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Residential solar industry weighs impacts of tax credit loss, potential rate changes
Solar installers are staring down a potential one-two punch of changes that could drastically alter the math for residential customers who are considering whether to invest in panels. A federal tax credit that can help a homeowner offset thousands of dollars of the cost of buying solar panels is set to expire at the end of this year, thanks to the federal megabill dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Separately, Virginia utility regulators are deciding whether to allow Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy to reduce how much they credit future residential solar panel owners for the electricity they generate beyond what they consume.
The White House says it’s investigating antisemitism. Faculty at George Mason U. suspect a coordinated ouster attempt.
When the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) notified George Mason University on July 1 that it was opening an antisemitism investigation based on a recent complaint, the university’s president, Gregory Washington, said he was “perplexed.” Compared with other campuses, where protesters had ransacked buildings and hunkered down in encampments, George Mason had been relatively quiet over the past year, he said. His administration had taken extensive steps to improve relations with the Jewish community, enacted strict rules on protest, and communicated all of that to the OCR during a previous antisemitism investigation that remained open. By the next day, though, there were signs that the new probe was part of a coordinated campaign to oust him.
The ‘defunding’ of Planned Parenthood on pause for now as legal battles progress
Federal funding to Planned Parenthood facilities in Virginia and across the nation are tied up in legal battles for the time being. A provision in Congress’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by President Donald Trump last week would block Medicaid payments for services at facilities like Planned Parenthood for up to a year. Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration over the provision on Monday and a district court judge granted the organization a two-week restraining order against the federal government. In the commonwealth, about 700 to 800 patients per month use Medicaid to pay for services, said RaeAnn Pickett, communications director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia.
Virginia lands $16.4M from new opioid settlement with drugmakers
In another major legal win in the fight against the opioid crisis, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Thursday that the commonwealth could receive up to $16.4 million as part of a sweeping $720 million multi-state settlement with eight generic drug manufacturers accused of flooding communities with addictive painkillers. “Years ago, pharmaceutical companies exploited Virginians, treating them like test subjects while pushing dangerous, addictive drugs into our communities while lining their pockets,” Miyares said in a statement. . . . Virginia helped negotiate the deal alongside attorneys general from California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Utah. The announcement marks another step in Virginia’s broader legal effort to hold opioid manufacturers accountable — efforts that have now resulted in over $1.1 billion in secured settlements for the state.
As part of FEMA Review Council, Youngkin to assess state, federal disaster coordination
In the wake of deadly flooding in central Texas and New Mexico that claimed over 100 lives with nearly 200 still missing, scrutiny of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which provides disaster recovery services and funding, has mounted. Before the floods, the federal government had announced plans to eliminate or remake the agency and is now reviewing its procedures, funding, and execution of agency missions, a process in which Virginia’s governor is taking an active role.
Kaine and Warner: Virginia must resist Trump's attacks on higher ed – before it's too late
Last month, the Trump Department of Justice crossed a dangerous line when it interfered in the governance of the University of Virginia to oust president Jim Ryan, not for misconduct or mismanagement, but for reasons of personal and political grievance. Under Ryan’s leadership, UVa expanded access to first-generation and low-income students, navigated complex challenges around free speech and campus safety, and strengthened UVa’s standing as one of the world’s premier public research institutions. But instead of being recognized for those accomplishments, he was targeted — the latest casualty in a calculated campaign by the Trump administration to politicize higher education and undermine local governance of public education.
Yancey: Where does Earle-Sears stand? Nobody really knows because she won’t make herself available for serious questioning.
The pro-business group Virginia FREE sent out a seemingly routine announcement earlier this week: Its board of directors had met with Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, to discuss business-related issues. What wasn’t said, and what made this announcement newsworthy: Virginia FREE has been trying for three months to secure a similar meeting with Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, and still doesn’t have a commitment, according to the group’s executive director, Chris Saxman.
Chesapeake Bay is stagnating. Here’s what could help.
First, a filthy Chesapeake Bay represented all that wasn’t working with America’s stewardship of its natural environment. Then, the bay became a success story. The sloughs of poorly treated sewage at the bottom of slime-green lagoons disappeared, and oyster populations, once nearly wiped out, made a near-miraculous comeback. The turnaround seemed to show that even big environmental problems could be managed. In recent years, however, progress has stalled.
Henry County to demolish dozens of blighted properties
An abandoned property sticks out among the row of modest houses in the Greyson Street neighborhood in Henry County’s Collinsville district. For years, the home has been vacant, with overgrowth almost completely covering its street-facing exterior, to the dismay of some neighbors. “It’s about time,” said Aesha Mitchell upon learning about plans to demolish the house and similar structures throughout the county. . . . At their June 5 meeting, county supervisors voted unanimously to demolish 39 properties deemed unsafe.
As AI booms and the grid strains, Virginia grapples with competing energy visions
A new report from the Department of Energy warns that, without increased energy production, the nation’s power grid could face a sharp rise in blackouts by 2030. In Virginia, Republicans are sounding the alarm, arguing that Democratic-led efforts to expand renewable energy and combat climate change are hindering the state’s ability to meet growing demands.