A contentious and litigious showdown between Manassas City School Board member Sara Brescia and her colleagues came to a close Wednesday, as the two parties reached a settlement to dismiss Brescia’s legal action. During Tuesday’s School Board meeting, members directed Chair Jill Spall to execute a settlement agreement and for the board’s counsel to endorse a dismissal order. Neither side admitted liability in the situation – which included allegations of inappropriate behavior from Brescia, illegal votes from other board members and even threats to have Brescia’s children pulled from their school – but all parties agreed further litigation “is not in the best interest” of the board. … On Thursday, Brescia said the settlement is open and non-confidential and that the Prince William County General District Court has received the materials necessary for dismissal, though it appeared the court was delayed in posting it. With the agreement, a hearing scheduled for Thursday was cancelled.

Anglers are using the Freedom of Information Act to jump the gun on fishing trout as soon as they are released into Virginia’s many freshwater creeks, rivers and lakes. The exploit was brought up during a Department of Wildlife Resources meeting in August by Kent Sylvester, a retired Army aviator living in Virginia who enjoys fly-fishing. “I would talk to guys [in Bath County], and they’re like, ‘Yeah, the trout truck is going to come tomorrow,’” Sylvester recalled. “And I’m like, ‘How do you know about it tomorrow?’ … Well, it’s called FOIA.” … The department is seeing regular crowding issues as a result of anglers knowing exactly when and where to show up, according to the department’s chief of fisheries, Mike Bednarski. Often streams will be lined with up to 100 cars, which creates a safety concern that requires the use of law enforcement and traffic control — sometimes hindering the department’s ability to carry out the stocking. … The department is planning to start releasing trout stocking schedules ahead of time on the third Friday of every month, according to Bednarski. “We’re trying to make sure it’s as fair as possible for everybody else,” Bednarski said. “One of the things with the FOIA setup is there were folks who had the schedule and folks who didn’t have the schedule.” But some anglers are advocating for trout stocking schedules to be made entirely exempt from FOIA requests.

The State Corporation Commission has ordered additional chances for the public to officially testify in the case to approve or reject the proposed $67 billion NextEra-Dominion merger, Virginia regulators said Thursday. In addition to the three days for telephonic testimony already planned at the beginning of the case, the commissioners mandated three in-person hearings across Dominion’s Virginia coverage area. This will allow additional opportunities for residents to weigh in on the merger that could create the largest regulated utility in the world, as the public and state lawmakers heighten their scrutiny of the deal. … It is not unprecedented for the commission to host hearings outside of the Richmond courtrooms. Those typically happen for cases such as transmission lines or compressor stations, however, which would mostly impact one locality. But the magnitude of the merger and vigorous public engagement in the case has prompted the SCC to take this unusual step.