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States rethink data centers as ‘electricity hogs’ strain grid
State Sen. Norm Needleman championed the 2021 legislation designed to lure major data centers to Connecticut. The Democratic lawmaker hoped to better compete with nearby states, bring in a growing industry, and provide paychecks for workers tasked with building the sprawling server farms. But this legislative session, he’s wondering if those tax breaks are appropriate for all data centers, especially those with the potential to disrupt the state’s clean energy supply. Particularly concerning to him are plans for a mega data center on the site of the state’s only nuclear power plant. The developer is proposing an arrangement that would give it priority access to electricity generated at the plant, which would mean less carbon-free power for other users.
Legislators faced ‘weird’ but adventurous General Assembly session
Local representatives of the Virginia General Assembly all agreed that the latest session was a most unusual one, with many new faces elected to serve. Sens. Ryan McDougle and Danny Diggs, and Dels. Amanda Batten, A.C. Cordoza and Chad Green, all Republicans, reflected on the 2024 General Assembly session during a post-legislative forum on Friday. The event was hosted by the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce at the Williamsburg Regional Library. “It was a really weird year,” noted Batten, as senators and delegates navigated proposed legislation while getting to know new members of the General Assembly. Both Diggs and Green were among those who experienced their first session this year.
To keep its coyote population in check, Bedford County offers hunters cash prizes for kills
Early this spring, many Americans’ eyes were glued to the Mega Millions lottery as the jackpot barreled its way to an eventual $1.13 billion. Jeff Williams was more concerned about a different lottery. The Forest resident had submitted multiple entries in the Bedford coyote lottery, which provided hunters and trappers chances to win cash prizes for each coyote they killed in the county. When numbers were drawn after the lottery closed at the end of February, Williams and his hunting friends had won four of the seven prizes, for a total of $2,000. … For organizers of the lottery, it was a small price to pay in their effort to keep the county’s coyotes at bay, something they see as important not only to members of their agricultural community but also residents who were concerned about the roaming wild canines.
Is process for approving Virginia lab schools too quick?
The Virginia Board of Education recently approved six applications to bring students and colleges together to offer specialized instruction amid concerns over awarding state funds to private schools and financial uncertainty as leaders discuss funding for the biennium budget. Under Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration, which has made laboratory schools a priority since the governor’s term started in 2022, the list of applications accepted by the board increased from six to 12 on April 18. The additions are Paul D. Camp Community College, George Mason University, Old Dominion University at Newport News and Chesapeake, and private schools Roanoke College and Emory and Henry College.
U.S. Postal Service’s DeJoy admits rollout of Virginia regional distribution center was a ‘disaster’
Following months of complaints about slow or missing mail, Virginia lawmakers are finally hearing directly from the man in charge of the U.S. Postal Service. U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D - Virginia) and Mark Warner (D - Virginia), as well as U.S. Representative Jennifer McClellan (D - Richmond), met with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who agreed that the USPS’s rollout of the Regional Processing and Distribution Center was a “disaster.”
House committee tasked with examining rural health care access holds first meeting in Southwest Virginia
A team of state delegates descended upon Southwest Virginia this week to kick off the first meeting for a new House Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care. Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico County, who chairs the committee, and a panel of 11 other legislators made the drive to Tazewell County, where they toured three health care facilities over two days before meeting with leaders in workforce development, telehealth, hospital administration and others. The committee, created by House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, is tasked with exploring the barriers to health care in rural Virginia and creating a list of five actionable items or recommendations that could be introduced during the 2025 General Assembly session.
Virginia attorney general visits Danville, touts Operation Ceasefire campaign to combat violent crime
A statewide initiative to reduce gun crimes has led to a drop in homicides in the commonwealth, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said Tuesday. "We've seen absolutely fantastic numbers," he said during a news conference in front of the Danville Police Department headquarters. Operation Ceasefire's goal was to decrease homicides by 10%, but they dropped by 17% across the state in the program's first year, Miyares said. The campaign started in October 2022 and has focused on 13 cities, including Danville, Martinsville, Lynchburg and Roanoke.
Mountain Valley Pipeline final cost revised up to $7.85B
The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s lead developer said Tuesday it anticipates the natural gas project will have a final price tag of approximately $7.85 billion. That figure is around $220 million more than the upper end of the range of $7.57 billion to $7.63 billion that the company announced in February. Equitrans Midstream, the lead developer of the pipeline joint venture, said factors contributing to the new cost estimate include a slower-than-expected pace of construction recently, which has resulted in additional labor and equipment costs, and expenses related to restoring land after construction.
Virginia Democrats stress abortion rights
“Are we living in ‘A Handmaid’s Tale,’ or America?,” Florida Democratic Party chairperson Nikki Fried asked rhetorically on a press call Tuesday. With Florida’s six-week abortion ban taking effect Wednesday, Democratic leaders from several Southern states held a virtual press conference to discuss the regional effect. They asserted that electing Democrats in state and federal office this year could be a factor in restoring protections or easing restrictions. Other Democratic chairs, including Virginia’s Susan Swecker, and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga., joined Fried to discuss Florida’s new law.
UVa allows protesters to remain in ‘liberated zone’ so long as it doesn’t become an encampment
A student-led protest demanding the University of Virginia divest from the state of Israel originally planned for Wednesday got off to an early start Tuesday afternoon. University officials say the nearly 100 protesters gathered on Grounds will be allowed to stay so long as they do not erect tents, as have been seen at other campus protests nationwide. And those protesters — a crowd including students, faculty and Charlottesville community members — were complying even as a light rain began to fall late Tuesday night.