Governor Abigail Spanberger announced Thursday she will formally intervene in the proposed $66.8 billion merger between Dominion Energy and Florida-based NextEra Energy before the State Corporation Commission — the first time a sitting Virginia governor has taken such a step in an SCC case. In a Washington Post op-ed, she wrote she is "deeply skeptical about whether selling our primary, state-regulated utility to an out-of-state company is good for the commonwealth," naming three non-negotiables: lower bills, protected utility workers, and faster local clean energy. The deal would create what the companies call the world's largest regulated electric utility, and the SCC faces a January deadline to approve or reject it. The signal to watch: her filed documentation and whether other parties pile in — because a governor's formal intervention turns a regulatory review into a public referendum on what Virginians pay every month.

The State Corporation Commission's July 31 final order directs Dominion Energy to develop a policy assigning the cost of new transmission infrastructure directly to data centers and other large-load users — the ones actually driving demand for it. Dominion has 90 days to file amendments to its line-extension policy and 120 days to update regulators on the broader cost-assignment approach. The governor's office says the shift could save families, small businesses, and other ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars, a meaningful sum in a corridor where Loudoun County alone hosts nearly 200 operating data centers. Watch the "but for" language when Dominion files: if it defines narrowly which upgrades were truly caused by data centers, operators will argue most costs would've landed on your bill anyway.

Dominion added more than 5 gigawatts of contracted data center load to its pipeline in the second quarter — an 11 percent jump since December, when it reported over 48GW under contract — per its Q2 earnings call. The context is not academic: last month the PJM grid saw a significant voltage disturbance when a large block of data center load abruptly disconnected, a disruption that originated in the Northern Virginia territory Dominion serves. That combination — surging demand plus proven instability — is exactly why bipartisan lawmakers are now pushing to pause new project approvals until officials understand the strain. The observable signal: whether any pause proposal gets a legislative sponsor and a hearing date, or stays a press-release sentiment.

Tuesday's delayed August primary locked in the fall matchups, and the map beneath them is the same one Virginia has used for years. Army veteran Bert Mizusawa won the GOP Senate nomination and will face Democratic Sen. Mark Warner; Rep. Don Beyer took the 8th District Democratic nod over four challengers; and Rep. Eugene Vindman will meet retired Army Lt. Col. Douglas Ollivant in a 7th District race expected to be close, per the Virginia Public Access Project. The primary was pushed from June to accommodate a redistricting plan the Virginia Supreme Court later tossed on procedural grounds — meaning the competitive 2nd District rematch between Rep. Jen Kiggans and former Rep. Elaine Luria proceeds on lines that favor Republicans in several swing seats. Watch national PAC money: if it floods the Vindman–Ollivant and Kiggans–Luria races within days, it confirms both parties see Virginia's swing seats as the cheapest path to House control.

Virginia's three-day sales tax holiday runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, covering qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star and WaterSense products, per the Virginia Department of Taxation. Depending on your locality, you'll save between 5.3% and 7% — most Hampton Roads shoppers save 6%, while Williamsburg and James City County shoppers save 7%. The exemption applies both in-store and online statewide. If you've been putting off the back-to-school run or restocking the emergency kit before hurricane season peaks, this is the cheapest 72 hours of the year to do it.

• Fatal shooting reported in Richmond's East End. Richmond police are investigating a homicide in the city's East End neighborhood, with the case carrying ongoing investigative implications for the area. WRIC ABC 8News

• VDOE confirms SwimRVA operating under license exemption after 9-year-old drowns. The Virginia Department of Education confirmed that SwimRVA has been operating under a license exemption, a disclosure that follows the drowning death of a 9-year-old in Henrico County and raises questions about regulatory oversight of youth programs. WRIC ABC 8News

• Richmond Planning Commission approves Shockoe Valley Streets Improvement Project. The commission's approval advances an infrastructure effort that could reshape traffic flow, pedestrian access, and redevelopment prospects in the downtown Shockoe Valley corridor. WRIC ABC 8News

• Chesterfield County Public Schools discusses "1 for Schools" sales tax referendum. CCPS officials are weighing a proposed sales tax referendum that could fund future school construction and capital projects in the county. WRIC ABC 8News

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Share the Gift of Music and Song: Be a Music Hospice Volunteer Enhabit Hospice. Enhabit Hospice is seeking Richmond volunteers to share music and song with hospice patients as part of a service opportunity.

• Portsmouth police charge two teens with second-degree murder in July shooting. The Portsmouth Police Department says two teenagers have been charged in connection with a July homicide, marking a significant development in an ongoing murder investigation. WAVY

• Virginia Beach officer shoots man armed with knife; suspect now faces charges. Virginia Beach Police Department says the man wounded in an officer-involved shooting while wielding a knife has been charged, adding a new legal dimension to the incident. WAVY

• Norfolk City Council approves $400M in airport bonds. The council signed off on a major bond package to finance upgrades at Norfolk International Airport, a significant infrastructure and economic development commitment for the region. Hampton Roads Report

• Chesapeake council votes to raise tolls on Expressway and Dominion Boulevard Veterans Bridge. Chesapeake officials approved higher toll rates on two key commuter routes, a move that will directly affect drivers across the region. Hampton Roads Report

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Hospice Volunteer Needed Enhabit Hospice. Enhabit Hospice is seeking a volunteer opportunity in Hampton Roads for those interested in providing service.

• Albemarle County School Board member resigns; board orders independent investigation. A board member's resignation and a vote to launch an independent probe into the school division signal significant governance concerns inside Albemarle County Public Schools. Charlottesville Tomorrow

• Charlottesville selects "Rooted" design to reimagine melted Lee statue as bronze baobab tree. The city voted to transform the former Robert E. Lee statue site in Market Street Park into a new public artwork — a bronze baobab tree — closing a long chapter in the city's monument debate. Charlottesville Tomorrow

• Greene County Board of Supervisors faces public pressure over ICE partnership. Residents preparing to speak out at board meetings are being advised on what the Greene County Board of Supervisors legally can and cannot do regarding the county's partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Charlottesville Tomorrow

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

• One killed, one injured in shooting on Grandview Avenue NW. Roanoke Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting in the 3700 block of Grandview Avenue NW that followed a physical altercation, and officers are asking anyone with information to come forward. WSET

• Austrian firm RINGANA to establish U.S. headquarters in Roanoke, bringing 435 jobs. The City of Roanoke announced that life sciences company RINGANA will open its first American headquarters in the city, representing an $85 million investment over five years. City of Roanoke

• Roanoke police find large amount of blood in Edinburg Street NW gazebo; no victim located. Officers responding to a suspicious-situation call discovered blood in a gazebo in the 400 block of Edinburg Street NW, but had not found a victim as of the initial report. 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.

• Richmond: Share the Gift of Music and Song: Be a Music Hospice Volunteer Enhabit Hospice. Enhabit Hospice is seeking Richmond volunteers to share music and song with hospice patients as part of a service opportunity.