THE MONDAY ADVANCE: READS, FREDLINES, and STATE of the STATE
July 27, 2026. All About the Day.
ADVANCE READS
By Steve Watkins, Phil Huber
Mary Washington Healthcare Says Half of 2026 Residency Program Grads Are Staying in the Area to Practice; Officials Won’t Release Names or Locations
By Steve Watkins, ADVANCE EDITOR
Two and a half years ago, when Mary Washington Healthcare withdrew its financial support for the Moss Free Clinic and forced it to shut down, then-MWHC Healthcare President and CEO Mike McDermott announced that the hospital corporation’s new medical training residency programs would fill the void.
‘Almost rioting in the ER,’ ‘Cuts Threaten Services for Abuse Victims’: WEEKEND FREDLINES
Steve Watkins, ADVANCE EDITOR
Stories around the area you might have missed over the weekend, including important reporting by Adele Uphaus at the Fredericksburg Free Press and Pilar Davis at the Free Lance-Star.
The Arithmetic of Governing
By Phil Huber, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
For the first time since the years immediately following World War II, federal debt held by the public is roughly equal to the value of everything the American economy produces in a year. Economists measure this as debt relative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Crossing the 100 percent threshold does not mean America is bankrupt. It does mean our financial margin for error has become much smaller.
TODAY’S FREDLINES
Eve Evans, EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Potomac Local News
Weather: Strong Front Brings Storm Threat Tuesday; Drier Conditions to Follow
By Uriah Kiser, 07/27/2027
Cold front will move through the region early this week, bringing the greatest chance for showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday, when damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall are the primary severe weather concerns. Conditions are expected to improve by Wednesday as drier air and sunshine return, with warm temperatures continuing through the week before rain chances increase again over the weekend.
The Free Lance Star
Veteran state environmental expert to lead Va. energy office (Paywalled)
By Micheal Martz Richmond Times Dispatch, 07/26/2026
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has appointed Vincent Maiden as director of the Virginia Department of Energy, promoting a longtime agency official with decades of experience in environmental protection and energy policy. Maiden will help lead the state’s response to rising electricity demand, oversee development of a new Virginia Energy Plan, and balance affordability, reliability, economic growth, and environmental stewardship.
Joshua Falls substation raises questions about Valley Link at open house (Paywalled)
By Mark Hand The News & Advance , 07/26/2026
Appalachian Power plans to relocate and expand its Joshua Falls substation in Campbell County to support the proposed Valley Link Transmission Line, a project that has drawn strong opposition from landowners along its route. Residents and local officials voiced concerns over property values, farmland, forests and quality of life, while the utility says the transmission project is necessary to improve grid reliability and meet Virginia’s growing energy demand.
Culpeper man sentenced to 6 years in Noah Campbell slaying (Paywalled)
By Allison Brophy Champion Culpeper Star-Exponent, 07/25/2026
A Culpeper judge sentenced Malik Towler to 10 years in prison, with four years suspended, for his role in the robbery that led to the 2025 killing of Noah Campbell, despite a jury acquitting him of murder. Along with six years of active incarceration, Towler must return to jail for 24 hours on the anniversary of Campbell’s death for five years after his release, as the court imposed a series of additional penalties aimed at accountability.
STATE OF THE STATE
VaNews/VIRGINIA PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT
Virginia study on groundwater, data centers calls for tighter water regulations
By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press
Virginia, the world’s largest data center hub, has released a long-delayed study that examined the state’s eastern region groundwater supply and the resource-hungry industry’s possible impact on it, finding declines are likely in a critical aquifer due to population growth and industrial use and urging stricter regulations. Produced by environmental scientists, the report — which the state for more than six months had refused to release — said regulators should have more authority to reject industrial water withdrawal permits, force entities to examine alternative sources of water and clamp down on users who might be using more water than they should be.
‘Data Center Alley’ Briefly Unplugs, Rattling the Power Grid
By JENNIFER HILLER, Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)
Some data centers suddenly unplugged in northern Virginia [last] week, destabilizing the power grid for several minutes. Around 3 gigawatts of data-center power demand in an area known as “Data Center Alley” disconnected Wednesday morning, according to Ting Labs, which has a network of around 1.4 million home sensors. For the grid, it was roughly like being oversupplied with three nuclear reactors of electricity. “You might think several minutes is not long. Several minutes in electricity time is like an eternity,” said Bob Marshall, chief executive of Ting Labs.
Democrats recommend South Carolina vote first in 2028 presidential primary, with early slot for Virginia
By GREGORY S. SCHNEIDER, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)
South Carolina would be the first state to hold a Democratic primary for president in 2028 under a preliminary recommendation passed Friday by a panel of the Democratic National Committee, aiming to highlight the voices of Black voters who make up a large proportion of the electorate in the state. Party officials also recommended early slots for New Hampshire, Nevada and Michigan. They then altered their bylaws to add two more states, Virginia and New Mexico, to the roster of those that can hold primaries before Super Tuesday, which is March 7.
Richmond uses cellphone locator tool to track park visitors
By SAMUEL B. PARKER, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
How many people are using Richmond’s parks? Decades ago, there was no inexpensive or easy way to answer that question with any degree of precision. Officials might visit sites and tally cars in the parking lot, or install turnstiles that could count the number of those who pass through. But today, a vast majority of people are carrying a handy little device that tracks their every move: their cellphone. ... All of that information is available to City Hall’s Department of Parks and Recreation through a deal with Placer.ai: an Israel-based location analytics platform that collects cellphone geolocation data and sells it to a customer base that includes governments, small businesses and large corporations.
New law allows judges to seal criminal records, but the process is complex
By NORI LEYBENGRUB, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)
With the state’s clean slate law now in effect, organizations and legal experts gathered Thursday on Portsmouth’s Airline Boulevard to lay out the process of sealing or expunging prior criminal convictions. The event, organized by Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie Morales and Del. Don Scott, a Democrat from Portsmouth, was meant to spread the word about the new law, which went into effect July 1, and help residents navigate it.
Virginia’s new pay transparency law changes the rules for job postings
By MARKUS SCHMIDT, Virginia Mercury
Virginia job seekers now have a right to know what a position pays before applying online under a new state law aimed at giving workers more leverage in hiring and salary negotiations. The new law, which took effect July 1, requires employers to include a good-faith wage or salary range in public and internal job postings for openings, promotions, transfers and other employment opportunities. It also bars employers from asking applicants about their salary history or using prior pay when making hiring and compensation decisions.
Fatigued Virginia voters finally set to pick candidates for Congress
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)
Virginia voters finally get their chance to choose candidates for the state’s 11 congressional districts after an election year like no other in the state’s history. Election Day is just over a week away, but it’s more than six weeks later than normal after Virginia Democrats moved the primary date to accommodate campaigns in new congressional districts that no longer exist. Early voting began June 18, the same day as the primary Election Day two years ago.
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Articles from newspapers throughout the Commonwealth and Washington D.C. Firewalls will block you from reading some, but you’ll at least have some idea about what’s going on from the headlines and summaries. CLICK HERE.
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