Data centers continue to dominate headlines and social media in Virginia and beyond. And one new state law aims to help inform that discourse. Among top complaints against the data center industry is the amount of water they use. So, Loudoun County Senator Kannan Srinivasan decided to do something about it. “[Data centers asked me] Senator, why are we being singled out? Wineries, breweries, golf courses, a bunch of them, they use a ton of water,” Srinivasan said of why the law was needed. “I said, ‘but they’re not growing. You’re the number one growth industry.” The law requires local water authorities to report data center water usage. The numbers will be available on the Department of Environmental Quality’s website, and it’ll be aggregated, comparing data centers versus some of the industries Srinivasan mentioned.

The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office has asked a court to hear new evidence in an ongoing lawsuit to force the department to release the names and salaries of all its deputies. One of the founders of the police transparency database OpenOversightVA sued for the records in October 2023. The Court of Appeals of Virginia initially ruled against the department in February 2025 and ordered it to fulfill the August 2023 public records request. However, VPM News obtained Hanover Circuit Court documents that reveal the department intends to submit new evidence in support of its argument to withhold the names and salaries. William Tunner, the department’s legal counsel, filed a May 29 brief stating his client wished to present new evidence that it should be allowed to withhold the names of deputies working undercover. Tunner requested “a new and updated hearing to reflect the passage of time and change of circumstances.” The date of the new hearing hasn’t been scheduled, and as of Tuesday, Caddell has yet to respond to Tunner’s brief.

Norfolk residents who address City Council members at meetings will now need to avoid expressing “repetitive” or “cumulative” comments due to new enforcement of an old rule of conduct. During a raucous Norfolk City Council meeting Tuesday, Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander invoked use of an existing meeting rule limiting repetitive comments to rein in speakers signed up for the council’s public comment session. The move came as a group of residents and activists sought to speak out against the use of Flock Safety automatic license plate reader cameras. In recent months, as many as around 10 people have repeatedly attended council meetings to speak on the topic. Alexander singled out the group and only let some of the speakers come forward during public comments on new business. He asked them to choose a few representatives to speak instead of allowing all half-dozen protesters up to the dais.

Following the recent departure of Chesapeake Regional Healthcare President and CEO Reese Jackson, members of the hospital authority board are declining to share additional details about the circumstances. At Tuesday’s meeting, the board members unanimously approved an “agreement” following an executive closed session that spanned more than an hour. But the board declined to discuss the agreement and cited Freedom of Information Act exemptions when asked for a copy of the approved document. … The Virginian-Pilot reached out to both board clerk Daviana Wright and hospital spokesperson Tricia Hardy for a copy of the adopted agreement Wednesday. Around 5 p.m. Wednesday, Hardy responded saying the document was being withheld entirely as it “contained personnel information concerning an identifiable individual,” citing Virginia Code that relates to exclusions from the state Freedom of Information Act. Hardy also cited another provision, which states that records “recorded in or compiled exclusively for use in closed meetings” can be exempt from public disclosure. But the agreement adopted Tuesday was voted on during the open, public portion of the meeting, right before adjournment. Virginia code states that no record “otherwise open to inspection under this chapter shall be deemed exempt by virtue of the fact that it has been reviewed or discussed in a closed meeting.” Additionally, Virginia law states that records can be disclosed with appropriate redactions.

When H.S. discovered that he’d been blocked by Richmond’s Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II, he was “amused.” “I clicked on his profile to see if I had missed any of his posts,” said H.S., who asked to be identified only by his initials for fear of reprisals. “That’s when I discovered it.” H.S. is a regular user of X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter), where he goes by the handle @TwoForFooz and follows the accounts of public officials in and around Richmond. He sometimes interacts with Donald’s posts, he said, often to criticize, but never to threaten. “I wonder which comment elicited that response, or (if) it was the criticism in its totality,” he said. To many, a social media block might seem trivial and unimportant. But according to decisions made by both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, there’s a very real chance Donald’s actions may have violated H.S.’ rights to free speech under the First Amendment. Asked about the block, Donald’s new spokesperson, Monica Manney, said: “As of June 4, the account has been unblocked.”

Two Town of Mineral DMV Select employees and other concerned citizens cited issues with staff salary and transparency with the Mineral Town Council during public comment at the June 8 meeting. But before public comment, Mayor Pam Harlowe — who is currently filling the role of town manager duties in the absence of former Town Manager Nicole Washington after the council voted to terminate the town’s contract with her in January — started the meeting by reading a 1,025-word prepared statement in reference to the recent resignation of town treasurer Kelly Singletary among other recent conflicts. … The meeting then moved into the public comment period. Former council member Blair Nipper voiced concerns with what she considered a concentration of authority in local government to a single officer, directly mentioning Harlowe serving as mayor, acting town manager, zoning administrator, and treasurer, ostensibly in the recent absence of Singletary. “Each of these positions exists for a reason,” Nipper said. “They were created to provide independent review, financial oversight, administrative accountability, and checks and balances within local government. When multiple roles are consolidated into a single office, those safeguards begin to erode.” Transparency and accountability within the town government was cited by Nipper as a chief concern, noting that Harlowe serves over council meetings and often provides a tie-breaking vote when the council is deadlocked. “Residents and voters should not have to choose between competing stories on social media,” Nipper said. “They should be able to review public records, attend meetings, ask questions, and make informed decisions based on facts.”