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Most 10th District primary candidates back federal laws for data centers
Concern about data center proliferation is running high among congressional candidates heading for primary races next week — at least among those who responded to a survey from the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, a citizens’ group critical of data centers. Eleven of the 16 candidates vying for their party’s nomination to represent the 10th Congressional District expressed concerns about data centers’ drain on the power grid and their effect on the environment and nearby communities. In addition, all but state Sen. Jennifer Boysko, a Democrat from Fairfax, said they would support federal legislation that would prevent data centers from being built close to national parks and historic battlefields.
Reston Association seeks firm to assist with ‘anti-casino’ lobbying
Though the Virginia General Assembly won’t convene for another six months, Reston Association is starting to lay the groundwork for a major advocacy push. The homeowners’ association recently issued a request for proposals seeking research and communications firms that could assist it in lobbying state lawmakers, particularly regarding the expected return of legislation to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino.
Fisher: Going for gold in the Trump Loyalty Olympics
In the Donald Trump Loyalty Olympics, next week’s congressional competition in central Virginia is the medal match to watch. In one corner, we have the incumbent, Rep. Bob Good, a very conservative Republican who beat the previous conservative Republican holder of the seat by running sharply to that guy’s right. Good, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, is one of the handful of hard-right House members who orchestrated the ouster of former speaker Kevin McCarthy and has the endorsement in next Tuesday’s GOP primary of such Trump loyalists as Stephen K. Bannon and Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert.
Douglas: Sadly, Youngkin chose Big Pharma over Virginians in need
As CEO of the Virginia Community Healthcare Association, the primary care association representing Virginia’s 30 federally qualified health centers serving nearly 400,000 individuals at over 200 locations across the commonwealth, I write today with deep disappointment regarding Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto of Senate Bill 119. This critical piece of legislation held immense promise for countless Virginians struggling to afford the medications they need to stay healthy.
Child care challenges are threatening economic growth in Southside, study finds
About 52% of the Danville-Pittsylvania County area is considered a child care desert, according to a new Virginia Tech study. This means that there’s inadequate access to quality child care — an issue that the study found is hindering the region’s economic growth. Alongside housing and infrastructure, child care was identified by community workshop events over the last year as a main inhibitor of economic progress.
Old Dominion Power asks to raise rates
Old Dominion Power is asking state regulators for an increase in electric rates that would raise the average residential customer’s monthly bill by nearly $22. But the proposed increase could be partially offset by an approximately $10 monthly decrease in fuel costs that took effect April 1. Old Dominion Power, a subsidiary of Kentucky Utilities, provides electric service to about 28,000 Virginia customers in Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, and Wise counties. It’s the smallest investor-owned utility in Virginia.
Chesapeake council rejects poll of residents on election system overhaul
City Council rejected a request to poll voters in the November election on a potential change to how elections work in the city. After roughly 60 speakers showed up to nearly fully packed City Council chambers Tuesday, a 6-3 vote rejected a request to place an advisory referendum on the ballot asking voters about transitioning to a single-member ward voting system.
Kaine Announces Plan To Lower Drug Costs
Sen. Tim Kaine announced the first step of his plan for economic relief for Virginians facing rising costs and inflation at a summit Monday at a retirement home in Lansdowne. This first step, which Kaine referred to as the “first plank of his ‘Kaine Kitchen Table Agenda,’ ” involves lowering the cost of prescription drugs like insulin. This follows prices for several prescription medications for maladies like heart disease and parasitic infections being raised drastically throughout the 2010s, according to NPR.
Early study results paint grim picture of Virginia’s health care landscape
Social Determinants of Health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. And a study, requested by the state’s Joint Commission on Health Care, into how Virginia can improve social determinants is about at its midpoint. “There is a 20 year difference between the localities with the highest and lowest life expectancy rates in the state with Manassas Park at 89.3 years and Petersburg at 64.9 years,” said Jen Piver-Renna, part of the staff at the Joint Commission on Health Care. She was updating legislators on what they’ve found so far. The completed study is expected later this year with legislation to follow. But in the meantime, that life expectancy rate was among shocking numbers that alerted commission chair Delegate Rodney Willet.
Rockingham County School Board votes to leave Virginia School Board Association
The Rockingham County School Board voted to leave the Virginia School Board Association at its June 10 meeting. In a 3-1 vote, the school board decided to leave VSBA and join the School Board Member Alliance. Vice Chair Sara Horst made the motion to leave VSBA, and it was seconded by Chair Matt Cross. Horst said at the meeting that she would like the school board to leave VSBA as members but still utilize its policy services. … Jackie Lohr, the only board member who voted against the change, raised concerns about leaving VSBA. She said it would be important to stay members to provide VBSA with a conservative voice.