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Fauquier County planning commission greenlights 93-acre solar farm near Bealeton
A 93-acre solar farm proposed for southern Fauquier County has cleared a hurdle that tripped up similar projects before it. The Bealeton Solar Center — a utility-scale solar farm halfway between Bealeton and Remington — got a boost last week when the county planning commission decided unanimously that it aligns with the county’s comprehensive plan.
Amazon buys former Parsons Farm for $218 million for first mid-county data center complex in Prince William
It’s official: Data centers are moving into Prince William County’s mid-county. Amazon has purchased the former Parsons Farm landscaping outlet and the surrounding acreage for $218 million. The sale, first reported earlier this week by the Washington Business Journal, confirms the fears nearby residents expressed at public hearings before the Prince William County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors earlier this year: that concrete buildings up to 85 feet tall would soon be on the horizon for sleepy Independent Hill.
Attorney says client who participated in 2017 torch-carrying mob looks too much like Nazi to get fair trial
Defense attorney Peter Frazier urged a judge Wednesday to toss his client’s felony intimidation charge stemming from his participation in a torch-carrying mob of racists that marched across University of Virginia Grounds seven years ago. Frazier said prosecutors have unfairly targeted Jacob Joseph Dix, gesturing toward the blond-haired, square-jawed, business-suited, 29-year-old Ohio man sitting beside him at the hearing in Albemarle County Circuit Court. “Can we all take a look at Jacob? He’s the prototypical German,” said Frazier. “He’s who they want getting perp-walked out of this courthouse, because he looks like a Nazi.”
Troubled Southwest Virginia draws promise of help from Youngkin, lawmakers
Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced plans for an economic development initiative in Southwest Virginia, a region still struggling with the loss of the coal industry and where Democratic House Speaker Don L. Scott Jr. (Portsmouth) has also mounted a new push to address lingering problems. Youngkin unveiled his “Accelerate Southwest Virginia” initiative last week at an economic forum at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Though he was short on specific policy offerings, Youngkin touted a list of state-funded improvement projects ...
Loudoun superintendent proposes closing school on four days for teacher training
Responding to backlash over a plan to start school two hours late on 16 days during the upcoming year to accommodate state-mandated teacher training, Loudoun County Public Schools has developed a new proposal. The new plan calls for school to be closed for teacher training on October 4, Nov. 4, Jan. 28, and June 16 during the 2024-25 school year, according to Superintendent Aaron Spence.
Schapiro: For Levar Stoney, do more opponents mean more opportunities?
The day after announcing that the city of Richmond had, for the first time, received Wall Street’s highest-possible credit rating — triple-A, a distinction that speaks to the strength of the local economy and could save taxpayers millions of dollars in interest on debt-backed bonds for a glittery replacement to the Diamond baseball park — Mayor Levar Stoney traveled to Bristol, in the rural southwestern corner of Virginia, where jobs are scarce and Democrats scarcer. Appearing with a political pal, former Mayor Neal Osborne, the trip was an exercise in self-promotion by Stoney, who — concluding that he would lose a one-on-one fight for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger — is now running for lieutenant governor ...
Yancey: Trixie Averill, one of most influential political leaders in western Virginia, dies
Trixie Averill, who went from a self-described “little ol’ housewife” from Vinton to one of the most important political leaders in the western part of the state, died Saturday after an extended illness. She was in her mid-70s. Averill never held elected office. Her highest office within the Republican Party was a brief stint at 6th Congressional District chair, but Averill’s influence could not be measured by a resume. Rather, Averill was part of a class of often little-known political activists who hold great power within their respective parties because of their ability to muster support for their favored candidates.
Loudoun allocates $2M to guaranteed-income pilot program for low-income residents
The Board of Supervisors voted 6-2 May 23 to allocate $2 million for a pilot “economic mobility” program for low-income county residents. Proposed by Supervisor Koran Saines (D-Sterling), the program would distribute monthly payments to residents at or below 30% of the area median income. In Loudoun County, 30% AMI is $32,550 for a one-person household or $46,450 for a family of four. Recipients would be able to use the funds for groceries, rent, paying down debt, or anything else they need, Saines said ...
Five Virginia Republicans vie for a chance to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine
Five Republicans are set on ousting Sen. Tim Kaine (D) in purple Virginia this fall, an uphill battle one of them can take on after winning the June 18 primary. Kaine, a former Virginia governor who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the seat “Solid D,” meaning it is not considered competitive. But all five Republicans say they would have a good shot at toppling Kaine, especially given recent polling suggesting a tighter race for president than in 2020 ...
VCU won’t directly pay its athletes, though new state law allows it
Virginia Commonwealth University will not directly pay its student-athletes, the school’s athletics director said recently, even though a new state law allows the university to do so. “We will not bring the collective in house, nor will we pay the kids directly as of right now,” said Ed McLaughlin, the university’s athletic director. McLaughlin expressed hesitancy to dive headfirst into an aggressive new state law that allows colleges to directly pay their players. ... VCU developed this plan over the past few months. Then on Thursday, the college sports landscape shifted when the NCAA announced it had settled three antitrust lawsuits and will pay current and past athletes $2.8 billion for name, image and likeness, or NIL, revenue they have been denied.