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Youngkin pulling Virginia out of clean car emission standards mandate
Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday his administration will withdraw Virginia from a plan to follow strict car emissions standards set by California. The move, which will take effect when current standards expire at the end of 2024, drew applause from gasoline and auto dealer trade groups and condemnation from Virginia Democrats and environmental groups, who said the administration was overstepping its authority. In an announcement, Youngkin said Virginia will not follow new California rules set to take effect in 2025, which mandate all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035.
Dominion customers to get cheaper electric bills after state’s exit from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
A surcharge on Dominion Energy bills to cover costs incurred from Virginia’s now-abandoned participation in a multi-state greenhouse gas reduction program is going away next month, the State Corporation Commission decided. The decision, requested by Dominion, translates to a $4.43 savings on a benchmark monthly bill for 1,000 kilowatt hours – a bill that now costs $138. The electric monopoly said that Virginia’s withdrawal at the end of last year from what’s now the 11-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative means it no longer has to pay the body for the carbon gas it emits.
Roanoke Council Candidate Drops Out Before Primary Amid Review of ‘Questionable’ Voter Signatures
Roanoke City Council candidate Jamaal Jackson said Monday he is dropping out of the race — effectively making obsolete the outcome of a Democratic primary in which voters have already cast ballots. Jackson made the announcement about a week after city officials received an email alleging that Jackson’s campaign improperly copied voter signatures obtained during his unsuccessful 2022 bid for Council onto 2024 paperwork for the June 18 Democratic primary, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Rambler.
Tearful testimony opens first trial of man who participated in 2017 torch-carrying mob at UVa
The tearful testimony of a Jewish University of Virginia alumna was the first evidence presented in the trial of Jacob Joseph Dix, an Ohio man charged with using fire to racially intimidate for his role in the 2017 torch-carrying mob at the University of Virginia the night before the deadly Unite the Right rally-turned riot. Diane D’Costa told the jury about Aug. 11, 2017, the day she moved into her room on UVa’s hallowed Lawn, the center of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village, when she heard chanting outside her door.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol pushes back grand opening to later in year
Leaders with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Bristol announced on Wednesday that the grand opening of the permanent casino and resort space, initially intended for July, has been pushed back to later this year. A news release from the casino said a new timeline for the permanent casino and resort’s completion was rolled out, which involves a late-year grand opening.
Chesapeake-based Dollar Tree looking at options for Family Dollar, including possible sale of segment
Discount retailer Dollar Tree says it’s looking at strategic options for the Family Dollar stores that it owns, including a possible sale of the segment. Dollar Tree said Wednesday that alternatives also include a spinoff or other disposition of the business. Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar nearly a decade ago for more than $8 billion after a bidding war with rival Dollar General. But the company has had difficulty incorporating Family Dollar into its business and recently announced that it would close nearly 1,000 stores, with most of them being Family Dollar locations.
VCU officials reviewing $56M payment to Richmond for failed development project, JLARC suggestions
Officials from Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health System told lawmakers on Wednesday they are reviewing an agreement to pay the city of Richmond approximately $2.5 million annually in lieu of taxes for a development that was never built, after the school paid the city, investors and developers nearly $80 million to exit the failed building project.
After botched real estate deal, state watchdog recommends changes to VCU Health’s board
Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, or JLARC, recommended changes to Virginia Commonwealth University’s hospital system leadership Wednesday. The review came after a botched real estate deal between the city of Richmond and the hospital’s board. The more than $600 million plan seemed like a good idea back in early 2021. It would’ve brought a large office park, retail space and parking to downtown Richmond. But after the pandemic hit, the idea was scrapped – leaving VCU Health owing about $80 million dollars to the city and another $2.5 million annually as a “payment in lieu of taxes”
VCU, Rao should further separate from health system, state watchdog says
Virginia Commonwealth University and its health system should further separate from one another, the state legislature’s investigative body said Wednesday. In response to the health system’s failed deal to redevelop the Public Safety Building in downtown Richmond, the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission, or JLARC, determined VCU and its president, Michael Rao, have too much influence over the health system. The review suggested changing Rao’s role with the health system, hiring new staffers focused on real estate and reimagining the board of directors that governs the health system.
Regulators approve request from Dominion to drop RGGI fee on customer bills
The average Dominion Energy Virginia residential customer will soon see a charge of about $4.50 dropped from their bills. The fee was being collected to recover costs through the state’s participation in the regional carbon market. On Monday, the State Corporation Commission, which regulates Virginia’s utilities, approved a request from Dominion to stop tacking the fee on customer’s bills to recoup the costs the utility racked up through participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which Virginia is no longer a part of.