Category: Virginia Mercury

Independent report calls for campus safety overhaul at Old Dominion University after fatal shooting
An independent firm recommended Old Dominion University improve campus safety, threat assessment, emergency response, communications, and institutional processes in a report released Tuesday, after a fatal campus shooting killed an employee and injured multiple students in May. The report comes as the university prepares to welcome students back to Norfolk

‘People movers’ out, more parking in: Trump to announce $22.5B Washington Dulles makeover
WASHINGTON — Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the main long-distance gateway to the nation’s capital, is set to receive a multi-billion-dollar makeover, a White House spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are expected to announce the project Wednesday afternoon at an event in the

TSA shares passengers’ personal information with immigration enforcement, documents show
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has for more than a year used personal information airline passengers provide to the Transportation Security Administration for immigration enforcement, according to documents obtained by a government watchdog group. The documents, collected by the government accountability organization American Oversight, show for the first time a

Obamacare enrollment declines in 49 states; Virginia saw 8% drop
In 49 states, the number of people enrolled in Obamacare plans has declined since Congress made coverage more expensive by allowing federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year. The lone exception was New Mexico, the only state that has used its own money to fully replace the

Pro-data center industry group behind ad campaign in Oregon, Virginia, five other states
Just days before the Oregon Legislature in March passed a one-year pause on a popular tax incentive program for data centers, a group called Oregon Connects registered as a nonprofit business in the state. Then the ads started appearing. “From homes to hospitals to businesses, Oregon’s data centers are unlocking

Rise in US preteen suicide rate alarms mental health experts
Editor’s note: If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988, the U.S. suicide and crisis lifeline, or access online chat at 988lifeline.org. For months, Marie’s 11-year-old daughter wasn’t acting like herself. The fifth grader was often fatigued, sleeping more. She wasn’t eating enough, and spent more

Brown water, dust and loud noises: Louisa homeowner sues Amazon over data center construction
From the driveway of his Louisa home and business, Austin Newsome sees dozens of dump trucks barrel down Route 33 most days, hauling dirt and other debris. The road is stained rusty red from the soil displaced by the construction of Amazon’s latest data center campus in the county. One

Does extreme heat cause train derailments? A Virginia railroad expert weighs in.
After a freight train derailed in Richmond earlier this month, questions have emerged about what caused the crash and whether the extreme heat played a role. Excluding the July train accident in Richmond, Virginia has recorded four derailments, all at speeds under 9 mph, since January, Federal Railroad Administration data

Loudoun supervisors mull data center moratorium and more Virginia headlines
• “Have thoughts about data centers and power bills? Share your input for the Virginia Energy Plan.” — WHRO • “(Department of Environmental Quality) study finds growing pressure on Eastern Virginia groundwater.” — Shore Daily News • “Lawmakers move forward with plans for childcare center for state employees.” — VPM News

Trump administration sustains defeat on vote-by-mail order in federal appeals court
A federal appeals court over the weekend denied the Trump administration’s request to resume a controversial plan forcing significant restrictions on vote-by-mail. A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court ruling last month that blocked President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order restricting










