The proposed Long Ridge Solar Farm, owned by brothers Christopher G. Weatherly and Glenn Scott Weatherly, will take up 41 acres of a 122-acre parcel along Long Ridge Road between Beaver Dam Road and Carolina Road. It will allow for cheaper energy for about 1,000 homes through the Virginia Shared Solar program, according to Cara Romaine, a senior developer with ESA Solar Energy who spoke in favor of the project.

Half of the energy produced by the project will support low-to-moderate income residents by providing 10% savings on their monthly power bills, Romain said. The site’s power lines will be connected to the grid underground via an existing power pole owned by Dominion Energy, which means it will not require the construction of a new substation.

This solar facility is expected to be able to operate for at least 35 years, according to the site’s decommissioning plan. The city has now approved 10 utility solar energy projects since 2019 covering a total of 2,020 acres, according to planning documents.

Speaking to council prior to the vote, Glenn Weatherly said his family has been on this farm since 1964 and he’s worked on it full-time since 1986. He said using some of their land for solar panels will provide him some “security.”

“I still want to farm … I’m pushing 60 years old this December, I’m looking for the easy life for a change,” Weatherly said.

The project was approved on a 7-2 vote, with council members Debbie Ritter and Jeff Bunn voting against. Ritter, who said she lives near a solar farm, called them “intrusive” and took issue with calling them “farms,” saying they’re more accurately described as industrial.

Ritter particularly highlighted the disruptions to travel during the construction period of the solar farms. She lamented the loss of agricultural land, listing things like transfer stations and proposed lithium battery storage facilities popping up across the area as signs of a negative trend.

“It all sounds great if you live in an urban area of the city or even a suburban area where (the solar project) isn’t where you live,” Ritter said. “This is an agricultural area … If the council wants to go ahead (with the project) that’s terrific, we’ll continue to give up valuable farmland.”

Two neighbors of the Weatherly’s farm spoke in favor of the project. Dana Todd, whose property is on Middle Ridge across the street from the Weatherly’s, said the addition of solar panels is a “good way to use the land and still make sure it stays farmable.”

“Supporting the Long Ridge solar project isn’t just about solar power, it’s about keeping our farmland safe and finding new ways for local farmers to make a living,” Todd said.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

The inverted roller coaster will have a 2,583-foot track and reach speeds of 40 mph. Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride alone and 42 inches to ride with a companion.

There are three options for the name: WölfSturm, WölfsReign or GeisterWölf. The voting period ends Sept. 25. To vote, visit https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/vote2025/.

The ride, described as an “immersive” experience on the Busch Gardens website, has a deep lore behind it.

“Long ago, a wolf swept through a Bavarian town, turning townsfolk to werewolves and destroying the village,” the description reads. “Forty years later, it’s time to honor the past during the annual Festival of the Silent Bells.

“The area is quiet at first, but strange noises are soon heard … footsteps and growling, then bright red eyes appear. The wolf has returned.”

The theme may be familiar to fans of the park’s Big Bad Wolf ride, which was shut down in 2009 after 25 years.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

Police responded to the 200 block of West Mercury Boulevard near the intersection with Seldendale Drive following a report of a crash between a bike and a vehicle at about 4:42 p.m. Officers found a man with life-threatening injuries and began life-saving efforts.

The man died at the hospital. The driver remained on the scene and is cooperating with police. The investigation is ongoing.

The man’s name has not been released pending the notification of his next-of-kin.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

The FBI arrested Antonio LaMotta on Aug. 16, 2022, initially charging him with four misdemeanors including entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct, and illegally demonstrating in a Capitol building. He was convicted in March 2024 of one felony count of civil disorder and one misdemeanor count each of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

In addition to six months in prison, LaMotta will serve 24 months of supervised release and is ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

LaMotta went to D.C. on Jan. 4 and on Jan. 6 attended a rally near the Senate Russell Building before making his way to the east side of the Capitol where rioters had taken control of the area, according to a news release. He and others forced their way into the building through the East Rotunda Doors, which were guarded by Capitol Police.

Once inside, he made it to the Rotunda where he saw police trying to clear the area. There he encouraged other rioters to follow him in by waving towards the Rotunda 19 times, according to prosecutors. Officers forced LaMotta out of the building by about 3:30 p.m. and he stayed on the grounds for about another hour and a half.

LaMotta is one of 1,504 people who have been prosecuted for their role in breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6.

In November 2020, LaMotta and another Chesapeake man were arrested in Philadelphia after driving to a vote-counting site while armed and, according the FBI, intending to “straighten things out.”

The pair were acquitted of interfering with the counting of votes but were convicted of weapons charges.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

Police responded to the 6100 block of Old Townpoint Road following a report of a shooting at about 2 p.m. Officers found a man with a gunshot wound in his chest.

The victim later died at a hospital. The investigation is ongoing.

No further information was made available as of Monday evening.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

A school resource officer at Tabb High School learned the student had on Sunday posted on social media a threat to “shoot up the school,” according to a news release. The officer told school administrators about the threat and the student was interviewed.

The student is charged with one felony count of making threats of bodily injury to persons on school property.

Investigators with the York County Sheriff’s Office determined she did not have the means to carry out the threat.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

In Norfolk, the most significant delays will be along Interstate 64. The on-ramp to I-64 east from Northampton Boulevard will be closed from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Sept. 8-12. Additionally, the off-ramp from I-64 east to Tidewater Drive south, Exit 277A, will be fully closed from as early as 10 p.m. to as late as 7 a.m. from Sept. 9-13, according to VDOT.

On Interstate 264 in Norfolk, the on and off ramps to and from Ballentine Boulevard (Exit 12) and Campostella Road (Exit 11) will be closed from as early as 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sept. 8-14.

Interstate 664 in Chesapeake will see the full closure of the off-ramp to Pughsville Road (Exit 10) from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Sept. 8-12. On I-664 in Hampton and Newport News, there will be a full closure of the on and off ramps to and from Power Plant Parkway/Powhatan Parkway (Exit 2), Aberdeen Road (Exit 3), Chestnut Avenue/Roanoke Avenue (Exit 4), and 35th Street (Exit 5) from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sept. 8-11.

For the region’s bridges and tunnels, the most disruptions this week will be along the James River Bridge, where there will be alternating single-lane closures from 9 a.m. to as late as 3 p.m. in both directions on Sept. 9 and 11, in the southbound lanes on Sept. 10 and 12, and in the northbound lanes on Sept. 13.

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel will also have a single-lane closure in the westbound lanes from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Sept. 9-10.

For the full breakdown of stoppages across Hampton Roads, visit  511Virginia.org.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

The tractor-trailer was traveling west at about 9:36 a.m. when the raised bed collided with the sign for Exit 200. Virginia State Police said the collision caused the bed to separate from the cab and get stuck, propped up in the air at nearly a 90-degree angle, based on pictures of the incident.

The driver, 62-year-old Richard D. Houston of Lorton, wasn’t injured in the wreck. Houston is charged with reckless driving.

Emergency crews were able to remove the truck bed from leaning against the sign by about 11 a.m.

A state police spokesperson declined to comment on how this happened, saying the crash is under investigation.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

The Republican submitted a statement of organization with the Virginia Department of Elections. Any individual seeking public office in Virginia must file a statement of organization within 10 days of accepting or spending campaign funds or appointing a campaign treasurer. The paperwork states that a contribution was first accepted, and an expenditure made, on Wednesday.

Then she made her formal public announcement Thursday night in front of at least 200 supporters at Chick’s Oyster Bar restaurant in Virginia Beach, including city Mayor Bobby Dyer.

“With your support we can secure the future of Virginia and make sure that the values that we cherish remain strong for generations to come. So let’s roll up our sleeves. Let’s get to work, let’s get to work, lets get to work!” she told the crowd.

Dyer was among the opening speakers, and he led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

“How about this folks? How about we take this November’s election and victory and let’s put a Marine in the Governor’s Mansion next year!” he said.

Earle-Sears was elected lieutenant governor in 2021. She is the first woman to hold the position in Virginia and the first Black woman to hold statewide office.

Earle-Sears is the first Republican to announce a bid, although state Attorney General Jason Miyares is expected to run as well. He released a statement on social media Thursday saying the party should be focused on winning races this year.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the only declared Democratic candidate so far. She has raised about $7 million as of June 30, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan organization that tracks campaign donations.

Earle-Sears told the story of her father’s immigration from Jamaica in 1963, just days before Martin Luther King Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“It was the height of the Civil Rights Movement, but folks, it is no longer 1963. This is two-zero-two-four,” she said. “Things have changed, have they not? Of course they have, because how else could I be second in command in the former capital of the Confederate states? The Klan is turning over in their grave.”

Earle-Sears served four years in the Marines, working as an electrician. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Old Dominion University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Regent University.

In a Thursday news release, Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker criticized Earle-Sears as a far-right “extremist.”

“If elected governor, she’d unleash her radical agenda: outlawing abortions, rolling back gun safety measures, dismantling LGBTQ+ rights, gutting healthcare for millions, and slashing funding for public schools,” Swecker said.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

Gavin Stone, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

Photos: Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears announces run for governor

Emergency personnel were called to the 300 block of E. Ocean View Avenue near the intersection with Wells Parkway following a report of a crash involving a pedestrian at about 7:50 p.m. They found a woman with life-threatening injuries who later died at the hospital.

The driver remained at the scene. The woman’s name has not been released.

No further information has been made available as of Wednesday afternoon. The investigation is ongoing.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com