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Dominion closes sale of Utah gas utility for $4.3B
Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility Dominion Energy has closed on its $4.3 billion sale of subsidiaries Questar Gas and Wexpro to Canadian pipeline and energy company Enbridge, Dominion announced Monday. Salt Lake City, Utah-based natural gas utility Questar serves more than 1.2 million customers in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Wexpro supplies natural gas under a cost-of-service agreement to Questar. The deal was first announced Sept. 5, 2023. This is the second of three deals announced at that time to be finalized so far.
Grid tech laggards slow U.S. shift to renewables
New digital technology is being wired and programmed into power grids around the world to bolster their ability to use more renewable energy. But energy experts say the most state-of-the-art technology needed to meet rising electricity consumption is struggling to get a foothold in the United States. “Basically, we can’t do it without these technologies,” said Ann Rendahl, a member of the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission. “I don’t know how to put a finer point on it.”
Trial set to begin for Ohio man charged in 2017 Charlottesville torch rally at the University of Virginia
Years after a white nationalist rally erupted in violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, a trial is set to begin Tuesday for one of the people charged with using flaming torches to intimidate counterprotesters. The trial of Jacob Joseph Dix, 29, of Clarksville, Ohio, would be the first test of a 2002 law that makes it a felony to burn something to intimidate and cause fear of injury or death. Lawmakers passed the law after the state Supreme Court ruled that a cross-burning statute used to prosecute Ku Klux Klan members was unconstitutional.
Youngkin calls for repeal of new limits on college tuition program for military families
After attempting to rein in the skyrocketing costs of a state program that covers college expenses for some military families, Virginia leaders are discussing whether the move is proving so politically unpopular that they should return to Richmond to undo it. Advocates for military families have called for a special General Assembly session to repeal the changes to eligibility rules for the Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program, which assists spouses and children of military members who were killed or severely disabled as a result of their service.
Chesapeake Bay cleanup faces difficult trade-offs with agriculture
Rarely has the future been so clear. At midnight on Dec. 31, 2025, the Chesapeake Bay region will miss its goal for reducing nutrient pollution in the Bay. It will be the third miss, after work toward deadlines in 2000 and 2010 also came up short. While progress has been made, trends since the most recent Bay cleanup goals were set in 2010 suggest the region might not hit its nutrient reduction target for many decades. The primary reason for the shortfall is the region’s inability to grapple with the 25% of the Bay watershed that is covered by farms.
Appeal denied for former Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe, who is serving 12 years for bribery, corruption
A U.S. appeals court has denied former Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe’s attempt to overturn his 12-year prison sentence for bribery and public corruption. In an appeal, McCabe, the sheriff from 1994 to 2017, challenged the timing of his trial, the use of out-of-court statements against him, and certain jury instructions. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit wrote, “We are satisfied that each of Sheriff McCabe’s appellate contentions lacks merit, and we affirm his convictions and sentences.”
Company that bred beagles for research pleads guilty to neglect, ordered to pay record $35M fine
A company that bred beagles for medical research agreed Monday to pay a record $35 million as part of a criminal plea admitting it neglected thousands of dogs at its breeding facility in rural Virginia. Prosecutors said the penalties amount to the largest ever levied in an animal-welfare case. The plea deal also bars the company that operated the facility, Envigo RMS, as well as parent company Inotiv, from breeding or selling dogs in the future.
Confederate names restored quickly to Shenandoah County schools
The names of three Confederate generals have been restored to two schools on the southern end of Shenandoah County. Late last week, the signs on the outside of Mountain View High School were replaced with Stonewall Jackson High School. The name of Honey Run Elementary School was replaced with Ashby-Lee Elementary School.
Fifth District GOP candidate John McGuire accused of defamation, facing lawsuit
VA-05 Republican candidate John McGuire is facing a lawsuit for defamation after naming an individual in a press release earlier this year. In March, the McGuire campaign sent out a press release saying that a supporter of his primary opponent, Rep. Bob Good, R-VA05, assaulted a woman at an event. Paul Raymond was cited in the press release as the Good supporter who allegedly committed the assault. A judge dismissed the charge against Raymond. The press release sent out by the McGuire campaign had the subject line: “POLICE CALLED: Team Good attacks Team Trump AGAIN.”
Tests of Mountain Valley Pipeline point to more potential problems
Tests of the almost-completed Mountain Valley Pipeline through the end of March revealed about 130 potential problem areas that required additional analysis, according to records from a federal safety agency. Caliper tool runs, which involve running a device though sections of the buried pipe to check for dents and other weaknesses, “showed that 50 anomalies needed to be excavated for further analysis or remediation,” the records state.