The Prince William County Board of Supervisors is set to vote Tuesday on stripping "by-right" status from data centers on parcels near power lines — meaning developers would need explicit board approval rather than automatic zoning sign-off. If it passes, every future proposal in one of Virginia's most permissive data-center jurisdictions becomes a public hearing with residents at the mic, trading faster tax-base growth for political leverage. Per WJLA/7News, the vote is expected to serve as a template for Loudoun, Fairfax, and Stafford as they respond to noise, sightline, and grid-strain complaints. Watch the tally Tuesday — a yes reshapes the siting math across the entire Northern Virginia corridor overnight.

Governor Abigail Spanberger has signed Executive Order 22, establishing a "Data Center Accountability Framework" that bars nondisclosure agreements between government and operators on projects above 25 MW, requires local approval for large builds, and begins shifting transmission and substation costs onto operators rather than everyday ratepayers. Per TradingKey, the order also blocks 25-MW-plus projects from certain state development aid and fast-track permitting, and directs a study on assigning grid-infrastructure costs to those users. But per WYDaily, Spanberger stopped short of a moratorium — and community groups told WRIC the framework "doesn't stop the fire," since key pieces need General Assembly action in the 2027 session. The observable next step: the directed cost-allocation study surfacing in SCC proceedings, where it will shape tariffs and interconnection rules.

Dominion Energy shareholders approved all proposals tied to the proposed all-stock merger with NextEra Energy, a deal analysts call the largest utility merger in U.S. history. On September 14 the companies unveiled a "transformational" Virginia package — a shareholder-funded Richmond co-headquarters tower, up to 1,000 new jobs per Bloomberg, and four years of doubled residential bill credits. The deal still needs State Corporation Commission approval, where Spanberger has taken the unprecedented step of intervening directly, saying she is "deeply skeptical" the takeover is good for Virginians, and Arlington County's board voted September 2 to intervene as well. Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi addressed the deal in a September 20 interview; watch the SCC docket, where the number of intervening localities is the tell for whether this becomes a formality or a contested fight over data-center power costs.

Richmond Mayor Danny Avula has ordered the police department to immediately cut how long it retains data from Flock Safety automatic license plate readers, from 21 days down to 7, amid mounting privacy concerns. Avula also pledged to re-evaluate the city's Flock contract before it expires next year, solicit resident feedback, and weigh whether an independent third party should audit the surveillance program. Per WTVR CBS 6, it's one of the most significant recalibrations of police technology use by a Virginia city — the kind other localities weighing crime-fighting cameras against civil liberties will study closely. Watch the contract-renewal decision as the moment that shows whether this is a trim or a genuine pullback.

Applicants including Lee District Supervisor Daron Culbertson withdrew the Remington Innovation Campus data center application in Fauquier County hours before the Planning Commission was set to consider it. Ron Meyer — a former Loudoun supervisor now with SDC Capital Partners — asked to withdraw the plan, which would have covered 182 acres with 2.2 million square feet of data-center space, three substations, and several hundred diesel backup generators. Per FauquierNow and the Piedmont Environmental Council, it's the third major Remington-area withdrawal in a month, after Gigaland pulled out August 17 and Convergent VA pulled its Technology Park in late August. The signal to watch: whether developers refile under the still-favorable comprehensive plan, or whether the southward push into the rural Piedmont has genuinely stalled.

A Safety Service Patrol worker was killed early Saturday on westbound Interstate 64 in Newport News after being struck while assisting at a crash scene, according to Virginia State Police. Troopers had responded around 3:12 a.m. September 19 to a sleeping motorist when a state police cruiser was rear-ended by a Kia Sorento; a third vehicle, an orange Dodge Charger, then hit the patrol worker and fled. Wanagi Gordon has been charged with reckless driving and driving on a suspended license in the initial collision, while state police are still seeking the Charger's driver. Per The Virginian-Pilot, the death spotlights the danger road crews face on Virginia interstates and could renew "move-over" law enforcement across Hampton Roads.

• Manassas Park teacher raises funds to rebuild homes destroyed in Colombia earthquake. Manassas Park ESL teacher Andrea Steger is leading a campaign to raise roughly $20,000 to rebuild homes for three elderly uncles whose houses were destroyed in the 7.4-magnitude Colombia earthquake, after initial emergency donations covered only food, clothing, and medicine. WTOP

• Trump's proposed arch near Arlington draws local security concerns. Arlington residents and a Northern Virginia lawmaker are raising alarms after President Trump said the planned 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington Memorial Bridge would double as a military complex housing drones, snipers, and ammunition, with critics citing explosive safety, airspace, and force-protection risks. ARLnow

• Ashley Intihar's death prompts push to restore no-bail starting points in Prince William. Following the death of Ashley Intihar in Prince William County, two Republican lawmakers are pushing to reinstate "no-bail starting points" removed in 2021, arguing judges need clearer guidance to detain dangerous defendants, while Democrats and civil-liberties advocates warn against rolling back recent reforms. Potomac Local News

• Manassas resident questions city leadership after First Friday cancellation. A Manassas resident is publicly criticizing city officials over the abrupt cancellation of the city's First Friday downtown event, saying the decision undermines community trust and raises broader concerns about how Manassas manages its historic downtown programming. Potomac Local News

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Serve the World Haymarket Church. Haymarket Church in Haymarket offers service opportunities for teens in Northern Virginia and beyond.

• Teenage boy shot and killed at Henrico home. Henrico Police are investigating a homicide after a teenage boy was found shot dead on the back deck of a home on Reilly Street in the Montrose area Saturday night; a man known to the victim has been detained for questioning, and police say there is no ongoing threat to the community. WRIC

• Dog dies in New Kent house fire. New Kent Fire-Rescue responded Sunday morning to a house fire in the Quinton area, quickly bringing the blaze under control with no injuries to residents or firefighters, though a dog died and the cause remains under investigation. WRIC

• German Red Cross paramedics train alongside Chesterfield Fire and EMS. Four German Red Cross paramedics are spending the week riding along with Chesterfield Fire and EMS and other Central Virginia agencies as part of an international EMS exchange program established in 1995, comparing emergency medical practices and strengthening first-responder ties between Virginia and Germany. WRIC

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Share Joy as a Hospice Companion Volunteer during the Holiday Season Enhabit Hospice. Richmond volunteers can help brighten the holiday season by serving as hospice companions with Enhabit Hospice.

• Child arrested after threat prompts heightened security at Accomack County schools. A child has been arrested in connection with an evening threat of violence against an Accomack County school on Sept. 20, which prompted increased law enforcement presence at Nandua High and Middle Schools on Monday while the sheriff's office continues investigating the threat's credibility. WAVY

• VDOT Safety Service Patrol worker killed on I-64 in Newport News; driver fled scene. A VDOT Safety Service Patrol worker was fatally struck around 3:12 a.m. Saturday on I-64 west near the Jefferson Avenue overpass in Newport News after responding to an incident involving a sleeping motorist; Virginia State Police say the worker was hit by an orange Dodge Charger whose driver fled and has not yet been found. WAVY

• Virginia Beach honors R&B group Blackstreet with street naming ceremony. Virginia Beach held a ceremony in Town Center on Sept. 19 to rename Beasley Drive with the honorary title "Blackstreet Boulevard," celebrating the Grammy-winning 1990s R&B group's origins in the city as part of a broader local effort to recognize Virginia Beach's music heritage. WAVY

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Volunteers Needed in Norfolk to Spend Time with Hospice Patients - FLEXIBLE HOURS Suncrest Hospice ✨ Provide friendly vi. Norfolk volunteers are needed to spend flexible hours with hospice patients and provide friendly visits through Suncrest Hospice.

• Stafford superintendent calls for November sales tax referendum to address $1.9 billion in school facility needs. Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Daniel W. Smith is urging voter support for a November referendum that would allow the Board of Supervisors to levy up to a 1% local sales and use tax dedicated to school construction and major renovations, citing nearly $1.9 billion in identified capital project needs. Potomac Local News

• Stafford Board votes 5–2 to rezone Stafford One industrial site, extends Potomac Creek deadline. The Stafford County Board of Supervisors approved rezoning roughly 38.6 acres at Stafford One Industrial to heavy industrial use on a 5–2 vote, extended the Potomac Creek Campus application clock to December 4, and approved temporary construction access for a Hartwood Elementary School replacement. Potomac Local News

• Fredericksburg man charged with aggravated malicious wounding after serious assault. Fredericksburg police arrested Jose Caal Choc, 38, after a Sept. 16 assault on Ivanhoe Court left a woman hospitalized in serious condition; he faces charges including aggravated malicious wounding, abduction, nighttime burglary to commit assault, and domestic assault and battery. Fredericksburg Advance

• Fredericksburg honors Kathmandu sister-city ties with lecture and candlelight vigil. The City of Fredericksburg and its Sister City Association hosted a VA250 program at the Downtown Library featuring lectures by Dr. Lekh Adhikari and former U.S. Ambassador Scott DeLisi on Nepal's floods and the long Fredericksburg–Kathmandu relationship, with a candlelight vigil moved indoors due to rain. Potomac Local News

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Administrative Assistance Community Touch, Inc.. Community Touch, Inc. is seeking volunteers to provide administrative support for its service efforts in the Fredericksburg region.

• Harrisonburg City Council backs indoor sports complex and moves toward Flock camera ban. The Harrisonburg City Council approved a proposal to convert the former Artisan Packaging facility on West Wolfe Street into an indoor recreation and sports complex, while also advancing steps toward a more permanent ban on Flock automated license plate reader cameras and initiating efforts to bring passenger rail service to the city. The Harrisonburg Citizen

• Public meeting set for Rockingham County's Lake Shenandoah Dam renovation. Local officials have scheduled a public meeting for Tuesday, Sept. 29 to review renovation plans for the Lake Shenandoah Dam in Rockingham County, a project tied to local flood control and infrastructure concerns. Augusta Free Press

• Waynesboro elementary school BB gun incident under investigation. Authorities are investigating a reported BB gun incident involving a student at a Waynesboro elementary school, prompting responses from both school officials and police and raising local concerns about school safety. Rocktown Now

• Worth doing / ways to get involved: Volunteer at Harrisonburg Gift and Thrift Gift and Thrift, Inc. ✨ Sort, clean, repair, price, and display items.. Volunteers in Harrisonburg can help Gift and Thrift, Inc. by sorting, cleaning, repairing, pricing, and displaying donated items.

• Missing 93-year-old James City County woman found dead in lake near her home. A 93-year-old woman reported missing by her family was found dead in a lake near her James City County home Sunday afternoon; officers are treating the case as a death investigation and have not indicated foul play. WTVR

• Bat in Toano tests positive for rabies, Peninsula Health District warns residents. The Peninsula Health District has issued a public safety notice after a bat found in the 100 block of Norman Davis Drive in Toano tested positive for rabies, advising Williamsburg and James City County residents on exposure risks and how to report potential contact. Virginia Department of Health

• Williamsburg Health Foundation awards more than $220,000 to local nonprofits. The Williamsburg Health Foundation Board of Trustees approved $220,956 in grant funding for 11 nonprofit organizations working to improve health outcomes across Williamsburg, James City County, and York County. Williamsburg Health Foundation

• Mathews County supervisors issue apology, move toward resolution in Hole in the Wall legal dispute. The Mathews County Board of Supervisors issued an apology and took a step toward resolving one of the Hole in the Wall legal cases that has been pending for more than a year, advancing a long-running local land-use dispute. 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. Volunteers in Gloucester’s American Red Cross Virginia Region greet blood drive guests and offer support during service opportunities in the Historic Triangle.

• Two people killed in Roanoke house fire; investigation underway. Two people were killed in an early-morning house fire in the 1400 block of Greenbrier Avenue SE in Roanoke, and authorities are conducting an active investigation into the cause of the blaze and the circumstances surrounding the deaths. WSET

• Roanoke secures $6.25 million HUD grant to remove lead paint from 150 homes. The City of Roanoke has received its largest-ever federal HUD grant for lead paint remediation — $6.25 million — to remove lead hazards from as many as 150 older homes over the next three years, targeting peeling paint and outdated windows. City of Roanoke

• Christiansburg ends by-right approval for data centers, tightens development rules. The Town of Christiansburg has adopted stricter requirements for future data center development, eliminating by-right approval and adding specific conditions for such facilities, shaping how large technology infrastructure projects can locate in the New River Valley. Cardinal News

• Two new Blacksburg developments to expand affordable homeownership. Stroubles Ridge and Airport Acres Townhomes will provide long-term affordable home purchase options for income-qualified buyers in Blacksburg, reflecting a growing push to address housing affordability in the New River Valley. Cardinal News

• 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: Serve the World Haymarket Church. Haymarket Church in Haymarket offers service opportunities for teens in Northern Virginia and beyond.