Dominion Energy filed its official arguments Wednesday asking the Virginia State Corporation Commission to approve its roughly $66.8 billion merger with Florida-based NextEra, formally starting a six-month regulatory clock. The combined company would serve 10 million customers across four states and control 110 gigawatts of power, and how the SCC rules will shape electric bills for millions of Virginians for years. Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi filed 64 questions she wants both companies to answer, and marking her six months in office, Gov. Abigail Spanberger said her administration is judging the deal on three pillars — affordability first — and told WTVR the SCC "should take the time that it needs." Watch for the SCC's procedural schedule and whether opponents force a longer review; the Sierra Club is rallying at Richmond's Bell Tower at noon Monday to demand regulators kill the deal outright.

Ashburn resident Vicky Hu has vowed to appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court after the SCC approved routing new high-voltage transmission lines directly through her backyard, clearing the last regulatory hurdle for Dominion to begin construction. Under Virginia law, a Supreme Court appeal is the only path left from an SCC ruling, making Hu's case a national test of how the transmission lines feeding Loudoun's 200-plus data centers get sited. If the court takes it up, the ruling could set the template for every future clash between homeowners and the grid build-out sweeping Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William. The question underneath it all: who pays, and who lives next to the towers, so the data centers can keep humming.

The Frederick County Board of Supervisors is weighing a countywide ban on data centers after months of community pushback, signaling that the revolt that reshaped Loudoun's zoning rules is now spreading down the I-81 corridor. Residents cite higher electricity and water rates, few permanent jobs, and environmental strain, while a February 2026 Clean Virginia report projects the industry's energy needs could double or triple over the next 15 years — piling pressure on grid operator PJM. Nationally, roughly half of all data centers slated to open in 2026 are projected to be delayed or canceled. What to watch: whether Frederick's supervisors formalize the ban, and whether adjacent jurisdictions along I-81 and I-95 follow with their own moratoriums.

The three-judge panel formed by the Virginia Supreme Court declined to consolidate the multiple lawsuits challenging the state's assault weapons ban, leaving a fragmented enforcement map where some injunctions read as statewide and others name only specific localities. Attorney General Jay Jones is now asking the courts for a delay until the U.S. Supreme Court takes up related cases, while the U.S. Department of Justice has filed its own federal suit arguing Virginia is criminalizing commerce in common semiautomatic rifles. For gun owners, dealers, and police, the practical reality is a law that's on the books but tangled in court. The signal to watch: whether the courts grant Jones's requested pause, which would freeze the patchwork until Washington rules.

Virginia ended Fiscal Year 2026 with a $936 million General Fund surplus, running $2.09 billion — or 6.7 percent — ahead of last year, per the Office of Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Secretary of Finance Mark D. Sickles reported that collections blew past the Chapter 7 budget's assumed 3.7 percent growth rate, with payroll withholding driving most of the gains. But officials warned the cushion leans on volatile non-withholding sources and refund swings, urging conservative management. That caveat is the whole ballgame: a confirmed surplus this size sets up a spending fight in the next General Assembly session, and if the volatile sources revert, the cushion could shrink fast.

Charlottesville City Council is set to vote this week on a resolution to put a referendum on the ballot raising the local sales tax by up to 1 percent to fund school construction, alongside bond authorization for the city's capital plan. A yes vote would launch a campaign-style fight — school advocates, business groups, and anti-tax organizers all mobilizing — and make Charlottesville a live test of whether Virginians will accept higher sales taxes tied explicitly to capital needs. A split or delay signals continued reluctance and keeps the pressure on Richmond for state-level fixes. Elsewhere on the agenda: public hearings on residential parking design standards and how residents can appeal Architectural Review Board decisions.

• Reagan National targets summer rebound after rocky start to 2026. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is reporting improving passenger traffic after a difficult early 2026, with airlines adjusting schedules and staffing to stabilize on-time performance heading into peak summer. ARLnow

• Arlington hit with overlapping weather alerts. Arlington County is under simultaneous storm and flood watches, a Heat Advisory, and Code Red air quality, prompting officials to warn residents about flash flooding, dangerous heat, and unhealthy pollution while adjusting outdoor programming and public safety readiness. ARLnow

• Fairfax Water general manager honored after nearly four decades of service. Fairfax Water's longtime general manager was formally recognized for nearly 40 years of leadership overseeing drinking water infrastructure for Fairfax County and surrounding jurisdictions as the utility prepares for a leadership transition. FFXnow

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: and Family Day Volunteer of Guest House. Northern Virginia volunteers can help Guest House with a family day service opportunity.

• Bicyclist left with life-threatening injuries in Richmond hit-and-run. Richmond Police are investigating an early-morning hit-and-run crash that left a bicyclist critically injured and are asking the public for tips to identify the driver who fled the scene. WRIC

• Two killed when motorcycle strikes tree in Powhatan County. A driver and passenger died after a motorcycle ran off the road and hit a tree near Dorset and Stavemill roads, and the Powhatan County Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate the cause. WRIC

• Chesterfield homeowners say Dominion Energy project is swallowing their backyards. Chesterfield County residents say a Dominion Energy infrastructure project is cutting deeply into their properties, raising questions about easement notices and what recourse they have with the utility and county officials. WRIC

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Hygiene drive - From the Heart Stitchers. From the Heart Stitchers in Richmond is collecting hygiene items for bags to help unsheltered people in Chesterfield County.

• Federal judge orders release of man detained by ICE in Suffolk. A federal judge has ordered the release of a man arrested by ICE in Suffolk, raising questions about how immigration enforcement is carried out locally and the role of federal courts in reviewing such detentions. WAVY

• Newport News mother criticizes school's response to former teaching assistant's alleged sexual misconduct. A Newport News parent is speaking out about the school division's communication after allegations of sexual misconduct against a former teaching assistant, intensifying concerns about transparency and how administrators handle serious staff allegations. WAVY

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: SHARE SUMMERTIME JOY AS A HOSPICE VOLUNTEER (Virginia Beach area) Enhabit Hospice. Enhabit Hospice is seeking volunteers in the Virginia Beach area to share summertime joy through hospice service.

• Charlottesville selects bronze baobab tree sculpture made from melted Lee statue. Charlottesville City Council chose "Rooted," a bronze baobab tree cast from the melted Robert E. Lee statue, to anchor a redesigned Market Street Park, marking a major milestone in the city's long-running Confederate monument reckoning. Charlottesville Tomorrow

• Greene County Sheriff and ICE arrest 49 people days before new state law took effect. A joint operation between the Greene County Sheriff's Office and ICE resulted in 49 arrests, conducted just before a new Virginia law limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement was set to take effect. Charlottesville Tomorrow

• Fifeville residents keep fighting proposed seven-story student housing development near UVA. Neighbors in Charlottesville's historically Black Fifeville community are continuing to challenge a proposed seven-story luxury student housing complex, pressing the Planning Commission and City Council on zoning, density, and community benefits. Charlottesville Tomorrow

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

• Fredericksburg City Council tightens downtown noise enforcement and eyes 2027 state legislative push. The Fredericksburg City Council approved stronger enforcement measures for downtown noise complaints and began planning a 2027 legislative agenda to seek state-level authority to better manage late-night disturbances tied to nightlife businesses. Potomac Local News

• Route 1 intersection improvements completed in Fredericksburg. Major upgrades at a key Route 1 corridor are now complete, adding new turn lanes, updated signal timing, and pedestrian improvements aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety. Potomac Local News

• Pedestrian safety upgrades planned for Fall Hill Avenue corridor. Fredericksburg officials are advancing a package of improvements along Fall Hill Avenue, including new crosswalks, sidewalk connections, and traffic-calming measures to better protect pedestrians near residential and commercial areas. Potomac Local News

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Hospice Volunteers~amazing opportunities, FLEXIBLE schedule. Affinity Care of Virginia is seeking volunteers in Fredericksburg for hospice service opportunities with flexible scheduling.

• Blacksburg business incubator secures $1-per-year lease on town-owned building. A new downtown Blacksburg incubator will occupy an older town-owned building under a symbolic $1 annual lease, aiming to spur local entrepreneurship and bring new life to underused space. Cardinal News

• Virginia Tech researchers develop AI tools for difficult workplace conversations. Virginia Tech researchers in Blacksburg are building artificial intelligence tools to help employers and employees navigate tough workplace conversations, a project that could reshape HR practices and communication training across the New River Valley. Cardinal News

• Longtime Danville animal shelter director accused of falsifying records. The longtime director of Danville's animal shelter and city humane investigator is accused of falsifying records, raising questions about oversight and trust in animal welfare enforcement across Southside Virginia. Cardinal News

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Do you enjoy singing/playing hymns? Hospice Volunteers Needed Affinity Care of Virginia ✨ Sing hymns with hospice patien. Affinity Care of Virginia in Roanoke seeks hospice volunteers who enjoy singing or playing hymns with patients.