SCC Chair Kelsey Bagot — who spent 19 months as a senior attorney for NextEra Energy before joining the State Corporation Commission in April 2024 — formally declined to recuse herself from the case that will decide whether NextEra can absorb Dominion Energy into the country's largest electric utility. Bagot sent her letter August 17 after Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell relayed that lawmakers and third parties questioned her participation, given that she had already recused herself from a separate NextEra proceeding. That leaves an unresolved conflict-of-interest question sitting at the center of the most consequential rate case in Virginia history, with millions of residents' electric bills downstream of it. Watch whether opponents challenge her decision — a successful challenge could push the review deep into the fall, right into the November midterms.

Governor Abigail Spanberger filed August 17 to formally intervene in the NextEra-Dominion merger — the first time any Virginia governor has done so before the State Corporation Commission. Her intervention lands alongside a pending fuel-cost fight (Dominion is asking the SCC to recover an additional $922 million from ratepayers) and a merger promise of $1.78 billion in NextEra-funded bill credits over two years that critics say the fuel request quietly undercuts. Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi is escalating from the other direction with a listening tour on energy costs — stops in Loudoun, Norfolk, Richmond, Charlottesville, and Roanoke beginning September 2 — and hundreds of public comments already filed with the SCC skew heavily against the deal. The statutory six-month review means no final decision until early 2027, so the whole thing marinates through the election.

An independent review by law firm Cooley LLP, released Tuesday, called on Old Dominion University to overhaul campus safety, threat assessment, emergency response, and communications — three months after Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah was killed and several students attacked by Mohamed Bailor Jalloh at Constant Hall in Norfolk. Jalloh, who also died, had served eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State group before enrolling at ODU. President Brian O. Hemphill released the report with only privacy-essential redactions, citing "our commitment to transparency," with students due back August 24. The timing — a damning report days before the fall semester — puts the burden squarely on ODU leadership to show returning families that recommendations become reality.

The tension is now impossible to ignore: Loudoun's roughly 250 data centers are projected to generate nearly $1.3 billion in fiscal 2027 — about 45% of the county's total local tax revenue — from just 4% of commercial parcels, per the Loudoun Times. Yet after loud resident opposition, the Board of Supervisors has approved starting the process to pause all new data center applications, site plans, and substations until new zoning rules are written. The same week, Virginia Beach City Council unanimously approved its own moratorium of up to 12 months, joining Chesapeake in the Hampton Roads pushback. If Loudoun finalizes its pause and it survives legal challenge, the growth curve simply migrates to whichever outer county still says yes — watch Southwest Virginia, where Americans for Responsible Innovation is already advising communities on siting standards.

Spanberger announced Wednesday that Virginia's general fund grew by roughly $2.1 billion in fiscal 2026, teeing up what she called record investments and larger reserves by 2028. Part of the new money: a first-of-its-kind tax of $0.011 per kilowatt-hour on electricity consumed by data centers, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, projected to raise about $600 million in the coming year, per Holland & Knight's analysis. Lawmakers preserved the industry's longtime sales-tax exemption on equipment even while adding the consumption tax and ordering a formal study of data centers' fiscal impact. The open question for next session: whether legislators treat the surplus as a buffer against federal cuts or a spending fund — a fight that runs straight through Spanberger's warnings about Medicaid coverage.

Richmond spent more than $500,000 running the April 21 statewide redistricting referendum — and got only about $129,600 back from the state, leaving the city roughly $375,000 in the hole, according to the Richmonder. The referendum was voided by the Supreme Court of Virginia on May 8, which ruled the Democratic-led General Assembly hadn't followed the proper constitutional amendment process, restoring the 2021 congressional map. That collapse also pushed Virginia's primaries from June to August and, per NBC4 Washington, cost Democrats the shot at up to four additional House seats they'd hoped to flip. November now runs on the old map — and Richmond's bill is a reminder that someone always pays for a vote that didn't count.

• Prince William County opens most high school tracks to the public. Prince William County Public Schools has expanded a pilot program allowing community members to walk, jog, and run at most high school tracks during designated hours, after officials reported no significant safety or maintenance issues with the initial trial. Potomac Local News

• 74-year-old scooter rider dies from injuries in Manassas crash. Prince William County Police say the man died from injuries suffered in a July 21 collision at Coverstone Drive and Aaron Lane, where the Kia driver was charged with failing to yield at a stop sign; separately, officers are investigating a commercial burglary at the Oasis at Montclair Apartments in Dumfries after a maintenance building's power was cut and refrigerant was stolen. Potomac Local News

• Shirlington's Corso Italian closes indefinitely after August flooding. The restaurant at 4024 Campbell Avenue shut down after August 2 floodwaters damaged its dining room and basement, with the owner saying repairs require a full shutdown; a GoFundMe seeks $14,000 for roughly 40 displaced staff while property owner Federal Realty Investment Trust says it intends to support reopening efforts. ARLnow

• Alexandria's long-awaited Del Ray splash pad set to open the week of September 7. The Del Ray Gateway/Colasanto Interactive Fountain, located at the triangular park at Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues, will operate through October and provide a new recreation amenity for neighborhood families after delays earlier this year. ALXnow

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Assist with the Fairfax County Parks and Rec Adaptive Aquatics Programs. Teens in Vienna can volunteer with Fairfax County Parks and Rec by assisting students in the pool during classes under an Adaptive Aquatics Instructor.

• Person assaulted and strangled near VCU's Cary Street Gym. Richmond Police are investigating after a person walking near the gym was attacked by a group of assailants Tuesday night; the victim survived and police are seeking information from the public. WRIC

• Eleven Darby House seniors still in hotels months after Henrico apartment fire. Eleven residents of the Darby House senior apartment complex remain in extended-stay hotels as local nonprofits and county partners work to help them secure permanent housing and replace belongings lost in the blaze. WRIC

• Chesterfield County promotes new water-measuring app for residents. The county is encouraging residents to use a smartphone app that tracks household water use in real time, aiming to improve leak detection, reduce utility bills, and support conservation across the county's water system. WRIC

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: North Chesterfield- Be a Friendly Visitor Volunteer Gentiva Hospice N. Chesterfield ✨ Provide socialization and companio. North Chesterfield volunteers can help Gentiva Hospice offer socialization and companionship through its Friendly Visitor program.

• One dead, one injured after lightning strike on Cape Charles beach. Two people were struck by lightning at Cape Charles beach, leaving one person dead and one injured, in a major public safety incident coinciding with severe storms moving through the region. WAVY

• Serious York County crash kills one, leaves infant in critical condition. A collision on Fort Eustis Boulevard near Richneck Road killed one person and critically injured an infant, also forcing closure of part of the roadway. WAVY

• Virginia State Police launch Operation DISS-RUPT enforcement on Hampton Roads highways. State Police are conducting a 48-hour crackdown on dangerous driving across Hampton Roads highways August 20–21, with the stated goal of zero fatal crashes during the enforcement period. WAVY

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: 11th Hour Hospice Volunteer Wings over Virginia Hospice ✨ Sit at the bedside of patients.. Hampton Roads volunteers can provide bedside companionship for hospice patients through the 11th Hour Hospice Volunteer Wings over Virginia program.

• Free Bridge encampment residents say they're in the dark ahead of Charlottesville's September 1 deadline. People living at the longtime homeless encampment near Free Bridge say they have received little direct information from city officials about relocation plans or support, even as they face possible arrest if they remain after the deadline; advocates have raised concerns about displacement and the adequacy of planned shelter space at 2000 Holiday Drive. Charlottesville Tomorrow

• Albemarle County School Board Vice Chair Allison Spillman resigns; board votes for independent investigation. Spillman cited personal and family reasons for her departure, while the board simultaneously voted to launch an independent investigation into the school division amid public concern and a high-profile criminal case involving a school system employee. Charlottesville Tomorrow

• Charlottesville Food Co-Op withdraws from 501 Cherry Avenue project in Fifeville. The Co-Op pulled out after a feasibility study found the current site plan wasn't financially viable, though developer Woodard Properties and partners say the mixed-use project — which includes affordable housing — will move forward while they seek another grocery operator for the neighborhood, which is considered a food desert. Charlottesville Tomorrow

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

• Stafford school-zone cameras issue more than 1,000 speed warnings in four days. Drivers near Stafford Middle School, Colonial Forge High School, and Drew Middle School received warnings for exceeding school-zone speed limits by at least 10 mph between August 11 and 14, as part of a new automated enforcement program focused on safety rather than citations; Manassas has also begun issuing warnings through its own traffic cameras. Potomac Local News

• Three Stafford high schools rank among Virginia's best; University of Mary Washington adds 24/7 crisis line. Colonial Forge, Mountain View, and North Stafford high schools placed in the top tiers of the new U.S. News & World Report 2026–2027 Best High Schools rankings; separately, the University of Mary Washington has added a round-the-clock mental health crisis line through TimelyCare's CrisisNow service, giving students immediate access to clinicians via the Talley Center. Potomac Local News

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

• JMU move-in begins today as fall semester gets underway. James Madison University's student move-in starts August 21, with fall classes beginning August 26, bringing thousands of students back to Harrisonburg and straining local housing, traffic, and services. Rocktown Now

• Federal judge in Harrisonburg voids 2024 Nexus Services asset sale, clears principals of civil contempt. A federal judge has invalidated a 2024 asset sale by the Harrisonburg-area firm Nexus Services and cleared several company principals of civil contempt charges, in a significant local courts and business development. Rocktown Now

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Volunteer at Harrisonburg Gift and Thrift Gift and Thrift, Inc.. Shenandoah Valley residents can volunteer with Harrisonburg Gift and Thrift, Gift and Thrift, Inc. to support local service opportunities.

• Williamson Road lane reconfiguration to become permanent after 40% crash reduction. Roanoke's public works director told City Council that a pilot project converting a stretch of Williamson Road from four lanes to three with a center left-turn lane will be made permanent, citing data showing roughly a 40% drop in total crashes with little change to traffic flow or typical speeds. Cardinal News

• Roanoke Valley Collective Response to hold overdose memorial at Taubman Museum. The organization is hosting a community memorial at the Taubman Museum of Art on International Overdose Awareness Day, featuring a tribute slideshow, a memorial wall, and connections to local recovery and prevention resources. Cardinal News

• Roanoke City working to clear bulk and brush pickup backlog. The city is adjusting operations and reminding residents of transfer station hours — 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays — to address delays that have affected neighborhood cleanliness. WSLS

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Hospice Volunteer Agape Care Group ✨ Provide companionship and support to patients. Agape Care Group seeks volunteers in Roanoke to offer companionship and support to hospice patients.

• Hampton Roads: 11th Hour Hospice Volunteer Wings over Virginia Hospice ✨ Sit at the bedside of patients.. Hampton Roads volunteers can provide bedside companionship for hospice patients through the 11th Hour Hospice Volunteer Wings over Virginia program.