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By CHARLIE PAULLIN,
Virginia Mercury
Almost 20,000 acres have been lit by flames that primarily torched the western and central parts of the state so far during Virginia’s 2024 spring fire season. With about a week left until the season ends, that is double the amount of acres affected annually in the state across its 10-year average.
There’s no question that the fires visibly caused an immediate loss of vegetation and wildlife habitat, but state and federal officials said in interviews with the Mercury last week the blazes provide some benefits and are a centuries-old resource management tool.
“It does play an important role in the ecosystem,” said Michael Downey, assistant director for wildfire mitigation and prevention at the Virginia Department of Forestry.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By NATHANIEL CLINE,
Virginia Mercury
While 2050 is more than a quarter century away, The Virginia Railway Express wants to start transforming its commuter rail operations much sooner by offering Saturday services as it considers its System Plan 2050, part of holistic, multi-agency efforts to transform rail services in the commonwealth.
Last year, the VRE Operations Board — which is represented by the nine jurisdictions that fund the commuter rail service — backed the agency’s budget that included a 5% fare hike, or 50 cents more, due to the increase in services since 2020. The budget also included a plan to, for the first time, operate Saturday train service on tracks shared with Amtrak, CSX and Norfolk Southern.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By PATRICK LARSEN,
VPM
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority announced a new approach to lease enforcement amid public outcry over eviction cases it recently filed against residents.
CEO Steven Nesmith said the “Compassion Action Initiative” will focus on re-establishing relationships with residents, adhering to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations, strengthening data collection and sharing with stakeholders, and addressing a $3 million backlog of unpaid rent.
At least 14 pending cases were dismissed from Richmond General District Court on Wednesday in a pause that Nesmith said would extend for a minimum of 30 days.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By TAD DICKENS,
Cardinal News
A federal program that gives discounts on internet service to low-income households is ending this month, with no immediate plan to replace it.
The Affordable Connectivity Program for two years provided discounts of $30 a month, or $75 a month for people on tribal land. The $14.2 billion Congress made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has run out, and the Federal Communications Commission accepted its final application on Feb. 8. The program also included one-time $100 discounts on laptop, desktop or tablet purchases.
Despite multiple requests to extend the program — including from lawmakers and the FCC chairwoman — neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives is on schedule to address it.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By CATHY DYSON,
Free Lance-Star
(Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
People who’ve gotten free medical care at the Moss Free Clinic, as well as those who volunteer and work there, joined members of the community Sunday to show their support for the services the clinic provides. Jim Eagan told the crowd of about 80 people that he went to the clinic when he had an abscessed tooth and couldn’t find help anywhere else. ... The rally came about as the partnership between Mary Washington Healthcare and the clinic, named after the late co-founder, Dr. Lloyd Moss, has deteriorated in recent months.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By AVERY GOODSTINE,
The Breeze
The Board of Visitors (BoV) announced former Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance Charlie King as JMU’s interim president — the first in over 30 years — during its Friday morning meeting.
Both the proposed tuition increase and budget for the 2024-25 academic year were approved unanimously. The tuition proposal includes a 3% in-state and 1.5% out-of-state tuition increase.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By JOEY LOMONACO,
Fredericksburg Free Press
Lloyd Moss Jr. recalls his father’s trademark retort for whenever someone would make reference to his namesake health center.
“His comment was always, ‘It’s not my clinic.’” Moss Jr. said of the late Dr. Lloyd F. Moss, who helped found the Moss Free Clinic back in 1993. “It’s the Fredericksburg community’s, and it’s the volunteers’ clinic.”
On Sunday afternoon, nearly 100 people gathered in a Taco Bell parking lot less than a mile from the clinic’s doors with a shared aim: taking ownership of its now-precarious future.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By SCOTT SHENK,
Free Lance-Star
(Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)
More traffic has been using the electronically tolled lanes on Interstate 95 since a 10-mile extension opened in Stafford County last year.
According to the toll lane operator Transurban’s March quarter financial update, released Thursday , the Australian-based company’s North American toll lanes “continued its recent strong performance with traffic increasing 4.9%,” equating to 147,000 trips, compared to the first quarter of 2023.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By PETER CARY,
Piedmont Journalism Foundation
Town officials Thursday cleared the way for the construction of an Amazon data center in Warrenton, reaching a milestone in the long and tumultuous saga that splintered the town’s council and its residents.
Warrenton’s planning and zoning staff signed off on the latest site plans for the data center, removing the last major administrative hurdle for the 220,000-square-foot project on Blackwell Road. Now that the site plan has been approved, Amazon will move on to obtaining routine permits for site work and building construction.
VaNews April 22, 2024
By GRACE SCHUMACHER,
Fauquier Now
Warrenton town staff has approved the site development plan for Amazon’s proposed 220,000-square-foot data center campus on the 42-acre plot of land at the intersection of Blackwell Road and Lee Highway off the Route 17 Spur in town.
The approval, which came after staff’s fourth review and was detailed in a letter released Thursday, comes with 27 conditions and requirements. The conditions of approval, written with the intent of governing the project’s development, cover various aspects including adherence to approved plans, compliance with the 25 special use permit conditions and environmental considerations.
VaNews April 22, 2024
