Virginia
Virginia bill to let non-utilities supply offshore wind energy pushed back to 2025 – Virginia Mercury
A bill that would have opened the door for someone other than Dominion Energy to supply Virginia with the remaining amount of offshore wind energy it needs to comply with the Virginia Clean Economy Act won’t be considered until 2025 after senators voted to carry it over to the next session.
The legislation from Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, was backed by multiple major renewable energy companies and would have required the Virginia Department of Energy to conduct a competitive bidding process for non-utility developers to provide that needed amount of electricity.
“I’m worried that we’re not going to meet our goals on alternative energy,” Deeds said in a Jan. 29 meeting of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, which he chairs.
As industry struggles, federal, state offshore wind goals could get tougher to meet
But Deeds chose not to put the bill up for debate, instead saying it could be sent to the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation for consideration.
“I’m pretty good at counting votes, and I just didn’t have the votes to get the bill out of committee,” Deeds told the Mercury. “I am hopeful the CEUR can look at the bill and produce something we can get passed.”
Dominion, however, has said the proposal is a bad idea because buying power from a third-party offshore wind developer could be more expensive than producing the power itself through a utility-owned wind farm like the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project that is under construction.
“Virginia is leading the nation in offshore wind because our regulatory model is working,” said Aaron Ruby, a spokesman for Dominion. “We’re building the largest project in the country, it’s one of the least expensive, and it’s on time and on budget.”
What the bill would do
Under the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a law passed in 2020 that requires the state’s electric grid to decarbonize by 2050, Dominion must propose the construction or purchase of offshore wind facilities capable of producing up to 5.2 gigawatts of electricity by the end of 2035. The utility is currently constructing the 2.6-gigawatt CVOW project to deliver the first tranche of that requirement.
Deeds’ bill would have altered that plan by letting Dominion fulfill its requirements by purchasing energy from a third party that develops offshore wind off Virginia’s coast. It would also have ordered the state Department of Energy to hold a competitive bidding process to secure the remaining 2.6 gigawatts of wind energy Dominion needs to meet its larger target.
That process would occur within three months of the federal government issuing a lease in the Central Atlantic. Dominion would be allowed to enter a bid to supply energy if it acquires another offshore wind lease and constructs its own facility.
The state Department of Energy would select the winning bid within two years of issuing the request for proposals based on construction costs, economic and environmental impacts, and inflation predictions. The State Corporation Commission, Dominion’s regulators, would then approve the winning bid and take over regulatory oversight of the electricity being delivered to Virginia for the project.
“We left that safeguard in place,” said Ken Kimmell, vice president of offshore wind development for renewable energy developer Avangrid, which is developing a wind project off the coast of North Carolina and is one of the backers of Deeds’ bill.
Limited leases
Non-utility wind developers have argued the bill is necessary because limited wind lease areas could prevent Dominion from being able to build new offshore wind projects.
The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management oversees the creation of lease areas where offshore wind can be developed. This July, BOEM finalized the boundaries of three new wind areas in the Mid-Atlantic region: one near the coast of Delaware Bay, another off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland and a third adjacent to Dominion’s CVOW off Virginia Beach. In December, however, the bureau excluded the Maryland site from its proposed list of leases to auction off, saying its development would require “significant costs and mitigation.”
While BOEM said the Maryland area could be part of a potential second lease sale that could occur as early as 2025, the removal of the site from immediate consideration has driven up developer interest in the area off Virginia Beach.
Evan Vaughan, executive director of MAREC Action, a coalition of renewable energy developers backing the bill, said the auction for the area adjacent to CVOW is going to be “hotly contested.” Allowing other companies to compete to supply Virginia with energy from that site, he argued, could help drive down ratepayer costs as developers vie to make their bids more attractive to the state.
“It’s a cost containment mechanism that ultimately will help ensure that Virginia ratepayers get the best deal for offshore wind,” Vaughan said, although he acknowledged that companies would also stand to benefit from the legislation.
Furthermore, he argued, because wind developers can sell electricity in Maryland, the winner of the lease off Virginia Beach could choose to sell the electricity it generates to that state.
“In that case, Dominion literally has no way to meet the VCEA, period, unless they find a way to contract with one of those companies out of their own volition, which up til this point, they haven’t done,” Vaughan said.
A system that’s working?
Dominion in turn has argued there’s no need to fix things that aren’t broken.
“Let’s stick with the model that’s working for future projects,” Ruby said. “It’s the best way to build offshore wind affordably for our customers.”
While the $9.8 billion CVOW is moving forward, he said, other offshore wind projects along the East Coast are facing stiff headwinds, with projected cost increases or cancellations. Meanwhile, Ruby noted the utility recently adjusted CVOW’s levelized cost of electricity — the estimated cost of building and operating an energy facility over its lifetime — from $80 to $90 per megawatt-hour to $77 per megawatt-hour. This August, analysts at BloombergNEF calculated that the levelized cost of electricity for U.S. offshore wind projects had risen almost 50% between 2021 and 2023, to over $114 per megawatt-hour.
“The PPA model is clearly not working,” said Ruby, referring to the power purchase agreements that govern the sale of electricity from non-utilities to energy suppliers. “Many of the PPA projects are either delayed, cancelled, or significantly more expensive than CVOW.”
Dominion also said it’s too early to be worried about not getting the lease and aired concerns that giving oversight of the bid process to the Department of Energy would erode the SCC’s powers, an issue numerous lawmakers, environmental groups and ratepayer advocates have said is detrimental for ratepayers.
Next steps
Deeds never made a formal motion to send his legislation to the CEUR, but he told the Mercury he’s hopeful that the body can look at the bill and produce something “we can get passed.”
Both Vaughan and Kimmell said they are looking forward to continued conversation on the proposal.
“I do think that the Virginia legislative session is short, so there isn’t always time to really get into the detailed consideration of something that’s important like this,” said Kimmell.
Deeds’ proposed process is similar to one laid out in a legislative amendment sought by Gov. Glenn Youngkin last year, although Youngkin’s plan called for Dominion to select the winning bid in consultation with a group including representatives of the Department of Energy. The amendment was overruled by the General Assembly.
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Staunton sits in the Shenandoah Valley with a theater company performing in a reconstructed Jacobean playhouse, a presidential library, and a downtown of intact railroad-era brick lined with working offices and shops. It also still costs less than Charlottesville an hour away. That mix, a center worth living in and a price a working household can actually carry, is harder to find in Virginia than it used to be, as the Charlottesville and Northern Virginia markets price out the people who grew up near them. The ten towns below manage it. None of them is a secret, and none needs to be.
Staunton
Cost is a real part of Staunton’s case: prices have risen across the Valley, yet the city often remains below Charlottesville while keeping a stronger center than most nearby towns. Beverley Street carries offices, restaurants, shops, and the Wharf district, so the old railroad fabric is still in everyday use. The American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse gives the city a serious theater draw, and it sits near the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum without either institution overwhelming the other. The Staunton Farmers’ Market draws a steady local crowd on Saturday mornings. Reunion Bakery & Espresso, Gypsy Hill Park, and the R.R. Smith Center for History & Art fill out a downtown with more going on than its size suggests.
Abingdon
On Abingdon’s Main Street, the courthouse, storefronts, inns, and restaurants still sit on the same walkable line. Barter Theatre is the obvious institution, but local identity does not depend on one name. The Virginia Creeper Trail starts close by and shapes weekends before and after the ride. White’s Mill keeps Washington County craft and milling history visible without requiring a dedicated trip. The Martha Washington Inn & Spa keeps a major 19th-century building in active use as a hotel and restaurant. Wolf Hills Coffee and the Abingdon Farmers Market are well-used local establishments. Housing remains less expensive than in larger Virginia metro areas, though addresses nearest the center bring their own premium.
Lexington
For a town of its size, Lexington carries an unusually heavy public memory. The courthouse area still serves present needs through the Lexington Farmers Market, coffee stops, bookstores, offices, and dinner at Zunzun. That said, Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute still make the past difficult to ignore through the University Chapel & Galleries, the VMI Museum and the George C. Marshall Foundation’s research library and public programs. That weight can be useful, and it can also crowd the municipality. Prices run higher here than in many Valley towns, pushed by campus demand and limited inventory within the municipal grid. The Chessie Nature Trail gives the place a needed release, with a Maury River route for walking and cycling when the institutional presence feels dense.
Waynesboro
Waynesboro is at its best when it does not try to smooth out its industrial past. The main outdoor draw is the Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail, a 4,273-foot walk through a railroad tunnel bored under Rockfish Gap in the 1850s. Back in town, the South River, freight lines, older brick masonry, and former factory space give Waynesboro a plain Blue Ridge character that holds up. Basic City Beer Co. uses that inheritance well, with beer, music, and pizza in a reused industrial property. The central blocks include the Waynesboro Heritage Museum, the Shenandoah Valley Art Center, seasonal produce stalls, and a working stock of shops and services. Housing generally remains more attainable than in Charlottesville or Albemarle, which explains part of the appeal.
Front Royal
At the north end of Skyline Drive, Front Royal has a role few places can avoid once they receive it: gateway to Shenandoah National Park. That fact shapes restaurants, traffic, and weekend timing. Even so, the town has its own civic texture. Belle Boyd Cottage gives the Civil War record a human scale, Skyline Caverns has taken visitors underground since the 1930s, and Warren County growers keep Saturday mornings from belonging only to park traffic. Main Street Daily Grind remains the coffee stop, while Spelunker’s has built a direct reputation on burgers, custard, and a line at busy hours. Prices are no longer bargain-level, but Front Royal still undercuts the towns closer to the Washington suburbs, which is much of why commuters willing to drive the I-66 corridor have kept settling here.
Luray
Luray Caverns sets the public image, and the Great Stalacpipe Organ remains the detail visitors remember, but the town around them stands on its own. Practical services matter here as much as the visitor draw: groceries, schools, Page Memorial Hospital, and a downtown solid enough to support full-time residents. Gathering Grounds Patisserie & Cafe and Page County growers at Ruffner Plaza give the center an everyday pull of its own. The Hawksbill Greenway gives walkers a creekside route through town. Shenandoah National Park sits close enough for early hikes or late drives on Skyline Drive, and the Mimslyn Inn adds a 1930s landmark that earns its keep through dining, lodging, and area events.
Farmville
Far enough from Richmond and Lynchburg to have its own pull, Farmville is anchored by Longwood University, Prince Edward County offices, and Green Front Furniture’s warehouse buildings. The Robert Russa Moton Museum gives the area’s civil-rights record the seriousness it requires. High Bridge Trail State Park is the clear outdoor asset, especially where the restored bridge carries walkers and cyclists above the Appomattox River. Uptown Coffee Café and the Farmville Community Marketplace see steady local traffic. The Fishin’ Pig fills a different role, serving barbecue and fish to a steady regional crowd. Housing has tended to be lower-priced than in fast-growing parts of the state, but distance from larger employment hubs is built into that price.
Bedford
Bedford does not need much staging. The National D-Day Memorial is the defining institution, sober and specific, tied to the Bedford Boys and the losses in Normandy. Around the courthouse area, Bridge Street Café, the Bedford Farmers Market, and older residential blocks sit within easy reach of one another. Peaks of Otter and Sharp Top put demanding Blue Ridge hiking within a short drive. Beale’s Brewery brings evening traffic to Grove Street, and the Bower Center for the Arts keeps classes, exhibits, and events available without overstating its role. Buyers can find houses within the grid, brick ranches, and acreage outside it. What Bedford offers is a serious institution, a walkable center, and quick mountain access, without the price of the larger metros.
Wytheville
At the meeting point of I-77 and I-81, Wytheville holds a functional role that predates travel branding. It serves motorists, nearby rural areas, courthouse business, and residents who want Southwest Virginia prices without leaving services behind. Skeeter’s World Famous Hotdogs, open since 1925, remains the lunch counter that needs little explanation. Big Walker Lookout provides the clearest mountain view, with a country store and craft demonstrations at the tower. The Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace is a worthwhile stop on its own terms, focused on the only Appalachian-born First Lady. The Haller-Gibboney Rock House preserves early Wytheville history in an 1820s brick structure. Seasonal vendor stalls give the center its own pull for the people who live around it.
Christiansburg
Christiansburg often gets read as a Blacksburg satellite, but it carries its own economy. The appeal begins with function: Virginia Tech access, the Huckleberry Trail, Roanoke Valley jobs, and Montgomery County services usually come at a lower cost than Blacksburg allows. The Montgomery Museum of Art & History keeps local records, railroad material, Civil War items, and rotating exhibits in public view. The town farmers market runs Thursdays at Huckleberry Park from May through October. Fatback Soul Shack serves barbecue and fried chicken without performance. Sinkland Farms, just outside town, adds concerts, pumpkins, and farm events that draw a crowd separate from campus calendars. Christiansburg is plain in ways that matter: useful roads, real stores, civic institutions, and enough distance from campus culture to keep its own habits.
What The Cost Gap Buys
The thread running through these ten is a cost gap that has not yet closed. A salary that buys a condo in Charlottesville or a townhouse outside the Beltway buys a house with a yard in Waynesboro, Farmville, or Wytheville, and buys it inside a town that still has a downtown worth walking to. What you trade is distance, from the biggest job markets, sometimes from the nearest interstate, and that trade is the whole calculation. For households who can make the distance work, whether through remote jobs, a commuter bus, or simply a shorter career drive, these are the Virginia towns where the math still favors staying.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Former University of Kentucky men’s basketball guard Kerr Kriisa was arrested by FBI agents and is expected to be extradited to West Virginia in connection with alleged fraud charges, according to a report from On3.
The Fayette County Detention Center confirms to WKYT that Kriisa is being held there. They confirm that he was arrested on the evening of July 3, but due to it being a federal case, they cannot release details of his arrest or charges. Bail has not been set.
Kriisa, 25, recently completed a six-year college career with stops at Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky and Cincinnati.
On3 reported the allegations stem from his time at West Virginia during the 2023-24 season and described the case as involving a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme. A court hearing is scheduled for next week, the outlet reported. The FBI has not publicly released details of the allegations in the report, but WKYT has reached out to the FBI’s Louisville bureau for more information.
The arrest comes days after Kriisa was announced as a member of La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team set to play in The Basketball Tournament. La Familia said last week that Kriisa was expected to make his debut in a best-of-three series against The Ville, a Louisville alumni squad, beginning July 18 at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.
La Familia posted on X that Kriisa will no longer be playing.
At Kentucky, Kriisa appeared in nine games during the 2024-25 season before a foot injury ended his season. He averaged 4.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, and recorded a career-high 12 assists against Bucknell. He also scored eight points and had four assists against Gonzaga before the injury, and the school said he reached 1,000 career points in that game.
Kriisa averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 assists in 19 games last season at Cincinnati.
La Familia said Kriisa planned to begin his professional career in Estonia, where he is originally from, after TBT.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
In the past academic year, Virginia authored all-time victories across the country. From national championships to NCAA Tournament wins and more, the Cavaliers made 2025-26 a year to remember.
In honor of the Fourth of July, here is a rewind to the best wins this year in the 13 original states — excluding New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Delaware for rarity.
Georgia: Two national championships in three months
Both of Virginia’s national titles this year came in the Peach State — women’s swimming and diving captured theirs in Atlanta in late March, while men’s tennis earned theirs in Athens, Ga. in late May.
When the Cavaliers went down to Georgia, good things happened. Men’s basketball beat Georgia Tech by nearly 30 points this year. That domination could be worthy of the header in most states, but not this one.
North Carolina: 16-6 win over No. 5 North Carolina in men’s lacrosse, ACC championship
In an ACC Tournament run for the ages, the Cavaliers took down No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 5 North Carolina over the span of three days. Virginia dominated in Charlotte, N.C. — beating the Fighting Irish by five goals and the Tar Heels by 10.
Sweeping Notre Dame was impressive. Blasting North Carolina to win the ACC title takes the cake, though.
Virginia: 27-7 win over Virginia Tech in football
The Commonwealth Clash needs no introduction. This win propelled the Cavaliers to their 10th win of the regular season and an appearance in the ACC Championship Game. In one of the more dominant showings in Commonwealth Clash history, Virginia Tech only crossed midfield one time all game.
Virginia fans strolled the field, a “State Champions” graphic glowed on the jumbotron and Coach Tony Elliott added another signature victory to the most wins the program has ever won in a single season.
Maryland: 11-10 win over No. 3 Johns Hopkins in men’s lacrosse (2024)
The Cavaliers have gone 0-4 against their northern neighbors over the past two seasons. Some of those losses have come by just one goal. But back in 2024, Virginia headed up to Towson, Md. to take on the rival Blue Jays with a ticket to Championship Weekend on the line. It took two overtime periods, but in the end, Connor Shellenberger sent Johns Hopkins home with this all-time goal. No. 1 sent the Cavaliers to Philadelphia with this walk-off:
New York: 2-1 win over No. 4 Syracuse in field hockey
Virginia was dominant in field hockey this season, never dipping below No. 4 in the national rankings. The Cavaliers beat seven ranked opponents in the regular season — the one with the highest ranking was No. 4 Syracuse.
Just two days removed from a win at No. 13 Boston College, Virginia had limited rest before heading into another top-tier ACC bout. It turned into a gritty, defensive battle. Mia Abello scored with 54 seconds left in regulation and Virginia held on to win.
Massachusetts: 17-14 win over No. 10 Boston College in women’s lacrosse
This game was played in Charlottesville, but it is Virginia’s most notable recent victory over the Massachusetts-based school. In the ACC, Boston College is only a contender in women’s lacrosse and field hockey. An upset win over the ranked Eagles came in one sport recently.
South Carolina: 4-2 win over No. 18 Clemson in women’s tennis
With a perfect ACC record on the line, women’s tennis travelled to Clemson, S.C. to take on a formidable Tigers team. Melodie Collard contributed points in both doubles and singles play, including the game-clinching singles point.
Clemson cut the Cavalier lead to 3-2, with the chance to tie. The Tigers then took the first point on Collard — but she responded by winning sets 6-3 and 6-1 to win the day for Virginia.
Pennsylvania: 24-19 win over No. 23 Pitt in football (2024)
If Virginia did not have one of the hardest schedules in the ACC in 2024, perhaps that could have been the breakout year for Elliott’s program. The Cavaliers were 5-4 after taking down a ranked Pitt team on the road.
Virginia went on to end the year on a three-game losing streak (at No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 13 SMU and at Virginia Tech). But for a moment, the Cavaliers’ triumph in Pittsburgh was just the second ranked win in the Elliott era. Virginia had hope.
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