Across Virginia
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine voted in the Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, historic legislation to reduce inflation, lower costs, and fight climate change:
“This bill will lower the price of prescription drugs and healthcare, reduce the deficit, and invest in American energy to both address climate change and bring down energy bills. And in another big win for Virginia, it will help ensure that miners suffering from black lung and their families get the help they need,” said the senators. “While we will continue to look for ways to support the health and well-being of our communities, decrease inflation, and lower costs for Virginians, we’re proud that today we took a major step forward in addressing those challenges.”
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will fight inflation, reduce the deficit, invest in domestic energy production and manufacturing, and reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030, according to multiple independent assessments. Another survey found that the bill will save the average household hundreds of dollars annually on their energy costs. The Inflation Reduction Act will also lower health care bills by finally allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and extend the expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years, through 2025. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act will permanently extend the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund excise tax at a higher rate, providing certainty for miners, miner retirees, and their families who rely on the fund to access benefits.
The legislation will also take steps to make sure that the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans pay their fair share in taxes, without increasing taxes on small businesses or families making less than $400,000 a year. According to a recent analysis, the clean energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act are expected to create nearly 1 million jobs per year.
The House of Representatives is now expected to take up the legislation next week before sending it to President Biden’s desk for signature.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A nightclub shooting that wounded four people appears to be the last straw for officials in Norfolk.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that city officials say they will ask businesses from nightclubs to coffee shops to explain why they deserve the “privilege” of operating in the city’s entertainment district.
City Manager Chip Filer said conditional use permits for the businesses will be evaluated and the City Council will start asking “hard questions” about whether it wants any businesses staying open until 2 a.m. on Granby Street.
The shooting Friday highlights the struggles the city has had maintaining a safe nightlife environment in recent years. Filer commended the city’s staff and the businesses for correcting issues with overcrowding, long lines spilling into the streets and loitering that were common around the time of a triple homicide in March. He said the challenge now is to address the problems that start inside.
“You are no longer able to claim immunity for things that occur outside your establishment when we can find evidence that creates no doubt that the genesis of the activity occurred in your establishment,” Filer said during a news conference Friday.
Police responded to the Legacy Restaurant and Lounge Friday at about 1:15 a.m., where they found four people with gunshot wounds, including a sheriff’s deputy. The deputy was on duty helping other officers deal with an altercation. Sheriff Joe Baron said they were attempting to move people out of the club when the suspect fired into the crowd. All four shooting victims are expected to recover
MGN
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — State regulators on Friday approved an application from Dominion Energy Virginia to build an enormous offshore wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach and recover the cost from ratepayers.
No parties to the monthslong proceeding had opposed the approval of the project, which will help the utility boost the proportion of its generation that comes from renewable resources. But many had raised concerns about affordability and possible risks to the utility’s captive ratepayers.
In its Friday order, the State Corporation Commission noted that the 176-turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project will likely be the single largest project in Dominion’s history and said that because of its size, complexity and location, it faces an array of challenges. The commission included in its order three “consumer protections,” including a performance standard.
The commission’s order also approved facilities that will connect the wind farm to the existing transmission system.
Robert Blue, Dominion Energy’s president and CEO, said in a statement that the company was pleased with the approval but was reviewing the specifics of the order, “particularly the performance requirement.”
The project, which will be located about 27 miles off the coast, has an expected capital cost of $9.8 billion and has drawn broad support from local officials, policymakers, business groups and trade unions, who say it will help fight climate change and create jobs. Backers quickly celebrated the commission’s decision.
“We applaud the SCC for greenlighting new offshore wind power in Virginia. As the largest offshore wind project in the country, this project is a critical piece of our clean energy transition because it complements solar by generating power at night when the sun isn’t shining,” Will Cleveland, a senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a statement.
Regarding costs, the SCC order said that over the wind farm’s projected 35-year lifetime, including the construction and its 30-year projected useful life, a typical residential customer is expected to see an average monthly bill increase of $4.72, with a peak monthly bill increase of $14.22 in 2027.
“To be clear, total Project costs, including financing costs, less investment tax credits, are estimated to be approximately $21.5 billion on a Virginia-jurisdictional basis, assuming such costs are reasonable and prudent. And all of these costs … will find their way into ratepayers electric bills in some manner,” the order said.
Dominion said in a news release that because offshore wind turbines have no fuel costs, the project is expected to save Virginia customers more than $3 billion during its first 10 years of operation.
The consumer protections in the commission’s order include a requirement that Dominion file a notice within 30 calendar days if it finds that the total project costs are expected to exceed the current estimate or if the final turbine installation is expected to be delayed beyond Feb. 4, 2027. Annual filings will also have to address “any material changes” to the project and explain any cost overruns.
The SCC also ordered that beginning with the commercial operation and extending through the life of the project, customers will be “held harmless” for any shortfall in energy production below a certain threshold.
Such a performance standard will protect customers who are paying for the project “from also having to pay for replacement energy if the Project does not generate the amount of electricity upon which Dominion bases its request and its cost estimates,” the order said.
The order goes on to warn that the performance standard, however, will not protect customers from cost overruns, or if the project is abandoned.
Commissioner Judith Jagdmann emphasized in a concurring opinion that the project was “legislatively favored.”
The 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act, a sweeping overhaul of the state’s energy policy enacted by Democrats, included a number of renewable energy mandates intended to help address the threats of climate change and paved the way for the project.
The General Assembly, Jagdmann wrote, could consider implementing additional consumer protections.
Friday’s decision came after months of voluminous filings in the case and a multiday evidentiary hearing in May.
The company already has a two-turbine pilot project up and running. The 2.6-gigawatt, utility-scale project’s schedule calls for construction to be complete in 2026. Dominion expects the project to generate enough clean energy to power up to 660,000 homes.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A teen was sentenced Friday to 10 years behind bars for shooting and wounding two fellow students at a Virginia high school last year.
A judge in Newport News, Christopher Papile, handed down a punishment that will include time in a juvenile detention center as well as state prison, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
The teen was 15 at the time of the shooting at Heritage High School in Newport News, a shipbuilding town near the Atlantic Coast.
“I can’t ignore that he brought a gun to school, got into an altercation, and decided to pull the gun out, shot it many times, hitting these two victims,” Papile said in court.
Noting that the teen fired the shots in a crowded hallway, the judge said he was “flabbergasted that it wasn’t much worse.”
A 17-year-old student with whom the teen was fighting was shot at least three times, including in the side of his face. Another 17-year-old student, an innocent bystander who was running away, was struck in her leg. Both students have recovered from their wounds, according to court documents.
Prosecutors had asked the judge for a 10-year sentence, while public defenders requested five years in a juvenile detention center.
The judge noted that the teen had already been charged with shooting someone else — and had pleaded guilty — at the time of the shooting at the high school.
“It wasn’t the first time he had taken out a gun and shot somebody,” Papile said.
Former Liberty University student and Indiana Congresswoman Jacqueline R. Walorski (IN-2) died Wednesday at age 58. She was tragically killed in a head-on vehicle collision in her northern Indiana district.
Rep. Walorski died along with two staffers, Zachery Potts (27) and Emma Thomson (28). Jackie attended Liberty University, known as Liberty Baptist College at the time, from 1981 to 1983 and graduated from Taylor University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration in 1985.
Jackie’s husband, Dean Swihart, was informed by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office of her passing, her office said in a statement Wednesday. “She has returned home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the statement said, “Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.”
“This is a sad day for our country and Liberty University. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rep. Walorski’s family,” said Liberty University President Jerry Prevo. “We are grateful for her service and devotion to our nation as a member of Congress and most importantly for her faith in Christ. We know, and we are thankful that as believers in Jesus Christ, we will one day be with Him and see each other again.”
“The Liberty family is saddened by the loss of Rep. Walorski,” said Campus Pastor Jonathan Falwell. “While her time at LU was many years ago, she has been a great example of what it means to be a Champion for Christ. We are praying for the families involved in this tragic accident.”
Ranking members of the House and Senate on both sides of the political aisle have offered their condolences and praised Rep. Walorski as a respected member of Congress and for her kindness and devotion.
Seven Virginian Red Cross volunteers have joined hundreds from across America in aiding those affected by the floods in Kentucky. A spokesman for the organization describes how you can help from home. WFIR’s Emma Thomas with more:
Click here for more information on how to help the Red Cross
HUBERT, N.C. (AP) — A Virginia man drove more than 300 miles to confront a 27-year-old man who he said dated his daughter, then fatally shot him in a fight, according to authorities in eastern North Carolina.
The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office said emergency responders found Jared Musgrove suffering from two gunshot wounds at a Hubert mobile home park on July 5, news outlets reported. Musgrove was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators learned that James McAlee, 46, drove from Alexandria, Virginia, to confront Musgrove about an alleged relationship with McAlee’s adult daughter and they got into a physical altercation, the sheriff’s office said. After the men were separated, McAlee got a gun from his truck and shot Musgrove, the sheriff’s office said.
On Monday, the U.S. Marshals Service and a sheriff’s office detective found McAlee and arrested him. He was charged with murder and initially held without bond. On Tuesday, a judge. On Tuesday, a District Court judge set McAlee’s bond at $500,000, WITN-TV reported. Court records do not list an attorney for McAlee, according to court officials.
The father of a slain WDBJ-7 journalist has created a political action committee to support candidates looking to pass gun control and rein in big tech.WFIR’s Clark Palmer has that story
Photo: Angels of Assisi
62 of the beagles rescued from a Virginia breeding facility are now in the care of Angels of Assisi in Roanoke, and if you are interested in adopting any of them, you can begin the process right now. Most of the beagles sent here are nursing litters, and most of them are currently in foster homes until they are ready for adoption, and that will probably occur three to four weeks from now. Angels of Assisi expects even more Beagles to arrive late next week, but she does not yet know exactly how many. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
If you are interested in adopting one of the beagles, contact Angels of Assisi at adoptions@angelsofassisi.org.
Free career and personal development courses will be hitting the valley soon thanks to Goodwill Industries. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has more:
Click here to register for events and workshops