Spanberger encourages water conservation during drought, while data centers use millions of gallons a day 25JUN26

GOING into our second year of drought there is no justification for mandated water use restrictions and / or increasing water and sewage fees for Virginia residential customers while Virginia data centers are using on average four ( 4 ) million gallons of water daily. Too much of the additional strain on utilities from data centers has been imposed on Virginia's citizens, who's water and electric bills haven't increased with the increase in data centers in our Commonwealth? Corporations paid for enough votes in our legislature in Richmond, with the blatant support of Gov spangerger ( at what price one wonders ), for the tax break on equipment for data centers to be extended. Since they have this tax break mandate the older data centers should spend the money to switch their cooling systems from fresh drinking water to reclaimed water or pay higher fees for the fresh drinking water they use. Depending on the state of the drought as the year progresses and data center cooling needs some of them may have to shut down some servers ( server brownout ) to reduce the amount of water they use. Remember, Virginia is a Commonwealth NOT a corporatewealth, and we the people have reached our limit on our elected officials kow-towing to bezos, zuckerberg, musk and the rest of their lot. Thankfully spanberger can't run for re-election, but the Virginia Assembly would do well to remember this. From ABC8 WRIC.....

 Spanberger encourages water conservation during drought, while data centers use millions of gallons a day

by: Allison Williams

Posted: Jun 25, 2026 / 06:03 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 25, 2026 / 06:03 PM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Most of the Commonwealth is under a drought warning, and Governor Abigail Spanberger has encouraged residents to conserve water where they can. But with Virginia being the data center capital of the world, the amount of water used to keep them running is raising eyebrows.

According to the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, a Virginia data center uses an average of four million gallons of water a day. The average person uses around 90 gallons a day, so it can be frustrating to hear politicians asking you to cut down on showers or watering the lawn when the data center next door is using much more.

The machines at data centers create a lot of heat and run 24/7 so the water is used to keep equipment cool. 

Ron Murchek, an Executive General Adjuster with Sedgwick and data center expert, said companies predominantly use fresh drinking water at their data center, but newer ones are starting to use what’s called reclaimed water.

“Maybe water that they have captured in nearby ponds, rainwater they’ve captured from their own property, their roofs,” Murchek said. “They’re really using a lot of reclaimed water for sewage treatment plants.”

The hope is this water can be used up to five times before it evaporates.

But the problem is older centers that use fresh drinking water would have to pay an unappealing price to switch to the more environmentally friendly option. 

“A lot of that really comes down to just dollars and cents,” he said. “If the building wasn’t constructed to use renewable sources, there’s significant costs involved to move to that type of a repurpose of the water.”

Murchek said it’s time for companies to make it more of a priority.  

“There’s a lot of planning that has to change,” he said. “We can no longer just look at the sky for a storm. We really need to look at our resource availability. These data centers need to remain reliable neighbors to everyone in Virginia. Sustainability, disaster recovery must go hand in hand.”

Virginia judge blocks assault weapons ban from taking effect on July 1 25JUN26

 IT is time to level the playing field and make sure those who decide the general public will face risk from all kinds of guns almost everywhere are included. Gun restrictions at courthouses and Commonwealth attorney's offices and judge's offices and sheriff's offices should be removed so these people who supposedly believe in totally unfettered 2nd Amendment "rights" face the same possibility of gun violence as the general public. Won't it be ironic if these people or or their supporters or members of their families or friends or co-workers experience the consequences of their decisions? Enough of this political, judicial and law enforcement hypocrisy! From CBS6 WTVR in Richmond, Virginia.....

Virginia judge blocks assault weapons ban from taking effect on July 1

By: WTVR CBS 6 Web Staff

Posted 5:53 PM, Jun 25, 2026  

 and last updated 12:03 PM, Jun 26, 2026

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia judge has granted a preliminary injunction stopping Virginia State Police from enforcing the state's assault weapons ban, which was set to take effect July 1.

The injunction lasts until December 31 or until a final order is released, according to Courthouse News.

House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore released a statement on the judge's decision.

"Today's ruling from Lancaster County is welcome, but not unexpected. Republicans warned Democrats repeatedly during the regular session that this law was clearly unconstitutional under multiple U.S. Supreme Court rulings. We look forward to seeing this and other cases continue through the courts."

The Virginia Citizens Defense League also responded, saying it is "extremely pleased with the temporary injunction that was issued today against the unconstitutional assault firearm ban."

"We expect the Commonwealth to appeal and we expect to prevail."

Attorney General Jay Jones confirmed the Commonwealth will appeal, issuing a statement that reads:

"Gun violence is the key driver of violent crime in this Commonwealth and nation, and assault weapons are designed intentionally to inflict maximum damage in a matter of seconds. The assault weapons ban passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor will save lives in the Commonwealth and is compliant with the Constitution of Virginia. This ruling is disappointing and puts our communities at risk. The Commonwealth will urgently file a motion to stay this ruling and appeal this temporary injunction. We will continue to vigorously defend Virginia's assault weapons ban and magazine capacity restrictions and uphold the laws designed to keep Virginians safe."

A spokesperson for Jones said on Friday it was their belief that the injunction only applies to VSP, since Col. Jeffrey Katz was and local law enforcement and Commonwealth's Attorneys could still enforce the law (although some jurisdictions have said they will not enforce the law over concerns about its constitutionality).

But the spokesperson added that another lawsuit challenging the ban in Washington County was heard on Thursday and includes some Commonwealth's Attorneys as defendants. She said they are expecting a ruling from the judge in the coming days and if an injunction is granted, it could have a more sweeping effect on enforcement.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger's office shared the following statement to the Lancaster ruling:

"Governor Spanberger firmly believes that firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong in our communities, near our kids and schools, or on Virginia’s streets. The Governor signed this commonsense legislation to save lives and protect law enforcement officers, kids, and families from gun violence — and the Governor remains committed to making the Commonwealth a safer place for every family."

Spanberger backs House budget as shutdown deadline looms over data center tax fight 15JUN26

 GOV spanberger shows who she is representing in Richmond and it isn't the people. She is pressuring the Virginia Senate to accept the Virginia House budget that keeps the tax breaks for data centers and is warning of a possible government shutdown if the senate doesn't give in to her demands. This sounds like a tax plan and threat NOT MY pres drumpf/trump and the congressional gop / greed over people-republican party would support ( remember the bbb anyone? ). Please contact your Commonwealth delegate and senator by phone and / or e mail and tell them to actively oppose continuing the data center tax break for the billionaires and mega millionaires who do not live anywhere near these monstrosities. E mail and / or call Gov spanberger and express your opposition to her support for the data center tax break. And join the Ashburn Village Residents & Friends Against Data Center Development and Crew, Afton and, Falmouth Neighborhood facebook pages. This from WTVR CBS 6 in Richmond, VA.....

Spanberger backs House budget as shutdown deadline looms over data center tax fight

By: WTVR CBS 6 Web Staff

Posted 6:20 PM, Jun 15, 2026

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she supports the House of Delegates' proposed budget as state lawmakers race to avoid a government shutdown before the July 1 deadline.

Legislators are set to meet Tuesday to review their proposed budgets, and the House could vote as early as Thursday. But a major obstacle remains: the Senate Finance chair is insisting that a billion-dollar sales and use tax exemption for data center operators must end — a position that puts the Senate at odds with the House proposal.

The governor said her team has not had a substantive discussion on what Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) might present as a counter proposal. On Friday, Lucas posted a graduated tax proposal for data centers on social media but has not presented that plan to the governor's team.

As recently as Sunday, Lucas was adamant that the companies behind the data centers would pay what she called their fair share.

"They keep saying to us, 'well, if we don't get that sales and use tax exemption in Virginia, we're gonna go someplace else.' Well, Senator Locke just laid it out for you: all the other states are saying, 'no, we don't want them' and if we get them, we're going to make sure that we modify how we do these use and sales tax exemptions," Lucas said.

Spanberger reiterated her support for the House version of the budget.

"In the absence of any counter proposal or any additional budget language coming from the Senate, I continue to remain supportive of the House of Delegates proposed conference report, because it's thorough, it's thoughtful, it addresses priorities across the board," she said.

She added that if it were brought to a vote, there is broad support for the measure.

"If it were brought to a vote, certainly there's many members ... of the state Senate whose budget priorities are also in that conference report," she said.

The timeline is tight. While House of Delegates members return Thursday, Senate members do not convene until next Monday. Under legislative rules, an agreed-upon budget must be on legislators' desks 48 hours before a vote can be taken. If a budget agreement is not ready by the close of business Tuesday, the House will not be voting on Thursday.

Spotsylvania's top prosecutor tells why he won't enforce tighter gun laws 27MAI26

 I sent this comment to News4 after watching and reading their report on Virginia's new gun laws. I sent it as suggested follow-up to this report...

" Quoting the Spotsylvania Commonwealth Attorney “It’s fundamentally opposed to a free society, a society where liberty reigns," Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey said." Is his office in a government building ( 9111 Courthouse Road, Spotsylvania, VA 22553 ) that prohibits private citizens from bringing their guns into the building? If it is that seems to be very hypocritical considering his views on a free society where liberty reigns. I would like to hear a reporter ask all these commonwealth attorneys if their offices are in secured buildings or if they face the same exposure of possible gun violence as the rest of us wherever we are. And as public employees how are these people able to decide what laws they will and will not enforce. How many of us are able to tell our employers which of our job task we will and will not do? I suggest these people exercise their freedoms and liberties and resign and find new jobs in our free society."

Spotsylvania's top prosecutor tells why he won't enforce tighter gun laws

“It’s fundamentally opposed to a free society, a society where liberty reigns," Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey said.

By Drew Wilder • Published May 26, 2026 • Updated on May 27, 2026 at 11:01 am

New Virginia laws banning the sale and transfer of assault weapons go into effect in about five weeks. But at least five conservative prosecutors say they won’t enforce them.

Spotsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey said he believes the laws violate the Constitution.

“The Second Amendment is alive and well in Spotsylvania County,” he told News4.

The commonwealth will ban the sale and manufacture of certain semi-automatic weapons, shifting gun laws to more closely align with states such as California and Illinois. But as Virginia teeters from purple to blue and back again, some elected officials are making clear that the new laws won't be enforced in their counties.

Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement: “Commonwealth’s Attorneys are elected to enforce our laws, which is what we expect them to do when these laws take effect on July 1.”

The law will make it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine for people to buy, sell, transfer, import, or manufacture an assault firearm.

Mehaffey said the law is in direct conflict with the Second Amendment.

“It’s fundamentally opposed to a free society, a society where liberty reigns. And this is the moment in time where the Second Amendment was drafted and enacted, where the government couldn't take the right of the people to defend themselves away,” he said.

Eleven other states and D.C. already have versions of their own assault weapons ban. The details and laws vary and they've been challenged in the courts. In fact, several lawsuits have already been filed against Virginia's new ban.

“Every assault weapons ban that has gone before a federal court in this country has been upheld, including, most importantly, Maryland's,” said Mary Kenah of Everytown for Gun Safety.

She said Maryland's ban is considered more restrictive than Virginia's and was upheld by the same court that presides over Virginia. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up this case, so Maryland's assault weapon ban remains in place.

“The people of Virginia showed that their priority is gun-violence prevention. They elected a former Moms Demand Action volunteer as their governor,” Kenah said.

In places such a Spotsylvania County, they've elected Mehaffey as their prosecutor. It’s a county that surprised a lot of people in November when it voted blue, in favor of Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Despite that shift, Mehaffey said he's confident that his position against the new assault weapons ban is what his constituents want.

Other prosecutors who have said they won’t enforce Virginia’s assault weapons ban are from Powhatan, Pulaski, Scott and Smyth counties.

VirginiaApr 14

Virginia Gov. Spanberger signs, makes amendments to gun safety laws

VirginiaMay 16

New Virginia law banning `assault firearms' prompts quick lawsuits from gun-rights groups

Virginia PoliticsMay 20

Lawmakers, advocates express frustration over some of Gov. Spanberger's vetoes

Spanberger veto sparks debate over ICE enforcement in courthouses 25MAI26

 I had my doubts about spanberger when she was running for governor of Virginia, I just did not get a good feeling from her, definitely not that she was a champion for the poor, working class and middle class of the Commonwealth and I was right. I am glad I didn't waste any time or money on her campaign, I didn't even have one of her bumper stickers on my Jeep. I did vote for her as a lesser of two evils, the gop / greed over people-republican candidate, winsome earle-sears, was and probably still is a voluntarily ignorant trumper, stupid and evil to the core. We are stuck with Gov spanberger for 4 years and will just have to keep on top of her and the assembly in Richmond to keep her damage to a minimum. This on one of her betrayals and I honestly hope she sometime experiences the same kind of abuse from "law enforcement" that she is willing to allow others to suffer. From WRIC.....

Spanberger veto sparks debate over ICE enforcement in courthouses

by: Sara Molina

Posted: May 25, 2026 / 09:23 PM EDT

Updated: May 25, 2026 / 09:23 PM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has vetoed legislation that would have limited certain warrantless ICE arrests inside Virginia courthouses, known as HB650 and SB351, according to the ACLU of Virginia.

“Since January of 2025, we’ve seen a huge surge in ICE showing up in Virginia courthouses without judicial warrants, picking people up who are just there to do their business,” said Chris Kaiser, policy director for the ACLU of Virginia.

Kaiser said the situation is already having an impact on court participation.

“It’s had a serious deterrent effect on people coming to court seeking help – not to mention a threat to Virginia’s authority to run its own judicial system,” Kaiser said.

In explaining her veto, Spanberger said she shares concerns over “dangerous and unchecked federal immigration enforcement actions,” but said House Bill 650 would not achieve its intended purpose.

Instead, she pointed to her Executive Order 16, which directs state entities, public institutions and agencies across the Commonwealth to develop guidelines for how to handle ICE encounters in those locations.

Kaiser said the executive order does not provide the same protections as the rejected legislation.

“They’re doing two totally different things,” Kaiser said. “Nothing in the executive order suggests those workgroups will come up with guidance restricting warrantless arrests like the bills would have.”