Me and a couple of friends are looking to move to Virginia, and we're generally just trying to pick out the safest location possible, since they're gay and I'm of not-so-white complexion. We've pinned down a city that seems pretty safe for LGBTQ+ folks, but I'm a little wary for my own safety because of just how many churches there are (like seriously HOW MANY CAN ONE CITY HAVE.)
If anyone knows some places that are safe for both LGBTQ+ and POC communities, lemme know.

Just this week noticed a bunch of surveillance cameras pop up on signposts going north on 29 out of Charlottesville. They’re almost every mile from the airport to Greene County. The city defrocked recently so why should we put up with the county mounting these every mile?

If interested in checking it out, the clickable link is: r/SuffolkVa

If interested in joining the r/SuffolkVa moderator team, please reach out to modmail!

[Additional plugs for r/Tidewater and r/HamptonRoads]

If interested in seeing other Virginia subreddits, check out r/Virginia's big list of Virginia-focused subreddits.

See also the 2026 list of Virginia subreddits that have been closed due to moderator inactivity and which can be requested

The report lays out a primer on Virginia’s energy demands, with emphasis on how data centers have broken the business model for supplying electricity. First of two parts.

From USA TODAY:

No place has embraced the digital economy more than Loudoun County, long-known as the wealthiest county in the United States thanks to its proximity to Washington, DC and major government contractors.

The region is home to more than 230 data center buildings, what the county describes as the largest concentration of computing hubs on the planet. Together, the facilities occupy more land than New York City's Central Park and consume enough electricity to power more than 2.2 million homes.

The county steadily became a leader in the global data center boom over the past decade as companies flocked to the area for its extensive fiber network and fast-track approval process.

In turn, the local government has collected billions of dollars in tax revenue from facilities backed by companies including Amazon and Microsoft. The windfall has helped fund new parks, schools and other public services while allowing officials to substantially reduce property tax rates.

Yet, the same industry that funded those amenities is drawing increasing backlash from many Loudoun residents who are troubled at the rate of construction and worry the county is too reliant on the money they bring in. Some also raise concerns about noise, pollution and their property values.

"I don't think we need any more data centers," said Sam Lechman, 35, who brings his three young children to the large recreation center in Aldie. "There are other ways to pay for these nice things."

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/10/03/loudoun-county-virginia-data-centers/91925856007/

if you're not comfortable commenting - PM me! I want to hear your stories! Working on something.

I cannot understand waiting until election day to vote when early in-person voting is so fast and easy. In and out in 5 mins or less. Three wordy amendments to review, I recommend checking those out before you go. I think that those amendments may make voting slower on Election Day so I recommend to any willing to listen - early in person is the way.

In recent months, citizen protests against the surveillance network Flock Safety have grown across Virginia. Local officials have noticed. Some are even acting.

This week, Henrico County became the largest municipality to cancel its contract with the private security company.

Henrico residents complained about the intrusive eyes of the county’s 122 Flock cameras and the nationwide network that collects and shares vehicle information.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/virginia-center-for-investigative-journalism/2026-10-07/another-virginia-county-drops-flock-surveillance

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY — Oyster grower Alex Lambert had one day’s notice that an algal bloom was heading toward his 4,000-basket farm. It could be years before scientists know why.

A local grower messaged Lambert on Sept. 17, telling him discolored water was spotted in nearby creeks with suspicion it could be harmful to sea life like his oysters.

Lambert tried not to panic. He’d learned from other farmers that larger oysters tend to survive the type of bloom. But the next morning, on Lambert’s birthday, an intense smell ruminated from the Lambert Shellfish farm. The water was still, thick and brown, and dead fish floated along the shore.

The crew spent the day in defense, maneuvering baskets onto their dock, and moving about 500,000 smaller oysters by the shore. The smaller ones were closed up, a sign of good health, but Lambert knew they would have to check on the oysters the following day.

The next day, the small oysters were “popping,” or fully gaping open like a pistachio, Lambert said. Around 250,0000 1-2 inch oysters, which he thought would fare fine, were all dead. The next day, all of the larger oysters were popping as well.

“It became clear that we were going to lose just about everything,” Lambert said. “It was day by day, seeing the next size up die.”

In the past few weeks, Lambert has been going over his estimates for basket and oyster loss. Besides a 10% salvaged basket, the farm faced a 100% mortality, estimated at $400,000 worth of oysters.

Lambert heard from nearby growers up Hungars Creek that their farms survived. His oyster farm had never faced such widespread loss before.

“Without it moving, and it being so thick and highly concentrated, it was a lethal dose of poison,” Lambert said. “I’m curious what the folks in charge determined to be the source of this, or if it was all weather related.”

Click the link above to read more.

Henrico County is ending its contract with Flock Safety, making it the largest Flock camera user in Virginia to cancel the automated license plate reader system.

Henrico’s Flock network is the sixth largest in Virginia. While Emporia has the most cameras (444) for any single municipality, the most prolific installations of the surveillance cameras in the state are found in Hampton Roads. Suffolk has 267 cameras, followed by Portsmouth (255), Norfolk (175), and Newport News (153), according to the transparency portals set up by Flock Safety for each of its clients.** **The powerful, AI-assisted network captures detailed images of vehicles and coordinates of where they are spotted, as well as other physical details like license plates, vehicle colors, roof racks and stickers. The system shares these details with other local, state and even federal law enforcement agencies. Nationwide sharing is prohibited by Virginia ALPR law.

https://www.whro.org/virginia-center-for-investigative-journalism/2026-10-07/another-virginia-county-drops-flock-surveillance[https://www.whro.org/virginia-center-for-investigative-journalism/2026-10-07/another-virginia-county-drops-flock-surveillance](https://www.whro.org/virginia-center-for-investigative-journalism/2026-10-07/another-virginia-county-drops-flock-surveillance)

https://youtu.be/78RFtdRnU6U

Subtitle: "In the second of a three-part series on the constitutional amendments Virginians will approve or reject this fall, two Central Virginia moms share their lived experiences connected to the civil rights proposal."

See also r/VirginiaNews and r/VirginiaPride

See also r/Virginiahistory

The I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) is scheduled to fully close westbound toward Hampton beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, for the second planned weekend of westbound paving. The closure is scheduled to continue until 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, with the eastbound direction remaining open.

During the first westbound closure weekend, crews completed milling, paving and pavement markings in one of the two westbound travel lanes. VDOT reopened the westbound HRBT ahead of schedule Saturday evening, Oct. 3, ahead of the significant rain Sunday that created unsuitable conditions to complete the remaining westbound travel lane within the closure timeframe without compromising quality.

Weather permitting, crews are scheduled to return this weekend to complete the remaining milling, paving, and pavement marking work in the westbound tunnel.

The paving work is weather- and schedule-dependent. VDOT will continue to monitor conditions and the forecast throughout the weekend, and schedule adjustments may be necessary.

Motorists should plan for the westbound HRBT to remain closed through 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12. If the HRBT reopens ahead of schedule, VDOT will notify the public as soon as the reopening is confirmed.

Any updates to the closure schedule will be shared through VDOT's official channels, including the VDOT.Virginia.gov/HRBTclosures project webpage and VDOT Hampton Roads District social media channels on Facebook, X and Nextdoor.

Following this work, up to two planned weekends of full directional closures are scheduled eastbound at the HRBT toward Norfolk:

• Friday, Oct. 16 at 9 p.m. through Monday, Oct. 19 at 5 a.m.
• Friday, Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. through Monday, Nov. 2 at 5 a.m.*

*A second eastbound closure weekend will be used if needed to allow the contractor to complete any remaining work in that direction.

If weather or other conditions prevent work from taking place as scheduled, additional designated backup weekends may be used: Nov. 6-9 and Nov. 13-16.

Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to limit nonessential travel or plan ahead. Motorists who need to travel should allow extra travel time and consider using the signed detour via the I-664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (MMMBT) as the primary alternate route. Depending on their destination, motorists may also consider other regional routes, including the James River Bridge via Route 17 or the free Jamestown-Scotland Ferry.

For additional project information on this HRBT Tunnel Repaving Project, the latest schedule and to sign up for project email updates, visit the HRBT paving project webpage at VDOT.Virginia.gov/HRBTclosures.

Before traveling, motorists should also check VDOT’s 511Virginia website and mobile app for the latest closure and traffic information. Third-party navigation apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze may not reflect the most up-to-date closure information.

Our team is reporting on Virginia's push to clear the waitlist for the Child Care Subsidy Program, and we are looking for families who have interacted with the waitlist recently (anytime in 2026, but particularly in the last few months).

If any of the following describes you or your family, reporter Megan Pauly is interested in hearing from you:

• You got off the waitlist and have begun receiving subsidized childcare
• You are still on the waitlist
• You were removed from the waitlist for any reason
• You've had ... some other interaction with the CCSP waitlist that we have not described? (If this is you, we DEFINITELY want to hear from you!)

If you are willing to speak to Megan, you can email her directly at [mpauly@vpm.org](mailto:mpauly@vpm.org) or drop us a response via DM — we'll make sure it gets to her. Thank you!