At 11 a.m. overnight, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Ballou heard emergency arguments at the Roanoke federal courthouse from seven Virginia hemp businesses, including Nova Hemp, asking him to block the state's new 2-milligram THC cap before it takes effect Friday, August 15, per Virginia Mercury. The lawsuit — filed July 31 against Governor Abigail Spanberger, Attorney General Jay Jones, and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority — targets budget language in House Bill 30 that repeals the 25:1 CBD-to-THC exception, meaning any hemp product with more than 2mg of total THC per package becomes illegal to make or sell in the Commonwealth. The businesses argue the state lured their investment under one set of rules, then gave them roughly 40 days after a July 6 notice to reformulate products and dump inventory, warning of layoffs and closures. Watch for Ballou's ruling on the injunction — if it doesn't land before Friday, the cap becomes law and shelves start getting cleared.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger formally intervened in the State Corporation Commission's review of the proposed $67 billion sale of Dominion Energy to Florida-based NextEra Energy — the first time a sitting Virginia governor has stepped into an SCC case, according to WTOP. Regulators are expected to approve or reject the deal in roughly six months, which puts the decision squarely in campaign season and makes the question of whether the merger actually serves Virginia ratepayers a live political issue. Her intervention invites other parties to pile in, and every new intervenor stretches the timeline further. Watch for SCC scheduling orders and how Dominion and NextEra respond — the more crowded the docket, the closer your electric bill drifts toward the November ballot.

Spanberger restored voting rights to more than 66,085 Virginians, per WTOP, and the timing is not incidental: it lands about seven weeks before early voting opens for the 2026 midterms. Those Virginians can now register to vote, serve on juries, run for office, and become notaries. On that same November ballot sits a constitutional referendum that could strip future governors of this restoration power entirely — meaning voters newly re-enfranchised by one governor's pen will help decide whether any governor gets to keep wielding it. Watch for how quickly registrars process the new eligibility and where referendum polling settles.

Shenandoah County School Board member Lewis M. Scheibe II of New Market went public in the Northern Virginia Daily, arguing that stalling on the county's elementary-overcrowding crisis is not fiscal caution but "a direct vote against helping children." More than 2,500 elementary students are now squeezing through the division's doors daily into spaces past their limits, per the paper. Scheibe's math is blunt: every delay multiplies the eventual cost to taxpayers while the kids keep coming. Watch whether the board schedules an actual facilities vote — or whether the delay Scheibe is warning about simply continues into another budget cycle.

Richmond police identified the woman killed in a South Richmond shooting as Tanya Chavis, 58, and said the suspect, Corey Chavis, died by suicide in an East End cemetery Monday afternoon following a standoff, per CBS 6 / WTVR. Investigators described the case as domestic-related and said they do not anticipate charges against the woman who fled the vehicle with him. The case closes without a trial, but it lands amid a difficult stretch for the city — a Richmond teen was also killed in an accidental shooting at Belt Atlantic Apartments this week, per a Patch Richmond report.

• Water supply problems at Brooke Station delayed response to devastating house fire. A water-supply failure at Brooke Station slowed firefighters' ability to battle a major blaze, raising fresh questions about emergency infrastructure readiness in the area, according to Potomac Local.

• Manassas Architectural Review Board to consider revised Center Street redevelopment plan. A revised proposal for redeveloping Center Street in Manassas goes before the Architectural Review Board, a decision that could significantly affect downtown design and future construction in the city, reports InsideNoVa.

• Arlington Fire Department hazmat team contains apparent diesel spill in Hooffs Run. The Arlington Fire Department's hazmat unit responded to and contained an apparent diesel spill that was entering Hooffs Run, raising concerns about potential environmental and waterway impacts, per ALXnow.

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Trail Cleanup Friday Mornings Leopold's Preserve. Volunteers can help clean up Leopold’s Preserve in Broad Run, Virginia, on Friday mornings.

• Hopewell cleaning up after second damaging storm in a week. Hopewell is working through another round of cleanup after a second storm in seven days caused power outages and property damage across the city, according to WRIC.

• Henrico County Public Schools caps homework for K-12 students. Henrico County Public Schools is implementing new limits on homework assignments for K-12 students, part of a broader national trend toward reducing homework loads, reports WRIC.

• Chesterfield County to host public meetings on '1 For Schools' sales tax referendum. Chesterfield County will hold a series of public meetings to discuss the proposed "1 For Schools" sales tax referendum, which could reshape school funding and affect residents' tax burden, per WRIC.

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: End Alzheimer’s – Become a “Do What You Love to End ALZ” Volunteer Alzheimer's Association ✨ Make calls and send emails. Richmond volunteers can make calls and send emails for the Alzheimer’s Association’s “Do What You Love to End ALZ” service opportunity.

• Virginia Beach approves sale of VB National to Dragas Companies. Virginia Beach officials have signed off on the sale of VB National to Dragas Companies, a deal that could significantly influence future residential or mixed-use development in the city, reports WAVY.

• Child hospitalized after shooting at Fort Eustis. A child was taken to the hospital following a shooting at Fort Eustis, one of the most serious public-safety incidents in the region this week, according to WAVY.

• Norfolk police investigate shooting that left man seriously injured on Nicholson Street. Norfolk Police Department detectives are working to determine the circumstances of a shooting that left one man with serious injuries, per WAVY.

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Hospice Volunteer Needed Enhabit Hospice ✨ Provide companionship and support to patients. Enhabit Hospice seeks a volunteer in Hampton Roads to offer companionship and support to patients.

• Albemarle County School Board member resigns; board votes for independent investigation. An at-large Albemarle County School Board member has stepped down, and the board has voted to commission an independent investigation into the school district, a significant blow to district leadership and public confidence, reports Cville Tomorrow.

• Charlottesville selects 'Rooted' bronze baobab tree to replace melted Lee statue. City leaders have chosen the "Rooted" design — a bronze baobab tree — to transform the former Robert E. Lee statue site in Market Street Park, closing a long-running chapter in the city's public-art debate, per Cville Tomorrow.

• 501 Cherry development in Fifeville moves forward without the Charlottesville Food Co-Op. The mixed-use 501 Cherry project in Charlottesville's Fifeville neighborhood is advancing after the Charlottesville Food Co-Op's departure from the plan, reshaping what neighbors had expected from the development, according to Cville Tomorrow.

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Food Equity Volunteer Bread Across Borders. Charlottesville volunteers can help support food equity through Bread Across Borders service opportunities.

• Fredericksburg Planning Commission holds public hearing tonight on state-mandated zoning changes. The Fredericksburg Planning Commission is meeting at 6:30 p.m. to consider text amendments covering manufactured homes, parking, solar facilities, battery storage, and data centers — changes driven by new Virginia law, according to Fredericksburg VA Gov.

• Fredericksburg adds first electric vehicle to city fleet. The City of Fredericksburg has acquired its first electric vehicle for municipal use as part of an ongoing effort to cut emissions and advance sustainability goals, per the City of Fredericksburg.

• Virginia Railway Express to run special Sunday trains on August 23. VRE has announced special Sunday service on August 23, a practical transit update for commuters throughout the Fredericksburg corridor, reports Potomac Local.

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

• Roanoke police investigate fatal shooting on Grandview Avenue NW. Roanoke Police Department is investigating a shooting at 3700 Grandview Avenue NW that killed one person and injured another, making it one of the most serious crimes in the city this week, per WSET.

• Virginia State Police investigating death at Roanoke City Adult Detention Center. State police have opened an investigation into a death at the Roanoke City Adult Detention Center, raising questions about conditions and oversight at the facility, according to WSET.

• Roanoke police find large amount of blood in gazebo on Edinburg Street NW. Officers discovered a significant amount of blood in a gazebo in the 400 block of Edinburg Street NW and have launched an investigation into the circumstances, reports WSET.

• Boil water advisory lifted for parts of Roanoke County after pump and storage tank issue. Roanoke County residents who had been under a boil water advisory due to a pump and storage tank malfunction have been cleared, per WSET.

• 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.