As election season approaches, Potomac Local News is dedicated to informing the community about candidates vying for the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Early voting in Virginia begins Sept. 20.
To help voters in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District make an informed decision, we continue a feature series offering insights into each candidate’s stand on critical issues affecting our area. Candidates are emailed a question and asked to reply by a deadline.
This first question focuses on data centers.
This format lets voters quickly compare the candidates’ views on critical issues, helping them make an informed choice come election day. Senator Tim Kaine and Hung Cao are running for the District 10 seat in the Senate. Derrick Anderson and Eugene Vindman are running for the District 7 seat in the House of Representatives.
This week, we asked Tim Kaine (D) and Hung Cao (R) the following question:
Given the rapid expansion of data centers in Virginia, how do you plan to balance the economic benefits they bring with the environmental and community impacts, such as energy consumption and land use?
Kaine responded:
“While data centers fall under the jurisdiction of state and local officials in Virginia, I remain focused on bringing good-paying jobs to the Commonwealth. During my time in the Senate, I’ve proudly introduced several bills to expand job training and upskilling programs and help fill the high-demand jobs of the future in tech sectors – including in data centers. At the same time, building an economy that works for everyone requires taking steps to protect communities from noise pollution, water loss, and negative environmental consequences.”
Cao did not respond.
We asked Derrick Anderson (R) and Eugene Vindman (D), both running for House of Representatives the following question:
Data centers are a significant part of Virginia’s economy; how do you plan to work with local and state governments to ensure that their growth benefits local communities without compromising quality of life?
Anderson did not respond.
Vindman did not respond.
This series will continue next week. If you have suggestions for topics, feel free to add a comment.
A round-up of criminal activity shared by the Stafford County Sheriff's Department:
On August 23, a traffic stop on White Oak Road led to two arrests for possession of suspected controlled substances. Sergeant B.U. Demirci initiated the stop, and was assisted by Sergeant J.D. Hurt, Deputy E.C. Taylor, and Deputy I.E. Baldi rather the driver, Joshua Barr declared sovereignity. A white powdery substance was in plain view, and a K-9 alerted. Passenger Summer Turner was also charged.
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Fillagreen, a new shop in downtown Fredericksburg, is set to offer refills on household and bathroom supplies, with a mission to reduce plastic waste. Owners John and Beverly Hicks were inspired to start Fillagreen by their 11-year-old twins, who had been learning about environmental issues and pollution. "We saw an opportunity to make a difference in the world while also teaching our children about the hard work that goes into running a small business," said Beverly.
The Hicks first test-marketed their concept at the Manassas Farmer's Market before opening their first brick-and-mortar location at 9029 Center St. in Manassas. They noticed a substantial gap in refillable product locations along the I-95 corridor between Manassas and Richmond and felt Fredericksburg was an ideal place to bridge that gap. John, who helped found the University of Mary Washington’s Mother’s Rugby team and remains active in its foundation, said that moving into downtown Fredericksburg was made easier through their partnership with Main Street America. Both Manassas and Fredericksburg are part of the Main Street program, which focuses on revitalizing historic downtowns and neighborhoods nationwide.
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Fredericksburg's STEP VA Inc. has announced Disney's "Finding Nemo, Jr." will be its 2025 spring musical. The organization, which empowers people with disabilities through artistic expression, has chosen the show as its fourth licensed musical, following previous productions like "The Lion King, Kids!" and "Seussical Jr."
The STEP VA musical selection committee of 14 STEP VA participants ranging from middle school-age to adults worked together over four sessions to narrow down show options. The committee then presented the options to the production team, who made the final choice and submitted it to the licensing organization for approval.
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A Stafford man has been convicted by a federal judge in Alexandria on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Eman Goodwin, 33, a former U.S. Marine, was found guilty following a trial where evidence revealed his involvement in obtaining and storing thousands of explicit images and videos involving children.
Court records show that in February 2021, Goodwin attempted to acquire CSAM from a trafficker on the messaging platform Kik, specifically requesting material involving children under the age of 12. A subsequent search of his apartment, car, and person by the FBI on March 24, 2022, led to the seizure of 21 electronic devices. Forensic analysis uncovered nearly 5,000 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit activities, which Goodwin had meticulously organized into folders with explicit labels.
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The Virginia State Police issued a critically missing adult alert on behalf of the Fredericksburg Police Department on August 26, 2024.
The Fredericksburg Police Department is looking for Nancy Elizabeth Briesemeister, race: White, sex: female, age: 86 years old, height: 5’4", weight: 100 lbs., with blue eyes and white hair.
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The Washington Capitals announced the second season of the Capitals Inline Hockey League (CIHL), which launched in 2023 as a co-ed youth inline travel league run by the Capitals. Current inline hockey players aged 8-18 are invited to participate in the CIHL, which consists of one team per club, per division. Year two of the CIHL will also see the addition of the Winchester Revolution out of Winchester, Va., as the sixth participating club in the league.
Individual club tryouts begin in September and interested players may register to tryout by contacting their local club director.
Participating clubs include Loudon's Ashburn Fury, the Fauquier Dragons, Fredericksburg Phantoms, Madison Wildfire, Richmond Renegades of Hanover, and the Winchester Revolution. The Ashburn, Fredericksburg, Richmond and Winchester teams will each host a weekend tournament.
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Several residents in Stafford County's White Oak area woke up to anti-Semitic flyers strewed across their properties. Stafford County Sheriff's Office reported several calls about the flyers, which were placed at residences. Detective S.M. Danyluk has obtained copies of the flyer and is actively investigating the incident, requesting any residents with video footage be submitted online.
Department spokesman Ryan Wilbur said while houses were not specifically targeted, the flyers were distributed randomly along sidewalks and driveways. The flyers were inside plastic bags weighed down by rice. Wilbur said the papers "were generalized flyers" and they "contained misinformation regarding religion, media, and conspiracies."
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Mayor Kerry Devine and City Councilor Jannan Holmes attended. Devine said, "Our individual businesses are really the backbone of our community." The new location is across from the Riverfront Park. City Vino was previously on Caroline Street but relocated to expand the size of the establishment and offer new items like charcuterie, cheese plates, and paninis, as well as wine pairing dinners and wine classes. “We are first focused on bottle shop sales and will roll out the food element as we onboard our new kitchen staff,” Allan said. City Vino is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on First Fridays. They are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and closed Sundays.If you've never seen sabrage in action, here's your chance! Rita Allan of @cityvino added saber action to yesterday's ribbon cutting. https://t.co/SoPJFsR8ag pic.twitter.com/A5rsGjz1MH
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) August 24, 2024
