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Big bet: Can a $130M conservation deal in Virginia’s coal country curb climate change and lift Appalachia?
Waiting around isn’t Debbi Hale’s forte. So nobody in this depleted coalfield town of barely 850 near the Kentucky border was shocked four years ago when the retired gym teacher orchestrated a $10,000 makeover of a neglected patch of grass across from a trailer court. From there, it’s just a short hike down to a paddler’s bliss, where Bad Creek flows into eight undisturbed miles of the Pound River. Then, just days before the July 2022 ribbon-cutting, a ferocious flood ripped through Appalachia. . . . It’s an all-too-familiar pattern for the Wise County native. Such exhausting episodes of one step forward, two steps back are common in this place, which has foundered as King Coal’s century-plus reign plays out. That demise has government agencies and entrepreneurs alike casting about to “fix Appalachia” . . .
Alpha-gal syndrome is gaining recognition in Virginia
Just days before Christmas 2021, Nicole Cooper was struggling to breathe. Her husband called 911, and moments before the ambulance arrived, Cooper jabbed herself with an epinephrine shot. She could tell she was having an allergic reaction, but she didn’t know what she was reacting to. She remembers the panic, the medical questions and treatments in the emergency room. What she doesn’t remember is the tick bite that triggered it all. . . . A bill that passed unanimously during the 2024 General Assembly session added alpha-gal syndrome to Virginia’s list of reportable diseases. Starting July 1, health care professionals must report cases to the Virginia Department of Health.
Fredericksburg Council may consider a ranked-choice voting system
The Fredericksburg City Council might take a new look at how future city elections with multiple candidates for a single position are determined. Councilman Will Mackintosh Tuesday night raised the idea of exploring a ranked-choice voting system in future city elections. In such a system, voters would list their preferences in order in single-seat races involving three or more candidates. ... “I just wanted to start the conversation and see where it goes,” Mackintosh said. “It would ensure that no one would win without at least 50% of the vote.”
New Virginia Majority Protests ICE Arrests, LCSO Agreement at Sterling Immigration Court
After U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began arresting undocumented immigrants – particularly at the Sterling Immigration Court – community members gathered on Thursday to protest the actions and an agreement between the Sheriff’s Office and ICE. A press conference was led by the political advocacy group New Virginia Majority whose members have been raising the alarm about increased ICE actions in Loudoun. “Right now, our communities are under attack,” NVM Campaign Director Sofia Saiyed said.
ICE Makes Arrests at Sterling Immigration Court
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday arrested up to 11 people at the Sterling Immigration Court building. New Virginia Majority Loudoun & Western Fairfax Campaign Coordinator Sofia Saiyed said the officers were not identifiable and would not say where they were taking the individuals. “They started taking people three by three and packing them into vans and taking the vans away,” Saiyed said.
Miyares leans in on law-and-order message ahead of 2025 election
As protests erupt again in Los Angeles over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and President Donald Trump’s deployment of U.S. Marines to back up the National Guard, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares isn’t blinking. “It’s not unprecedented,” Miyares, who is seeking a second term as Virginia’s top law enforcement official, said of Trump’s decision to send troops to the streets. . . . In a wide-ranging interview at his office in Richmond earlier this week, Miyares, the son of a Cuban refugee and the first Hispanic Virginian elected statewide, insisted that what’s happening in California is the result of leadership failure.
New water crisis report calls for 'regional utility coordination'
City officials on Wednesday evening released the latest report to detail officials’ emergency response to January’s water outage. It’s the third report on Richmond’s first water crisis, following a review of the city’s water infrastructure and standard operating procedures by engineering firm HNTB, and a probe by officials in the Virginia Department of Health. The new document, produced by Hagerty Consulting, in many ways retreads now-familiar territory ... Here are three takeaways from the latest review.
Nelson County Social Services calls claims of degrading work 'unfounded'
Nelson County officials and other local agencies are ringing alarm bells over an “inexcusable decline” and lack of transparency in the county Department of Social Services, but the board charged with oversight of that department says those allegations are “unfounded” or already addressed. The Nelson County Board of Supervisors issued a letter on May 23 to the Department of Social Services board in response to “credible reports” the county received from key local partner agencies regarding the department’s poor collaboration and communication on several child protective services cases.
Loudoun Supervisor Sees New ‘Reality’ Amid Unprecedented Power Growth
Loudoun Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Michael Turner (D-Ashburn) has been voicing concerns for years about the challenges and impacts of supplying power to the area’s data centers. After the latest report from the region’s energy coordinator, he is stepping up that alarm. PJM Interconnection, the entity responsible for coordinating power throughout 13 states including Virginia, is seeing demand for electricity grow more rapidly than predicted just a year ago—at a rate that, it said, that could not have been foreseen.
Hampton defers camping in public spaces ban after community pushback
City Council delayed a vote Wednesday to ban camping and storage on public property, which would have cleared the way for the city to criminalize homeless encampments. Mayor Jimmy Gray said the decision came after individual conversations with council members, and a new version of the ordinance will be presented in August. ... Nearly 20 people spoke at Wednesday’s council meeting against the proposal, with some critical of how it would affect homeless people and highlighting the need for more resources such as affordable housing.