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Following shoplifting charge, bond revoked for ex-Middletown treasurer accused of embezzlement
Middletown’s former treasurer and town manager had her bond revoked Thursday after she was arrested last week for shoplifting from a Martin’s grocery store in Frederick County. Rebecca Louise Layman, 52, is set to stand trial in November on 12 felony counts of embezzling from Middletown. Authorities have not disclosed how much she allegedly took from the town, but Frederick County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Heather Enloe said Thursday that the amount is “in the six figures.”
Spotsylvania approves water use agreement for data center
Data centers require heavy use of water to cool the equipment in the facilities that power the Internet, something Spotsylvania County leaders have addressed while approving numerous developments. Before approving numerous data center developments, the county established an agreement with developers, including Amazon, to construct a re-use water system to be used to cool the facilities.
Stafford riverfront residents fear impact of proposed data centers
Data centers tend to be in the same boat as prisons, landfills and airports — they’re needed facilities that nobody wants in their backyard. But residents along State Route 3 east in Stafford County, beyond the Ferry Farm development and before King George County, are rallying the troops to oppose nearby data centers because of a major difference with their situation. The Rappahannock River is in their backyard.
Drinking OK, swimming not: Advisories issued after raw sewage spill at Hopewell water plant
The Virginia Department of Health says water in Hopewell appears safe to drink but not to swim or play in after a power failure at the city wastewater plant July 11 forced a spillage of 1.38 million gallons of sewage into the James River and a few of the city’s waterways. On July 12, VDH and the Crater Health District issued a recreational swimming advisory for Gravely Run Creek and the James River from City Point to Berkeley Plantation.
Va. governors make board appointments; legislators confirm them. How’s the process work?
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Democrats have brokered many deals during his soon-ending four-year term, but have also frequently been at odds on policy issues, reflected most recently in the legislature’s rejection of several of the governor’s appointments to Virginia’s governing boards and commissions. Virginia law gives governors the power to appoint and remove people to these groups. Like his predecessors, Youngkin has appointed hundreds of people to serve on roughly 300 public commissions and boards. Over the past year, Senate Democrats have rejected 30 of Youngkin’s appointments to boards and commissions . . .
General Assembly prepares for potential September special session
General Assembly leadership has advised legislators that they could be called back to a special session the second week of September, lobbyists, delegates and state senators told VPM News. At the end of the 2025 session, legislators amended the rules for a still-active special session from 2024 to “address the impacts” of actions taken by the federal government. The special session would come after trillions of dollars in changes to the federal tax structure . . .
Senate Democrats consider blocking more Youngkin university board appointments as he exerts influence
Gov. Glenn Youngkin made his latest round of university board appointments on June 20, giving him complete control over the bodies that govern Virginia’s institutes of higher education. Democrats are making moves to block Youngkin — who ran on education issues and has focused on removing race and gender-related concepts from K-12 — as they fear he may try to further his legacy of reforming higher education during the last year of his term. The new appointments come as Senate Democrats wage a legal battle over the confirmation status of eight previous appointees they rejected in a Senate panel on June 9. Democratic lawmakers are considering blocking more appointees as they say Youngkin is wielding them like proxies and exerting more influence on universities than previous governors.
How Hampton Roads sheriffs are working with ICE
As federal authorities ramp up immigration enforcement tactics across the country, data from local sheriffs’ offices shed light on how frequently Hampton Roads law enforcement have turned over inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration detainers are a key tool used by ICE to take custody of people arrested by local law enforcement. Detainers are requests to local law enforcement to hold a person in custody for up to 48 hours past their scheduled release to give federal authorities time to pick them up them for possible deportation proceedings. Most sheriff’s offices in the Hampton Roads region have policies in place that not only outline how to question an inmate’s immigration status, but also allow for 48-hour detainer holds.
Mother of teen killed in York County crash has spearheaded new state safety laws — and she’s not done
If you let someone drive your car without a license — and they cause an accident that injures or kills someone — you could now face up to a year behind bars. A new state law says if you knowingly authorize someone to drive a car when they have no legal right to do so, you’re guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor “if the offense results in a motor vehicle accident that causes injury or death.” That includes parents who let minors drive without a license or while breaking the state’s rules on learner’s permits. It’s the fourth state law that Tammy McGee has spearheaded to passage since her son, Conner, was killed in a York County car crash nearly six years ago.
From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Kate Seltzer of The Virginian-Pilot, Andrew Kerley of The Commonwealth Times, and Dean Mirshahi of VPM News. They discuss the week's top headlines: Youngkin says Homeland Security Task Force has removed 2,500 violent criminals, Senate Democrats clash with Youngkin over university board appointments, and Richmond City Council vote delayed again for civilian police review board. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.