On Monday, May 13, 2024, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen visited the area. Yellen engaged in a roundtable discussion and delivered remarks as part of a program focused on broadband infrastructure. The event took place at Richland Baptist Church, located at 2482 Warrenton Road in Stafford County.

The visit centered around a broadband initiative funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. This initiative aims to expand access to reliable, high-speed internet. In 2022, Virginia received over $200 million in funding to expand high-quality broadband service through the American Rescue Plan’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF). This funding complements nearly $600 million in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) being invested in broadband by the commonwealth and cities and counties throughout Virginia. Additionally, nearly $1.5 billion has been allocated to the commonwealth through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The region will experience severe weather conditions today, with scattered clusters of showers and thunderstorms approaching from central West Virginia. These storms have the potential to cause flash flooding.

According to the National Weather Service, some storms may result in damaging winds, especially in the most intense storm cores near and east of Interstate 95. Heat and humidity remain factors, with today’s temperatures slightly cooler than Friday due to increased cloud cover. No heat advisories have been issued, but the highest heat indices are expected near the Chesapeake Bay.