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“As has been demonstrated by long-standing historical Commissioner practice, mere work history with a regulated entity has not served as a categorical basis requiring recusal.”- State Corporation Commission Chair Kelsey Bagot, a former attorney for NextEra Energy, in a letter to lawmakers explaining that she will not step back from the commission’s review of the proposed NextEra-Dominion Energy merger.
A protester displays a sign opposing the Dominion-NextEra merger outside the Virginia General Assembly on Aug. 18, 2026. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury)
By Shannon Heckt
On Tuesday, Virginia lawmakers heard from utility regulation experts on the potential impact of the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy. If approved, the merger would create the largest electric utility in the country.
In the days preceding this week’s Commission on Electric Utility Regulation meeting, legislators asked State Corporation Commission Chair Kelsey Bagot, a former attorney for NextEra Energy, to clarify if she planned to recuse herself from presiding over the $67 billion merger between Dominion and her former employer.
On Monday, Bagot replied that she saw no reason to do so.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury)
By Charlotte Rene Woods
Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced Executive Order 19 Tuesday afternoon, which is designed to strengthen Virginia’s preparedness for natural disasters and other emergencies and streamline the state’s response to crises.
The announcement comes ahead of hurricane season for states along the country’s southeastern coast. But the order extended beyond natural catastrophes, with the governor saying Virginia “faces an increasingly dynamic and complex threat environment that demands a modern, integrated approach to preparedness.”
The Wren Building at William & Mary in Williamsburg. (Photo courtesy of NBC12)
By Nathaniel Cline
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating historic Williamsburg university William & Mary over scholarships and benefits programs that the department said may discriminate against students.
According to the DOJ, the agency opened a compliance review to determine whether the school’s scholarships and student benefits include racial criteria that violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin.
By Ashley Murray
Historic preservationists asked the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday to deny President Donald Trump’s appeal to continue construction on his $400 million White House ballroom on the grounds of the demolished East Wing.
In response to Trump’s application to the high court, the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued irreparable harm would result if construction continued, and that the project is “illegal” without authorization from Congress.
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