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Judge rules in favor of Norfolk city attorney in feud with commonwealth’s attorney
The Norfolk city attorney’s office earned a win in its ongoing feud with Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi over which office has the authority to prosecute misdemeanor cases. A Norfolk Circuit Judge Joseph Lindsey ruled last week the city attorney’s office could continue to prosecute a misdemeanor city code violation appeal. The case involves a man who was charged with being in a park after sunset, a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
Norfolk judge rules the city attorney can prosecute some misdemeanors in court
Last week, a Norfolk Circuit Court judge ruled the city’s charter allows the City Attorney’s office the authority to prosecute violations of local ordinances in that court. It’s the latest round in a turf spat between Norfolk City Attorney Bernard Pishko and Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi. Fatehi has sought to prohibit such a decision. The legal ruling stems from an appeal of Virginia Beach resident Jared Fuller's conviction in the General District Court for being in Northside Park after dark at 7:06 p.m. on Nov. 6, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
Free Narcan, fentanyl testing available through new Richmond vending machines
Richmond is installing new harm reduction vending machines across the city, equipped with free Narcan, fentanyl testing strips and personal hygiene products. “This life-saving program is about meeting people where they are, with compassion and dignity,” Mayor Danny Avula said. The machines are part of the city’s Office of Opioid and Substance Use Response. Officials say the goal is to prevent overdoses and support Richmonders living with substance abuse disorders.
Sites slated for mystery data center projects in Chesterfield sell for nearly $60M
Entities involved in plans to build proposed data center campuses in western Chesterfield have dropped tens of millions of dollars in recent days to secure the project sites. More than 1,200 acres between the two sites, one near Moseley and the one near Westchester Commons, have changed hands for a combined total of about $60 million in multiple transactions that closed in late June, according to Chesterfield courthouse records.
Hanover leads state in removing books from school libraries
Hanover County Public Schools has removed twice as many books from its school libraries as any other school division in the state and accounts for more than one-third of removed books over the past five years, according to a new report from the state legislature’s watchdog commission. The Monday report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission shows that the Hanover school division has removed 125 book titles from its school libraries between July 2020 and March 2025.
Prince William supervisor’s PAC receives another $100K, this time from Dumfries data center backer
Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega earlier this month received a $100,000 campaign donation via her political action committee, YES PAC, from a real estate developer with ties to a recently-pitched data center project near the Four Seasons at Historic Virginia retirement community in Dumfries.
Data center demand brings first gas substation to Nokesville
Western Prince William County needs an infusion of electricity to avoid getting close to running out of power by as soon as 2027 due to soaring demand from power-hungry data centers. That will mean big changes for a stretch of Vint Hill Road that’s already a tangle of high-voltage power transmission lines. Dominion Energy plans a major upgrade of an existing electrical substation near Vint Hill Road and Reid Lane in Nokesville. That’s where a picturesque, mostly rural roadway is interrupted by a confluence of three high-voltage power transmission lines with giant metal poles and towers.
Some Virginia school divisions inaccurately citing 2022 state law to remove books from libraries
A new state report has found that some school divisions in Virginia have been inaccurately citing 2022 state law as justification for removing books from school libraries. “This is an interesting circumstance where there’s a law in place that has been used, but the law was never really intended for that use in the first place,” Justin Brown, Associate Director of the non-partisan Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, or JLARC, told 8News.
Remains of former ‘Spirit of Norfolk’ vessel now an artificial reef in Florida
The Spirit of Norfolk now rests beneath the waves off the coast of Florida, transformed into an artificial reef nearly three years after a fire ended its time on the Elizabeth River. The cruise vessel had been sitting at Colonna’s Shipyard in Norfolk since June 2022, when it caught fire during a lunch cruise with 108 passengers and crew on board. All were safely evacuated. The fire, which started in an operating port generator, took several days to extinguish and caused an estimated $5 million in damage, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Spanberger highlights law enforcement experience in Virginia governor’s race ad
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s (D-Va.) gubernatorial campaign launched a new ad on Tuesday highlighting her background in law enforcement. The 30-second ad, which is narrated by Spanberger’s father, Martin Davis, will be broadcast in the Richmond and Norfolk media markets and statewide on digital platforms. The Hill was the first outlet to view the ad. Davis notes Spanberger’s background working as a federal agent investigating child predators, narcotics cases and arresting drug dealers, as well as her record as a CIA officer working on counterterrorism cases.