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Water in Orange, Va., still unsafe to drink, but okay for washing, authorities say – WTOP News

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Water in Orange, Va., still unsafe to drink, but okay for washing, authorities say – WTOP News


While the water is still unsafe to drink or ingest, authorities in Orange, Virginia, say it is okay for bathing, washing and flushing. Residents say their water has smelled like paint thinner, gasoline and diesel since last Wednesday.

While the water is still unsafe to drink or ingest, authorities in Orange, Virginia, say it is okay for bathing, washing and flushing.

Last Wednesday, Rapidan Service Authority’s (RSA) Wilderness Water Treatment Plant started hearing about a strange odor from their customers, saying their water smelled like paint thinner, gasoline and diesel.

“The water treatment staff responded to those concerns and validated them, and also smelled them at the water treatment plant,” said Dwayne Roadcap, director for the Office of Drinking Water at the Virginia Department of Health.

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Roadcap told WTOP that after the reports started coming in, state agencies, local authorities started looking for what might be causing the odor. Some water sampling also started.

Orange County confirmed that testing showed presence of hydrocarbons in RSA’s water system and from source water in the Rapidan River.

That led the Virginia Department of Health and the RSA to issue a “do not use” water advisory for the Lake of the Woods subdivision, Wilderness Shores, Somerset, Edgewood, Germanna Heights, Twin Lakes, Germanna Community College Locust Grove campus, and two shopping centers with several restaurants on Route 3.

On Saturday night, the advisory was changed to a “do not drink” water advisory, meaning residents are able to use the water supply for “bathing, toilet flushing, laundry, and other uses not
associated with consumption or ingestion.”

“That was based on a few things that have been happening over the last few days,” Roadcap said. “Lab sampling results have been coming in. We know the odor is no longer present at the water treatment plant intake, and the objectionable odor has been reducing over time.”

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The 32-year veteran of Virginia’s health department told WTOP that the best case scenario is whatever caused the odor has bypassed the intake at the Rapidan River where the water treatment plant draws its water.

According to Roadcap, as the next order of business, “local leaders have been actively trying to move fresh water from the river to the system that has been treated.”

The cause of the odor is still not known.

“There was a significant effort to investigate up and down the river. No source was identified,” Roadcap said.

Roadcap, who has been the director of the Office of Drinking Water for six years, said hydrocarbon problems do happen.

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“There are effective ways to treat that and remove it. In this particular case the water treatment plant did not have the types of technology in place to do the chemical feeds that would help remove that type of odor,” he said.

There have been conversations, according to Roadcap, with his office and the RSA about adding that treatment process to the system.

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Former Virginia Gov Glenn Youngkin hints at political future, says he’s ‘chomping at the bit’ after exit

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Former Virginia Gov Glenn Youngkin hints at political future, says he’s ‘chomping at the bit’ after exit


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Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signaled his political career may not be over, telling Sean Hannity he still has “more to give” just under three months after leaving office.

“I have more to give. I just do. The one year of campaigning and the four years of running, so five years, went by in five seconds. It was amazing,” Youngkin said on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast.

In the full episode, debuting Tuesday, Youngkin sat down with the Fox News host to discuss his time in office, as well as what things have been like since his term expired in January.

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NEW POLL REVEALS SPANBERGER’S POPULARITY IS PLUMMETING AMID BACKLASH OVER GERRYMANDERING

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin addresses the crowd during an early voting rally on Sept. 21, 2023, in Petersburg, Va. (Steve Helber/AP)

Every morning [when I was governor], I woke up literally bounding out of bed, ready to roll, and that was the most purposeful I’ve ever felt in my whole life.

Youngkin oversaw a range of conservative measures passed in the state, including a push to ensure age-appropriate curriculum in public schools.

SPANBERGER SIGNALS LEFT BENT AFTER CENTRIST CAMPAIGN; GOP LEADER WARNS OF ‘FAIRFAXING THE REST OF VA’

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Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger responds to President Donald Trump’s unseen State of the Union address. (Steve Helber/Reuters)

He also pushed for tax cuts, including efforts to reduce the state’s grocery tax, rolled back COVID-19 restrictions early in his tenure and emphasized tougher public safety policies.

His time in office concluded earlier this year, when Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration succeeded his.

I’ve been out of office for six weeks. I took [my wife] Suzanne on vacation, which she so deserved. She’s been amazing. I think she’s of the best first ladies in America,” he said.

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“But six weeks has felt like six years… You’re chomping at the bit.”

While Youngkin stopped short of outlining specific plans for the future, his comments suggest he is keeping the door open to a return to public office.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.



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Denver police arrest man suspected in fatal shooting on E. Virginia Avenue

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Denver police arrest man suspected in fatal shooting on E. Virginia Avenue


Denver police have arrested the man they believe was responsible for a fatal shooting on E. Virginia Avenue on Thursday afternoon.

According to an arrest affidavit, the Denver Dispatch Center received a 911 call around 12:35 p.m. to report a shooting in the 10100 block of E. Virginia Ave. The caller told dispatch workers that a white SUV was fleeing the scene.

Responding officers found a man who was critically wounded. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Investigators reportedly discovered a handgun, the victim’s cellphone and money in the area where the shooting happened. They also located surveillance footage in the area, which appeared to show the victim exiting a white Chevrolet Tahoe as gunshots could be heard. He walked to the east, looking for help, before collapsing on the ground.

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The affidavit says a conversation was discovered on the victim’s Instagram account in which he was speaking with another person who was selling a firearm.

Aurora police assisted investigators using the Flock License Plate Reader system, identifying the Tahoe at several locations. Police said the vehicle had unique characteristics on the passenger rear wheel. The affidavit says that, before the shooting, the vehicle had a rear license plate, but after the shooting, it was missing.

Daniel Villegas

Denver Police Department

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Investigators found the vehicle, executed a search warrant and found a fired cartridge case in the back seat. A person connected to the case reportedly told officers that he drove his friend, later identified as Daniel Puga Villegas, to meet a person to collect money from him. However, he says an argument took place, and Villegas shot the victim, then ripped off his temporary rear license plate and, while still holding the gun, told him to drive.

Villegas was arrested on Sunday with assistance from the APD and is facing charges of first-degree murder.



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Southwest, Central Virginia Weather | 7:15 a.m. – April 6, 2026

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Southwest, Central Virginia Weather | 7:15 a.m. – April 6, 2026


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