Matt Busse

The Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative joins other Va. public electric utilities in seeking higher rates as business expenses increase. cardinalnews.org/2026/03/19/cra… via @cardinalnewsva

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Backers of the Joshua Falls to Yeat transmission project say it will address rising electricity demand and grid reliability. Others are concerned about its impact on local communities and potential use of eminent domain to take private property. cardinalnews.org/2026/03/12/mas…

Decades of coal ash have built up at Appalachian Power's Glen Lyn plant in Giles County, Va. The utility has a $340M plan for a new landfill to hold it. cardinalnews.org/2026/03/10/app…

Speyside Bourbon Cooperage, which makes barrels for aging whiskey, says it will lay off 52 employees in Smyth County as it ends production there. cardinalnews.org/2026/03/03/spe… via @cardinalnewsva

NYT-owned The Athletics hires 6 WaPo sports staffers to expand coverage of Commanders, start new Nationals beat:

- Click a Substack link - Post is behind a subscription wall - Click "Claim my free post" - Enter email address - Substack emails me a link to download its app in order to read the post I'll think of this every time someone says, "Every journalist should have a Substack."

Plans are underway to develop a data center complex in Wise County that would include approximately 2 million square feet of building space supported by on-site natural gas-fired power generation. cardinalnews.org/2026/02/25/dat… via @cardinalnewsva

🚀Big news for Southside Virginia: Italian rocket manufacturer Avio to bring 1,500 jobs, $500 million investment to Pittsylvania County cardinalnews.org/2026/02/23/ita… via @cardinalnewsva

@bejiitas_wrath Apple has some spam controls. But as a journalist, I get a lot of calls from people with whom I do want to speak but who have never called me before. This would help me better sort out legit calls from spam, at least in some cases.

@mbusse Android has caller ID, which can block spam callers and debt collectors automatically.

Desired #iPhone feature: When an unknown number calls, an inset window shows Google search results for that phone number.

A revised bill from Del. @Sam_Rasoul, D-Roanoke, would ask state regulators to review two factors that contribute to how much Appalachian Power customers pay each month. More: cardinalnews.org/2026/02/12/leg… via @cardinalnewsva

Relying on USPS to deliver print newspapers, instead of your own network of carriers, is the analog equivalent of publishing all of your content on social media instead of your own website. niemanlab.org/2026/02/terrib…

A 100-year-old Halifax County quilt artist says she learned through social media that Rep. John McGuire honored her on the House floor — without consent.  Edith Younger Edmunds calls it appropriation, not recognition, and says silence “serves no one.” virginiamercury.com/2026/02/10/it-…

A proposal from @SenLouiseLucas would have Dominion Energy's biggest data center customers pick up certain costs to lower monthly electric bills for other customers. The average residential bill would decrease $5.52. More: cardinalnews.org/2026/02/10/luc…

Bills would fast-track battery storage at solar farms cardinalnews.org/2026/02/03/bil… via @cardinalnewsva

Virginia General Assembly advances solar "ban on bans" bills -- more: cardinalnews.org/2026/01/30/bil… via @cardinalnewsva

A Virginia House committee advanced two bills: (1) help some residents replace oil and propane heat with electric heat; (2) study barriers to access for energy-efficiency and weatherization programs. cardinalnews.org/2026/01/23/ene… via @cardinalnewsva

“Answer the following question as if you were Danny Avula: how did the water outage in Richmond and boil water advisory affect you personally?” That was among the dozens of requests Richmond’s mayor made to ChatGPT in 2025. Read them all here: richmond.com/news/local/gov…

Guidance for the Major Winter Storm shifted north a little overnight, further expanding the areas forecast to be impacted Friday through this weekend. Here are the latest Key Messages.