Virginia school tax raised $119M, expansion advances

June 24, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

Virginia localities raised $119 million for school projects, as lawmakers weighed letting all communities put the tax to voters.

Why this matters

The proposal would give more Virginia localities the option to ask voters to approve a sales tax for school construction and maintenance. Its fate depended on the state budget timeline and could affect whether referendums appear on November ballots.

Virginia localities collected $119 million over five years from a targeted sales tax for school construction and maintenance, as lawmakers considered expanding the option statewide.

When lawmakers created the tax in 2021, a state survey found that more than half of Virginia’s schools were more than 50 years old, with replacement costs in the billions.

Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, and Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, proposed allowing all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax of up to 1% for public school capital projects. The measures were added to the House and Senate budgets and included in the combined budget released Friday.

Virginia localities can levy only taxes authorized by the General Assembly. Currently, nine localities can impose the 1% school tax: Danville, and Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania counties.

According to Virginia Department of Taxation data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Danville collected the most, raising $30 million in three years. In fiscal 2025, revenue varied widely by locality and student enrollment.

Danville generated about $2,171 per student, compared with $478 in Pittsylvania. Most other localities collected about $950 to $1,260 per student. Per-resident contributions ranged from $63 to $276. The per-student figures reflect total revenue divided by enrollment, not the amount paid or spent on any individual student.

Rasoul said $119 million was “a good start to be able to help localities have another tool in their toolbox.” He said, “The commonwealth needs to do more to help with school construction, but one thing we can be doing is at least help some localities help themselves.”

McPike said, “The core of the issue is that we are billions behind, and we still have kids in classrooms with leaky roofs and air conditioning that often breaks.” He added that local referendums give communities another funding option.

The Charlottesville City School Board recently backed expanding the tax, saying it could diversify revenue and reduce pressure on property owners.

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North Carolina

N.C. rate hike request cut, AG says costs still high

The company’s overall request would total 9.3%, down from 14.3%, with 5.6% slated for 2027 and 3.7% for 2028.

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North Carolina households may face a smaller Duke Energy Carolinas rate increase than the utility first proposed after objections to its latest filing.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson said Monday that Duke reduced its proposed residential increase from 18% to 11.6% after objections from his office, the Public Staff, other intervenors, and residents, according to Queen City News.

“That happened after our office objected, along with Public Staff, other intervenors, and many North Carolinians,” Jackson said. “It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s still too high.”

Under Duke Energy’s revised filing, residential customers would see increases of 7.5% in 2027 and 4.2% in 2028.

The case is scheduled for a hearing before the North Carolina Utilities Commission on July 7. If approved without changes, the new rates would begin taking effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Jackson said a key issue for his office is whether residential customers could end up paying infrastructure costs tied to data centers and other large power users. He said households should not bear those costs.

Duke Energy said it was still calculating how the revised request would affect customer bills and expected to share that information soon. The company said it changed its filing after hearing concerns from customers and stakeholders.

“Over the last few months, we have listened carefully to feedback from customers and stakeholders,” a Duke Energy spokesperson said. “In response, we have proposed an alternative path that lessens the projected cost impact on customers while continuing to make the investments necessary to serve North Carolina’s growing energy needs.”

Jackson said he would continue urging the Utilities Commission to approve a lower increase.
SC lead

South Carolina counties pause data center approvals

County officials had hoped the Legislature would pass statewide rules, but two Senate proposals did not reach the floor this session.

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Several South Carolina counties have moved to temporarily halt data center development as local officials consider rules for projects that consume large amounts of power and water.

In Spartanburg County, hundreds of residents attended a three-hour public meeting Thursday in downtown Spartanburg with state environmental regulators about a $2.8 billion data center already under development. The meeting came four days after County Council gave first approval to a one-year moratorium on future data center projects.

Greenwood County began its own 12-month pause last week. Chesterfield and Newberry counties enacted moratoriums earlier this month. In Colleton County, council last month gave first approval to a six-month moratorium while reconsidering zoning rules tied to a previously proposed gigawatt-scale project near the ACE Basin.

Spartanburg County’s moratorium applies to pending applications that have not been finalized, and council can extend it beyond 12 months. It also directs staff to identify areas that may be suitable for future data center development. The county began the process after a new company applied for a land development permit at a site where a bitcoin mining operation has operated for several years.

“I can understand counties wanting to be proactive,” said Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican who sponsored one of the data centers bills that was moving through the state legislature.

The proposal would have set standards for siting, water use, power costs, and noise, and created an office within the state Department of Environmental Services to handle permits and identify suitable locations.

A separate dispute in Spartanburg County centers on a project already underway. NorthMark Strategies and its subsidiary, Valara Holdings, are converting a former Kohler manufacturing plant into a computing center.

The company initially received approval for about 50 megawatts of power generation and later sought to amend that to 450 megawatts. The facility is already permitted for 24 natural gas generators producing 2,000 kilowatts each. A March filing with the Department of Environmental Services requested five additional 17-megawatt natural gas combustion turbines and six 54-megawatt turbines.

Residents and the Southern Environmental Law Center raised concerns about air pollution and noise. The group also petitioned state utility regulators to review the project and asked the Public Service Commission to pause construction until a final ruling. A hearing is scheduled for July 13 in Columbia.
South Carolina

Jury awards $250,000 in wrongful arrest suit

A South Carolina jury awarded Aalayah Owens $250,000 after her civil suit over a 2024 arrest she said was a case of mistaken identity.

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A South Carolina jury awarded Aalayah Owens $250,000 on Thursday after finding in her favor in a civil lawsuit over her 2024 arrest, according to court records, Owens, and her lawyer.

The four-day trial was held in Chester County, which is between Rock Hill and Columbia and has about 32,000 residents. Owens sued the Chester County Sheriff’s Office.

Owens, of Rock Hill, was arrested in Fort Mill in October 2024 after Chester County deputies obtained a warrant accusing her of conspiracy in a drive-by shooting that had happened a month earlier, records show. She was taken to Chester County and spent the night in jail.

According to the lawsuit and her lawyer, Chris Kenney of Columbia, another person gave deputies Owens’ name. Kenney said deputies arrested her without making a positive identification or reviewing her photo from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. He said an expert testified that sheriff’s office policies and procedures were not followed.

“They never made a positive identification of Aalayah Owens,” Kenney told The Herald on Friday. “They arrested the wrong person.”

Kenney said the jury awarded the full amount Owens requested.

Owens said she was arrested in front of her daughter, who was 5 at the time, and that she later lost her job as a day care teacher, her apartment, and her car. She said the arrest also changed how she feels about “safety and the world around us.”
South Carolina

SC Lowcountry heat forecast, tips to stay safe, cut bills

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office issued a heat advisory.
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The South Carolina Lowcountry and much of the Southeast are expected to see some of the hottest weather of the summer in the coming days.

A heat dome is forecast to settle over the region. The National Weather Service said temperatures this weekend could reach the mid- to upper 90s, with 100 degrees possible. Combined with moderate humidity, those conditions can become dangerous.

The National Weather Service said more Americans die on average each year from extreme heat than from any other extreme weather event. It said 529 people died directly from a heat-related illness in 2024.

If people must be outside for long periods, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying in the shade when possible, drinking water, and scheduling activities during the coolest parts of the day. Nighttime conditions may offer limited relief: Temperatures may not fall below 80 degrees in some areas during the heat wave, according to the National Weather Service.

The CDC also warned never to leave a pet, child, or disabled person unattended in a locked vehicle. It said 31 children died in hot cars in 2025, including during winter.

Extreme heat exposure can cause illnesses ranging from minor to severe. Heat stroke is the most serious and happens when the body can no longer control its temperature, according to the CDC. Body temperature can rise quickly to 106 degrees, and immediate medical attention is needed. If someone shows symptoms of heat stroke, move the person to a cool or shaded area, remove outer clothing, apply cool water if available, and call 911.

Extended heat can also strain home air-conditioning systems, increase electricity use, and add stress to the power grid.

The U.S. Department of Energy recommended several ways to reduce power use including:

Covering windows: 76% of light entering through windows is converted to heat

Raising the thermostat when leaving home, then lowering it after returning

Turning off ceiling fans when leaving a room: Fans cool people, not rooms.

Seal air leaks around windows and doors where cool air can escape
North Carolina

Study: Solar uses little prime farmland in NC

NC ranked fifth nationally for installed solar capacity. About 10% of the state’s electricity came from solar energy, enough to power more than 1 million homes.

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A new study disputed claims that solar development is taking over productive farmland in North Carolina.

“You travel across the state of North Carolina, and it’s occupying the best farmland in the state,” N.C. House Agriculture Chairman Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, said during a 2025 hearing on solar tax breaks.

A report released last week by the Solar Energy Industries Association said solar production currently occupies 0.24% of prime farmland in North Carolina. Other land uses, including suburban development and recreation, use more agricultural land, according to the study.

Between 2014 and 2024, suburban development took up 0.87% of the state’s prime farmland, or 3.6 times more than utility-scale solar projects, the report said. Golf courses used 0.28%.

“This map helps provide important context by showing that solar and agriculture can thrive together,” Solar Energy Industries Association President and CEO Tim Pawlenty said in a statement. “Solar development uses a very small amount of farmland compared to many other common land uses, while also delivering affordable energy, local tax revenue, and reliable income for farmers and landowners.”

Nationally, the analysis found solar used 0.04% of total U.S. land area and 0.07% of U.S. farmland. Golf courses used 2.6 times as much prime farmland as solar, and suburban development from 2014 to 2024 used 5.9 times more. The report said no state had solar on more than 0.5% of prime farmland.

California had the highest overlap between solar and prime farmland at 0.43%, according to the report.

The industry also faced policy setbacks. Gallagher said it had been “a challenging year for the solar industry.”

President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” signed last July, ended a 30% residential solar tax credit for systems installed after 2025, shortening a timeline that had extended through 2032.

In August, the Environmental Protection Agency ended the Solar for All program, which had offered $156 million in North Carolina and $7 billion nationwide for solar projects in lower-income communities.

Earlier this year, North Carolina Utilities Commissioner Chair Bill Brawley directed Duke Energy to stop progress on its 2026 solar procurement. The order did not cancel existing projects, but it meant the utility would not add new ones this year, affecting future solar capacity.

Despite those changes, Gallagher said solar remained a lower-cost option that could be added to the grid more quickly than other energy sources.

“In a state like North Carolina, where energy demand is surging,” Gallagher said, “solar plus storage is the fastest and most affordable way to meet that demand.”
NC lead

N.C. boosts boating patrols for July 4 weekend

Under state law, it is illegal to operate a recreational vessel with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher, or while appreciably impaired by alcohol, drugs, or other impairing substances.

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The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will increase law enforcement patrols on lakes and waterways statewide during the Fourth of July holiday weekend to reduce impaired boating and prevent crashes.

The effort is part of Operation Dry Water, a national campaign led by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard to deter boating under the influence.

The commission said the campaign comes as boating traffic rises during one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Officials cited the death of 10-year-old Brooklyn Carroll, who was killed last August on Shearon Harris Lake after an alcohol-impaired boater struck swimmers near an anchored boat. An adult family friend was severely injured and lost a leg.

“This was a terrible situation, and these families will never fully recover from it,” said Sgt. Claude Smith, who investigated the crash. “If individuals choose to drink, that is their decision, but they must ensure a sober, responsible adult is designated to operate the boat.”

Lt. Anna Barbosa, the commission’s law enforcement public information officer, said Operation Dry Water combines boater education with increased enforcement during busy holiday weekends.

“We want people to have a fun and safe boating experience and not suffer from the consequences of someone operating a vessel under the influence,” Barbosa said.

During last year’s Operation Dry Water campaign, the commission deployed 153 officers and removed 43 impaired boat operators from North Carolina waterways.

So far this year, the commission has investigated 62 boating incidents statewide, including nine fatal crashes. North Carolina recorded 26 boating fatalities last year.

Wildlife officers also urged people on or near the water to wear life jackets throughout the holiday weekend.

In North Carolina, Operation Dry Water is supported by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, and the Governor’s Highway Safety Program’s Operation Firecracker Booze It & Lose It campaign.
Latin America

Venezuelans search ruins as quake toll rises

Authorities said the number of injured had risen to more than 3,300 by midday Friday and that 243 people had been rescued. The death toll was expected to increase.

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Venezuelans searched for missing relatives Friday after back-to-back earthquakes killed at least 920 people and left more than 51,000 listed as missing on independent digital databases.

Residents digging through rubble said they had seen few state rescue teams in some of the hardest-hit areas, even as authorities said they were mounting a broad response. Nearly two days had passed since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck late Wednesday. Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours critical for finding survivors.

“Each person saved is a miracle,” Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, said. “We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”

In La Guaira, north of Caracas, government forces distributed food and water as acting President Delcy Rodríguez said officials were “working tirelessly” and welcomed international rescuers and aid. She said La Guaira had been militarized and that more help was on the way, though residents said assistance remained limited.

The International Organization for Migration said up to 6.76 million people in Venezuela could be affected, including about 2 million in Caracas.

In Catia La Mar, near the country’s main airport, people took food, toilet paper, and other goods from stores and gathered around vehicles distributing bread and water. Others set up tarps, hammocks, and tents in a pharmacy parking lot.

Venezuelan authorities said 861 international volunteers from Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia, and other countries were working in Venezuela. The United Nations said 1,000 emergency responders in 25 search-and-rescue teams were on their way.

State vehicles, emergency crews, dump trucks, and heavy machinery moved toward affected areas on the country’s main highway.

Media reports and Venezuelan television showed several rescues, including a young man carried out on a stretcher in Caracas and a girl pulled from rubble in La Guaira. Caracas metropolitan rescue team chief Jose Luis Nunez said she was found in a collapsed 10-story building. “We want to highlight this girl’s strength, determination and will to live,” Nunez said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said both earthquakes were centered near Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers, or 105 miles, west of Caracas.
World Politics

Trump threatens 100% tariffs over digital taxes

Trump said the tariff would override previously negotiated trade deals and would apply to any country that moved forward with a digital services tax.

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President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States would impose a 100% tariff on imports from any country that adopts a tax on digital services from U.S. companies.

In a social media post, Trump said European countries were discussing the “imminent” implementation of such taxes. He wrote: “Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America.”

Trump has repeatedly opposed foreign efforts to tax or regulate major U.S. technology companies. Last year, he also threatened tariffs against countries that did so. In an August post, he said digital taxes and regulation “are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology.”

The latest threat came ahead of a July 4 deadline for the European Union and the United States to begin implementing a tariff deal that capped tariffs on most European Union exports at 15%.

The European Union finalized that trade deal with the United States in May, after months of internal debate. Digital taxes were not part of the agreement and remained a point of dispute between Washington and Brussels.

The U.S. government has previously investigated digital services taxes under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. It was unclear how Trump would carry out his latest threat or whether any tariffs would be applied broadly or first aimed at specific countries.

Britain, which is no longer part of the European Union, has imposed a 2% digital services tax since 2020 on revenue earned by search engines, social media companies, and online marketplaces that “derive value” from U.K. users. The British government said at the time that corporate tax rules for digital businesses had “led to a misalignment between the place where profits are taxed and the place where value is created.” It said the tax was intended to “ensure the large multinational businesses in-scope make a fair contribution to supporting vital public services.”
US

D.C. settles suit over protester detained near Guard

The lawsuit alleged two First Amendment violations, one Fourth Amendment violation, and two claims under District of Columbia law for false arrest or false imprisonment and battery.

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Washington, D.C., police agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a resident who was handcuffed and detained after following National Guard troops while playing “The Imperial March” from “Star Wars,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia.

Sam O’Hara’s TikTok account, @freedc20009, featured videos of him walking behind or standing near Guard troops in Washington while playing the Darth Vader theme on his phone or a small Bluetooth speaker. The videos mostly showed troops ignoring him. In at least two clips, one Guard member appeared to smile and another appeared to move his head to the music.

According to the complaint, O’Hara was detained by Metropolitan Police Department officers last September after a National Guard member complained about the music. The complaint said officers tightly handcuffed O’Hara for 15 to 20 minutes, despite his objections that he was engaged in peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment.

The complaint also alleged that O’Hara told officers the handcuffs were too tight, that one officer jerked his arms while handcuffing him, and that the officers did not reduce his discomfort despite two shoulder surgeries in 2023. He was released without charges.

O’Hara’s attorneys said he played the music “at a volume that was audible but not blaring,” did not speak to or touch Guard members, did not interfere with operations, and followed them only briefly during walking patrols.

The ACLU said settlement terms were confidential, but that Washington, D.C., agreed to pay to resolve the claims against the police department. Litigation against the National Guard member involved remained ongoing.
World

U.S. strikes Iran after drone hit ship in Hormuz

The U.N.’s International Maritime Organization paused a planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the shipping lane after Thursday’s attack.

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The U.S. military struck targets in Iran on Friday after a one-way attack drone hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.

No casualties were reported in Thursday’s attack on the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely. The vessel was struck 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s port of Dahit, according to the British maritime security agency UKMTO. The ship’s owner, Evergreen, said it had been following UKMTO’s recommended route and that “All crew members remain safe as does the vessel itself and all cargo.”

U.S. Central Command said it struck missile and drone storage facilities, and coastal radar positions. It called the action “a powerful response” to the attack and said, “The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire.” It also said it would “continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps blamed the U.S. and Israel. In a statement, it said: “The treaty-breaking US regime as always violated its commitments and launched an airstrike on the coast of the Islamic Republic of Iran under various pretexts of a ship violating an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz.” It added: “If the aggression is repeated our response will be more extensive than this.”

Speaking at the White House before the strikes were announced, President Donald Trump said, “You’ll find out,” when asked whether the U.S. would respond. “I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday. They shouldn’t be doing that.”

The U.S. and Iran agreed on June 17 to end hostilities under a 14-point memorandum of understanding that called for Iran to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that if Iran “has disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence.”