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Janet Howell, a trailblazing Virginia state senator who represented Fairfax and Arlington counties for more than three decades and became the first woman to chair the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, died August 2 at age 82. Howell, a Democrat first elected to the Senate in 1991, retired in 2024 as the longest-serving woman in Virginia Senate history, leaving behind a legacy that shaped the state budget for a generation. Her passing prompted an outpouring of tributes from Virginia leaders who remembered her as a fierce advocate for women, public education, health care, and government transparency.
“Senator Janet Howell and I came into the Senate of Virginia together in 1992. For more than 30 years, we served side by side. Her work touched the lives of countless Virginia families, and our Commonwealth is stronger because of it.
I am lifting up her family and all who loved her in prayer during this difficult time,” wrote Senator L. Louise Lucas on August 2.
“Senator Janet Howell stepped into the arena at a time when few women were welcome there. As the first woman to serve on and later co-chair the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, she shaped every state budget for a generation,” wrote Virginia House Speaker Don Scott on August 3.
“She was a deeply committed public servant & a strong voice on the issues that impact our communities,” wrote Lt. Governor Ghazala Hashmi.
“Throughout Senator Howell’s distinguished career, she championed transparency in government, fiscal responsibility, women's rights, access to health care, and educational opportunity. In 2011, Senator Howell authored legislation to set up the nation’s first online sexual predatory registry and headed the commission that totally overhauled Virginia’s response to family violence,” wrote the Virginia Senate Democrats on August 4.
The Newport News City Council will hold its August 11 meeting at an alternate location, moving to the Freeman Center – Gaines Theater on the campus of Christopher Newport University, 1 University Place.
The Work Session begins at 5 p.m., followed by the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. Residents planning to attend are encouraged to allow extra time for parking and access to the venue. The full agenda and additional details are available on the City of Newport News website.
State Senator Michael Jones announced today that he plans to introduce two bills aimed at bringing greater transparency to the rapid expansion of data centers in Virginia. The buildout has made Virginia home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world.
“Chesterfield County and communities across this district are watching data centers go up faster than anyone can keep track of, and faster than our laws were ever built to handle,” Senator Jones said. “Localities are being asked to sign off on massive projects with massive appetites for land, power, and water without the public even knowing who’s behind them or what they’ll actually require. That’s not how we should be making decisions that shape our communities for decades.”
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Senator Jones’ district includes Chesterfield County, which has become one of the fastest-growing data center hubs in a state where the industry’s footprint continues to expand well beyond its traditional base in Loudoun and Fairfax counties. That “Data Center Alley” corridor has handled an estimated 70 percent of global internet traffic. Loudoun’s share of the state’s planned and live data center capacity dropped from 55 percent in 2019 to just 26 percent in 2024, as power constraints, new zoning rules, and community pushback pushed developers into other jurisdictions.
The strain on infrastructure has been significant. Dominion Energy has proposed a 14 percent rate increase for residential customers in 2026, citing data center growth and demand from AI expansion. Statewide, Dominion Energy and several electric cooperatives reported that data centers used about 5,050 megawatts of power in 2023 based on peak-load forecasts, according to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. Some regional utilities project even steeper growth ahead, with load forecasts in parts of Northern Virginia expected to multiply several times over by the end of the decade.
The two bills Senator Jones plans to introduce would:
Ban non-disclosure agreements between local officials and data center developers, ensuring elected representatives cannot be barred from informing constituents about proposed projects.
Require mandatory public hearings and disclosures, mandating at least two public hearings before any locality approves a rezoning, conditional-use, or special-use permit for a data center. The bill would also require upfront disclosure of the developer’s identity, the anticipated owner or end user, the project’s location and size, and the utility infrastructure it will require, including electricity, sewer, stormwater, and fuel lines.
Data centers have also become a significant source of local tax revenue in parts of the state, generating more than $100 million annually in Loudoun County alone to support schools and government services, a fact supporters of the industry often cite in response to calls for tighter regulation. Critics counter that the pace of approvals has outstripped the public’s ability to weigh in before decisions are finalized. Senator Jones plans to formally file the legislation when the General Assembly convenes in 2027.
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