Virginia

Amazon has agreed to withdraw its application for four data center buildings on George Washington University’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, according to WTOP.

Under the deal, called Project Potomac Promise and announced Tuesday by Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall, Amazon will donate 25 acres with a fair market value of about $65 million to the county for a community arts center and an indoor sports facility. Amazon will also contribute $5 million to the county’s Housing Fund and give up any legal action to build data centers on the site.

Cardinal News published an opinion piece by Del. Terry Kilgore, Del. Terry Austin, Wise County Sheriff Grant Kilgore and Botetourt County Sheriff Matt Ward arguing that Virginia’s parole decisions need greater transparency and accountability.

They note the grant rate rose from about 1.2% in 2025 to around 10% since the new board appointed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger took office in March, including cases involving murder convictions.

NBC4 Washington reports Gov. Abigail Spanberger is demanding a six-year freeze on rate hikes and a larger consumer credit if the proposed $67 billion Dominion Energy–NextEra merger is approved.

State Corporation Commission staff have recommended that regulators deny the merger.

The National Zoo is asking the public to help name a 4-month-old female red panda cub born June 11 at its Front Royal campus, WTOP reports.

Name options are Dolly (for Dolly Parton), Pyra (associated with heat), and Dolpa (a region of Nepal).

The bill would amend the Federal Power Act to require data centers and high-density computing facilities with electricity demands of at least 20 megawatts to cover the incremental costs of serving their needs. Vindman, whose 7th District includes the Fredericksburg area, said the measure puts ratepayers first.

Data centers are already operating or proposed in Fredericksburg and in Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and King George counties. He previously introduced the Smart Data Center Policy Act in August to limit development near neighborhoods, schools, and parks.

M.C. Dean plans to invest $412.5 million to expand its manufacturing campus in Caroline County, adding two new plants and a projected 1,950 jobs, Virginia Business reports.

The expansion includes a 442,000-square-foot building on the main campus and a 1.5 million-square-foot building on the 600-acre north campus. Total square footage is expected to exceed 3.6 million square feet on 1,300 acres by 2030. The company also plans a Power Systems Training Center at Caroline High School starting in 2027.

An April 2026 memo says the resources, assistance, and meaningful follow-up for 20 Arlington County Fire Department personnel who responded to the January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport were wholly inadequate, WTOP reports.

Responders spent hours in freezing conditions handling remains from the American Airlines Flight 5342 and Army Black Hawk collision. The memo describes depression, family strain, sleep problems, alcohol use, and eroded trust in leadership among those involved. Many exhausted their workers’ compensation therapy sessions and faced out-of-pocket costs for continued care.

Virginia has early and late antlerless-only firearms seasons in 24 jurisdictions, allowing hunts from as early as Labor Day weekend to as late as the end of April, Cardinal News reports.

Deer project leader Justin Folks of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources said any female kill is a win for population management. Hunters cited warm September weather, a preference for large bucks, does with fawns, and feeling hunted out later in the season as reasons they skip the extra time. Public comment on upcoming regulations is open through Nov. 18.

The U.S. Department of Energy warned Tuesday that the Mid-Atlantic grid faces elevated blackout risks this week from high demand, autumn generator maintenance, and planned transmission outages, and issued an emergency order to keep more power available.

The order directs PJM Interconnection — which operates the grid serving Northern Virginia, including Manassas, Woodbridge and Fredericksburg — to dispatch specified generating units and authorize backup generation as a last resort before or during an Energy Emergency Alert. It takes effect today and runs through Thursday, October 16.