Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced she will seek intervenor status in the State Corporation Commission's review of the proposed $67 billion sale of Dominion Energy to Florida-based NextEra — the first time a sitting Virginia governor has formally inserted herself into an SCC case. That status is not symbolic: it lets her administration question both companies under oath, pull documents, and argue for conditions on customer bills, Virginia jobs, and the state's energy future. Because Dominion is the primary electricity provider for the Northern Virginia grid, the outcome touches every household and every data center drawing power from it. Watch the SCC's procedural schedule — each new intervenor Spanberger's move invites can stretch the timeline deeper into campaign season, turning a regulatory docket into a live fight over your electric bill.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to begin pausing all new data center applications, site plans, and substations until new zoning laws are written — a formal step toward a moratorium in the county that essentially invented the industry's Virginia footprint. "The community has basically been begging us to do something about the unchecked growth of data centers," Supervisor Juli Briskman said. And Loudoun isn't acting alone: Suffolk is temporarily pausing applications, Front Royal is drafting a ban across all zoning districts, and Chesapeake voted to delay its review for eight months. The observable signal to track is whether county staff returns an enforceable pause plan that survives legal review — if it does, every data-center county in Virginia suddenly has a template.

A Loudoun town hall on transmission lines and data center expansion drew a standing-room crowd, with residents spilling into the lobby over a ruling that lets Dominion Energy build new high-voltage lines through part of the county. Homeowners in Loudoun Valley Estates say the structures could rise as tall as the Statue of Liberty and would run directly through their neighborhood. The Board of Supervisors asked the school board to permit an alternate route on school-owned land near Rosa Lee Carter Elementary and Rock Ridge High School — but some school board members have already said they oppose putting the lines near schools. The next signal is the school board's decision: reject the reroute and the towers stay pointed at the subdivision.

The Associated Press projected Shannon Taylor and former Rep. Elaine Luria as the Democratic nominees in Virginia's 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts, while Bert Mizusawa took the Republican nomination with nearly 53% of the vote to challenge Democratic Sen. Mark Warner. The August 4 results, now certified, are locking in the November 3 battlefield — and they're being fought on new district lines, after voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment in April allowing mid-decade redistricting that could hand Democrats 10 of Virginia's 11 U.S. House seats. All 11 House seats and Warner's Senate seat are on the ballot. The signal to watch is national money: where outside PACs open spending tells you which Virginia seats the parties consider the cheapest path to controlling the U.S. House.

Gov. Spanberger announced that the Virginia Department of Corrections has launched an intensive reentry program at Red Onion State Prison in Wise County — among the first at a super-maximum facility anywhere in the country. Participants must be 12 to 18 months from release and score "Moderate" or "High Risk" on the COMPAS recidivism assessment, and the program focuses on workforce readiness and connections to community resources before they walk out the gate. VADOC Director Joseph Walters framed successful reentry as "central to the VADOC's public safety mission" — a bet that preparing high-risk inmates protects future crime victims and saves taxpayers on re-incarceration. The measure to watch is recidivism data on early participants, which will decide whether this stays a Red Onion pilot or becomes a statewide model.

An independent firm recommended Old Dominion University overhaul campus safety, threat assessment, emergency response, communications, and institutional processes in a report released following the March 12 shooting that killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ROTC instructor and professor of military science, in Constant Hall. The report converts a campus tragedy into a concrete list of institutional failures and fixes — which becomes a template other Virginia public universities will be pressed to answer to. The observable signal now is Richmond: how the legislature and administration respond to the findings will determine whether the recommendations become funded mandates or shelved paperwork.

• Man sentenced to 30 years for Pentagon City stabbing that killed wife, wounded baby. Leonardo Antonio Reyes was sentenced Friday after fatally stabbing his wife and seriously injuring their 1-year-old daughter at Pentagon City. ARLnow

• Church installs 'stumbling stones' honoring people enslaved in Bluemont. An Arlington church installed the commemorative stones as part of a community-driven effort to honor enslaved individuals connected to the Bluemont area. ARLnow

• Potomac Water Taxi adds Alexandria departures for Mount Vernon trips. The expanded service gives Alexandria residents and visitors a new direct water connection to Mount Vernon along the Potomac River corridor. InsideNova

• Manassas Architectural Review Board to consider revised Center Street redevelopment plan. The board is set to weigh a revised design for the Center Street project, a decision that could shape the pace and character of downtown Manassas development. InsideNova

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Trail Cleanup Friday Mornings Leopold's Preserve. Volunteer on Friday mornings at Leopold’s Preserve in Broad Run, Virginia, to help with trail cleanup.

• Richmond's 44th Carytown Watermelon Festival draws crowds to Carytown. The beloved annual street festival returned for its 44th year, bringing vendors, entertainment, and visitors to one of Richmond's signature neighborhood commercial strips. WRIC

• Richmond Jazz and Music Festival returns to Maymont. The festival drew large crowds back to Maymont Park, continuing its run as one of the region's premier summer arts and cultural gatherings. WRIC

• Back-to-School Prep Rally distributes book bags and resources for Northside students. The community event provided families in Richmond's Northside with supplies and support services ahead of the new school year. WRIC

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: End Alzheimer’s – Become a “Do What You Love to End ALZ” Volunteer Alzheimer's Association. Richmond volunteers can support the Alzheimer’s Association by helping with its Do What You Love to End ALZ service opportunities.

• York County teen fatally shot on Emma Rose Court. York County Sheriff's Office deputies are investigating the killing of an 18-year-old man in what is the region's most urgent active homicide case. WAVY

• Hampton police investigating fatal pedestrian crash on West Mercury Boulevard. Officers are working to determine the circumstances of a deadly collision on one of Hampton's busiest commercial corridors. WAVY

• VDOT lane closures to affect I-64, I-264, Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel this week. The Virginia Department of Transportation has scheduled multiple overnight and daytime closures across Hampton Roads through Aug. 15, with single-lane restrictions at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel eastbound on Aug. 10–11. VDOT

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Hospice Volunteer Needed Enhabit Hospice. Enhabit Hospice seeks a volunteer opportunity in Hampton Roads for someone interested in service.

• Albemarle County School Board member resigns as board approves independent investigation. The board voted to launch an outside inquiry into district operations following the resignation, raising questions about leadership and governance in Albemarle County Public Schools. Cville Tomorrow

• Charlottesville selects 'Rooted' design to transform melted Lee statue into bronze baobab tree. The city voted to place the new public artwork by the "Rooted" concept in Market Street Park, closing a years-long chapter over what to do with the former Confederate monument. Cville Tomorrow

• Greene County residents debate Board of Supervisors' authority over ICE partnership. As public comment pressure mounts, a new explainer outlines what the Greene County Board of Supervisors legally can and cannot do regarding the county's immigration enforcement agreement. Cville Tomorrow

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Camp Holiday Trails -Year-Round Volunteers Camp Holiday Trails. It is a practical service option for families, groups, or individuals who want to give time around Charlottesville.

• Stafford County deputy charged with involuntary manslaughter in Prince William crash. The charge against the Stafford County Sheriff's Office deputy marks the region's most significant criminal-justice story this week. Potomac Local News

• Four Fredericksburg City Council members oppose Penzance Development's 1500 Gateway data center. The opposition signals a major land-use fight over the proposed million-square-foot facility at 1500 Gateway Boulevard in Fredericksburg. Potomac Local News

• Stafford County names Tom Ellsworth as new Planning and Zoning Director. Ellsworth, who brings more than 25 years of planning experience, will oversee development review, zoning, and long-range planning for the fast-growing county. Potomac Local News

• Spotsylvania County Health Department begins operating from new location today. The Rappahannock Area Health District announced the department moved to a new Fredericksburg-area address as of August 10, though phone numbers remain unchanged. Virginia Department of Health

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Administrative Assistance Community Touch, Inc.. Community Touch, Inc. seeks administrative assistance in the Fredericksburg region for a service opportunity.

• Roanoke police investigate fatal shooting on Grandview Avenue NW. Officers responded to the 3700 block of Grandview Avenue NW, where one person was killed and another injured in a shooting that remains under active investigation. WSET

• Roanoke County issues boil-water advisory after equipment failure. An pump and storage-tank malfunction caused water pressure problems, prompting the Virginia Department of Health to advise affected Roanoke County residents to boil tap water before use. WSET

• RAM House opens new Roanoke building to expand services for unhoused residents. The new facility allows RAM House to broaden the types of support it offers to people experiencing homelessness in the Roanoke Valley. Cardinal News

• Regulators approve Appalachian Power's $340 million plan for former Glen Lyn coal plant. State regulators signed off on the redevelopment proposal for the Southwest Virginia site, clearing a major hurdle for one of the region's most significant energy infrastructure projects. Cardinal News

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Senior Food Box Kitting Feeding Southwest Virginia. It is a practical volunteer option for readers who want a concrete shift rather than a calendar outing.

• Charlottesville: Camp Holiday Trails -Year-Round Volunteers Camp Holiday Trails. It is a practical service option for families, groups, or individuals who want to give time around Charlottesville.