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A viral TikTok is igniting a debate over data centers taking over Virginia’s countryside

By ALEX BITTER, Business Insider (Some articles are behind a paywall.)

The data center boom is here. But a viral TikTok shows that some people aren’t happy about what the giant structures are replacing in Northern Virginia. User @claireecowles posted a video on Saturday showing horse pastures, the Shenandoah Valley, restaurants in small towns, and other clips that appear to be taken in the counties west of Washington, DC. The video has 1.1 million views as of midday Monday. Then, at the end of the 19-second video, there are shots of construction sites where large, warehouse-like buildings appear to be going up.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Botetourt County plant to showcase lower-carbon cement in $61.7 million Energy Department bid

By MATT BUSSE, Cardinal News

Roanoke Cement Co. has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to begin negotiating for an award of up to $61.7 million to support making cement using methods that reduce carbon emissions. The DOE said the company’s Troutville plant will demonstrate its ability to manufacture cement incorporating widely available types of clay. Research has shown that using clay in cement-making can reduce the amount of heat required and the amount of carbon dioxide released from raw materials, both of which result in lower carbon emissions compared to traditional methods of production.

VaNews March 26, 2024


State government should stay out of short-term rental regulations

Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

As short-term rentals of houses and rooms in residential areas proliferate, so does concern about how they impact the character of neighborhoods and the price of houses. Neighbors complain about a lack of parking, an abundance of noise and the accumulation of trash. Though debate over how best to regulate these ventures has occasionally roiled Virginia cities and towns, these are local issues with local solutions. That’s why Gov. Glenn Youngkin should veto a bill that would curb localities’ ability to impose thoughtful regulations that best suit their residents.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Hartwig: Gov. Youngkin can protect Virginians from higher auto insurance costs by vetoing Senate Bill 256

By ROBERT HARTWIG, published in Cardinal News

Inflation has pushed the cost of just about everything up over the past few years — including motor vehicle insurance — so you’d be right to think it a particularly strange time for the Virginia General Assembly to pass a bill that could make your auto insurance premiums shoot up by as much as 14%. Yet that’s exactly what the assembly did this legislative session. And it’s not just consumers with their personal auto insurance policies who will pay the price. This bill applies to all motor vehicle insurance — including vehicles used for commercial purposes — which means it will impact Virginia businesses as well. Governor Youngkin has an opportunity to protect Virginia drivers and businesses from increased auto insurance costs by vetoing this harmful bill.

Dr. Robert Hartwig is Director of the University of South Carolina’s Center for Risk and Uncertainty Management.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Warner, Wexton talk mental health at Inova roundtable

By EVAN GOODENOW, Loudoun Times (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A celebration of $4.1 million in federal funding for a new mental health crisis receiving center doubled as a chance for Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Leesburg) hear from local medical providers about the local impact of the national mental health crisis. Warner and Wexton visited Inova Loudoun Hospital in Landsdowne on March 25 to deposit a giant ceremonial check for the county's planned "crisis receiving and stabilization center," which is slated to open in 2026.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Spotsylvania marks $4.6 million in federal funds for projects

By SCOTT SHENK, Free Lance-Star (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

Spotsylvania County officials and 7th District U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger gathered in front of the old courthouse Monday to announce millions in money approved for road projects and a new water tower. The funds were a product of work by Spotsylvania, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Spanberger, who sponsored the bill to get $4.61 million for the improvements.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Lopez: How grassroots activism, not sour politics, derailed Youngkin’s arena

By ADRIEN KAY LOPEZ, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

By all accounts, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposal to spend billions of Virginia’s tax money on a playground for Ted Leonsis in Alexandria is on life support. From the moment it was conceived in the conference rooms of Richmond and Washington, the project has been a case study in how billionaire owners, professional sports leagues, and their allies in government seek to erect vanity projects that benefit the wealthy few at the public’s expense.

Lopez is the co-founder of the Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard.

VaNews March 26, 2024


Former Del. Matt Fariss arrested on narcotics and gun charges

By MARKUS SCHMIDT, Cardinal News

Del. Matt Fariss, the former Republican lawmaker who in November lost his reelection bid as an independent candidate, was arrested in Campbell County on Saturday evening on charges of possession of a firearm, possession of narcotics and violation of a protective order.

VaNews March 25, 2024


Former Del. Matt Fariss arrested on firearm, drug charges in Campbell County

By JUSTIN FAULCONER, News & Advance (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Former Del. Matt Fariss, who represented Virginia’s 59th House district for a 12-year stint and left office in January after losing a re-election bid for a redistricted seat, was arrested Sunday on three pending charges in Campbell County and booked into the Amherst County Adult Detention Center, according to online jail records. Fariss, 55, of Rustburg, is charged with one count each of violating a protective order, possessing a Schedule I or II drug with a firearm on his person and possession of a Schedule I or II drug, booking information on the Blue Ridge Regional Jail website shows.

VaNews March 25, 2024


Alexandria School Board passes collective bargaining resolution

By JAMES CULLUM, Alx Now

The Alexandria School Board unanimously approved a collective bargaining resolution Thursday night, setting the ground rules for how the school system will negotiate with staff on wages and benefits. Dawn Lucas, president of the Education Association of Alexandria, was pleased with a number of changes that she recommended the Board make to the proposed resolution. “I feel like we’re in a good place,” Lucas said. “Our teachers and staff are going to have seats at the table, and their voices will be heard.”

VaNews March 25, 2024