Facebook parent company Meta has agreed to pay Virginia at least $353 million and adopt new safeguards for young users under a proposed multistate settlement over allegations that its platforms harmed children. (Photo by Thomas Ulrich/Pixabay)
By Markus Schmidt
Virginia is set to receive at least $353 million from Meta Platforms Inc. under a major multistate settlement that would also require the parent company of Facebook and Instagram to adopt new safeguards aimed at protecting children from addictive features and harmful content.
The agreement, announced Wednesday, could reach more than $17 billion nationwide, making it one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in U.S. history outside the Big Tobacco agreements of the 1990s. It remains subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where the case was filed.
The Robert O. Norris Bridge is located over the Rappahannock River. (Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Transportation)
By Shannon Heckt
Amazon Web Services is changing course on how a King George data center project will get its water after an application to renew a groundwater permit allowing withdrawals of up to 6.4 million gallons annually from the Potomac aquifer raised concerns.
The tech giant is set to construct a major data center campus in the county at the Birchwood Drive tech campus that could host more than a dozen data centers across the 869-acre property.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks during a roundtable with healthcare organizations on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
By Charlotte Rene Woods
Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday ordered Virginia agencies to step up efforts to prevent eligible residents from losing Medicaid and food assistance as sweeping federal changes are set to take effect next year.
The governor announced Executive Order 20 to boost the state’s implementation efforts of H.R.1, a reconciliation bill Congress passed last summer.
By Nathaniel Cline
Virginians can now carry their state-issued driver’s license or identification card on their iPhone or Apple Watch, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles announced Wednesday in Richmond.
The update comes as Virginians increasingly turn to smart devices for everyday activities, including shopping and entertainment events. In 2017, state lawmakers tasked the DMV with creating standards for issuing, reviewing, and displaying electronic credentials following an extensive pilot research program. Last November, the agency launched Virginia Mobile ID before the technology offer became available on Apple.
ICYMI
Our weekly roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.
COMMENTARY: The thousand-dollar line | Tommy Turner
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