Gov. Abigail Spanberger spent Wednesday in the Manassas area for two events billed as open to the press. Local outlets got little warning. When a television reporter tried to ask her about the Sept. 4 killing of a 16-year-old Prince William County student in Old Town Manassas, she did not answer and left.
The Office of the Governor emailed its public schedule at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday — about an hour before the first listed stop. The schedule showed:
Manassas police have charged three men in the First Friday shootout that killed a 16-year-old Patriot High School student, Gov. Abigail Spanberger left a Manassas stop Wednesday without answering questions about the case, Prince William County will hold a 25th-anniversary 9/11 ceremony Thursday evening at Sean T. Connaughton Plaza, VDOT will close Catharpin Road in Spotsylvania next week for pipe repairs, Fredericksburg plans a Friday morning commemoration, Honor Flight veterans will visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps on Sept. 11, the governor is standing up a state digital service after a $52 million child-support system loss, the Fredericksburg Symphony Orchestra opens its season Sept. 19, and Manassas Park has a yard sale and Latino Fest this weekend.
According to WJLA, Manassas City police said Wednesday that 19-year-old Xavier Wanzer confronted 21-year-old Tasheem Douglas during First Friday near the downtown train depot on Sept. 4, and that Douglas fired at Wanzer, missed, and struck 16-year-old Patriot High School student Ashley, an uninvolved bystander whose family authorized police to use her first name. As Douglas fled, police said Wanzer and 23-year-old Talib Davis returned fire from the depot parking lot. Douglas, already charged with second-degree murder, remains hospitalized; Wanzer and Davis were arrested Tuesday. WJLA reported all three men have criminal histories and were out on bond or a summons at the time.
Stafford County supervisors on Sept. 1 directed staff toward letters asking Gov. Abigail Spanberger for a special legislative session on data-center rules — and, if comprehensive legislation cannot pass quickly, a temporary pause on new large-scale approvals — then expanded the ask to the federal administration.
The board did not vote that night to approve or deny any campus. Supervisors said their own ordinance — which Chairman Deuntay T. Diggs, George Washington District, called the strictest in Virginia and Supervisor Crystal L. Vanuch, Rock Hill District, said includes among the largest setbacks in the country — still cannot stop river withdrawals, well impacts, or high-load power costs that land on ratepayers.
“Prince William County Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye on Friday called on state leaders to grant local governments explicit authority to defer decisions on high-resource-demand industrial projects such as data centers while officials study water, power and air-quality impacts,” according to a press release from the Occoquan District.
Boddye’s request, which he said he will seek to add to the county’s legislative agenda, comes after Spotsylvania County supervisors voted 4-2 to urge Gov. Abigail Spanberger to enact a statewide data center moratorium so the Commonwealth can study the industry’s future, Fredericksburg Free Press reported.
Virginia’s State Corporation Commission has directed Dominion Energy to return this fall with proposed changes that could shift more transmission infrastructure costs to data centers and other large electricity users, The Center Square reported. The July 31 final order gives the company 90 days to file amendments to its line-extension policy and 120 days to update regulators on a broader approach for assigning those costs when large-load customers drive the need for new grid infrastructure.
The directives were issued as part of Dominion’s annual Rider T1 transmission cost recovery case, with approved rates set to take effect Sept. 1. First-year Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger called the decision a victory for ratepayers, saying it ensures data centers pay the full cost of the transmission infrastructure their developments require—an issue of particular local importance given Northern Virginia’s dense concentration of data centers and the potential impact on residential electric bills.
“Strengthening relationships with international employers, attracting new business investment and expanding economic opportunity in Virginia is the goal of a European trip this week by Gov. Abigail Spanberger,” The Center Square reported. The governor is joined by the secretaries of commerce and trade and of agriculture and forestry, along with officials from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Tourism Corporation and Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, and will attend the Farnborough International Airshow.
Existing Virginia employers with European roots include BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce from the United Kingdom, Selex Galileo from Italy and Airbus Group from France. The delegation is scheduled to return this weekend after meetings aimed at positioning the commonwealth as a top U.S. investment destination.
“Over the past year, Virginia has lost more jobs than any other state,” Cardinal News reported. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the Commonwealth shed 51,400 jobs from May 2025 to May 2026, with heavy losses in federal positions and professional services, placing it 48th nationally for job growth.
Northern Virginia communities, heavily tied to federal contracting, face heightened risks as manufacturing declines accelerate and a gap widens with neighboring North Carolina, despite Virginia’s solid CNBC business climate ranking.
“Virginia Senate leaders unveiled a budget proposal Tuesday that would raise an estimated $1.7 billion over two years through a new fee on data center generators,” The Center Square reported. The tiered impact fee on new generators would start Jan. 1 as part of unresolved budget negotiations with the House and Gov. Abigail Spanberger due by June 30.
The plan offers an alternative to phasing out sales tax exemptions for data centers, a key issue for Northern Virginia localities like Prince William and Stafford facing rapid industry growth and related infrastructure demands.
Governor Abigail Spanberger, Democrat, announced higher education board appointments on June 6, 2026, reappointing Delbert Parks of Manassas, Vice President at Micron Technology, to the George Mason University Board of Visitors.
Parks, a key leader at Micron’s Manassas facility, brings significant experience in local business and economic development back to the board. Potomac Local News has previously reported on Parks and Micron’s operations in Manassas, including the February 10, 2025, City Council decision to extend the company’s special semiconductor equipment tax incentive through 2035.
“Our goal remains a responsible budget that lowers costs and invests in strong public schools, safe communities, affordable housing, quality healthcare, and economic opportunity – while protecting the Commonwealth’s fiscal strength,” WDBJ7 reported.
House Appropriations Chairman Delegate Luke Torian, who represents Prince William County, stressed the need for balance as budget talks stalled over data center tax policy with just days until the July 1 deadline. Tensions rose Friday amid disagreements between the Governor, House and Senate on the two-year spending plan.
