Search
Fundraising frontrunner in 7th District Democratic primary faces opponents with more established local presence
Nomination contests often become competitions centered around networking with party insiders and demonstrating sufficient fundraising ability ahead of a potential candidacy in the general election. Typically, those two occurrences coincide—but not always. Wealthy outside candidates can appear out of thin air and occasionally gain steam, like Glenn Youngkin in 2021. Still, more often than not, they spend a boatload of money to finish well below the candidate with an established presence in the district.
Dominion installs first post for offshore wind project
Dominion Energy plunged the first monopile — after the two existing pilot turbines — into the sea floor Wednesday, kicking off construction of the $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project that will bring 176 turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Installation of the post started mid-morning and was finished by the afternoon. The installation was delayed two weeks because a support vessel’s arrival was late ...
Spotsylvania School Board revisits book policy
While book removals from Spotsylvania County school libraries was a hot-button issue last year, the issue has been nonexistent in 2024. Last year, former schools Superintendent Mark Taylor removed 30 books from libraries after they were challenged by parents. A new majority school board took over in January and it quickly placed Taylor on leave. The board fired Taylor in March. During its Monday night meeting, the school board addressed the issue of the banned books’ current status.
Completion of Mountain Valley pipeline delayed, again
Developers are again delaying — slightly, they say — plans to begin shipping natural gas through the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Construction crews are still working to complete the final sections of the 303-mile pipeline, Matthew Eggerding, deputy general counsel for the project, wrote in a letter late Tuesday to federal regulators. Rather than place the pipeline in service by June 1, as Mountain Valley had asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a month ago, the company is now “adjusting its targeted in-service date to early June,” the letter stated. An exact date was not provided.
GOP actions in the states, including Virginia, put contraceptive access in the 2024 spotlight
Republican lawmakers in states across the U.S. have been rejecting Democrats’ efforts to protect or expand access to birth control, an issue Democrats are promoting as a major issue in this year’s elections along with abortion and other reproductive rights concerns. Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, pushed the issue into the political spotlight this week when he said in an interview that he was open to supporting restrictions on contraception before he reversed course and said he “has never and never will” advocate to restrict access to birth control.
VPAP Visual Key Race: 10th District Democratic Primary
Twelve candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) in this Northern Virginia district. At the end of March, the top three fundraisers were Del. Dan Helmer, a consultant and officer in the U.S. Army Reserve; Krystle Kaul, the owner of a small defense tech company; and Eileen Filler-Corn, former speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.
VPAP Visual Key Race: 10th District Republican Primary
Four candidates are seeking the Republican nomination in the 10th Congressional District: Tech executive and attorney Mike Clancy, defense contractor and retired Army officer Alex Isaac, former Virginia Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and Marine Corps veteran Aliscia Andrews, and management consultant Manga Anantatmula. The 10th District covers Loudoun County through Rappahannock County and extends east through parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.
Rep. Beyer pushes for more AI transparency
Alexandria Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) is doubling down on a push for new transparency standards after a controversy surrounding OpenAI and actress Scarlett Johansson. OpenAI claimed its new ChatGPT assistant, which sounded eerily similar to Johansson, wasn’t based on Johansson despite the actress saying the company previously tried to hire her for the chatbot. Further adding to evidence that it was, in fact, based on Johannsson’s voice was OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posting a one-word reference to the 2013 movie Her, which notably features Johansson playing an AI. Beyer said legislation he’s been advocating for would create transparency standards showing how the AI models are trained.
Solar firm Energix fined again for Virginia environmental violations
A company behind multiple utility-scale solar farms in Southside and Southwest Virginia has been cited for the third year in a row for violating state environmental regulations and must pay a civil penalty of $158,000. Energix Renewables has agreed to correct the problems at solar facilities in Buckingham, Henry, Sussex and Wythe counties, according to a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality consent order posted online Friday.
Solar farm developer cited for western Virginia environmental violations
A developer of solar farms, including ones in Henry and Wythe counties, allowed stormwater to flow uncontrolled from construction sites, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Energix US will pay a $158,000 fine for violating erosion and sediment control regulations at seven sites.