Thursday, November 21, 2024

Good morning! On this day in 1945, Richmond novelist Ellen Glasgow died at 72 in the same house she was born in. Glasgow won the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1942 for In This Our Life, and she is known for helping change the course of Southern literature away from sentimentality and toward realism.

Is the tree canopy growing where you live? Some Arlington residents wonder, as we explain in Et Cetera. Hit reply and let us know how things look in your neighborhood!

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We’re sponsored today by New Sapience, offering an investment opportunity in AI technology.

UVA Shooter Pleads Guilty

Christopher Darnell Jones, Jr. pleaded guilty to killing three people and wounding two more during an on-campus shooting spree at the University of Virginia in 2022.

Jones opened fire on a charter bus that was arriving at school after a day trip to Washington, D.C. Police said his attack appeared to target particular individuals on the bus.

His victims included three members of UVA’s football team. Jones had once been on that team but was not on the day of the shooting.

Jones got off the bus after the shooting and was on the loose that night, with the campus under lockdown until he was captured the next day.

The university has promised to release a detailed report about the events surrounding the shooting after the conclusion of legal proceedings against Jones. He will be sentenced in February.

Virginia’s Clean Energy Push

Policymakers hosted a clean energy summit to discuss how to meet the Commonwealth’s energy needs in the years ahead while still reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

A state law enacted four years ago requires Dominion Energy to decarbonize by 2045 and Appalachian Power Company to decarbonize by 2050. Those companies now say that the demand for more electricity will likely double over the next 15 years.

Data centers are expected to be the main driver behind the increase in demand. There are already about 500 data centers in the state, and more are on the drawing board.

The General Assembly deferred until next year legislation that would make it easier to site solar arrays and battery storage facilities by giving state regulators the power to greenlight projects even if local authorities object.

Developers are also considering two locations for Small Modular Reactors: one in Campbell County and another on Lake Anna. SMRs provide zero-emission electricity from nuclear fission.

Dominion Energy is also developing the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which could eventually provide enough clean electricity for up to 660,000 homes.

Bracing for the Season’s First Snow

It’s been a warm and dry fall, but forecasters say that will change today in parts of the state as temperatures plunge and snow moves in.

Western Highland County is one of the places along the path of a storm that could deliver up to a foot of snow by this weekend.

Lighter snowfall is likely across parts of southwest Virginia and the Cumberland and Blue Ridge Mountains. There may be only a few flurries or just rain in some spots, such as Northern Virginia.

Accuweather meteorologists warn that, after a calm autumn, the “conditions may come as a bit of a shock to some.” However, VDOT is confident it will be ready to clear the roads.

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This Team of Founders Has $350M in Exits Combined

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➤ Richmond: The House Appropriations Committee projected that the state will enjoy a $3.2 billion revenue surplus this fiscal year. (More)

➤ Norfolk: Robert Jackson will serve the maximum sentence, 30 years in prison, for the 2021 murder of Haniah Sturdivant. She was able to identify Jackson as the attacker before she succumbed to her gunshot wounds. (Details)

➤ Richmond: The city is asking the VCU Health System to agree to mediation to settle a property dispute. The health system is refusing to make promised payments on land where it had once planned to build a 17-story office building. (More)

➤ Virginia Beach: The city plans to install markers to commemorate the history of 14 historically African-American neighborhoods. (Details)

➤ Roanoke: The famous star that looms over the city on Mill Mountain turns 75 years old on Saturday. (The History)

➤ Statewide: According to census data, Virginia has more people moving into the state than moving out for the first time in a decade. (Details)

➤ UVA puts its undefeated basketball record on the line against No. 11 Tennessee tonight in Nassau, Bahamas. The Cavs will play either Saint John’s or Baylor tomorrow. (Preview)

➤ The Washington Capitals return from a successful western swing to host the Avs tonight. Alex Ovechkin is just 27 goals short of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record, but a leg injury will slow his quest. (More)

➤ The Washington Commanders added WR Mike Strachan to their practice squad. The team will look to break a two-game losing streak when it hosts the reeling Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. (Details)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | CFP | NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW

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➤ Grenova, a Richmond-based life sciences company specializing in cleaning and reusing medical equipment, named Katherine Marrs its new Chief Executive Officer. (More)

➤ Charlottesville-based internet service provider Ting laid off 40% of its employees, its second round of layoffs this year. (More)

➤ The Richmond City Council signed off on the purchase of the 96-acre parcel that voters twice rejected as the site of a potential casino. There is no word on what the property may be used for. (Details)

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➤ Arlington County said its tree coverage is expanding, from 32% canopy in 2014 to 33% in 2018. But an environmental group is skeptical: “We don’t know if we trust your data. We trust our eyes,” one tree lover said. (Details)

➤ The Suffolk Nature Project launched a plan to clean up the Nansemond River. (Details)

➤ Henry County Parks & Recreation opened an outdoor gym that will be available to anyone 14 years old and older. (More)

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