Category: Virginia Mercury

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

Virginia’s new pay transparency law changes the rules for job postings
Virginia job seekers now have a right to know what a position pays before applying online under a new state law aimed at giving workers more leverage in hiring and salary negotiations. The new law, which took effect July 1, requires employers to include a good-faith wage or salary range

Va. co-owner’s donation of White’s Ferry paves way for Potomac River crossing’s reopening
A Virginia-based ferry owner has donated his dormant transportation service that connects the commonwealth to Maryland, ending Virginia’s era of ownership in hopes of lifting the ferry suspension after six years. White’s Ferry is one of a few that remain nationally. At the time of its closure in December 2020,

Goochland residents rebuff data center developer Tract ahead of permit application
On Thursday evening, dozens of Goochland residents donned red t-shirts and held signs that spelled out their displeasure with the idea of multiple data centers being built in the county’s technology overlay district that butts up against Mosaic, a 55+ neighborhood that hosts over 500 homes. “We want to make

Emails show how Virginia regulators downplayed data center health concerns, more headlines
• “Emails show how Virginia regulators downplayed data center health concerns.” — Politico • “Nexstar Tegna merger: Virginia AG alleges court order violation.” — Roanoke Star • “Virginia needs months of steady rain to recover from one of its worst droughts in decades.” — WSET • “Span of control: What

Federal judge in Virginia says certain abortion drug restrictions are unlawful
A federal judge in Virginia ruled Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not sufficiently justify restrictions imposed in 2023 on a drug used to terminate early pregnancies, adding another layer of complexity to a string of legal cases with opposing goals that could affect future abortion access.

‘E pluribus unum’ is not a slogan. It’s a choice.
Like two sides of a coin imprinted with the nation’s motto, “e pluribus unum” — out of many, one — America’s political factions are cast in opposition, but they are intrinsically bound together as parts of a larger whole. From the beginning, the United States has aspired to build a more

National landlord with property in Virginia accused of housing discrimination
Civil rights complaints filed in Virginia and other states allege that Greystar, a national apartment management company, has violated fair housing laws by rejecting prospective tenants that use housing vouchers to help pay their rent. An investigation by nonprofit watchdog Housing Rights Initiative found over 100 instances where properties managed

Va. transportation board OKs stricter oversight for economic development fund
The Commonwealth Transportation Board on Wednesday accepted regulation changes outlining how funds from the state’s Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund will be allocated, giving state lawmakers additional time to review the proposals. Since 2005, the fund, a flexible economic development tool, has invested over $644 million as of Jan. 31 to









