Students walk back into Norfolk classrooms overnight, three months after Mohamed Bailor Jalloh opened fire on an ROTC class in Constant Hall, killing instructor Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah and wounding two others before cadets rushed and disarmed him. An independent review released last week found ODU needs a broad overhaul of threat assessment, emergency alerts, physical security, and background checks — and the university says it will act on all of it, including expanded screening for readmitted students. The unavoidable subtext: Jalloh had spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State group before enrolling. Watch whether the promised background-check expansion becomes formal policy this semester, or stays a line in a report.

Dominion's fuel costs in Virginia have climbed nearly 90% in five years, per Reuters and U.S. News, as data-center demand forces the utility deeper into volatile wholesale electricity markets — the costs that eventually land on your monthly bill. The scale is staggering: Dominion has approved 111 new data-center projects to connect by 2031, with 220 more queued, a combined load exceeding 70 gigawatts — the equivalent of 70 North Anna nuclear plants. Amazon has estimated new applicants could wait up to 24 years for power. PJM projects the Virginia zone will post the largest absolute jump in summer peak demand in the country through 2030 — meaning the fight over who pays for AI's electricity is now Virginia's fight to lose.

A public notice that Amazon is seeking a permit to draw groundwater in King George County has alarmed the local water utility and drawn open criticism from Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George. On paper it's one permit; in practice it's the opening skirmish of a larger fight over data-center water use, county permitting authority, and state oversight along the Northern Neck's Route 3 growth corridor. What becomes possible: if the county, utility, or state files formal objections in the coming days, King George becomes a template for how rural Virginia pushes back on the industry's thirst. Watch the objection window — the utility's response is the tell.

As of July, 58% of Virginia's nursing homes were overdue for inspection and 68 of the state's 289 facilities showed serious deficiencies, according to ProPublica figures cited by Virginia Mercury. The Virginia Department of Health says it's digging out: recertification backlog has dropped from roughly 214 facilities to 170 since January, and the share within the federal inspection window rose from 26.5% to 41.6% under Office of Licensure and Certification Director April Dovel. The bigger lever is still coming — VDH aims to adopt formal sanction criteria by year's end to force troubled facilities into compliance or out of business. Watch whether those criteria land before December, because right now the state can catalog neglect faster than it can punish it.

Virginia screens out — takes no action on — 61% of child protective services referrals, compared with a 43% national average, according to a Virginian-Pilot investigation into the Commonwealth's child welfare and foster systems. The gap means thousands of Virginia families flagged for concern never trigger a response, and the state lags national benchmarks across key measures of how its child-protection apparatus actually functions. What changes for readers: this is the kind of structural failure that becomes a General Assembly line item once the numbers get loud enough. Watch whether legislators or the Spanberger administration name a specific reform target when session convenes.

The Virginia attorney general's office announced Friday that the legal challenge to the state's assault weapons ban has been stayed while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs broader challenges to assault-weapon restrictions. For gun owners and retailers, that means the law stands for now, but the enforcement horizon is tied to a federal timeline no one in Richmond controls. The practical effect is limbo: no immediate statutory change, but no resolution either, with the state's ability to enforce its own gun framework hostage to national precedent. Watch the Supreme Court's calendar — the next move in Virginia isn't a legislative one, it's a ruling from Washington.

• Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger moves up resignation to Sept. 30. The City of Manassas confirmed it has received Davis-Younger's written resignation, with her departure now set nearly three months earlier than her previously announced end-of-2026 exit — her final City Council meeting will be September 28. Potomac Local News

• Two-alarm fire breaks out at Ballston apartment building. Arlington County firefighters responded Sunday night to a blaze at the 1020 Apartments on N. Quincy Street, working to control heavy smoke with no major injuries reported in initial updates. ARLnow

• St. John's Episcopal Church in Glencarlyn to hold final service after 130-plus years. The historic Arlington church will close its doors permanently on August 30, marking the end of a congregation that has served the community for more than a century. ARLnow

• Creating Foundations for Hope expands housing services beyond Prince William. The Prince William-based nonprofit is extending its rental assistance and case management programs into Fauquier, Culpeper, and Rappahannock counties to support at-risk households across a wider region. InsideNova

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Volunteering on the Mount Vernon Trail FRIENDS OF THE MOUNT VERNON TRAIL ✨ Perform trail maintenance and community event. Northern Virginia volunteers can help maintain the Mount Vernon Trail and assist with community events through Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail.

• Second mold test confirms elevated levels at Barack Obama Elementary School. A follow-up inspection found mold concerns persist at the Richmond school, raising continued questions about building conditions and student health. WRIC

• Hanover County planning commission advances data center campus proposal despite resident opposition. The commission moved the project forward even as nearby residents voiced growing fears about the development's impact on their community. WRIC

• Chesterfield County's Career and Technical Center at Hull adds 12 classrooms in $9.5 million expansion. The project significantly increases capacity for workforce training programs at the county facility. WRIC

• Woman hospitalized after shooting in Richmond's Gilpin Court. Police are investigating the incident at the public housing community, one of the city's most densely populated neighborhoods. 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 help the Alzheimer’s Association by joining efforts to end Alzheimer’s through activities they already enjoy.

• Child struck in Norfolk hit-and-run, mother pleads for community help. Norfolk Police are investigating the collision at West 40th Street and Bowdens Ferry Road that left a juvenile with life-threatening injuries, and the child's mother is asking the public for information to identify the driver. WAVY

• Two pedestrians critically injured in Hampton crash on Wheatland Drive. Hampton Police are investigating the serious collision, drawing renewed attention to pedestrian safety and traffic enforcement in the city. WAVY

• Flash flooding hits Hampton Roads for second time this month. Heavy rain on August 22 inundated streets and underpasses across Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake, underscoring persistent stormwater and infrastructure challenges for local governments. WAVY

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Volunteer: Juneteenth Celebration at the Richard A. Tucker Memorial Library Norfolk Public Library. Volunteers are needed at the Juneteenth Celebration at Norfolk Public Library’s Richard A. Tucker Memorial Library in Hampton Roads.

• Free Bridge encampment residents say they lack information as Charlottesville's September 1 clearance deadline nears. The city is preparing a low-barrier emergency shelter at 2000 Holiday Drive and has budgeted $4 million for relocation and services, but unhoused residents report they still don't know what will happen to them. Charlottesville Tomorrow

• Albemarle County School Board Vice Chair Allison Spillman resigns; board authorizes independent investigation. The board unanimously voted to hire outside counsel to probe personnel issues and policies around alleged inappropriate staff conduct, following recent staff arrests and leadership departures. Charlottesville Tomorrow

• Charlottesville's 501 Cherry Avenue development will move forward without the Food Co-Op. A feasibility study found the current site plan unsuitable for a financially viable grocery store, raising fresh concerns about food access in the Fifeville neighborhood. Charlottesville Tomorrow

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

• FAMPO's $6.5 million bid for a new Rappahannock River bridge is rejected. The Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization's funding proposal was turned down, halting a major transportation project aimed at easing congestion across the river. Potomac Local News

• Stafford County Board of Supervisors votes to end Virginia's only transportation impact fee program. The decision rolls back a funding mechanism designed to require new development to contribute to local road improvements. Potomac Local News

• VDOT schedules overnight I-95 lane closures in Stafford and Spotsylvania through August 29. Single and double lane closures are planned near Exit 143 in Stafford and between Exits 133–130 over the Rappahannock River, with additional daytime work on Route 1. 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.

• Rockingham County moves ahead with Flock camera installation as Harrisonburg and Elkton drop theirs. The county is expanding its automated license plate reader network even as neighboring localities ended their Flock contracts, reflecting a sharp local divide over surveillance technology and public safety policy. WMRA

• Route 704 bridge over I-81 in Rockingham County closes for repairs. The Cecil Wampler Road bridge was set to close for up to a week beginning August 20, creating a local detour burden for Rockingham County drivers. Rocktown Now

• Waynesboro Public Schools to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students in 2026–27. The district announced universal free meals for the coming school year, providing direct relief to families across the community. Rocktown Now

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Volunteer at Harrisonburg Gift and Thrift Gift and Thrift, Inc.. Volunteers in Harrisonburg can help at Gift and Thrift, Inc. in the Shenandoah Valley.

• James City County Police raid two vape shops, seize large quantities of illegal THC products. Officers executed search warrants on August 20 at stores on Richmond Road and John Tyler Highway as part of an ongoing drug investigation, making multiple arrests. James City County

• Williamsburg leaders balk at $83 million price tag for proposed live performance venue. City officials are weighing the proposal that followed the recent opening of the Greater Williamsburg Sports and Event Center, expressing concern about the funding implications of the large project. The Triangle

• The Whaling Company to close permanently on August 28 after decades in Williamsburg. The longtime seafood restaurant is shutting down, ending a multi-generational local business that has employed some workers for more than 25 years. Williamsburg Yorktown Daily

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Healthy Food Pantry Re-Stocking of Shelves Bon Secours Community Health Team. It is a practical volunteer option for readers who want a concrete shift rather than a calendar outing.

• I-81 widening project to bring eight weeks of blasting and delays in Roanoke and Botetourt counties. VDOT says work between exits 143 and 150 begins the week of August 24, and drivers should expect significant disruptions to travel patterns throughout the corridor. WSLS

• Henry County Board of Supervisors to vote on stricter data center zoning rules. After a packed public hearing prompted the board to go "back to the drawing board," supervisors are set to consider amendments Tuesday that would create a dedicated data center district with tougher noise, water-use, and decommissioning requirements. Cardinal News

• Roanoke Police investigating fatal shooting on Grandview Avenue NW. One person was killed and another injured in the Wednesday shooting, with authorities continuing to work to determine the circumstances. WSET

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Hospice Volunteer Agape Care Group. Agape Care Group seeks volunteers in Roanoke for hospice service opportunities.

• Northern Virginia: Volunteering on the Mount Vernon Trail FRIENDS OF THE MOUNT VERNON TRAIL ✨ Perform trail maintenance and community event. Northern Virginia volunteers can help maintain the Mount Vernon Trail and assist with community events through Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail.