Briefs
Virginia signs on to lawsuit challenging seismic testing decision
Virginia has signed on to a lawsuit with eight other states and several environmental groups to fight President Donald Trump’s decision to open the East Coast up to seismic airgun testing, according to The Baltimore Sun. The testing is a precursor to offshore oil drilling. Before drilling can begin, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management […]
The state’s first casino could be coming to Norfolk; a new increase for Dominion customers; an intersection overrun by cats in Danville and more headlines
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. ♦ The U.S. Department of Justice said in a report that the Hampton Roads Regional Jail’s treatment of inmates is cruel and unusual punishment. The report said the jail doesn’t have adequate medical staff, relies on isolation too often and doesn’t keep good […]
Photos from pipeline protests at the State Air Pollution Control Board
The State Air Pollution Control Board delayed action Wednesday on a critical compressor station permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in order to allow for additional public comment. The meeting drew a large crowd of protesters and generated tense confrontation, with board members twice recessing the meeting amid chanting and shouts from the crowd. Toward […]
Cannabis dispensary and casino could operate under same roof in Bristol; Goodlatte leaves Congress after 26 years; Preschool moves because of pipeline and more headlines
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. • A group of developers in Bristol could soon be operating a medical cannabis dispensary and casino resort under the same roof. “We’ll figure it out,” said City Manager Randall Eads. (Richmond Times-Dispatch) • A local history museum in Lynchburg cancelled plans to […]
Virginia joins coalition designing carbon-capping transportation policy
Nine states, including Virginia, and Washington, D.C. have signed on to a plan aimed at reducing carbon emissions from transportation and investing in a low-carbon transportation infrastructure. The group, collaborating through the Transportation and Climate Initiative, has committed to developing a regional, low-carbon transportation policy proposal that would “cap and reduce carbon emissions from the combustion […]
Herring tells Blue Virginia he won’t take Dominion money
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, who threw his hat into the ring last month for the 2021 gubernatorial race, has evidently been reading some tea leaves about the Democratic electorate’s dimming view of state-regulated monopolies like Dominion Energy and the influence they wield. In a wide-ranging interview with Blue Virginia published today, Herring says he […]
Coal ash costs come into focus; Newport News shipbuilding offers buyouts; Commission to review Richmond Coliseum proposal; Another Chincoteague pony dies and more headlines
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. ♦ Gov. Northam’s budget roadshow continues. Yesterday he announced proposals to dedicate $20 million for student financial aid and grants, $19 million for affordable housing and $2.6 million for legal aid lawyers to represent people facing eviction. Today he’ll present his spending plan to […]
Advocacy group estimates Dominion customers pay a ‘tax’ of more than $250 to company shareholders
Clean Virginia, an advocacy organization, says it has a dollar figure for the cost of “monopoly utility corruption in Virginia politics” for Dominion Energy customers: $254.20 per year. The report also analyzed prices from Appalachian Power and found customers are charged an average of $89 extra each year. “Virginians are being taken for a ride […]
Bolling gets himself a job; Oysters and ocean acidification; ‘Green vomit’ GOP exorcism; Norfolk Southern grant a ‘mistake’ and more headlines
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. ♦ Former Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling helped create a six-figure job for himself at JMU right after his term on the school’s Board of Visitors ended, specifically seeking a three-year appointment to fatten his state retirement account. While no violations of law […]
Virginia sheriff says gas stations selling CBD were unknowingly hawking ‘pure marijuana’
Powhatan County Sheriff Brad Nunnally says his investigators got curious after seeing CBD — or cannabidiol — products for sale in county convenience stores. So they bought some and got them tested by the state lab. The results? The Virginia State Lab determined one of the products, sold as “hemp flower,” was found to be “3.37 […]
Northam’s budget proposal includes big hike for broadband funding; Republicans pour cold water on slew of spending increases
Governor Ralph Northam included $50 million in his proposed budget for a program that offers incentives to internet service providers to extend fast service to underserved parts of the state. The Virginia Telecommunications Initiative currently has an annual budget of $4 million. Municipalities or other governmental bodies — such as an economic development authority — […]
Horse racing makes a comeback; sunken graves in Portsmouth; affordable housing funded by Dave Matthews Band in Charlottesville and more headlines
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. ♦ Republicans have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop a lower court’s process of redrawing Virginia’s electoral maps. Going forward would confuse voters, leaders said. –Richmond Times-Dispatch) ♦ U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock seems to have her post-Congress plans figured out: She’s in […]