Richmond City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to formally intervene in the State Corporation Commission's review of the proposed $67 billion Dominion Energy–NextEra merger, with council members calling the deal "a disaster for the average Virginian." Hours earlier, in a rare move, the SCC ordered three in-person public hearings after legislators and ratepayers demanded them — including a Richmond hearing Nov. 5 from 2–5 p.m. at 1300 E. Main St., with written comments open through Nov. 9 under case number PUR-2026-00112. That combination — a capital city intervening plus the commission opening the floor to live testimony — turns what looked like a six-month rubber stamp into a contested, multi-party fight over who pays for the power that data centers demand. Watch whether other localities follow Richmond and Arlington through the door before the SCC's Jan. 11, 2027 decision deadline.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, whose district wraps around Loudoun County's "Data Center Alley," unveiled a four-bill "National Data Center Plan," anchored by a Responsible Data Center Siting Act that would task the U.S. Department of Energy with best-practice siting guidelines covering electricity rates, water use, noise, and grid stress. The timing is pointed: Reuters reports House Republicans plan to bring their own legislation to the floor next week aimed at curbing electricity bill increases tied to data-center expansion. For Virginians already watching the Dominion merger, this signals the data-center power fight has jumped from county zoning boards to the federal grid-cost debate. The observable next step is whether Subramanyam's bills get hearings — or get folded into the GOP electricity package now heading for a House vote.

Christiansburg voted to require a conditional-use permit for any future data center, Henry County approved a 1,000-foot setback rule on Sept. 1, and Goochland is moving to ban data centers outside a designated technology overlay district near Richmond. Together these show the playbook that started in Loudoun spreading to counties and towns that never expected to be part of the fight. What changes: developers now face a patchwork of stricter local rules that can push projects from one locality to the next rather than stopping them — reshaping which communities capture the tax base and which inherit the grid strain. Watch Goochland's zoning amendment vote as the test of whether a county can wall data centers off entirely without losing them to a neighbor.

Dennikia Rachelle Boyce, 37, wanted for the July 24 shooting deaths of VDOT contractors Rai'Shon Eugene Delarge, 30, and Philip Avery Wilson, 34, at an equipment yard in Chesterfield County, was arrested in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, per Reuters and WTVR CBS 6. Boyce faces two counts of second-degree murder in Virginia and is being held on a federal unlawful-flight charge pending extradition, after a manhunt involving the U.S. Marshals Service, Virginia State Police, and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. The victims' mothers had publicly demanded her capture for weeks. The next signal is the extradition hearing that returns her to Virginia to face the murder charges.

Virginia regulators released a draft framework of more than 80 pages for the state's adult-use cannabis market, laying out a competitive lottery to award roughly 350 retail licenses — a footprint that roughly mirrors the state's ABC liquor stores. The rules set up the central fight over who gets to profit from legal weed: how licenses are distributed, who qualifies, and how public-health and enforcement guardrails are structured. For would-be entrepreneurs and the localities that will host these stores, the draft is the first concrete map of what a legal market actually looks like. Watch the public comment period that follows — this framework is a draft, and the lottery design is exactly where the lobbying will land.

The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington closed from 3 a.m. to noon Friday for a 25th-anniversary observance ceremony hosted by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with President Trump and Secretary Rubio scheduled to attend. Alongside the ceremony, the Pentagon Memorial Fund broke ground on a 52,000-square-foot Visitor Education Center across from the memorial, funded by $12 million in the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act plus Virginia and private dollars, and slated to open in 2029. That timing matters: by the time it opens, more than a quarter of Americans will have been born after the attacks — the center is explicitly a bet on teaching a generation with no memory of the day. Governor Spanberger ordered flags to half-staff statewide from sunrise to sunset, honoring the 184 killed at the Pentagon.

• Fort Belvoir marks 25 years since 9/11 with a call to remember, serve, and unite. The installation held a remembrance ceremony using the anniversary to emphasize service and unity, making it one of the day's most meaningful local civic events. Inside Nova

• Defense seeks to exclude victim's words from husband's murder trial. Attorneys in the Mamta Kafle Bhatt case are fighting over whether the victim's own statements can be heard in court, adding a significant evidentiary dispute to one of Northern Virginia's highest-profile ongoing trials. WTOP

• Plan to add up to 130 condos next to Potomac Mills advances. The Prince William County proposal moved forward through the planning process, with potential implications for traffic, land use, and growth patterns in the corridor around the regional shopping center. Prince William Times

• Manassas launches 'I Voted!' sticker design contest for city students. Manassas City Schools and city government are inviting students to submit designs for a new official "I Voted!" sticker, aiming to build civic engagement among younger residents ahead of Election Day. Inside Nova

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Pick Up and Drive Food Pantry donations, Friday mornings only. Centreville volunteers are needed for roughly an hour on Friday mornings to help collect and deliver food pantry donations.

• Richmond City Council votes to intervene in Dominion–NextEra merger review. Council members unanimously approved a resolution at a special Sept. 10 meeting to formally enter the State Corporation Commission case examining the proposed $67 billion merger, citing concerns about electricity rates and reliability for city residents and the city as a major ratepayer. 8News WRIC

• Woman arrested in North Carolina in connection with shooting deaths of two VDOT contractors in Chesterfield. A suspect wanted in the July killings of two Virginia Department of Transportation workers at a Chesterfield County worksite was taken into custody after weeks as a fugitive, with Virginia State Police working to extradite her to face two counts of second-degree murder. 8News WRIC

• Henrico County Public Schools launches new HVAC preventative maintenance contract. The division entered an agreement with Henrico County on Sept. 1 requiring inspections of heating and cooling equipment at every school four times a year, with Chief of Operations Greg Dunaway saying the goal is to catch problems before system failures disrupt learning. 8News WRIC

• Texas Inn fundraises for veterans' mental health on World Suicide Prevention Day. The Richmond diner partnered with Tech for Troops' Game Corps at its Park Avenue location, bringing in a vintage arcade machine and donating 20% of Thursday's proceeds to suicide-preventive gaming initiatives for veterans. 8News WRIC

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Blood Drive Welcome & Support Volunteer | American Red Cross | Richmond and Henrico American Red Cross - Virginia Region. Volunteer with the American Red Cross in Richmond and Henrico to welcome blood donors and provide support during blood drive events.

• Man killed in domestic-related shooting on 30th Street in Newport News. Newport News Police Department officers responded around 1:55 a.m. to the 1000 block of 30th Street, where they found a man dead and a woman injured inside a home; no suspect details have been released and investigators are asking the public for information. WAVY

• Norfolk and Portsmouth among first localities to receive new chip-and-tap EBT cards. Virginia is rolling out upgraded cards with chip-and-tap technology to combat SNAP benefit theft, with residents in the two Hampton Roads cities expected to receive them by Oct. 1 as part of a pilot before a broader statewide transition. WAVY

• Multi-vehicle crash closes all westbound lanes of I-64 at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. The collision caused significant disruption for commuters crossing the water as VDOT and emergency crews worked to clear the scene and restore normal travel. WAVY via YouTube

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Volunteers Needed in Norfolk to Spend Time with Hospice Patients - FLEXIBLE HOURS Suncrest Hospice. Suncrest Hospice seeks Hampton Roads volunteers in Norfolk to spend time with hospice patients, with flexible hours available.

• Residents displaced from Free Bridge encampment describe loss and uncertainty after city clearing. Following Charlottesville's decision to clear the encampment near the Rivanna River, formerly unhoused residents told Cville Tomorrow they lost community, belongings, and stability, and expressed deep mistrust of city processes and fears about future enforcement at the site. Cville Tomorrow

• Charlottesville finalizes operating agreement for low-barrier shelter just days before opening. The city reached an agreement with the operator of the new emergency shelter at 2000 Holiday Drive only six days before its Sept. 1 opening, as City Council tied the facility to its broader effort to clear encampments and allocated millions for emergency housing initiatives. Cville Tomorrow

• Gov. Hashmi's Energy Costs Listening Tour coming to Charlottesville Sept. 14. Residents will have a chance to share views on the proposed Dominion–NextEra merger and its impact on rates, reliability, and clean energy directly with state elected officials at the upcoming local stop on the tour. Cville Tomorrow

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Copy of Hospice Volunteer in Fishersville: Bring Comfort, Companionship, and Hope Medical Services of America Hospice. Medical Services of America Hospice is seeking volunteers in Fishersville who can offer comfort, companionship, and hope to people receiving hospice care.

• "Voices of the Past: A Slave Dwelling Project Weekend" opens today across Fredericksburg and Stafford. The three-day event, running Sept. 11–13 at nine historic sites, features drum and dance workshops, brickmaking, ceremonies at Falmouth Beach, living-history programs, and a play at the Fredericksburg Area Museum exploring enslavement, emancipation, and local African American history. Potomac Local News

• Fredericksburg and Stafford County hold 25th-anniversary September 11 ceremonies. Fredericksburg is hosting a morning commemoration in the downtown area while Stafford County is holding a 10 a.m. event at the Stafford County Public Safety Building to honor victims and first responders and educate younger residents about the attacks. Patch – Fredericksburg

• Fredericksburg residents invited to plant 3,000 flags at Faith Baptist Church for 9/11 remembrance. For the first time, the community is being asked to participate in a flag-planting ceremony at Faith Baptist Church on Plank Road as part of local September 11 memorial activities. Patch – Fredericksburg

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

• Winchester Planning Commission approves one-year moratorium on data centers. The commission voted unanimously to freeze new data-center proposals while the city revises its land-use regulations, after city planning officials and the commission's attorney raised concerns about the lack of clear zoning rules for such facilities. WinCity Voices

• Harrisonburg's rebuilt Kids Castle playground reopens at Purcell Park. After more than a year of construction, the new facility features zip lines, a 37-foot slide, and inclusive design elements for children of all abilities, marking a significant upgrade to the city's parks and recreation infrastructure. My Valley Day

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Volunteer at Harrisonburg Gift and Thrift Gift and Thrift, Inc.. Volunteer with Harrisonburg Gift and Thrift in the Shenandoah Valley through a listed service opportunity.

• Williamsburg City Council approves $32.3 million contract to build new downtown library. The council voted unanimously on Sept. 10 to authorize the city manager to enter a comprehensive agreement with Hourigan Construction Corporation for a new 50,000-square-foot public library on the same block as the current Scotland Street facility. City of Williamsburg

• Gloucester grand jury indicts Shannon McFarland Roane on eight felony charges in booster club embezzlement case. Roane, 57, faces charges related to alleged mismanagement of funds for the Dukes Touchdown Club, an independent booster organization supporting Gloucester High School football and cheer programs. Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal

• Gloucester County Board of Supervisors takes up Flock license-plate reader cameras. The board addressed the deployment and use of Flock automated readers in the county at its Sept. 1 meeting, raising policy and civil-liberties questions about how the surveillance system will be used by local law enforcement. Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Blood Drive Welcome & Support Volunteer | American Red Cross | Gloucester American Red Cross - Virginia Region ✨ Greet a. Volunteer at the Gloucester American Red Cross in the Historic Triangle by greeting blood drive donors and offering welcome and support.

• Roanoke City Council unanimously approves $8 million purchase of former Ole Monterey Golf Course. The 236-acre property could be used for a new Roanoke City Public Schools campus, housing, parks, or expansion of the Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology industrial park, with city officials weighing multiple options. WSLS 10

• Christiansburg tightens zoning rules for data centers, requiring conditional use permits. The town council voted to impose the new requirement so officials can set conditions on noise, traffic, and neighborhood impacts for any future data-center proposals while still leaving the door open to carefully reviewed projects. Cardinal News

• Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion kicks off its 25th-anniversary festival this weekend. The three-day event features nearly 100 artists across multiple stages in downtown Bristol, Virginia and Tennessee, drawing significant visitor traffic and economic activity to the twin-city downtown. WSLS 10

• Bristol, Virginia Fire Department holds September 11 memorial ceremony this morning. The department is hosting the event at Gene Malcolm Stadium's parking area, with a backup location at Fire Station 1, to honor those lost 25 years ago and recognize first responders and community resilience. WCYB

• 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.

• Northern Virginia: Pick Up and Drive Food Pantry donations, Friday mornings only. Centreville volunteers are needed for roughly an hour on Friday mornings to help collect and deliver food pantry donations.

• Richmond: Blood Drive Welcome & Support Volunteer | American Red Cross | Richmond and Henrico American Red Cross - Virginia Region. Volunteer with the American Red Cross in Richmond and Henrico to welcome blood donors and provide support during blood drive events.