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Dominion gets approval for battery pilots; Appalachian Power seeks bids for renewable projects
State regulators approved Dominion Energy’s long-term energy storage proposals last week, as Appalachian Power Company is seeking bids for a swath of renewable electricity sources, marking the advancement of renewable energy projects at Virginia’s two largest electric utilities. The approval for Dominion is seen as a critical next step in supplying electricity to the grid in the coming years, when renewable sources like solar and wind won’t be producing electricity, through storage technology that is more capable than the traditional technology more widely used today.
Danville taking inventory of water service lines under EPA mandate
Danville Utilities is taking an inventory of public and private water service lines as part of an EPA mandate to remove lead from water systems across the country. All water service lines, public and private, that are found to have lead will have to be replaced in 10 years, according to the EPA mandate, said Danville Utilities Director Jason Grey. Danville Utilities is currently compiling an inventory for public lines — those leading from the water main to a property’s water meter — by going through its records, Grey said.
Richmond registrar broke city code when signing nearly $1M in contracts, officials say
Richmond General Registrar Keith Balmer violated Richmond procurement code on at least three occasions between September and February when he signed contracts with third-party vendors without seeking mandatory review and approval from other city officials, records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch show. The revelations come on the heels of the suspension of Balmer’s city-issued purchasing card due to alleged misuse as well as claims of nepotistic hiring practices in the Richmond Office of Elections.
Virginia has history of underfunding school construction
... Richmond Public Schools has acknowledged it’s been playing Whac-A-Mole with infrastructure issues. The district created a facilities plan in 2017, but some schools — like Woodville Elementary — were and still are on the list for needed upgrades. RPS is just now developing a plan to build a new Woodville. Meanwhile, Chesterfield County’s long-term school facilities plan is carefully charted to build and renovate numerous school buildings over the next five years.
How the Shenandoah County School Board Decided to Restore Confederate School Names
Proud and satisfied, or sad and embarrassed. However citizens of the commonwealth view Shenandoah County School Board’s recent decision, Virginia appears to be the first in the nation to restore Confederate school names, after years of vigorous community engagement, a controversial renaming process, and a change in board priorities related to race, diversity and inclusion.
In rural Virginia, religious and community groups are stepping into a health-care void
Nearly 20 million people gained health-insurance coverage between 2010 and 2016 under the Affordable Care Act. But about half of insured adults worry about affording their monthly premiums, while roughly the same number worry about affording their deductibles. At least six states don’t include dental coverage in Medicaid, and 10 still refuse to expand Medicaid to low-income adults under the ACA. Many people with addiction never get treatment. Religious groups have stepped in to offer help—food, community support, medical and dental care—to the desperate.
Boy Scouts love this scenic Va. river. Locals say they’re ruining it.
Anne McClung was tending horses in her 19th-century barn one day last summer when she noticed a change in the Maury River flowing swiftly nearby. She’s known the river all her 76 years, but it didn’t take a practiced eye to recognize clouds of silt in the normally clear waters. McClung could think of only one cause: The Boy Scouts. The National Capital Area Council of the Scouts, based in Bethesda, has maintained a campground and lake a few miles upstream from McClung’s home for almost six decades. In recent times, the Scouts have drained the lake every fall, causing sediment to pour into one of Virginia’s most iconic and well-loved rivers.
Documenting and preserving Virginia’s largest, most revered trees
Virginia is home to nearly 80 national champion big trees, consistently placing the commonwealth in the top five states with the most documented champion trees, or trees that have grown to be the largest specimens of their particular species. The Virginia Big Tree Program, coordinated by the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, maintains a register of the largest specimens of over 300 native, non-native and naturalized tree species in Virginia.
Shenandoah Valley free clinic highlights gaps in rural care
Sitting in a dental exam chair in the Augusta County Expo Center last month, Sora Knightley explained her situation to Dr. Harold Neal. … The pain in three of her bottom-left molars started about four months earlier and gradually worsened. After months of enduring because of dental anxiety and fears about the cost, the insured 19-year-old went to a dentist. They filled the main cavity, but she said they told her that insurance wouldn’t cover addressing the problems in the other molars. “It would have been around $2,300 just to get one tooth fixed,” she said. … Knightley was one of 402 people who visited Remote Area Medical’s Fishersville pop-up clinic that April weekend. The clinic offered free dental, vision and primary care, in addition to vaccinations, opioid reversal trainings and other services.
Virginia Establishes Commission to Study Black Communities Uprooted by Public Universities
Spurred by a VCIJ at WHRO and ProPublica investigation, the recently approved Virginia budget includes nearly $60,000 over the next two years for a commission to study the disruption public college and university expansions have had on Black communities. The statewide panel will probe historic land acquisitions and consider potential redress for Black families and their descendants. The commission will work with public colleges and universities to examine property transactions in majority Black communities, and determine “whether and what form of compensation or relief would be appropriate,” according to the state budget.