“Prince William County School Board Chair Babur Lateef has filed to run as a Democrat for lieutenant governor of Virginia next year, according to documents from the Virginia Department of Elections,” Ben Peters at Insidenova.com reports.

 

“Virginia received the sixth most unaccompanied alien children (UACs), arriving primarily from the U.S.-Mexico border of 31,391 since fiscal 2015,” reports Bethany Blankley at The Center Square. “The numbers have significantly increased in the last few years.”

"A recent study of Virginia's economic development program elicited some positive reviews but also found that it lacks the data to measure its success truly," the Center Square reports. "The Virginia Growth and Opportunity program, also known as GO Virginia, was created by the General Assembly in 2016 to “promote regional collaboration” and “grow and diversify regional economies.”

VDOT: “To help make end-of-year holiday travel more enjoyable, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Friday, Dec. 22 until noon on Tuesday, Dec. 26 and from noon on Friday, Dec. 29 until noon on Tuesday, Jan. 2.”

“While lane closures will be lifted in most locations, motorists may encounter semi-permanent work zones that remain in place during this time. Check VDOT’s Travel Advisories for the latest travel alerts in your area and around the state.”

The Center Square: "Washington's NBA and NHL franchises have announced intention of a move to northern Virginia, part of a $2 billion public-private partnership to create a “world-class” entertainment district in the Alexandria's Potomac Yard neighborhood."

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The Center Square: “Federal funding for a critical rail project supporting a new bridge crossing the Potomac River connecting the District of Columbia and Virginia has been secured.”

“The announcement was made Thursday in Arlington. A group of bipartisan lawmakers from Virginia celebrated the $729 million funding to support the completion of the new Long Bridge, which is anticipated to ease rail traffic bottlenecks, expand freight capacity and improve commuter rail capability.”

Press release: “Virginia is among the best states to play pickleball, new study reveals. Virginia is the tenth-best state to play pickleball, with a final score of 55.0 out of 100.”

“Arizona was named the best and Louisiana the worst state for pickleball, due to the state’s rainy weather conditions and lack of indoor facilities.”

“The findings considered factors like state interest, the availability of outdoor/indoor courts, and temperature fluctuations. Additionally, study considers air pollution, as higher levels may make it harder to exercise due to short-term respiratory effects.”

“Pickleball fanatics at Pickleball Union considered factors like monthly searches for related terms scaled against the population, the number of courts, average annual precipitation, and the average temperature from 72F, to assign each state a score out of 100.”

“As well as looking at the above factors, the ranking also considered the number of past pickleball events, upcoming events, and the air quality index. USA Pickleball states, A cross between tennis, badminton, and ping pong, pickleball is now the fastest-growing sport in the US, with over 4.8 million players, according to The Sports & Fitness Industry Association.”

More information regarding pickleball can be found online.

Business Insider on Yahoo: “When Stephanie Brookes moved her family to Loudoun County, Virginia, in 2021, they were excited about living in a peaceful, quiet area where they bought a wooded lot.”

“At the beginning of this year, she started hearing an eerie hum that got louder at night. Brookes thought it sounded like someone doing lawn work constantly, but she had no idea what it was — until neighbors told her the noise came from the data centers that have earned the county the nickname Data Center Alley.”