Who would not want universal healthcare for life?

HCA.

It doesn’t have to be this way.
Vote.

All 10 felony counts of attempting to possess bestiality materials were dropped after a judge found that the warrant used to seize Malcolm Roach’s computer was invalid.

I made stickers of the rivers of Virginia (and all other states!) These maps are made from a data-based process starting from elevation data, so the placement of the lines are accurate and the thickness of the lines represent the volume of water flowing through each stream.

I’m pretty jaded with our political system, but Dominion is effectively a monopoly. The only thing I can think of besides investing in solar is contacting elected officials. I’m pretty doubtful anything will come of it, but here’s what I did, in case anyone else wants to.

1) find your delegate and state senator’s email addresses here: https://whosmy.vga.virginia.gov/
2) send a separate email to each person
3) be sure to include your address. The legislators won’t prioritize your message if they can’t confirm you are a constituent/in their district
4) you can use what I sent (I used Claude) or whatever you like. Just be sure to fill in the brackets if you use the email below:

Dear [Delegate/Senator X],

I am writing as one of your constituents to express serious concern about Dominion Energy's continued rate increases and the lack of meaningful recourse available to ratepayers like me.

As a regulated monopoly, Dominion operates without competition — I cannot choose another provider, and the State Corporation Commission's approval process, while nominally a check on rate hikes, has consistently allowed increases that outpace inflation and burden working families. The most recent rate increase is not an isolated event; it is part of a pattern in which a captive customer base absorbs the costs of Dominion's decisions with no market alternative and limited regulatory pushback.

I urge you to take the following actions:

First, press the SCC to adopt a more rigorous and transparent standard for evaluating Dominion's rate applications, including independent audits of capital expenditures and executive compensation.

Second, support legislation that strengthens consumer representation in rate proceedings, ensuring ratepayers have a meaningful voice — not just industry lobbyists.

Third, explore policy pathways to introduce competitive options into the Virginia energy market, including community choice aggregation or expanded access to third-party renewable suppliers, which would give consumers real alternatives.

Virginians should not be forced to subsidize a monopoly's growth without any say in the matter. I would welcome a response outlining your position on this issue and any steps your office is taking on behalf of constituents.

Thank you for your time and service.

Sincerely,
[name and address]

The two Roanoke Valley legislators appealed to Gov. Spanberger to call for a special session. The current deadline doesn’t give Virginia much leverage, they said.

The rebuilt trail, which is expected to be completed in December, will have three months over the winter to “settle.”

Very interesting discussion

I'll be flying into Norfolk at the end of August and plan to spend 3 or so days exploring the Eastern Shore. What must I absolutely see?

I'm a fan of nature, oysters, and history.

Insurance companies in the state of Virginia are now required to cover hearing aids for kids 18 and younger, up to $1500 per ear every 24 months. However, Anthem did not reimburse my son's audiologist, citing some abstract phrasing about the claim being filed incorrectly. Anthem's stance to me is that I don't owe anything, but the hearing aids are going have to be paid for one way or another. My overall personal take after several phone calls is that Anthem is playing defense in a circumstance where they should paying.

Just wondered if any other Virginia parents have experienced something similar with an insurance company and the new hearing aid policy for kids.

We stopped by Monticello last week on the way home from visiting the kid and I have a question that the tour guide wasn't able to answer. While in the basement looking up at the floors, the boards are angled in a way I have never seen before. They are this way the entire length of the basement hallway that we passed through. Does anyone know the purpose of this?

Danielle Ward manages landscaping at the annual music festival, a job that includes mitigating rain’s effects on the site’s wetlands, keeping pollinators happy — and using goats to get rid of poison ivy.

Hey there y'all! 

Reaching out here as a bit of a shot in the dark. I currently live in Lynchburg, Virginia, and my living situation here has changed pretty suddenly and I'm in desperate need of somewhere to stay, even if it's just for a month or two while I try to figure something out that's more permanent. 

I'm on the lookout for a room to rent, a roommate situation, or even a short-term place/couch to crash on for a month or two while I try to figure things out.

my budget is about $500–$600/month (all utilities included), ideally cheaper ofc lol.

I'm currently working in Lynchburg part-time (unfortunately hours were recently cut so that's why my budget is so low), so I’m also actively seeking full-time employment or additional part-time hours in the Lynchburg area or elsewhere I may end relocating to. 

I’ve already contacted intake resources like CHIA and checked out subsidized housing, but 6+ month waitlists mean I need to find something directly through the community somehow. it's pretty discouraging lol. but yes, I'm starting on applications to get on these waitlists but idk if anything will come of it.

If anyone has a room opening up, leads on affordable housing/roommates, or job leads, please feel free to DM me or comment below, especially if in Lynchburg, but I could potentially relocate to elsewhere in Virginia if I end up finding a support system there 

I really appreciate any help or guidance right now! Thank you!

Hello, we just welcomed our son in Nova and there are a few things I know we want to do or have to do for him on a state level and on a federal level.

For example, I have to make sure he is enrolled in social security and our insurance of course. But we can also now set him up with a 529 plan, I can apply for a lifetime legacy fishing and hunting permit from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fishery (which you have to do before the age of two), I can get him a free $1000 from the US Treasury via a “Trump Account,” etc.

What other things are important for me to do in these early days that I may not know about?

Updated statewide data shows the total confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in Virginia have more than doubled the number of cases identified previously, but the state is still not experiencing an “outbreak,” according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Virginia has 79 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, the illness stemming from a cyclospora parasite infection. These cases include 38 from domestic exposure and 27 from international exposure, along with 14 confirmed cases with unknown origin or which are still being traced, according to VDH data from July 16 released Monday.

This is up from the 37 cases identified as of July 4 and updated on VDH’s website on July 15. Monday’s data does not include a breakdown of confirmed cases by health district or locality.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an “outbreak” as when there are more cases than what is usually expected over a given time, within a specific location, and for a target population.

Click the link above to read more.

Just three years ago, wide majorities in both parties backed tax breaks for data centers. Now they don’t. Democrats got to that position first, but most of the political movement this year has come from Republicans, particularly in the western part of the state, which has few such facilities.

Plus: #AppalachiaBuiltThis event scheduled in Abingdon bills itself as “a hands-on community build night” for AI.

A well-structured public forum would allow for open examination of data, historical performance and future scenarios in a civil setting. It would not replace ongoing technical work by the Western Virginia Water Authority or state-mandated regional planning, but it could help build broader public understanding and confidence in the decisions ahead.

Most days on the highway, it often seems Virginia is for speeders.

Faced with the reality that fines, driver’s license suspensions or even the threat of jail time didn’t seem to make a dent in Virginia’s speeding problem, state lawmakers recently adopted a new strategy.

Under new legislation effective July 1, a judge must order a person convicted of reckless driving over 100 mph — a so-called “super speeder” — to install an intelligent speed assistance device in their vehicle. Judges have the option to mandate the use of the device for reckless driving convictions on a restricted license instead of fully suspending a person’s driver’s license. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles will also offer use of the device in lieu of license suspension for drivers who have racked up too many demerit points.

“I think every person can come up with a reason why he or she speeds on any one given day,” said Holly Dalby, a spokesperson for AAA Tidewater. “There’s always an excuse.”

But 342 people were killed in Virginia in speed-related crashes last year, which she said shows why slowing down and driving responsibly is so important.

Click the link above to read more.