Va.’s data center developments spread south and more state headlines

• Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that agricultural products giant Monsanto would pay the state $80 million for allegedly distributing harmful chemicals known as PCBs, which are present in “1,300 river miles, 75,000 lake acres and over 2,000 square miles of bays and estuaries” in Virginia.–WRIC

• The Equity Commission on Enrollment reported that speciality schools in Richmond offered inequitable access to certain students, especially those from impoverished backgrounds, Black students and students whose first language is not English.–WTVR

• “A Virginia library that traces its roots to the 18th century could soon be shuttered over a dispute about children’s books that expose readers to gay, lesbian and transgender characters.”–Associated Press

• Global commercial real estate firm CBRE found that as data center development continues surging in Loudoun and Prince William counties, it is also spreading to Fauquier, Culpeper, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties because of limited availability of sites closer to the nation’s capital.–WTOP News

• Fairfax County officials are inviting Virginia high schoolers to learn about the state’s electoral process firsthand by working as election pages at polling places in the county during November’s general election.–WJLA