved the settlement last week, clearing the way for direct payments from universities to athletes and the end of the NCAA’s amateurism model. The athletes who appealed the settlement competed in soccer, volleyball and track. They [include] Kate Johnson of Virginia. They have standing to appeal because they previously filed objections to the proposed settlement.
Winsome Earle-Sears, John Reid face GOP identity test in historic Virginia election
Virginia Republicans have made history with a groundbreaking statewide ticket, but now they face the challenge of selling it to their own base. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Marine Corps veteran and the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia, is the Republican nominee for governor. Running alongside her for lieutenant governor is John Reid, a conservative radio host and the first openly gay man nominated for statewide office by the GOP. Together, they represent one of the most diverse Republican tickets the Commonwealth has ever seen.
Youngkin says gubernatorial appointments rejected by the General Assembly can still serve
A fight is now brewing between Governor Glenn Youngkin and the Democratic-controlled Virginia General Assembly. That’s because Youngkin is arguing that eight of his picks to serve on the board of visitors at various universities can continue to serve, despite their nominations being rejected by the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on June 9. In a statement, Youngkin’s offices said, “Make no mistake, these highly qualified appointees will continue to serve in their posts as the Constitution of Virginia affords.”
Shannon Taylor criticized for $650,000 Dominion Energy donations in attorney general race
Fourteen Virginia Democratic leaders have signed a letter calling for attorney general candidate Shannon Taylor to take action after ethical concerns were raised from her receiving more than half a million dollars in donations from Dominion Energy. The letter lists specific ways in which the alleged $650,000 worth of donations are an ethical dilemma that would create a conflict of interest in the event of her being elected.