Amazon pulled a contested King George groundwater request, House Speaker Don Scott told regulators a Dominion-NextEra merger must not raise rates, and local schools will be closed Friday for the Labor Day weekend.
Amazon Withdraws Groundwater Permit Bid for King George Data Center
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Amazon Web Services has withdrawn a request to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for permission to draw up to 6.4 million gallons of groundwater a year for a proposed data center campus on the site of a shuttered power plant in King George County. The company pulled the application two days after the newspaper reported that the bid had drawn strong opposition from the county water utility and state Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, who said the Potomac aquifer in the area is already severely depleted.
DEQ staff had found that Amazon’s request met technical criteria for a permit, even as the county is under state orders to eventually cut withdrawals from its largest well by 33.6 million gallons a year and had just been denied extra water for housing and a hoped-for medical facility at Fairview Beach and Potomac Landing. Stuart called awarding a new allocation to Amazon “indefensible” and said he was delighted the company withdrew. AWS said it takes community concerns seriously and intends to work with DEQ on alternative potable water sources; the county and Amazon remain in court over a 2023 development agreement a newly elected board later rescinded and over rezoning of the site.
House Speaker Scott Presses SCC on NextEra-Dominion Merger Affordability
According to the Virginia Mercury, House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, told State Corporation Commission Chair Kelsey Bagot that the proposed $67 billion NextEra-Dominion Energy merger should not proceed unless it is built around affordability for Virginians. In a Sept. 2 letter filed in the SCC review, Scott said customers should not see a single dollar of rate increase from the deal, that the combined company must meet Virginia Clean Economy Act standards, that data centers should cover the full cost of the generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure they require, and that Virginia jobs should be protected.
Scott, who has received nearly $4 million in campaign donations from Dominion over the years, also suggested the combined utility host co-headquarters in Richmond and said the commission should demand enforceable conditions rather than assurances. Fourteen lawmakers have asked Gov. Abigail Spanberger to call a special session to extend the SCC’s 180-day review of the July 15 application, which otherwise ends around Jan. 11; two Republicans made a similar request earlier this summer. Spanberger has not said whether she will convene a session but has intervened in the case, Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi held a listening-tour stop in Loudoun on Wednesday, and public testimony is scheduled to begin Nov. 5.
Suspect Dead, Staff Member Injured After Shooting at Waynesboro Elementary
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a 19-year-old Waynesboro resident forced his way into Westwood Hills Elementary School on Wednesday morning, shot a staff member and was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the school library. Police identified the suspect as Anthony Ignatiadis-Isabelle. The staff member suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and has been treated and released.
Waynesboro Police Chief David Shaw said officers were called at 9:12 a.m. about a suspicious person on the grounds at 548 Rosser Ave. and located the suspect about three minutes later, before students were in the library. Superintendent Jeffrey Cassell said the school would be closed Thursday and that the division would share resources and operational updates with families. Authorities have not released a motive, citing an ongoing investigation.
Spotted Lanternfly Sightings Drop in Prince William After Last Year’s Surge
According to the Prince William Times, spotted lanternfly numbers appear sharply lower this summer in Prince William and Fauquier counties after a 2025 surge that county officials had called ubiquitous. Volunteer David Cuff said hundreds of the invasive insects clustered last year on trees of heaven at historic White Hall Cemetery in Nokesville, but this year he has seen only a few scattered adults. Prince William forest pest specialist Robin Firth said staff are seeing “vastly reduced numbers,” and Fauquier Virginia Cooperative Extension agent Tim Mize said native predators may now be treating the lanternfly as prey.
The insect was first found along railroad tracks in Manassas in 2021 and remains present and spreading, with Haymarket still a local hot spot. Extension agriculture agent Thomas Bolles said a late April frost after some nymphs had hatched may have killed many of them, while Virginia Tech entomologist Theresa Dellinger said Northern Virginia may be following a Pennsylvania pattern in which early hard-hit areas later saw smaller populations. Officials cautioned that weather, movement and normal cycles can swing counts from year to year, that Southern Virginia is now seeing larger numbers, and that a quieter summer does not rule out another surge next year.
Jefferson Says Prince William Comprehensive Plan Is Overdue for Update
According to a note from Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson, the board will face a decision next year on whether to update the county Comprehensive Plan, which she called the road map for what goes where in Prince William. Jefferson said the plan is overdue for a comprehensive rewrite and that she is planning a series of town halls so residents can say what housing, businesses, amenities and transportation they want to see.
Jefferson said the county is growing because people want to live here and that growth brings challenges and choices the plan should address. Dates for the town halls have not been announced. She encouraged residents to attend with ideas, questions and concerns, saying decisions are made by the people who show up.
Dumfries Native Serves Aboard Navy Ship Built to Honor Sept. 11 Victims
According to the Navy Office of Community Outreach, Cmdr. Heather Ehrlich, a Dumfries native and 2006 graduate of Potomac Senior High School, serves aboard USS New York, a Norfolk-based San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. The ship is one of three built to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — alongside USS Arlington and USS Somerset — and was constructed with steel recovered from the World Trade Center.
Ehrlich said the values that shaped her in Prince William County remain useful in the fleet. “I learned a good work ethic and dedication to the team in high school,” she said. “My parents taught me a lot in terms of being a caring person and the need to take care of those around you.” USS New York’s motto is “Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget.”
No School Friday Across Prince William, Stafford and Nearby Cities for Labor Day Weekend
According to the Prince William County Public Schools 2026-27 calendar, schools and offices will be closed Friday, Sept. 4, for the Labor Day weekend holiday, with Labor Day itself observed Monday, Sept. 7. Official calendars for Stafford County Public Schools, Fredericksburg City Public Schools, Manassas City Public Schools and Manassas Park City Schools also list Friday as a student holiday.
All five divisions treat Sept. 4 and Sept. 7 as part of the Labor Day break, with no classes scheduled Friday. Families should check their division websites for any school-specific notices before the long weekend.
Stafford Fall Family Festival Set for Oct. 3 at Pratt Park
According to Stafford County Parks and Recreation, the annual Fall Family Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at John Lee Pratt Memorial Park. Admission is free. The county says the event will include games and activities, food vendors, crafters, live music, hayrides and the 14th Annual Great Pumpkin Derby.
Residents who want to race a decorated pumpkin can register for the derby through the Stafford Parks and Recreation registration page. A pumpkin-racer workshop is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Rowser Building. Additional event details are listed on the county parks site.
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